Two words: Pastry and Paper.

2nd Annual Passion for Pastry: a day of workshops for pastry chefs with topics like Chocolate Desserts from Around the World, Chocolatiering 101 and Cake Decorating with Sugar Orchids (taught by the one and only Ron Ben-Israel). Yum.

The National Stationery Show: 4 days of paper, cards, albums and other such items – all guaranteed to set my heart aflutter and make my wallet dance out of my handbag.

On second thought, it is probably a good thing I am nowhere near either event…

I am a voracious reader – a direct and wonderful inheritance from my father. Every Saturday morning when I was a young girl, Dad would take me to the library and then to lunch. Quality daddy/daughter time – also a dose of sanity for my mother.

Growing up I thought it was perfectly normal to read more than one book at the same time. My dad would generally be in the middle of 2 or 3 books at a time. It is something we both still do.

In honor of that legacy, some books I have either home from the library or on my hold list:
Without Reservation – Alice Steinbach
London Bridges – James Patterson
Candy Freak – Steve Almond
Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table – Ruth Reichl
Comfort me with Apples: More Adventures at the Table – Ruth Reichl
Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise – Ruth Reichl
Freakonomics – Steven J Levitt
Around the World in 80 Dates – Jennifer Cox

I am always looking for suggestions of good books. I love food books (I loved Kitchen Confidential, Making of a Chef and Soul of a Chef), chick lit (The Shopaholic series, Jane Green, etc), turn of the century history (The Alienist, Devil in the White City).

Any suggestions for me?

Yum.

Dulce De Leche Brownies Recipe

Caramel Dulce Layer
1 can Dulce De Leche — (14 ounce) chilled one hour

Brownie Layer
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 F. For brownie Layer, line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with buttered parchment paper that you leave overlapping with a 2-inch extension. If you do not have parchment paper, use foil. In a mixing bowl, or mixer, blend the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla well. Stir in the cocoa, flour, baking soda and salt. Spread the batter in prepared pan. Distribute the dulce de leche in dollops all over the batter. Swirl with a knife. Place pan on baking sheet. Bake 26-30 minutes until just set. Cool well. Using the parchment paper overlap to assist, lift loaf out of pan. Chill well in refrigerator (30-45 minutes) before cutting into squares or bars.

via [sweetnicks]

The MTV show “Meet the B@rkers” features Tr@vis B@rker, the drummer from B!ink 182 and his fiance, Sh@nna.

One of the episodes focuses on the last few weeks before their wedding. Apparently, their wedding planner – the very well known, very well paid M!ndy We!ss – does not come out looking so good. In fact, from what I hear, it was pretty bad. Editing is a funny thing.

This is all hearsay on my part because I have not been able to see the episode – MTV has stopped airing it. Even thought TiVo says the wedding planning episode is due to come on, the wedding episode comes on.

So, the question is – who decided it shouldn't be shown? Did MTV decide that ticking off a celeb wedding and event planner by making her look not so good was a bad idea on their own or was there some outside pressure? Editing can certainly make even the best event look bad. Regardless, a mystery indeed.

(Edited to change certain letters so this post isn't googled so darn much)

Heartbroken Bride Told of Groom's Death

Ugh, this is simply sad. Feels like a broken promise.

WE TV has found another group of bridezillas to feature in all their temper tantrum throwing glory! Of course, up to you to decide what is bad bridal behavior and what is simply tricky editing.

If you don't remember the last round of the show – some of the couples featured on the show came forward after the series aired saying that they had been tricked into participating. According to them, the editing made it look much worse than it was in reality. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle – weddings are a huge amount of stress and bring out the best and the worst in everyone involved.

My only question is why in the world would these brides and grooms agree to be on this show when it made the last couples look so flippin bad?!

The new season begins June 12 – too bad TiVo only goes out 2 weeks.

Very cool – I missed the most recent version but am completely planning on participating in the next version:

26 things: the photographic scavenger hunt

Jennifer and Jeremy are married and it was a beautiful wedding!

*The ceremony was lovely, even though the room was about 115 degrees – okay, so that may be a slight exaggeration but I stress slight.

*The flowers and the Chuppah were beautiful and smelled amazing – hydrangeas, peonies and roses in lovely shades of purple and lavender.

*Jennifer is really photogenic – there were some digital photos the photographer showed me that were simply stunning.

*This was a crowd that was ready to party – they were all on the floor before dinner was even served!

*I LOVE the Horah – Hava Naglia is such a joyful song and it packed the dance floor – too much fun!

*The 130 dozen cookies made by the bride's mother and aunt were gone in the blink of an eye – there were only 6 dozen left at the end of the night!

*The bride and groom are a beautiful couple and am so glad that I had the chance to work with them and their families on this wedding – it was an honor.

Pictures to be added when I get them!

I woke to the sound of rain hitting the metal 1940's window awnings attached to our tiny house – I actually love that sound on days that I can stay in bed.

However, no staying in bed today – Jennifer and Jeremy are getting married!

I got to thinking about how we tell brides that rain is good luck on a wedding day. I have told plenty of brides that but have no true idea where it came from! So, finding the origin became this morning's “the-wedding-planner-can't-sleep-because-she-is-worried-about-where-the-soloist-will-sing-from-now-that-we-moved-the-string-quartet-so-she-needs-something-to-take-her-mind-off-it-for-right-now” project!

*German, Swedes, Russians all hold that a little rain on the wedding day is good luck.
*Sposa bagnata, sposa fortunata – translated from the Italian proverb and refering to rain on the wedding day, it means “A wet bride is a lucky bride.”
*Hindu beliefs also say that rain on the wedding day is good luck.
*Rain on the wedding day means many children.
*The French believe that the more rain that falls on a wedding day, the more blessings in the marriage.

My conclusion? Rain on the wedding day being good luck is like any other superstition – it was created to keep people calm when it seems like things aren't working the way we planned and help give a sense of control when we actually have little or no control at all.

Off to help make Jennifer and Jeremy's wedding day one of the best of their lives…

Happy Cinco de Mayo to everyone – hope you are all enjoying your Coronas and margaritas! If only I could find decent Mexican food – like the really good stuff we used to get in Dallas – then I would be celebrating as well.

Until then, I will pine for La Casa in Grapevine and Manny's in Frisco and wish the rest of you a Happy 5th of May!