State Fair Faves: Honey Lemonade Recipe

If you're in Minnesota, then you're excitedly counting down the days until the State Fair. For the record, only three more days to go! Anyway, my friend (and A Splendid Party partner) Maddy and I teamed up again to create a few great MN Get Together recipes with a twist to get you in the mood. One of the best things at the fair is the fresh squeezed lemonade. So, Maddy decided to put a sweet twist on the classic, by adding a good helping of honey.

This really is the simplest of recipes. I mean, it's lemonade after all. It's almost impossible to mess it up.

Ingredients:
½ cup honey
3 cups hot water
1 cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup sugar


Instructions:
In a heatproof bowl, combine the hot water, honey, and sugar. Stir until the honey and sugar have dissolved. Set the sugar and honey mixture aside to cool slightly, then add the lemon juice and stir to distribute. Refrigerate and serve.

As we continue to gear up for the fair and the amazing food, I'll be back to share even more State Fair Faves with you.

images by Maddy Hague

Dessert Meets Design: Southern Weddings Feature

I shared the Southern Weddings spread with you earlier today, and I'm back with some pretty close-ups. We had a subtle Kentucky Derby theme to our shoot, so it's only a given that we shoot on a farm with real horses, include some pony details, and have a fabulous large-brimmed hat for the bride.

As for desserts, I made a rick rack cake with a silver horse topper, sugared pecan-topped cupcakes, mini peach cobblers, and chocolate cake pops. We didn't want this "wedding" to seem too polished and slick. We were aiming more for Southern charm and to represent a slower pace of life. So, you'll notice that I didn't use linens and instead used a distressed, painted table. No macraons and fancy truffles here.

Here are some of the phenomenal details the rest of the team came up with to bring this Southern-inspired shoot to life. One of our big goals was to make sure the Kentucky Derby theme wasn't "in your face" and too literal, so the horse motif is subtle, don't you agree?

Photography: Paper Antler // Styling: Maddy Hague of The Inspired Bride // Floral Design: Studio Fleurette // Dessert Table: Shauna Younge Dessert Tables // Paper Goods: Amy Hardy // Model: Joy Phillips of Wehmann Models // Hair: Brittany Moreland // Makeup: Jody Olson for Makeup Savvy // Wardrobe: BHLDN // Swing Top Favor Bottles: Specialty Bottle // Paper Rosettes: Pom Flair // Program Fan Handles: Perfect Stix // Rentals: Lime Canary Vintage Rentals // Washi Tape: Cute Tape

Dessert Meets Design: Southern Weddings Sneak Peek

I teamed up with the creative team that I collaborated with for the Graphic + Glitz (Part I and Part II) shoot again, and we created an inspirational wedding for Southern Weddings Magazine. The issue landed in mailboxes last week, and is probably on newsstands across the country by now, so I figured I'd share a few pics of the spread.

I'll be back in a hot second to share some lovely, detailed close ups of our shoot. See you soon!

images: paper antler.

Red, White, and Yum!: Pomegranate Lemon Panna Cotta

Use Real Butter brings us this patriotic panna cotta, which is perfect for a cool Fourth of July treat. The vibrant red and white stripes are made using simple gelatin, plain yogurt, lemon zest,  and pomegranate juice. 

Since unflavored gelatin is part of the recipe, you can layer the different flavors, much like you would layer different flavors of Jell-o.

Want to make this Pomegranate Lemon Panna Cotta truly worthy of Independence Day? Use blueberries to garnish your striped masterpiece.

Be sure to check out the easy recipe here.

Dessert Table: Tea & Tarts

This simple, pretty dessert table is easy enough for even the baking-challenged party host. Grey Likes Weddings featured this casual design featuring iced tea, pink lemonade, and sugar-dusted lemon tartlettes.

These are perfect for any party, including Memorial Day barbecues. Want to attempt the lemon tartlettes for your bash? Grey Likes Nesting has the recipe.

Printable Lemonade Labels

Marry You Me has some beautiful lemonade labels that you can download and print. These would be perfect for a hot, outdoor Summer wedding, baby shower, or reunion.