mmmmmm-mah jongg!

My friend, Anne, got me playing mah jongg about a year ago and I'm hooked.  I love getting together with this group of women (and sometimes a man or two).  We'll chat about our lives, but mostly just talk smack to each other while playing the game.

Also fun is all the different mah jongg sets out there.  They can be all sorts of colors or have different patterns or pictures on the back.  Me?  I went with the gold glitter ones. 

To play, you turn all of the tile face-down in the middle of the table and shuffle them by moving them around to break up any patterns from the previous hand.

Next, you line up the tiles in front of your rack in a double row.  As you play, you push out each row counter-clockwise and from there you draw your next tile.  Then you save or discard the tiles as needed to match them up with one of the patterns in the little booklet.  When you have them all matched up, you call out "mah jongg!"

Usually it takes until the last row for someone to get mah jongg.  Here's my first winning hand of the night with just a few tiles left to go!  If you click on the picture and squint, you can see that I was matching the pattern in the second section of the middle of the card.  I had never tried to match this particular pattern before, but it worked!  Gotta say, I play a mean game of mahj.

Mary Beth won next when we were still only halfway through the third row.  That's impressive.  When you call for mah jongg, you put all of your tiles on the top of your rack so everyone can check your work.  This picture is still from my perspective (with my oh-so-close hand!).  MB's winning hand is on the right and all of our discarded tiles are in the center.

Emerson and I had a thing at the end of last year where I would go "eeeeeee-YAH!" and she would giggle and mimic me.  One time I changed this to "mmmmmmmm-MAH JONGG!" and well, that was a winner.  For months, whenever I saw her she would say "mmmmmmmmm-MAH JONGG!" at me to goad me into playing the game with her.  When I decided to write this post,I thought it would be fun to get a video of her saying it.  And, of course, that was the day that she had no interest in our game at all.  This was the best I got out of her:



And why was she so distracted?  Because I had brought over a bubble maker.  Mah jongg is fun and all, but it doesn't hold a candle to bubbles!

retro cake

Yesterday was my niece's 2nd birthday party.  For her birthday, I gave her some college-fund money, $2 fun money, a party dress and made her a cake.

Someone said that it looked straight out of 1986 and I totally agree.  I just said that it was retro - much better than saying that my cake decorating skills are limited.  Plus, who doesn't love those hard little candy decorations?  They were always my favorite part of birthday cakes so I had to include them on Emerson's!

The color is because Emerson's favorite color to say is purple.  The two Ps make it very fun.  Pur-ple.  Try saying it yourself - you'll love it. 

The cake itself was a semi-fail.  It tasted pretty good, but the layers didn't rise enough (the recipe had an option for a hand mixer, but I think I really needed a stand mixer to get enough air in there) so I ended up using three layers to make a decent-sized cake.  And then the cake itself was just a little too dry for my taste, but then I'm a hard judge of my own food.  If it was someone else's, I would have been praising it.  The icing was really nice - just a simple buttercream, but not very sweet.  It was a pain in the butt to make and even with the heat on full-blast, my kitchen was too cold and needed some heated towels to help it get smooth, but I liked the end result.  Both recipes are from America's Test Kitchen.

My sister prepared a great spread for the afternoon party.  Little heart-shaped sandwiches (PB&J, ham & cheese), macaroni and cheese, fruit and vegetables, Rice Krispy treats, chips and juice boxes.

It was a book-themed party with books stacked up on the buffet table and as a garland on the stairs.  Super cute.

Emerson had a great time playing with her cousins and friends.  She was great about sharing all of her toys and had a lot of fun opening her presents.  She loves books so would stop and "read" each one as she opened them.

And then it was time for cake!  This picture is a little blurry, but I love it because there are three generations of hands in it - my mom, my sister and Emerson.

I'm behind the camera, but am represented with the cake!

my holiday happy hour

This past weekend was my Annualish Holiday Happy Hour.  I skipped one year and reserve the right to skip one in the future, but I do love hosting this party.  It's always the first Saturday in December and it's officially a happy hour so that I'm not competing with other parties (though if you want to stay until midnight, I won't complain).  I want e'ryone at my house!

It's also a great reason to make sure my house is decorated early and well.  I even string lights outside around my deck and along my clothesline.

Possibly my favorite part of the decorations, even though it's so cold that you can't really experience it.  I do keep the lights up year-round and the clotheslines ones didn't die over the summer!  The ones on the deck did, but were easy to replace since the thumbtacks were still in place.

I do a spread of heavy appetizers, changing up the menu each year.  This year it was mini pulled-pork BBQ sandwiches, toasted baguette slices with cheeses and meat, crudite with dill dip and a big bowl of peppermint Oreos.  Then beverages are wine, beer, homemade eggnog and something non-alcoholic but still festive.  I kinda loved my non-alcoholic beverage choice this year that I made totally on the fly so am going to share with you!

