m3: mason jar southern peach cobbler

as summer drifts away [okay, seems like kids are back in school but it's still a zillion degrees out], no southern summer is complete without homemade peach cobbler. and why not serve it in a mason jar?

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it's a perfect way to serve cobbler, as it's the perfect portion! no fighting for the last bite--everyone has their own. since she's a georgia gal, i'm trusting paula deen knows her way around a peach cobbler filling. i'm adapting the cobbler itself + instructions for the mason jars.

preheat oven to 375.

for the filling:
4 cups [about 16 whole] fresh peaches, peeled, pitted, + sliced into small wedges
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

combine peaches, sugar, + water in heavy saucepan. mix well. bring to boil + simmer about 10 minutes. remove from heat.

for the batter:
1 cup bisquick mix
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1/2 cup melted butter
dash of salt

mix bisquick, water, salt, + milk in mixing bowl. stir well. add melted butter + combine. set aside


assemble the cobbler jars:
line a large baking dish with a non-stick liner [silpat or parchment paper will work]. spray 8 4-ounce mason jars with non-stick cooking spray. place jars in baking dish atop liner.

fill each jar with 3-4 slices of peach filling. top with 1-2 tablespoons of batter.

cook 30-35 minutes until tops are golden + bubbly. let jars cool to touch. top with vanilla ice cream + enjoy.

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bachelorette party favors

to get the bachelorette weekend off to a fine start, i put together a few little projects to make sure everyone was in the right spirit. we were lucky to be hosted at a ranch, which was a former indian reservation. the room where our soon-to-be legendary dance parties occurred was formerly the communication hub for the klamath tribe. morse code, smoke signals, the macarena, the running man--all legitimate forms of communication, right?

i customized acrylic cups for each girl. in my opinion, this is a great favor because it pull double-duty:
1. everyone has her own cup, so she never loses her drink--at least not for long
2. minimal waste + dishwashing

supplies:
1 double-walled insulated acrylic tumbler per guest. i picked mine up at bed, bath + beyond for about $4 each. mine included lids + straws.
vinyl stick-on letters -- i used the bubbly ones from hobby lobby, found in the scrapbooking section. it's important these are vinyl [or coated] so they'll hold up to any spillage. each package was $3.99, and i needed 2 packs.
rhinestone letter for the bride, also in the same section.
additional stick-on bling as you see fit--also in the scrapbooking section of your local hobby lobby.

how-to:

wash + dry the cups:

 

apply the monogram + bling on each cup. press very firmly. i used each girl's first initial + flanked the monogram with a rhinestone for added sparkle. for the bride herself, she got the fancy cup! her new last name will be Green, so of course her cup was green: 

i also made a special bowl for the 4-legged honoree. afterall, mabel was getting an official daddy out of this!

i started with an acrylic pedestal serving bowl (from the party ware section of hobby lobby), washed + dried:

added the letters, some rhinestones, + a feather boa...and voila:

she was absolutely thrilled about it!

bachelorette party games

since the guest list included friends from all over the world [yes, switzerland was represented], it was important to have an icebreaker to kick off the weekend.

seeing that we were at a ranch, Texas sis + i felt everyone should first have a pink bandana on them at all times. it's like party flare. here we are at the ranch. yes, we match intentionally. it felt appropriate.

[texas sis + me ready for the ranch!]

a few other bandana highlights [we had regular paisley + pink camo options]. really, there are so many ways to accessorize with a bandana! which is your favorite?

[a headband]

[a necklace]

[a belt]

game #1: toilet paper gown
to start this game, the bride wrote a brief description of each girl on a piece of paper. Texas sis + i took turns drawing the descriptions to determine who'd be on each of our teams. as you can imagine, the descriptions often required a funny story to be told, all the while helping us all know a little more about each other.

once the teams were determined, the game began. the rules: using only 2 rolls of toilet tissue and your bandanas, design a bridal ensemble for the bride-to-be. you have 5 minutes + the bride will be the judge.

hilarity! that's all i can say. the winning design included a bouquet of TP roses, which the bride practiced tossing...

game #2: newlywed game
this is a fave of mine for showers + bachelorette parties. prior to the party, we asked the groom a handful of questions. everything from "when did you know O was the girl for you?" to "what is your favorite color?"

[bride-to-be in the hot seat]

as the bride opened her lingerie gifts, we posed those questions to her to see how many she could answer correctly. we made a drinking game of it--that way no one really loses. for every question she answered correctly, the guests had to drink. for those she got wrong, it was her turn.