Happy 25th Anniversary Mom & Dad

On July 19, 1988 my parents were married in the Washington D.C. (Latter Day Saint) Temple for time and all eternity. This temple is pictured to the left. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we believe that families can be together forever through the proper authority. Families are the cornerstone of our Faith. I am so grateful that my parents valued their marriage enough to make it eternal, and I look forward to making the same commitment to my future sweetheart. Chances are, you've seen an LDS temple somewhere in the world, as their are currently 170 LDS temples in operation, under construction, or that have been announced. Before LDS temples are dedicated, they are open for public tours for a brief time. If you know of a temple that is currently under construction, take the opportunity to visit it during the open house--you won't regret it.  Click here to learn more about LDS Temples.

Yesterday my parents celebrated 25 years of marriage, and my sisters and I wanted to do something special for the occasion.We decided to pool our resources and hold a "reception" for parents to attend after they returned from dinner. Although we could have invited friends and family, we decided to include only the members of our immediate family (my parents usually prefer it that way). The three of us make a great team, and the older we get the more we are able to do!

A few days ago we took a trip to Mighty Dollar, and discovered what an AMAZING little gem that little store truly is. The paper goods, pastry holders, and the "Just Married" banner were just a few of the treasures we found there. 

We decided to create a dessert bar, and used my parents' original wedding colors as the theme. We collected wedding pictures and family pictures from around the house to scatter around the kitchen. And hung a string of Christmas lights and blue tool above the "Just Married" banner that's hanging over the window sill. We dug up the candles and lace tablecloth from the storage room, and the desserts were the last piece of the puzzle.

After scouring pinterest, personal recipes, and the internet in general, my sister Katie narrowed down several recipes for the "reception". 

1) Wedding Cake. 

We used Aunt Zondra's "secret family recipe" for the cake. Maybe one day I will spill the beans...but it's not likely ;) Just know that a "Zondra Cake" is the best cake you will ever eat. Our mom requested the cake, but she had no idea that we had a whole evening planned to go along with it. The silver "25" was the most expensive item of the night, ringing up at $14 from AC Moore. Luckily, we applied a 40% off coupon, which brought the price down quite a bit. And the white cake topper was saved from my parents' original wedding cake, which made for a nostalgic addition to the whole theme of the night. 

2) Sangria (nonalcoholic).

You can see the punch bowl full of sangria in a couple of the pictures I've posted. Several years ago in a high school Spanish class, I was introduced to Sangria and I fell in love. Below is the recipe we used. It's best if you can let the concoction set in the fridge for at least 24 hours, but we didn't have the time and it still tasted great. We created our own combo for the Sangria this time.

Ingredients

• 4 cups of apple juice
• 2 cups orange juice
• 4 cups of grape juice
• 2 whole orange
• 1 fuji apple
• 2 limes
• 2 lemons

Directions:

Combine the juices into a large pitcher or punch bowl. Thinly slice the apple, oranges, limes, and lemons and float them in the pitcher/punch bowl. Voila! You're all done :) If you would like to add a little carbonation to the Sangria, a little gingerale or sprite does the trick.

3) Coconut Macaroons. 

This is one of my mom's all-time favorite treats, so we couldn't leave it out. Here's the website where we found the recipe, but I included it below just to make it a little easier on all of ya'll (you're welcome). Also, the little papers that the macaroons are sitting in are from Mighty Dollar, and they are actually "Wilson" brand :)

Ingredients

• (3) large egg whites
  
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• (1) 14-ounce package sweetened shredded coconut (about 5 cups)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 325° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
2. Vigorously whisk together the egg whites, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl until glossy, foamy, and the sugar is mostly almost dissolved. Fold in the coconut, stirring until evenly combined.
3. Using a small ice cream scoop, drop the batter in mounds (about 2 tablespoons each) 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake, rotating the sheets halfway through, until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes; let cool completely. The macaroons will keep for up to 5 days at room temperature in an airtight container.

4. Homemade McDonald's Strawberry Cream Pies

This summer my dad heard about McDonald's strawberry cream pies, and they are pretty much amazing. Think about McDonald's apple pies, and then think of something 1000X yummier...and that's a strawberry cream pie. They are warm and gooey and cream cheesy...MMM! We combined online recipes with the taste of the McDonald's delicacy and we struck gold. 

