Resourceful Girl

Need a New Years app? Make your own fancy cheese balls. Roll 2 inch sections of a goat cheese log into a ball and roll in anything. Chives, crushed walnuts, cranberries, and sunflower seeds were pretty tasty.

You’re about to leave for a party and forgot a gift for the host. Throw a bottle of champagne or wine (or whatever booze you have in the house) in a stocking and you’re good to go.

Everything Fabulous is just that. I’m so addicted to this blog. Here are 3 cocktail recipes for that classy lady-like brunch you always knew you had in you.

All recipes found on EverythingFab.com.

Lillet Rose Spring Cocktail

Words to describe Lillet Rose: “The smell of Rose wine grows out of the humidity along with floral notes of primrose, rose water, honeysuckle and then fades into an earthy, dewy, after-a-rainfall finish.” 

Lillet Rose Spring Cocktail

Ingredients (Serves 6)
* 12 ounces Lillet Rose
* 12 ounces Ruby Red grapefruit juice
* 6 ounces gin
* 6 edible flower blossoms (optional; chefs-garden.com)

Directions
1. Combine 6 ounces Lillet, 6 ounces grapefruit juice, 3 ounces gin, and ice in a cocktail shaker.
2. Shake until well chilled.
3. Strain and divide cocktail among 3 stemmed cocktail glasses, such as Champagne coupes. Repeat.
4. Garnish with flowers. Serve immediately.

I can’t seem to find a distributor online of Lillet Rose in the US, so I contacted the company to find out. I will update and tweet about the info once I have it. For Europe you can buy it {here}.

Rose Petal and Prosecco Punch

Lavender Vodka Lemonade

Glass:
* 1.5oz Vodka
* 1.5oz Lillet Blanc
* 1oz Lavender Syrup (recipe below)
* 1oz Lemon Juice
* 2oz Chilled Soda Water
* French Lavender Flower for Garnish

Pitcher (makes 4 glasses):
* 3/4 Cups Vodka
* 3/4 Cups Lillet Blanc
* 1/2 Cup Lavender Syrup
* 1/2 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
* 1/4 Cup Chilled Soda Water for each glass
* French Lavender Flower for Garnish

Preparation:
1. Mix first four ingredients with spoon.
2. Pour over ice,
3. Add chilled soda water and
4. Garnish with lavender flower (or lemon wedges if you can’t find fresh organic lavender).

Lavender Syrup:
1. Add equal parts sugar and water to a medium saucepan and bring to boil.
2. Add fresh organic French lavender to taste (or 1/2 cup dried food grade lavender for every 4 cups water/4 cups sugar)
3. Boil for one minute over medium/high heat.
4. Remove from heat and let steep for an hour.

 

Reminiscent of those tiny, snow clad lighted villages your grandmother set up under the Christmas tree, these castles can really take you away to another place and time. I like the idea of using these as a table centerpiece, place cards, or randomly placed for an outdoor party to add just a touch of mystical flair. This enchanting DIY was found on fellow fellow among other cute little projects.

DIY Houses by Night by fellow fellow:

There are a few tricks to making this DIY a success, all to do with finding the perfect image.
> What you’re looking for is a picture of a house/castle/building that’s taken front-on (perspective works, but not as well). You could take it from your favourite magazine, an old calendar, or even print some from the internet. Up to you! In fact, you could even print a photo of your house if you have one.
> The print needs to have a bit of space either side of the house to wrap around to the back of the votive.
> It’s best to choose a picture that is higher in the middle than at the sides, and sides that are about the same height.
> Choose a house that has some windows visible.
> If possible, find a picture that has nothing printed on the back. If you can’t, not to worry – it could add a nice effect.

Step 1: You want to start cutting and finish cutting at around the same height on either side of your picture. Use the scissors to cut straight in to where your house begins, cut around the top of the house, and cut straight back out to the edge at around the same height as you cut in.

Step 2: Trim away any other areas you don’t want, but don’t trim the sides yet.

Step 3: Using your Xacto knife and a cutting mat, carefully cut out any windows you want the light to shine through.

Step 4: Wrap the image into a cylinder (size is up to you) and sticky tape it together. Trim around the top if it doesn’t quite match, as well as any excess where you joined it.

Step 5: Add your battery operated tea light, and wait until it gets dark!

Note: Because paper (of course) is highly flammable, the use of battery operated candles over real ones is imperative.

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People get a little crazy for pecan pie and the sweeter, the better. Turns out, almost everything delicious in this world is terrible for you. Found this gem posted by Julievr on Babble.com. Still, not something you want to eat everyday, but this recipe comes with slightly less guilt than the traditional.

Lower Fat Whole Wheat Pecan Pie Squares

Base:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup whole wheat flour
pinch salt

Filling:
2 large eggs
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup pecan halves

Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until creamy. Add flour and salt and stir until well combined and crumbly. Press into the bottom of an 8″x 8″ pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake for 12–15 minutes, until pale golden around the edges.

In the same bowl (no need to wash it), combine egg, egg whites, brown sugar, corn syrup and vanilla and mix until smooth. Add flour and salt and stir until well blended.

Arrange the pecans evenly over the crust and pour the filling over top. Bake for 30–35 minutes, until puffed and golden. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.• Makes 16 squares.

Per square: 195 calories, 7.8 g fat (0.9 g saturated fat, 4.9 g monounsaturated fat, 1.5 g polyunsaturated fat), 30.4 g carbohydrates, 13.5 mg cholesterol, 99.5 mg sodium, 1 g fiber. 35% calories from fat.

Have fancy pants trash cans at your fancy pants party. These pop-up, 30 gallon cans look so much better than big black trash bins, plus they are cardboard, made from recycled content, and are 100% recyclable. They can be a little pricey, but worth it for showers, engagement parties, or any fancy pants party you throw together. Find them here.

Modern trash and recycle bins for parties and gatherings.
Swap out your kitchen step can with Hobnob Pop-up Party Bins during your next get-together. Hobnob’s large capacity bins mean fewer trash bag changes, leaving you with more time to actually enjoy your own get-together. Isn’t it time the hostess had some fun too?