So, here is a list of some of my favorite places to find your items, be it decor, or catering supplies, or even dresses! Any bride on a budget needs to know about:
Wedding Bee- my number one resource, I have gotten most of my decor items here, and my own dress! This is a group of other to-be (and some just-did) wedded folks who talk about (and sell) their wedding stuff. Go to classifieds to search for items for sale, or post your wanted ad!
Etsy- filled with great crafters making custom and unique items. I might be biased, since I sell there too (shameless plug for my awesome eco-friendly store!) but truly, there are some amazing finds there. Even if you are looking for supplies for your own crafts (such as one of my favorites, Theresa's Plants and More where I got most of the moss I use for my own items) there are so many great sellers.
WebRestaurant Store- I bought many of the items for our buffet setup here. The prices are very reasonable, and they variety is super- they even have some of the sustainable disposables by Bambu.
I also have a number of other resources for more of the eco-friendly green wedding items I purchased, I'll be sharing these soon!
I (almost) D.I.Y Do,
Shelley
Monday, March 14, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Wedding Cake test one:
Sprouted Flour/ White Cake and Buttercream- Pate a Bombe
So, for my first test I made a recipe altered from a Martha Stewart recipe, and a true buttercream from a book (though with sucanat instead of regular sugar.) Cake- big failure! Way too dense. Buttercream- delicious! I think it was the pastured butter...
Cake
Preheat oven to 325.
Cream butter and sugar. Mix flour with soda, and salt. Beat eggs one at a time into butter mix. Beat until well mixed. Add in 1/3 flour, then 1/3 milk mix. Repeat two times, lightly beating until mixed just together. Add vanilla, mix lightly.
Pour into greased pans, bake until a toothpick comes out clean (about 25 minutes.)
The first sign of failure should have been that I had to push the 'batter' into the pan. It was more like a loose bread dough than any cake batter I have ever seen, I thought that I would try it anyway. Not workable! Oh, well. At least the buttercream is good...
Buttercream ( adapted from the Fundamental Techniques of classic Pastry Arts)
I scaled this recipe down, the recipe below will fill and frost the above cake.
7 oz. sugar (I used sucanat, worked quite well)
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 whole egg, room temperature
3/4 lb. butter at room temperature, pastured (grass-fed dairy) especially delicious
Combine sugar with 2 oz. water in a sauce pan over medium-low heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Turn up heat to medium high, and cook as for sugar/ candy work. (Use a brush to wash sides of pan with water, do not stir the mixture near the sides of the pan once boiling.) Cook until soft-ball stage, 116 C/ 240 F.
While sugar is cooking, combine the egg and yolks in a mixing bowl, with whip attachment. Beat until very light yellow and thick.
When the sugar has reached soft-ball stage, very carefully pour in into the mixing bowl while running. ONLY POUR on the sides of the bowl, if you pour itnto the whip it can splash up and will burn you. Also, do not scrape out the bottom of the pan, this can cause crystallization of the sugar. With all the syrup added, beat for a few minutes, until the mix is cool, smooth and thick.
Replace the whip with a paddle attachment (I did not do this step when I first made it, turned out fine but note I was using a hand mixer not a stand mixer.) Add the butter a bit at a time, beating after each addition. Mix well, until all of the butter is completely incorporated. If using an extract/ liquor for flavoring, add in at the very end.
I will be keeping you updated with all of my recipes and tests over the next month or so. Up next week: DIY crafting, and a giveaway for my Etsy blog!
I (almost) diy do,
Shelley
So, for my first test I made a recipe altered from a Martha Stewart recipe, and a true buttercream from a book (though with sucanat instead of regular sugar.) Cake- big failure! Way too dense. Buttercream- delicious! I think it was the pastured butter...
Cake
2 sticks butter, pastured best (I used regular organic, which was good as the pastured would have been wasted!)
2 cups unbleached organic white flour
2 cups organic sprouted flour
2 cups sucanat
5 eggs, pastured best
1 ½ cup milk/ yogurt mix
½ t. salt
2 t. soda
2 t. organic FT vanilla
Preheat oven to 325.
Cream butter and sugar. Mix flour with soda, and salt. Beat eggs one at a time into butter mix. Beat until well mixed. Add in 1/3 flour, then 1/3 milk mix. Repeat two times, lightly beating until mixed just together. Add vanilla, mix lightly.
Pour into greased pans, bake until a toothpick comes out clean (about 25 minutes.)
The first sign of failure should have been that I had to push the 'batter' into the pan. It was more like a loose bread dough than any cake batter I have ever seen, I thought that I would try it anyway. Not workable! Oh, well. At least the buttercream is good...
Buttercream ( adapted from the Fundamental Techniques of classic Pastry Arts)
I scaled this recipe down, the recipe below will fill and frost the above cake.
7 oz. sugar (I used sucanat, worked quite well)
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 whole egg, room temperature
3/4 lb. butter at room temperature, pastured (grass-fed dairy) especially delicious
Combine sugar with 2 oz. water in a sauce pan over medium-low heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Turn up heat to medium high, and cook as for sugar/ candy work. (Use a brush to wash sides of pan with water, do not stir the mixture near the sides of the pan once boiling.) Cook until soft-ball stage, 116 C/ 240 F.
While sugar is cooking, combine the egg and yolks in a mixing bowl, with whip attachment. Beat until very light yellow and thick.
When the sugar has reached soft-ball stage, very carefully pour in into the mixing bowl while running. ONLY POUR on the sides of the bowl, if you pour itnto the whip it can splash up and will burn you. Also, do not scrape out the bottom of the pan, this can cause crystallization of the sugar. With all the syrup added, beat for a few minutes, until the mix is cool, smooth and thick.
Replace the whip with a paddle attachment (I did not do this step when I first made it, turned out fine but note I was using a hand mixer not a stand mixer.) Add the butter a bit at a time, beating after each addition. Mix well, until all of the butter is completely incorporated. If using an extract/ liquor for flavoring, add in at the very end.
I will be keeping you updated with all of my recipes and tests over the next month or so. Up next week: DIY crafting, and a giveaway for my Etsy blog!
I (almost) diy do,
Shelley
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