  Ingredients

• 1 package of puff pastry (found near the pie crusts in the freezer section of the grocery store)
• Strawberry jam
• 1 package of cream cheese

Directions
1. Cut the puff pastry into 3'' x 5'' rectangles (approximately)
2. Place pastry rectangles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (leaving 1''-2'' between pastry)
3. Spread the cream cheese on half of the pastry, and then
add a layer of the strawberry jam on top of the cream cheese.
4. Fold the non-jam/cream cheese covered half of the pastry over the side that is covered with jam and cream cheese. Cut a small slit in the top of the pastry to allow for venting
5. Bake according to the directions on the puff pastry package.

5. Colored French Macaroons

My sister Kate found this recipe so that we could add a little 'something blue' to the dessert bar. They are light and a little crunchy, and oh so delicious. Original recipe found here. Katie added a little blue food coloring to the cookies and the filling. She used left over icing from the "Zondra Cake", but a simple butter cream icing or even a store bought can of whipped frosting would be quite yummy too.

Ingredients:

• 3 egg whites
• 6 tablespoons superfine sugar
• 1 cup finely ground almonds
• 1 1/2 teaspoons finely ground almonds
• 1 1/3 cups confectioners' sugar

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 320 degrees F (160 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
2. Whisk egg whites in a clean metal mixing bowl until thick, about 5 minutes; whisk the superfine sugar into the egg whites until thick, glossy, and the mixture holds stiff peaks, 5 to 8 more minutes. Place a sieve over the bowl containing egg whites and sieve both amounts of almond meal and confectioners' sugar into the egg white mixture. Gently fold the almond meal and confectioners' sugar into the egg whites, retaining as much air as possible.
3. Separate the meringue into separate bowls to flavor and color, if desired. Spoon the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a 3/8-inch tip. Pipe 1-inch disks of meringue onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies.
4. Let the cookies stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes to form a thin skin. Pick up the baking sheets and let drop from several inches above the work surface to adhere cookies to the baking sheets.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until tops are dry, about 15 minutes; let cool completely on the baking sheets before peeling off the parchment paper.

 6.Peaches and Cream Spiced Cream Puffs

 I discovered this recipe while taking a cooking class at BYU. Cream puffs can be a little tricky to make, and they are also a little time consuming...but they are quite delicious! This was the only recipe that I was in charge of, my sisters took care of the rest. Kate is quite the chef, and Jen does a great job too :)
Ingredients: 

   Puff Pastry

• 1/2 cup margerine
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/6 tsp. ginger
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup water
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 4 eggs

   
     Filling

• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons peach preserves
• 1/2 tsp. almond exract

Directions (puff pastry):

1. In a medium saucepan, combine margarine, water, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Bring to a boil.
2. Add flour all at once, stirring vigorously. Cook until a ball forms that won't separate 
3. Remove from heat, cool for 10 minutes
4. Add eggs one at a time, stirring with a sturdy wooden spoon until smooth after each addition. The dough will be very thick and difficult to stir. 
5. Drop heaping tablespoons, 3'' apart, onto a greased baking sheet
6. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-35 minutes, until golden brown. Remove puffs to a cooling rack. Turn off oven.
7. Let puffs cool in the turned-off oven for 10 minutes (this will help dry them out)
8. When cool, cut 1/4 off the top of each puff. Scoop out any soft dough inside.

Directions (filling)

1. Beat whipping cream until soft peaks form (5-7 minutes on high speed should do the trick). Gradually add 1/4 cup powered sugar.
2. Add the cream cheese, almond extract, and peach preserves. Continue blending until smooth.
3. Fill each cream puff with peach filling mixture, replace tops and sprinkle with powdered sugar (for this occasion, we sprinkled them with caramel ice cream topping).

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Before Mom and Dad left, Kate placed a "reception" invitation above the visor in the car. When they got home, Jen created an 80s station on Pandora, and the fun began. The sun was just setting, so the whole kitchen looked beautiful. We were super proud with the way that everything turned out, and I think that Mom and Dad were genuinely surprised and flattered. Again, I just have to say that I am so grateful for the wonderful example that my parents have set for me and my sisters. Marriage and family are so important, and in a world that is quickly turning away from both--it's great to have wonderful parents to remind me what marriage and family are supposed to be.

Cheers to another 25 happy years of marriage for my parents!