Cranberry Punch

Ingredients:

Light Cranberry Cocktail

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 cups granulated Splenda

Diet Gingerale

Directions:

Pour the cranberry cocktail into a pitcher.  Heat up the water and stir in the Splenda until combined.  Add to the cranberry cocktail and taste.  Should be a little too sweet.  If it's not sweet enough, heat up some more water, add some more Splenda.  Right before serving, add the gingerale.

So freaking easy.  I heated up the water to help the Splenda dissolve.  You could easily use sugar instead, but in addition to one pregnant lady, I also had at least one hardcore dieter. 

For my eggnog, this year I went raw.  I usually make cooked eggnog, but I HATE HATE HATE making the custard.  Did I express my dislike for this process enough?  HATE HATE HATE.  I always overcook it and either end up with chunky nog or strain it and end up with overly boozy nog.  Plus it just takes freaking forever.  Raw nog?  So easy.  My new favorite.  This recipe is pretty good, though I think it calls for too much alcohol.  I skipped the brandy and did just two cups of rum and let it sit overnight, but it was still crazy strong.  I think maybe doing 1 1/2 cups would be perfect.  Next time.

I forgot to take pictures of the inside of my house, but the set-up was pretty much the same as last year.  I did, however, take a picture of my groaning fridge:

I would say that 95% of this was stuff intended for the party.  Craziness.  Especially since about 1/4 of the folks who RSVP'd yes ended up not being able to make it last minute or had to leave early. 

But it was a good party full of special people and it made me so happy that I have this tradition of opening my house to my friends!

food for mah jongg

My friend, Anne, got me into playing mah jongg and I love it.  LOVE it.  Part of it is the group of women.  Sure, Anne is one of my best friends, but the rest were strangers and so different from me and my usual group of friends.  We all have a quirky sense of humor and are very easy-going so it's fun and relaxed.  We're almost all novices so just play for bragging rights, which I always prefer anyway.  One woman has another mah jongg group where they're all very good and bet on each hand so she tries to encourage us to bet, but we're not there yet.  Another woman is very good at knowing what hand you're playing (rumor is that she can count cards) so it's fun to try to outsmart her.  But there's about twelve of us and we try to have 5 people at each game so we can rotate in and out (and so we don't have to cancel if one person can't make it).  And we rotate who hosts.

Last night was my first night of hosting.  I took a half day from work so I could clean my house and cook some yummy treats.  But what to serve?  Most do some a mix of appetizers and candy, which is always a big hit.  But it's fall, which brings out the need to pull out mixing bowls and crank up the oven. 

I did a little online searching and found macaroni & cheese cupcakes.  Are you kidding me?  How freaking fabulous is that idea!  And I remember that Martha Stewart had a recipe in a holiday magazine for making individual mac & cheese for a kids' party and I always wanted to do it for adults.  Putting it in a cupcake liner is just even more brilliant.

I wish I remembered to take a picture because they were darn pretty.  I used a mix of Sargento reduced-fat Italian cheese blend and Kraft sharp white cheddar and then put a teaspoon or two of shredded parmesan cheese on top to give it a crunchy crust.  So picture the recipe author's version but a little crispy up top.  Plus hers is a much better picture than mine would have been.

source

I've never made macaroni and cheese with egg in it before (I come from the layered-casserole school of m&c) and I think it was the egg that helped it stay together when you took off the liner.  I sprayed the inside of the paper so they came out a little greasy, but nothing a napkin couldn't take care of.  Fab finger food.  And not too shabby heated up the next day for lunch!  Think next time I would have used all sharp cheddar, but the blend was still very nice.

I always like a little green with my mac & cheese.  Broccoli is great, but then I found a recipe for spinach balls.  Perfect for my appetizer mindset!  And they were super easy and super good.  I think they were even better room-temperature than warm.  I made them with whole-wheat stuffing mix, shredded parmesan instead of grated and herbes de Provence since I was out of garlic powder.  Think I also used a medium onion instead of small, but since I was missing the garlic, figured extra onion would be good.  And it was.  Next time I might use 3 boxes of spinach since I like a lot of green, but otherwise it was perfect.

For dessert, I made my now-favorite red velvet black bean cupcakes.  Take a box of cake mix (or make your own - I do always prefer homemade, but I'm in a lazy mood) and add the necessary water, but instead of oil, add the same amount of applesauce.  And instead of eggs, add a pureed can of black beans.  Seriously.  It sounds weird and a little gross, but you cannot taste the beans.  I first did this for Halloween with a fudge chocolate cake mix and just mashed the beans - when you bit into a bean piece, you just thought it was a chocolate chip.  For the red velvet, I decided a puree would be better since the batter isn't dark enough to hide the bean chunks.  Icing was 2 boxes of 1/3 reduced-fat cream cheese, maybe two Tb of vanilla and granulated Splenda to taste.  One woman dubbed them "health cakes."  Though they didn't taste healthy at all!

