Cinco de Mayo 2014

Once, I threw myself a birthday party, secretly. At least I think I did it on the down-low. Enough chit chat, let's just look at the pretty pictures. 

According to Pinterest, it ain't a party unless you have fancy paper straws and homemade tissue tassels suspended from bakers twine.  

Sparkling sangria! Whut, what!? I used this ridiculous recipe which makes one super tasty AND super strong beverage. I was too cheap to throw the fruit out and cooked it down into a chunky compote after the party. Not shown, frosty margaritas and refreshing beers.

Food! Potluck style. Carnitas. Enchiladas. Sriracha fruit salad (drool). Spanish style rice. Oh and let's not forget the taco and nacho bar. 

Not sure how we had room for dessert, but we did. First up, Nom Nom Paleo's Mexican pot de creme. I left the cream off so that people could pick between real cream and soy whipped topping. Hey dairy doesn't like some of us. 

And finally, cake. Not just any cake. A homemade margarita cake, infused with Patrón Silver. Apparently, I made Sam cut the cake so I could take photos =)

The cake was based on a this lime chiffon cake recipe I found on the interwebs. The frosting is my reduced butter swiss meringue buttercream infused Patrón and lime juice. In case you are wondering, I have yet to recreate this cake. 

Kentucky Derby 2013

If you follow me on Instagram, then you knew I was prepping to throw a Kentucky Derby themed party. I tried to keep some of the details secret to keep some element of surprise for our guests. But let's be real, all the details are for me because I love details.  

Kentucky Derby, every year a week or two or a month after it has already passed, my friends and I say "we should have a party and drink mint juleps." This year I was proactive about it and decided to throw one. And not just any derby party, it was also a birthday party for myself. Now, I don't usually celebrate my birthday. Growing up, it was just another day. For whatever reason this year, I wanted to celebrate. 

Let's move on to my ridiculous details shall we? First up, mason jars, striped straws, "chalkboard" drink tags, and baker's twine.

Mason jars - Kerr regular mouth pint jars via Amazon.
Paper straws - Pick Your Plum. Drink tags - DIY.

The drink tags were DIY. I started with this printable, photoshopped the text out, printed onto white paper, glued it onto black cardstock (I was stupid and forgot to print it directly onto white cardstock), and then wrote in the names with a white gel pen. This came together super quick.

The "derby cups" are actually bathroom tumblers I found at Home Goods. Unfortunately, they actually rusted on me. I probably should have coated the inside with a some clear nail polish to protect it. Oh well. The deep red roses I scored from Costco; 2 dozen for $18! Can't beat that.

Just an example of how crazy I actually am: I rolled up the napkins! 

Believe it or not, I totally forgot that I had the Gait and Gallop dress from Anthropologie in my closet. I had picked it up on clearance a long time ago. It was totally perfect for the occasion. I opted to forgo the giant hat for a crazy fascinator.

My dress had horses on it!
Ralph Lauren Linen Rosebud fascinator headband via Nordstrom.

Too make things a little interesting, I created cards for each of the horses in the race. Each guest was to pick 2 horses to cheer on. Now, imagine a room full of engineers trying to pick their choices based on statistics,  probability, and odds. Also, throw in some weather talk (since it had been raining). The race was half over before we even realized it had started!

DIY tags using photoshop (chalkboard background + Kentucky Derby logo).
Numbered clothespins were DIY'd from a previous project.

It's not a birthday party without cake. I made my childhood cake, but followed different recipes for the cake and frosting.

Yeup, I made my own birthday cake.
TAG birthday candles.

Banana chiffon cake, filled with bavarian cream, fresh bananas, all frosted in bavarian cream.

Just so you know, I'm not entirely crazy. I let everyone else take care of the hor d'oeuvres and for dinner, we went out to a local restaurant. Until the next party...

Everything but the Cow: Fudgy Brownies

Head over to my baking blog, Delightful Cakery, for full details on this super simple and delicious treat. Not only is it gluten free and dairy free, but it is also packed with protein and fiber.

Dairy free and grain free brownies.