Fabulous Divas

Hello, Viewers!

It was the party of the decade! And it took place in my home a couple of days ago! 

The Faeries had been scheduled for a get-together, but at the last minute it was discovered that three (out of seven) would be unable to attend, so there was wide-spread panic; four people, however delightful, do not a party make. Six is a minimum. In my opinion, the absolutely ideal number of guests is six to eight - enough to make it lively and party-like, but small enough to make it intimate and interesting; everyone can be part of the conversation rather than having the gathering split up into sub-groups.

But now we had a dilemma to resolve. Intense phone consultations between Faeries took place, with the resulting decision to invite a few more guests, but call it a non-Faerie event. Ergo, this was not a Faerie Convocation, but rather a Fabulous Diva Soirée, with the sub-title A Hot Pink Mess. The color scheme was, not surprisingly, hot pink with accents of black and flashes of white and silver. And diamonds, of course.

The basis for the table was a correctly-colored curtain, edged with a table skirt made from 12 yards of tulle, that I spent a considerable amount of time ruching and sewing and attaching with big stitches, so it can be removed, reused and recycled for other spectacular events.

I also spent a good bit of quality time cutting apart gift bags (pink/silver and black/white), and taping them together to form place mats, then further embellishing them with diamond trim to hide the handle holes. In any case, a bit of jazzing up never hurts!

The octagonal mirrors came out again, to serve as foundation for the center piece: a large crystal candle holder holding hot pink ostrich feathers, and two smaller ones, holding silk rose pompoms. Into the candle holders I inserted battery-operated pink LED lights, which gave a stunning effect. 

A crystal rope and a couple of large prisms increased the sparkle quotient quite considerably, and a black feather boa added that little extra bit of glamour...

The plates were black - not normally a choice I would make for tableware, but this time it was just SO right! - embellished with a hot pink jewel. The napkin treatment consisted of a solid pink one, rolled up with a pink-and-zebra-garnished one, held with a rather impressive (if I say so myself) diamond napkin ring.

Our Champagne glasses were embellished with more pink jewels and feathers. This is very simply done with a hot glue gun, and the decorations are easily removable when you have had enough and wish to return to normalcy - that is the beauty of hot glue! If, by any chance, you have difficulty removing the glue, just leave the item in the freezer for a few hours, and it pops right off.

Also, let me add a little note regarding these "Svalka" champagne glasses from IKEA: at $4.79 for half a dozen, they are cheaper than most plastic disposables (viz. the martini glasses below at $0.99 each), but much nicer to drink from. If you can bear the idea of the next-day clean-up, it is definitely worth it! BUT, then again - and here's the beauty of it - at that price you could even use them as disposables! No clean-up - just a large recycling bag! The best of both worlds! Unfortunately, IKEA's cocktail glasses are a little bit too expensive to be used as disposables, but "Optimal" for $2.99 is still cheaper than most, of course, and I may get some of those for the future. I have the Svalka red wine glasses, which are really superb - especially for that price!

At the last moment I had the impulse to add a few sparkly silver fronds to the feathers, and a gang of pink table diamonds to the black boa (which you can see in the picture below) - because less is very seldom more. Otherwise, I would say that the table decorations were unusually restrained - for me.

The disposable martini glasses - for our introductory Pomegranate Martinis - were embellished with Marabou feather trim and pink sugar rims, and set up on the rolling kitchen cart for a nice little cocktail bar experience. 

The cart - draped in pink - also held appetizer plates, coffee tray, cake platter, and so on, safely hidden away from view, and conveniently available as needed.

The black-and-hot-pink pomegranate tea bags were a felicitously color-coordinated find in the tea drawer...

The sugar trick came about originally by a happy accident: a couple of white crafting pearls fell into the sugar bowl and the effect was too pretty for words! The pink pearls here work almost as well...

The cake stand was enhanced with a black grosgrain ribbon and a pink rose.

As the Diva guests arrived they were led to a little dressing-up station with feather boas and tiaras to borrow for a glamorous evening. Do notice, please, how even the boxes tie in with the color scheme!