I assmembled it all on my cupcake stand.  Red velvet on the bottom, mac & cheese on the top.  It was so pretty and I really am kicking myself for not taking a picture!

For a 100% healthy side, I sliced up a few star fruit.  The light green on my turquoise platter was a great combination and the lightness of the fruit was a nice contrast to the heaviness of the other food. 

Overall, I was quite pleased with my selection and think I'll repeat it exactly when I host again in two weeks - after all, it is a different group of players!

10 little onesies, sitting in a row

Last night I printed out the letters for my onesie banner after much drama involving laser printers vs. inkjet and old versions of Word, but I got it done.  Then I came home and washed the onesies and hung them up to dry on my favorite drying rack.

Tonight's plan is to buy the champagne and liquor for the punch and then iron on the letters.

getting crafty!

This coming weekend I am throwing a baby shower for my best friend.  She's having twins, which, of course, makes it twice as exciting.  And I'm actually pretty excited about throwing this by myself.  I've helped throw showers before, both bridal and baby, but always as part of a group.  The last shower there were 5 of us and we were divided into committees.  On one hand, it was great because I didn't have to think about games or the RSVP list.  On the other hand, I like to have my hand in all of the details! 

Well, this time I'm making all of the decisions.  The mother-to-be decided she wanted a co-ed shower and it's going to be about 1/3 male.  So I decided to forego all games and the little prizes that go along with them.  A guy isn't going to want a scented candle, you know?  And at that last shower, it was also co-ed so the prize was a bottle of wine.  Nice, right?  Except that there were a good number of kids present and of course one won and it was a little awkward.  So instead of having this be a traditional shower that happens to have men, it's going to be an afternoon party that happens to have a baby theme.  And presents.  Have to open the presents.

The parents-to-be have painted the nursery a really pretty light green.  Very Spring-y and apparently green helps babies grow.  Plus it's gender-neutral and they are having a boy and a girl.  So I decided to go with green as my color theme.  And I'm all about decorations that can be used later.  My sister had the BRILLIANT idea of making a banner out of onesies and I'm going to have them say the twins' names.  And then maybe they can actually wear the onesies after they're born.  Each onesie will have a different letter and you know the crazy thing?  The names don't share letters.  So even though the girl's name doesn't start with R, if she's wearing the R onesie, it will still be applicable only to her.  Kinda cute.  Oooh - maybe I'll make my friend put each onesie on each baby and then we can do a collage of that or something.  Told you I was getting crafty!

I saw on Katie Brown's Workshop a doughut croquembouche and it was the cutest thing ever.  She did it with doughnut holes and strawberries and then draped ivy over the whole thing, but I think just the doughnut holes would still be pretty cute.  Especially since I just found this blog post while looking for Katie Brown.  So I bought some styrofoam cones and some clay pots.  If it ever stops raining, I'm going to paint the pots white with the leftover spray paint from my lamp project and then tie a ribbon around them.  If it doesn't stop raining, well, I think the pots in their natural color will still be pretty.

I also decided to make a wreath out of tulle.  I had bought a 12" styrofoam circle back before the by-committee baby shower but didn't end up using it.  I thought about returning it but figured I'd get some use out of it sometime.  That time is now!

I bought two rolls of tulle at Jo-Ann's and cut them into 12" strips.  Then I tied them onto the form two at a time.  I tested out double and single strips and just liked the way the double looked better.  It took about an hour and a half to cut out and tie it all on.  It was super super easy, but kind of mind-numbing and felt like it would never end.  But whenever I got discouraged, I would just hold it up and look at the fluffy tulle and get another wind.  Can't say a second wind because I did this 3 or 4 times.  Seriously mind-numbing.  But totally worth it.

I was going to hang it on my mirror to display, but that reflected the mess of my living room - Target and Jo-Ann's bags EVERYWHERE.  It doesn't show up as well on the painting, but at least you can't see the mess.  No one should have to see the mess.  Everyone should have to see my wreath.  All it needs now is a bow.  I'm horrible at tying bows, but my friend Shelly rocks at it.  And she's coming early to help me set up.  Perfect!

And yeah, the picture is awful.  I lost my camera so this was taken with my phone.

outdoor furniture update

My outdoor furniture is installed and has been in use!

I have my two turquoise Adirondack chairs and an end table in between.  This picture makes them look almost green, but they really are very blue.

