Jennifer Carroll Events Blog

Strawberries & Ginger Cream recipe

 
photo courtesy: The Farm Chicks

Strawberry season is here and the "pick your own berries" signs are cropping up everywhere along the roads near my house. If you've never been berry picking before, I strongly encourage you to go. It's a rare treat to play "farmer" for many of us and getting to taste the delicious fruits of your labors while you work, that makes it doubly sweet!

photo courtesy: The Farm Chicks

While I love a good old-fashioned strawberry shortcake (my grandmother used to keep these ingredients on hand at all times in berry season!) I have lately been yearning for a simple bowl of berries and cream. But not just any berries and cream, mind you. I've become enamored with Strawberries and Ginger Cream! I have a wedding coming up where we are serving all things ginger (the bride's name is Ginger) and I guess that's got my head (and now my stomach) applying ginger to everything! This is a super simple and easy recipe so please let me know how you like it!

photo courtesy: Mackintoshs

Strawberries & Ginger Cream:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup plain granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 cup whole cream or half & half
1 pint fresh strawberries, washed

Directions:
1 - Make a simple syrup by pouring water into a small saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add sugar and turn heat to low. Stir constantly until sugar dissolves completely. Tip: You can tell if the sugar has dissolved completely by dipping a metal teaspoon into the water - look at the back - do you see any sugar crystals? If not - you're done!

2 - Stir grated ginger in to the simple syrup. Allow syrup to cool.

3 - Once syrup is cool, add syrup to cream a little at a time. Taste as you go so that you don't accidentally make it too sweet.

4 - Pour over fresh berries and enjoy!

This is a terrific weekend treat!!

Happy Friday!

Sparkling Red & Green Tea recipe!

I found this recipe on the Better Homes & Gardens website and love it so I had to share it. Flavored teas are my faves!

Directions

1. Bring 2 cups water to boiling. Steep 4 individual-size green tea bags in boiling water according to tea package directions. Remove and discard tea bags. Stir a 12-ounce can of frozen juice concentrate (such as cranberry-raspberry or apple-cherry) into tea mixture. Cover and chill mixture until serving time. To serve, fill a tall ice filled glass 1/4 full with the tea mixture..Top with chilled sparkling water or club soda. Garnish with a few fresh berries and lemon wedge. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Summer Party Tips!

I always think of Memorial Day as the official start of the summer entertaining season. And with the start of anything, a little preparation goes a long way in making your parties smooth and low-stress! So, here are a few party tips and ideas to get you ready for a big blow-out or an impromptu cook-out. Enjoy!

Tip 1:: Stock up on frozen drink mixes. From frozen lemonade to strawberry margarita mix these little frozen cans are lifesavers! Whether or not you plan to add alcohol to the mix is totally your call but nothing says summer like a frozen drink and the canned frozen mixes make it so easy! You can even make some really fun custom mixes by adding a few fresh fruits or blending two together. And best of all, because they are frozen you can stock up and always have them on hand. 

Tip 2::  One great benefit of Summer parties are that they tend to be more relaxed and casual. So here's an eco & budget friendly tip: Visit your local Goodwill store and score some great deals on party supplies. While paper plates are handy, they are a big no-no environmentally speaking. Did you know that your local Goodwill or Salvation Army store is loaded with countless plates, cups and more reusable items for pennies a piece? Check it out!

Tip 3:: Keep it simple! Rely on what's in season to make your meals easy and delicious. One of my favorite summer menus is:

    Grilled Chicken with Peach Salsa

    Couscous with Feta, Cucumbers and Red Onions

    Mixed Greens with Fresh Fruit (I love to add Blueberries!)

    Grilled Corn on the Cob

    For dessert you can't go wrong with make your own ice cream sundaes!

This meal is easily pulled together in under an hour and having an action station for dessert is a great way to get everyone involved!

Happy Memorial Day!

Kips Bay 2009 Showhouse!

I have just returned from a whirlwind three days in New York City and am so excited to share my trip with you all!! Today I want to tell you about my visit to the 2009 Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse. Words will be difficult to find to explain how amazing and inspiring this house was, so I'm going to let these photos tell you!

The image above is from the Master Bedroom suite that designer Charlotte Moss created. I don't know if it's because she's also a Virginia native, but this was my favorite room in the house. It felt so livable! I wanted to move right in! Habitually Chic has posted many photos of the room - I hope you get to stop by her blog and check it out!

Living Room by Charles Pavarini

All proceeds from the house tour go towards helping the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club. I have read about this house for many years in magazines like House Beautiful but timing never worked out for me to go - but this year, it did!! And I have to say, it was so worth it! You aren't allowed to take photos in the house so the photos I'm sharing with you here are courtesy of NewsDay.com Visit their website to view even more photos.

Bedroom by Donald Schermerhorn

A surprise to me was that many of the designers were there and eager to talk about their creations. This made it even more inspiring! I really enjoyed talking with Charles Pavarini, Lichten Craig and Donald Schermerhorn.

All-in-One Room by Bunny Williams
(I had hoped to meet her but sadly, she wasn't there when I was....)


Sitting Room by Joe Nye
(In the cabinet are bunches of Orange Crush soda bottles! I got such a kick out of that-it added a touch of whimsy to the room!)


The Main Staircase by Amy Lau Design for Maya Romanoff
Click here to see more photos of these amazing blooms.

Happy Tuesday!

Vera Wang Dress Giveaway!

OK, this is way too good to not let you all know about! Weddings Unveiled magazine has partnered with Vera Wang to give one super-lucky blogger a gorgeous dress from the the Vera Wang Maid to Order dress collection. Seriously! Free Vera Wang!! How fabulous is that? Click here to check out her line of chic bridesmaid dresses. I'm sure you'll love them as much as I do. They are so not just for weddings!

To register to win simply go the the Completely Unveiled blog and write a comment on the Vera Wang post - that's it! You'll be automatically entered. They are choosing the winner on Friday, May 22nd so type fast! Thank you so much to those great gals at Weddings Unveiled for creating this lucky opportunity!

Good luck and Happy Thursday!

Jennifer Carroll Designs!

Drum roll, pleeeeaaaasssseee! I am so excited to present Jennifer Carroll Designs - my own line of invitations, every day cards and more!! This has been such a labor of love and I'm SO happy to finally be able to share it with you all!

Visit the on-line store {www.JenniferCarrollDesigns.com} to purchase adorable everyday cards like these darling birdsnest cards {above} and check out our line of UVA inspired cards including the super-fun Do You Wahoo? sets, just in time for UVA Graduation! {below}

There are lots of wedding invitation designs too of course! I'll post more about those soon. I'd love to hear what you think of my new line, so please share.

Happy Tuesday!