It Must Be Wedding Season!

There are certain things I really hate to do. Making beds is one. I don't know why I detest this job so much, but I would really rather just close the door. However....I do make it. At least on days that I am the last one out, that is sort of the rule around here. Last one out has to make the bed, seems fair, right?

For Christina's graduation party, we were working on the menu for a few days, adding and taking away items, and my friend Rosalie was having a party the day after ours. We compared notes, and she offered to make deviled eggs for me. Hmmm, there's another job I really hate. I'll make egg salad every day, but deviled eggs, no way. She made me dozens of the little buggers with a tiny slice of a home made pickle on top. I just love Southerners. So of course, I had to think of a little reciprocation.

Back in April when I was making the cookies for the Something Borrowed premiers, Rosalie came over and saw the cookies and loved them. And why not, they were pretty cool! She said she had a friend recently engaged and was hoping I would have a few extras. As things go, I make a few extras, but since I was driving hundreds of miles to drop off the cookies, I hated to not have a few extras along, and I left her empty handed. So this week she is throwing a shower for the happy couple and I am naturally, making cookies. Engagement rings and little cakes with some heart accents. Just for her!



And as fate would have it, I got a phone call from a woman who was at Rosalie's party. She was getting together with her kids for the holiday and they all have July anniversaries. She was hoping I could whip up a dozen cookies in 2 days. Normally it wouldn't happen, but when the cookies are spread out and there is dough in the fridge, why not! So here are her wedding cakes, which I really love to decorate! Happy Baking!

Something Borrowed Premiere

So, it appears the cookies from the mini Memphis premiere were a hit. I recieved a comment on my blog from the first Something Borrowed and was invited to make cookies for the Atlanta premiere which was hosted by the author Emily Giffin. Having made 200 of these cookies already, I had a pretty good idea how to tackle them the second time around. I can honestly say I shaved off a good 4 to 5 hours (yea, these were no easy task) and they improved greatly! Isn't every task all about learning and improving?!

So shipping 200 cookies would not be an easy feat, so I decided to drive them there myself! I used to live in Atlanta, and although I would have to make a quick 2 day trip, I knew I would see my oldest friend, make a trip to Nordstroms, perhaps a lunch out and the movie Something Borrowed the night before it opened. The trip was pretty uneventful until I hit Birmingham. I crested a hill and noticed traffic was crawling. The recent tornados had swept right across Highway 78 and took everything with it. Yes, I shot a picture while driving, but honest, it was like 5mph. I am no stranger to tornados. We had massive destruction in Clinton, IA when I was a little kid, my sister in Waterloo, IA has lost 2 houses in the same spot to tornados fairly recent, you can see a photo in this post and the neighborhood I now live in was decimated about 17 years ago on Thanksgiving weekend. We came house hunting a week later and were amazed at the power of that storm. But the Birmingham devastation was truly tragic, and to drive right through it, it was a little surreal.


The author had a great turn out to the premiere, and apparently when she sent out her invites, there was some sort of a note that asked them to wear pink. Being a guest of the assistant, I showed up in black...oops. That's okay, I didn't stick out too bad! The movie was terrific, and I have since seen it again. If you read the book, you will not be disappointed. The characters are a great fit to the book, and the few changes they made to the story just keep it moving along. If you haven't read the book, the ending will be a bit of a shock. No spoilers here though, I encourage you to see it.

My family hates going to the movies with me, having studied film in college (yep, they actually offer degrees in such things, see what it is doing for me!) I do not watch a movie like most people. I look everywhere on screen, except, it seems, where everyone else is looking. I am always looking at product placement, Williams Sonoma kitchen stuff, Pottery Barn accessories, what books are on the coffee table, cookbook titles, you get the idea. Before the movie, the producer Molly Smith and the author Emily Giffin spoke about the film, and when the credits rolled on the front end the audience cheered when their names came up, and I missed it looking elsewhere! I also caught a jump cut (oops, they're pretty common, most people don't see them) and I loved the FedEx reveal shot towards the end when she returns and "he" is there. The producer is related to FedEx, so that is something only a Memphian would understand! The funniest scene is a cameo by the author, she is sitting on a park bench reading her book (clever), and the characters are having a very off color conversation. It is a great scene! So all in all the trip was fabulous, my friends are great, the movie rocked. Now, back to reality! Who knows what's next....but for now, get in there and bake!

Something Borrowed

Every once in awhile something big comes along, and today is a pretty big day in Memphis. We had some tornado warnings earlier this afternoon, (probably more to come tonight), our hometown NBA team the Grizzlies, are playing Game 4 in the playoffs downtown tonight, and the movie Something Borrowed which is slated to open May 5, has a mini premiere right here in Memphis. Here's the trailer for the movie, which looks adorable.

Why Memphis? Well, the movie stars Ginnifer Goodwin, a Memphis native, and is directed by Molly Smith, also a Memphis native (and alum at our favorite all girl's high school). So they are having a family and friends event tonight and were making gift bags for the attendees. And, they needed something sweet.

So, if you needed logo cookies and diamond ring cookies who would you call? Me! It turns out the gal that emailed me had my cookies at a baby shower, and she thought they were cute and delicious! So I baked and piped and glittered and bagged and bowed! They are pretty darn cute. My dining room was taken over! The theme of the movie, obviously, is a pending wedding, thus the diamond ring cookies.
They are iced and then "painted" with a food safe silver and and the facets of the diamond are glittered with the most fabulous edible glitter. The logos are a simple "sobo" which I am guessing they used as the slang term for the movie since the title is so long.




So, we'll all have to wait until next week to see the movie, but tonight, I will start on the book, and nibble a few reject cookies. This is my first movie premiere, I did TV pilot cookies a while back (and got tweeted). Who knows what's coming next! This week, no baking. But I'll be back in there next week! So, what are you waiting for?