But the highlight of all my arrangements, though, the feature that elicited the shrillest screeches of delight and the most gushing expressions of enthusiasm, was probably the little Nail Polish Boudoir that I installed in an unused doorway, between the foyer and the office. And if you knew how tiny the space is, how everything in my apartment is calculated by the half-inch, you would be impressed too!

Two pink curtains were hung on the office side of the doorway as background, and two sheer ones on the foyer side, garnished with some diamond trim and held back with pearl bracelets. And a rose.

A small folding table was placed half-way across the threshold and covered with another pink curtain. Then I assembled a few boudoir things from around the house: the lamp came out from its storage closet; the mirror usually sits on my desk; a few shades of sparkly nail polish, remover, and cotton balls were served in footed bowls. The pink chair came from the office, and just barely squeezed in.

Feathered Divas are going nuts with the nail polish!

Even though this was not a Faerie event, there had to be a little crafting. I had been lucky enough to stumble on a 90% off sale of self-adhesive crystals, so I bought "a few" and offered them to the Divas. The simple, yet inspiring task, was to attach them to our cell phones. Personally, I have had a whole different level of telephoning experience ever since!
(No, that is not supposed to be orange jewels - in reality they are iridescent and gorgeous!)

And finally a few words about:
The MENU
Pink Champagne is obviously a necessity in this type of context!
Deviled eggs with smoked salmon was the appetizer, followed by:
Baby chicken kebabs with rice; and a light green salad, garnished with pink grapefruit, pomegranate seeds, and infinitesimal slivers of red onion.
The dessert was basically chocolate, described in detail below; and later, to finish the evening, coffee, tea and macaroons.

Obviously, the dessert would have looked more attractive
 in a glass coupe, or even a pink bowl - but black plates
were the order of the day! Sorry!
(If the surface looks strange, it is because the pink sugar
crystals that I had sprinkled on for fun have started to melt...)

Chocolate Lover's Diva Dream Dessert

This is a very easy-to-make, yet elegant, recipe that is GUARANTEED to be a great hit with the chocolate-lovers in your midst! Somewhat resembling chocolate mousse, it is yet much denser and creamier.

12 oz chocolate*
1½ cup vanilla soy milk 

(or regular milk)

6 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp salt

1. Separate yolks; set aside
2. Break up chocolate into pieces; place in food processor (fitted with blade); chop for 1 minute
3. Heat soy milk to boiling point; pour over processed chocolate; pulse for 30 seconds, until chocolate melts and mixture cools slightly
4. Add yolks, vanilla, salt; pulse until smooth
5. Divide into cups; chill for a few hours or over night.  NOTE:  The mixture is quite thin and runny, but do not be alarmed - it will solidify very satisfactorily!

Serves: 8

* As always, we are talking quality here! The better the chocolate, the more delicious the dessert. The recipe calls for bitter-sweet chocolate, but I imagine you could try other varieties as well. I used a Swiss bitter-sweet, dairy-free, kosher variety, called Schmerling Noblesse, with 55% cocoa (comes in 3½ oz bars). Having tried other varieties I warmly recommend this one - but if you have other preferences, go right ahead! Also, be careful when measuring - it is tempting to add a little extra, but you really need exactly 12 oz!

Oh my, I am still dizzy with the fabulousness of it all!

Regards from your Diva Rosebud!

Snow Glitz Fairies

Hello Viewers,

Having moved through the seasons with lightning speed, we now get to the Grand Fairy Extravaganza of 2013 - the Snow Glitz Fairies! Almost exactly one year ago, the Fairy Friends gathered for a revelry in Winter White:

A silver tablecloth, with a white, lace-edged underlay, was covered with white, sparkly tulle that I had scrunched up a bit between settings to create a reference to snowdrifts. 

The base for the centerpiece consisted of one large and two small octagonal mirrors, on top of which I placed mercury silver votive holders, white pillar candles with "diamond" trim, so-called "table diamonds", and a long sparkly, silvery, flower garland.

The trumpet vase is a mirror mosaic - a mixture of rectangular mirror tiles and crushed mirror slivers - and holds white branches, to which I added a little extra glitter and snow spray. Some white butterflies with silver glitter on their wings are perching among the branches; there are also some hanging crystal prisms to catch the light and create more sparkle.

On to the place settings: white disposable plastic plates were given a diamond trim as well (the same that I used for the candles). The trim is really a kind of ribbon, with plastic bits shaped to reflect light and give a sparkly effect. It comes in several different widths, and can be found in florist supplies stores. It is extremely useful for many purposes, and adheres easily with glue. I used adhesive spray, which, admittedly, gets all over you, but works wonders for this type of projects.

The napkin was rolled up with a paper doily and held together with a rather smashing diamond napkin ring. Small, square mirrors were used as coasters.

All is ready for the Faeries to arrive! The main wine glass has an etched flower shape where the cup meets the stem, if you can discern it in this picture; its icy snow flower look made it particularly suitable for this event.

The festivities progressed, with Snowball Cookies and the customary craft project: Fairy Necklaces. We use special crafting place mats - lilac, with a fairy motif - to protect the table setting and keep our stuff gathered.

The Meeting of the Wands of the Snow Fairies...

And then the food:

The (almost) all-white Snow Glitz Winter White Menu consisted of

Kani (kosher fake crab sticks) Salad on Endive Lettuce

Zingy Tilapia, Baked Cauliflower, Yellow Summer Squash, Jasmine Rice with Slivered Blanched Almonds

Pavlova w Kiwi & Pomegranate

Coffee & Snowball Cookies

Pavlova

The simple meringue formula is as follows - you can easily do your own math:

1/4 cup sugar per egg white

1 egg white serves two persons

(This Pavlova for seven voracious Fairies was consequently made from 4 egg whites and 1 cup of sugar.)

Also needed:
Heavy cream
Fresh berries or sliced fruit - whichever kinds you like, but for best results, use fruits or berries that are somewhat tangy

There are two schools of thought when it comes to meringue: crisp and dry throughout, or soft and chewy like a marshmallow in the center. Depending on your preference you can fiddle around with vinegar and corn starch, but since I am too lazy to bother, I worked out my own compromise meringue which is crisp almost throughout, but has a hint of chewiness if you eat enough of it to actually reach the center. 

1. Beat egg whites with mixer on highest speed until stiff peaks form
2. Slowly add sugar, 2-3 Tbsps at a time, while continuing to beat, until all sugar has been incorporated and meringue is very, very stiff and shiny
3. Spread in big circle on cookie sheet covered with parchment (you can draw a circle with a pencil on the back/underside of the parchment in advance if you like, as a guide) -shape with a spatula or large spoon and create a slight bowl formation
4. Bake at 300° for 1/2 hour or until lightly golden; turn off heat and let meringue remain in oven over night. I have an old-fashioned pilot-light gas oven, and the slight warmth in the oven is perfect for drying/crisping the meringue over night; it will be crisp, but still retain a slight chewiness in the middle. Even if you have a different kind of oven, this method still works well; there is always some residual heat, and the closed oven will keep the meringue dry. If your oven cools extremely fast, let the meringue sit at 100° for an hour before switching the heat off. If the meringue should crack a little don't worry about it; the cream will hide any imperfections
5. Whip heavy cream lightly, until very soft peaks form (do not over-whip!); there is no need to add sugar or anything else - in fact, the delight of this dessert is the contrast of flavors: sweet meringue and tangy fruits, with the non-sweetened cream acting like a heavenly cloud, enveloping and emphasizing the flavors...
6. Scoop cream into the meringue; sprinkle generously with fruit

PLEASE NOTE: The dessert must be assembled at the last minute - if you let it sit around, the meringue will get soggy and depressed. The fruit/berries can be readied in advance, and whipping the cream (with an electric mixer) is done in the blink of an eye; it is well worth the few minutes of waiting time.

