Charmed, I'm sure

Have I mentioned yet that I am a complete sucker for packaging and product design? Well, I am. So much so, my wine selections are often swayed by a pretty label- and, man, there some amazing wine bottle designs out there!

When I spotted this bottle at The Dieline, I immediately decided I'd love to serve this wine at a Halloween party. It seems perfect, not in a spooky, ghoulish way, but in a magical, Bewitched sort of style. And I would happily serve it along side these.

The entire product line of JAQK Cellars, branded and owned by Joel Templin and Katie Jain of San Fransisco based Hatch, is equally as lovely. Check it out; you might be completely Charmed. I certainly am.

Karina's Enchiladas Win the Whole Foods Budget Recipe Challenge

Enchiladas photo courtesy Whole Foods Market © 2008

I am very excited to announce that my recipe for Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas has won the Whole Foods Market Budget Recipe Challenge. Thank you all who voted for the recipe- and highlighted this gluten-free vegetarian entry. I am overwhelmed by the support. Over 1,300 of you took the time to vote! And I appreciate it with all my heart.

Congrats to the other talented finalists who participated with their mouthwatering array of unique dishes- Jaden of Steamy Kitchen, Rachel of Coconut & Lime, Hannah of Bittersweet, Michael of Cooking for Engineers and of Katy of Sugar Laws. Your recipes rocked.

To celebrate I am going to give away:

Five $25 Whole Foods Market Gift Cards!

To participate in this random drawing leave a comment below.


Five lucky winners will be picked out of hat
by my favorite little burro, Sparky
on Friday October 31st.


Good luck!

Contest is closed- Sparky picked the winners-

see the winners here.

Here is the winning recipe on Gluten-Free Goddess:

Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas

Visit the Whole Foods Market Blog

Shoe Love

These shoes would look wonderful with the inspiration board I posted earlier, but I don't need a wedding to want these! I am absolutely in love.


I am going to be out-of-town for the next few days, but I am hoping that I will be able to post while I am gone. If I should not, I'll see you soon!

A Room Reveals A Wedding {A Mod Mix}

It has been a while since I've posted "A Room Reveals A Wedding." Today's inspiration room is a little mod and a little Hollywood Regency (I know, I know- she declared it dead!) courtesy of David Jimenez (via Desire to Inspire.)

I really like the composition of this room with the mix of patterns and colors, and I think it would translate well into a chic and modern wedding.

The Room

The Wedding

Row 1: L to R- David Jimenez, Elum, Artfool
Row 2: Drew B Photography via Southern Weddings, Cannelle et Vanille, Richard Israel, Cannelle et Vanille
Row 3: Brides, Brides, See by Chloe at Nordstrom, Anna Beck at Max and Chloe
Row 4: Douglas Benedict via The Bride's Cafe, Cannelle et Vanille, Lisa Vorce & Docuvitae via Style Me Pretty

Leg Bone Connected to the Knee Bone

My mom sent me the link to these a-mazing cookies made by Heidi Kenney at My Paper Crane. I am absolutely in love with them and think they are the most perfect Halloween cookie ever.

The detailed bone-work is simply perfection. I'm not sure I could bring myself to eat them; I think I'd just want to stare at them and enjoy their utter cuteness! Love. Love. Love.

Brides Across America

It is not Wednesday, but when Laura Novak posted about this event/organization I hadn't yet heard about, I simply couldn't wait until Wednesday to share.

Brides Across America is an organization founded by Heidi Janson. It is a non-profit organization that unites military brides and bridal salons through an extraordinary event to support troops and their families.

Watters Brides

In conjuncture with Veterans Day, participating salons will be giving away a designated number of wedding gowns to women who are engaged and are on active duty in the military or who have fiances serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Watters Brides

The gowns, available in sizes 4-22, will be given away on a first come basis; most dresses are samples and overstock ranging in price from $500-$3000 from designers such as Watters and Watters, Allure Bridals, Impression Bridal, and Marisa Bridal.

Watters Brides

I am in awe of the generosity of this organization and the participating shops and designers. What an extraordinary acknowledgment of the service and sacrifice that men and women in the military and their loved ones make, most especially during an oversees deployment.

Impression Bridal

This is a topic near and dear to my heart. For those of you who have been reading for a while, you might have gathered that my husband is in the military. While I haven't elaborated greatly on this before, he was Active Duty until this past June, and he is now in the Reserves.

Impression Bridal

We married two years ago in a civil ceremony before he deployed to Afghanistan, and we had a wedding and reception for family and friends this past March, after he returned home from his deployment.

Allure Bridals

The shop Laura posted about is in Delaware, but there are participating shops in Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.

Marissa Bridals

I don't know how many readers out there are military brides, but if you are or if you know any, this looks like an event worth checking out. To participate, all military brides must show proper ID, copy of deployment papers, orders or other qualifying proof.

Now, if only they'd had this event last fall when I was planning my wedding ;)

Our March 2008 Wedding. Image by Alison Portis Photography

**All gowns shown above are simply examples of the mentioned designers' work, not necessarily dresses that will be available at the events.

Orange-tinted Candy Corn Cookies

I don't make tinted dough very often, but it is really fun and makes cookies a little extra special.
To tint cookie dough, add gel paste food coloring after the dough has come together and knead in by hand. Gel coloring doesn't mix in like the liquid food coloring I grew up with, so kneading it is the way to go. For a really cool marble effect, knead only until there are swirls of color throughout your dough.
Once the flood icing was dried, I went back over the edges and borders of the cookies with some warmed corn syrup (meringue powder mixed with a little water works, too) using a small paintbrush and added some sparkling sugar.

Do you know that October 30th is National Candy Corn Day? I learned that from A Dozen Eggs last week! Who knew? A great snack mix....candy corn and salted peanuts....yum!!!