butterflyaniam

Macaroni and cheese becomes an elegant passed appetizer when served in dainty ramekins. Our version features sharp white cheddar and Gruyere. Makes 84 one-ounce servings 1/2 cup unsalted butter, plus more for ramekin 6 slices good-quality white bread, crusts trimmed, torn into cubes 5 1/2 cups milk 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar cheese 2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyere cheese Salt and pepper, to taste 1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked 2 to 3 minutes less than package Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter 84 one-ounce ramekins. In a small pan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter; toss with bread in a medium bowl. Heat milk over medium heat until just steaming. Melt remaining butter in a deep skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, stir in flour; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Whisking constantly, slowly pour in hot milk, bring to a boil, and cook until thick enough to coat back of spoon. Remove from heat. Stir in nutmeg, cayenne, 3 cups cheddar, 1 1/2 cups Gruyere, salt, and pepper. Stir in macaroni. Pour into ramekins. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses and breadcrumbs. Bake until browned, about 30 minutes.

Bite-Size Cheeseburgers Makes 50 Nonstick cooking spray 1 recipe Basic Bread Dough 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash 1/4 cup poppy seeds 1 pound ground beef 2 teaspoons coarse salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper Ketchup 14 cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced 1 head lettuce, torn to fit buns 1 package American cheese, 12 ounces, thinly sliced and cut to fit buns Preheat convection oven to 375 degrees or conventional oven to 350 degrees. Coat parchment-lined baking sheet with cooking spray. Roll dough into 3/4-inch balls; place 1 1/2 inches apart on baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap sprayed lightly with cooking spray. Let stand in a warm place until dough doubles in bulk, 20 minutes. Brush egg wash over dough; sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. Cool buns on rack. In bowl, mix ground beef, salt, and pepper. Shape 1/4 ounce at a time into 1 1/2-inch patties. Broil or grill 1 minute per side. At serving time, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice buns in half. Layer ketchup, tomato, and lettuce on each bottom half. Place burgers on baking sheet; top each with a slice of cheese. Bake until cheese melts, 2 to 3 minutes Place in buns; serve.

This one have points not even for the taste as for the decor: Red Potatoes with Sour Cream and Caviar Choose the smallest, most blemish-free red-skinned potatoes, allowing two to three per person. You can either boil or bake the potatoes -- either will work for this dish. Makes 32 hors d'oeuvres 16 small red potatoes, cooked and chilled 2 1/2 tablespoons sour cream 4 teaspoons caviar Snipped chives, for garnish With a small melon baller, scoop out some of the uncut top (skin side) of each potato to create a small cavity. Fill each with a small dollop of sour cream, and top with caviar. Garnish with chives. Serve immediately.

Potatoes with Creme Fraiche and Bacon Ingredient 3 medium leeks, white and pale-green parts only, washed well, and drained 2 teaspoon course salt 12 small round red potatoes 5 slices of thick-cut bacon 2 1/2 tablespoon creme fraiche , or sour cream course freshly groun pepper Directions Cut leeks into 1/8-inch-thick rounds; set aside. Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water. Heat until simmering; add leeks and salt. Simmer gently until leeks are tender, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove leeks, and set aside to cool. Bring water to a boil, and add the potatoes. Boil gently until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove, and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place bacon strips on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake until browned and crisp, about 18 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Cut bacon into 1 1/4-inch pieces. Halve potatoes, and cut a small slice from the bottom of each half so it sits flat. Place a dab of creme fraiche and a piece of bacon on top of each half. Top with leek rounds; season with pepper. Serve at room temperature. Read more at Marthastewartweddings.com: Potatoes with Creme Fraiche and Bacon

Ok, so Martha Stewart became my new best friend when it comes to nice appetizers. I will be posting here my best finds with recipes (I will use this post as my own recipe book): Individual Crudites At the cocktail hour, serve crunchy vegetables complete with their own dip: buttermilk-peppercorn, roasted pepper and eggplant, or toasted curry. Their bowls -- hollowed-out slices of baguettes in pumpernickel, plain, or everything -- are meant to be eaten, too. Cookie "Bags" These containers were made to look like humble brown-paper bags, but that's where the resemblance ends. Sweet and crunchy, they can hold fruit or candy and can be served as an individual dessert as part of a buffet, or offered as a take-home favor.

I ordered my cake topper from mollie Dollies - can find them on Etsy. Paid 10 pounds for personalized one - with different hair, tie, suit, flowers color. But it looks very similar to this one: The best part about it is that my fiance and I are actually similar to those

I found also those few pictures:

Another nice idea is to use the sign:

love it:)

This is an awesome invitation. The colors are perfect. And the envelope is to die for:)

Another cool idea given to my by my wonderful bridesmaid - mini taco cups:

I met my fiance online - on Skype 4 years ago. I was in Poland, he was leaving in New York. I was planning internship in NY so I was looking for people from there. His name came up as one of the first ones and I asked him to confirm me as his friend. He did it and we started chatting. After 2 months of constant phone/video calls he flew to Poland to meet me and we are together ever since. The first year we were separated - I was living in London and he was in the States. But he was flying to visit me every couple of months. After a year I got a visa for 2 years and moved to NY. When my visa expired we both moved to London and 3 mopnths after that he took me to Paris for a weekend and proposed:)) We started planning the wedding for February 2011 and my K1 visa got approved 4 days ago. We are moving back to the States in 3 weeks:))

Awesome invitations - I also made mine with the real starfish:)

I love this very cheap idea from Etsy - edible butterflies/dragonflies as decoration - and they are all under $5:

I also am a big fan of the cute straws, tags, sayings - I want to include it into the wedding:

a little in white:

yummy lollipops:

and more:

that's a great idea with cutting out the fish and seahorse from the fruits:

I'm slightly bored at work so I am keep looking for more pictures and creating my own album of ideas here:)

more cookies and milk - I think it's really cute idea:

I also love the idea of the drinks or cookies and milk for the evening snack. It's so cute:

few more:

I really like this idea of putting the cotton candy to martini glasses so people can fix their own drinks in it. I read on one of the blogs that it was a big hit and people were keep talking about it after the wedding:

I love those chairs: