Cooking Class and Birthday Swag

I attended my first cooking class ever this weekend at Whole Foods. It was called “Preserving Summer” and it was about canning. I had never canned before this class and was super excited to learn the process. There were only four students in the class so we paired up in teams of two. It was great because we got to take home a selection of everything we made! Hearing that little “tink, tink, tink” sound as the jars sealed after being removed from the boiling water was so exciting.

Here was the Menu:

Strawberry Jam

Peach Jam

Mango Chutney

Red Pepper Jelly

Bread and Butter Pickles

   

I brought home 1 jar of Mango Chutney, 2 jars of Peach Jam, 2 jars of Bread and Butter Pickles, 2 jars of Red Pepper Jelly, and 2 jars of Strawberry Jam! I can’t wait to enjoy them! I think so homemade scones or biscuits are definitely in order!

Our instructor, Chef Antonio was superb. I can’t wait to take another class! They even have cooking classes for kids! I asked Livie if it was something she might be interested in doing and she was so excited!!! Like mother like daughter!

Go here for canning recipes and tips.

Of course I couldn’t leave Whole Foods without buying some herbs to replenish my kitchen herb garden. Cooking with fresh herbs is so rewarding. I love walking over to my large pot of herbs and snipping a few for each recipe as needed. So fresh and they smell heavenly!

 

Lastly, September is my birthday month. I love all the fun little perks that come in the mail each year at this time. A gift card for free Bang Bang Shrimp at Bonefish, 15% off my total purchase at Anthropologie and a $15.00 dollar gift card to the Loft. I am one happy girl!

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Livie’s Backyard Birthday Bash

We had a birthday party for Livie on Saturday afternoon in our backyard. We filled up the inflatable pool, stocked up on water guns, set up two slip and slides and turned them loose. There were 26 kids and they had a ball. Running around, squirting each other, jumping in the pool, playing on the playground, racing down the slip n’ slides. They did it all and they completely wore themselves out.

We kept the food simple as the party was from 3-5pm. We had “Three Ring Circus” trail mix for the kids in snack bags, Capri Sun Roarin’ Waters, Fruit Salad Ice Cream Cones… (Fruit Salad served over marshmallows in ice cream cones.) Delicious and refreshing. And of course, Cake. I made two Mandarin Orange Cakes and they were more than enough to serve the huge crowd.

You should have seen the backyard after all the guests left, it looked like a frat party had taken place.

Here are some pictures from the big day. (The pictures aren’t the greatest. Every time I tried to take a picture, I would get sprayed by a dozen water guns. I had to tell them to “hold their fire” a few times in an attempt to get a few good shots.

It was the perfect party for such a hot, summer day. Thanks to everyone who was able to join us to celebrate Livie’s six years!