Tasting Tour: The Great MN Get Together!

Last week, I told you showed you a butter bust and these great MN State Fair posters for this year's event. This weekend, we went to the fair for a free outdoor concert and we made a second trip to check out all of the great desserts. I acted as event photographer, so I'm behind the lens. Maddy of Inspired Bride and her husband also joined us for the food fest.

Our first stop was the dairy barn to get fresh ice cream made by Minnesota's dairy farmers. We also met one of the Princess Kay of the Milky Way finalists and watched the sculptor carve her butter bust. The other blocks of butter will soon be carved with the other finalists' faces, and Princess Kay's bust will be in the middle on a higher pedestal. Each finalist spends 8 hours in the cooler!  

Next, we bought some huge cups of fresh-squeezed lemonade and went down the giant slide. Our next dessert stop was at the chocolate covered strawberry booth. Maddy thought she would get one strawberry (like at most chocolate shops) but she got five berries, and of course they were on a stick!

While her husband enjoyed his fried cheesecake, we nibbled on funnel cake. It's just not a proper fair without funnel cake.

We went to the baby barn to see the new baby chicks, ducks, pigs, and goats. Then, we decided to get some cookies from Sweet Martha's Cookie Jar. These cookies are a Minneapolis staple, and you'll often see people walking around with an entire bucket overflowing with warm, soft chocolate chip cookies. We opted for the smaller, but still heaping helping of cookies in a cone before walking to the All You Can Drink for $1 milk stand.

Our final food stop was to a little candy shop where Maddy found gummy bears-on-a-stick. A few of those bundled together would be a great thank you bouquet for a flower girl.

I checked out the woodland creature gummies on a stick. These would be fun favors for a kid's party with an animal or wood theme. Simply tie a thick strand of twine around the stick to complete the natural vibe.

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the sugary, deep-fried goodness of the MN State Fair. What fair foods do you love?

Dessert Table: Strawberry Sweetness

This sweet little dessert table is perfect for a little girl's birthday. If you're like me, then you still have a warm place in your heart for Strawberry Shortcake and her pals. Becca of The Birthday Girl featured this cute table, which was designed by Michelle of Cakewalk Baking and stylist Ana Gonzalez.

Mini cupcakes, pink marshmallows, and strawberry shaped sugar cookies all look fun next to a light blue cake.

Check out The Birthday Girl blog for more pretty pics.

Dessert Table: Bridal Accents Couture "Love" Trunkshow

Last week, I featured a sneak peek of the sketch that I drew to help "map out" and design this table. Here are the pictures of the table, which are also on The Inspired Bride today. Be sure to check out that post as well, because Maddy is sharing the printable I created for the chocolate bar wrappers. Swing by and print some for yourself!

Photography by Tricia Little of Sweet Shibui Photography.

 

This table featured hand-cut bride and groom silhouettes along with a picture frame collage. I designed custom chocolate bar wrappers, popcorn bags and labels, jelly bean favor labels, and cookies. Enjoy!

 

  

The popcorn bag labels identified the flavors inside: Chicago Mix, Caramel, or Crunch. The event date, Feb 6th helped further customize the goodies.

  

  

  

I designed the cupcake towers to resemble traditional tiered wedding cakes. The shimmery pink-on-white swirls on the towers echo some of the flowers in the bridal bouquet.

  

 

  

I really feel that this table embodies the preppy-pretty vibe that I was hoping to achieve. Karen of Sugar and Flour, Alicia of Cupcake, and Beth of Have It Sweet helped bring this casually-elegant design to life.