Enjoy - it is impossible not to!

Regards from Rosebud!

Pumpkins & Pearls

Hello, Viewers!

Last week there was no new post in the Castle since I was too busy setting up a Fairy Party. So for now, let me abandon chronology, and show you instead what I was doing last Sunday.

My imagination had been set in motion long ago by some items from – IKEA (it is almost becoming embarrassing!) Large, white, lacey candle trays promised to make wonderful charger plates*, and other pieces in the same series – Skurar – seemed equally full of potential, so I knew I wanted to do something elaborate with them. The time of year obviously suggested something pumpkin-related – but how to combine these points of inspiration? Two words: spray paint.

I gave my pumpkins a bright white satin finish, and together with Skurar it was a match made in heaven. In fact, the whole table setting, when finished, had a bit of a bridal look to it. Considering that one of the mature Fairy Ladies was celebrating her 29^th anniversary, and that one of the Fairy Girls had just gotten engaged, it was quite appropriate!

I started by covering the table with burlap, and added a hand-crocheted lace tablet. A Skurar bowl holds a rosemary plant, wrapped in burlap and accented with a few mini pumpkins.

One fairly - or fairily! - large pumpkin sitting in another type of Skurar bowl, again with a bit of burlap for contrast. I used two of these to flank the central bowl.

Center piece in progress - I have added more pumpkins, Skurar candle lanterns (with tea lights), and pillar candles. A couple of the pillar candles got pearl cuffs - actually elastic pearl bracelets from a florist's supply store,  made for holding flower corsages.

At the very last moment, I had the idea to elevate the plant - I added a flat-bottomed bowl, wrapped in burlap and covered with a small companion piece to the lace tablet. Also, more pearls have been added. Then, for the place settings:

Above: the Skurar candle tray that originally fueled the whole venture.

After finally deciding that going out and buying a whole set of white china (since I only possess floral china), would be a bit rich even for my party-seasoned blood, I went to the local discount place to take a look. 

Imagine my ecstasy when I found these plates: "Lace Collection" from a disposable goods company called Silver Spoons and More.

Below: the linen-look paper napkins have been rolled up with strips of burlap, then secured with pearl napkin rings.

The place settings came out looking like this! 
Below: The table in all its glory, with pearl garlands hanging from the chandelier.

...And the scene at night, with the candles lit...

One of the large candle lanterns, lined with burlap, became an excellent container for a wine bottle. I also used Skurar plant pots to hold mini baguettes and bread sticks.

The Faeries were offered extra pearls to wear, of course, and the craft of the day was tulle/pearl bracelets.

One of our Faeries loves blue...

Another is crazy about pink...





















Finally, this just might be the forum for finally revealing to the world my Heirloom Recipe Collection Secret Brownies, which were served for dessert. One of the best things about these brownies is that it is a one-bowl - or rather one-pan - recipe! No messy chocolate-melting!

The SECRET is to use only first-rate cocoa. Personally, I like to use Droste (Dutch process), but if your taste runs to non-alkalized that is fine too. Just don't compromise on quality!

Secret Brownies

2 sticks margarine or butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup cocoa

1 Tbsp vanilla

3 eggs

1 cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

1. Melt margarine/butter in large saucepan; remove from fire
2. Stir in sugars, cocoa, vanilla
3. Stir in eggs, one at a time; do not add next egg until previous one is fully incorporated
4. Stir in flour with baking powder; mix well
5. Heave into greased 9 x 13" pan; bake at 350° for 30 minutes
6. If desired, add some walnuts or pecans - here I used honey-glazed pecans as a decoration

Makes 20-24, depending on levels of greediness, but these brownies are guaranteed to bring out the greediness even in the best of us!

Regards from Rosebud!

*It has come to my notice that the cover of the November issue of “RomanticHomes” shows a table setting where these trays are used as charger plates – but I promise on my word of honor that I have not stolen the idea; I used them as such already this past spring!