Underneath I have a brown and tan zebra print rug.  I adore this rug.  It really makes the space.

To the left (as you're coming out of the house), I have the dining table and motion chairs.  I bought tan cushions for the seats and turquoise and green print pillows for the backs.

It all fits, but with the Adirondack chairs on the deck, the table has to be squished in the corner for there to be enough room to walk between it all.  Not really an issue if it's just one or two people eating out there, but it would be hard for someone to get to the chairs in the corners.

I really like this dining set because I can add pillows and cushions to add color, but it's also comfortable without.

Yesterday was Mother's Day and my sister and I took our mom to a Nationals game.  This has become a tradition and we all love it.  But we also like to have brunch beforehand, but restaurants on holidays are a mess so I had them over to my house instead. 

To make enough space, I moved the Adirondack chairs and end table to the yard and moved the table to the center of the patio.  I actually really like them out there and may keep it that way for a while.  At least a few weeks while there's still enough grass to keep the yard from becoming a mud pit.

I just got this tablecloth from Ross ($7!) and I love the yellow on the various blues.  Very Provencal.  It doesn't go with the pillows so I just used the cushions.  See how useful it is to have comfortable-without-cushions chairs?

I ran over to the Bagel Place for 1/2 a dozen bagels (2 everything, 2 Old Bay, 1 plain, 1 blueberry) and a tub of cream cheese. The day before I bought some lox and raspberry lemonade to mix with raspberry vodka I already owned. My wine glasses are polycarbonate ($2.99 at Target), but the plates, water glasses and serving dishes are my everday stuff. They're sturdy enough to survive being outside.  The napkins were my great-aunt's or great-grandmothers.  They're monogramed and incredibly soft from so many washings.  I did have a plastic plate and dish rag for my 16 month old niece, but she likes drinking out of real glasses (with adult help) so she also got one of my bee glasses.  The bottle for water was also bought at Ross for $1.99. I love that place.

Once I was back in my house from getting the bagels, the whole table took about 15 minutes to assemble, which was great.  I love super simple entertaining where it's more assembly instead of cooking.  Brings out the decorator in me.  I love cooking, but I love decorating more!

Christmas at the Mint Green house

Snow came early in Maryland this year - just in time for my almost-annual holiday happy hour.

Here's a few shots of my house all covered in snow. It was so pretty!



I hung lights in my backyard - fat little round bulbs along the clothesline and little warm-LED rounds along the deck and around the window.

My party started at 5pm so I had to take the pictures while it was still daylight, but you can get the idea.



Back inside it was warm and cozy.

I've learned that it's good to have food in multiple locations so people don't bunch up too much. During the party I rotated food. The long aluminum dish on the coffee table held cut-up CPK thin-crust pizza and when that was kicked, I put the baked brie down for it to be devoured.

And do you like the gold ribbon in the corner? Yeah, that's to cover up the painted-over wallpaper because I haven't put the molding back up. And everyone complimented me on it!

New things to check out:
1. the large painting above the dining table.

Found this in my mom's cellar and almost didn't look at it. I'm so glad I did! The water is the same color as my walls and the size is just perfect. I hung it at the same height as my salon wall (well, it's maybe 1/4 or 1/2" off, but whatevs). It's very important to me to have things at the same height. I feel like it adds order and when you have really bright turquoise walls and tons of stuff on them, this helps keep it all in balance.

2. new foam for the couch.

I bought it the day before at JoAnn's and though I measured carefully, it still ended up too wide and too short. Luckily the amount I needed to cut off to make it narrow enough was enough to add to the edges to make it long enough. And inside my slipcover, one can never know.

3. new pillows for couch and orange chair.

Bought these at Pier 1 on sale. I had seen them at the end of the summer and loved them, but not at full price. $12 each? Done. 4. the orange chair, of course! I originally thought I'd move it upstairs after the party, but I really like it where it is and how it helps define the living room area.



Here's the other side of the room. Fake garland up around the window and my mom's lamp in the corner. She gave me permission to paint it white! Yay! But I'll save that project for the new year.



Here's the room without the flash so you can see the lights and candles sparkle. I love how the walls turn almost purple without the overhead lights. Watching TV in the evenings I usually have just these lights on and it's just so warm and friendly.

You can also see how I've transformed my crappy little Target bar. A bright red tablecloth pinned tightly, a planter filled with ice and I've got a bar!

I had pretty good attendance at my party - only a few people couldn't make it because of the weather, which meant I had about 20 people in my little house! It was loud, crowded and really fun.



My tree fits snugly in the corner next to my TV and a table runner acts as its skirt. There's still enough room to open up the closet to get out the ladder or extra folding chairs.



Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah and Joyous Yule!