Ingredients:

8-10 Minneola tangerines

2 T. grated tangerine zest (optional, but I suggest adding it)

2 c. water

1 ½ c. sugar

¾ c. lemon juice (fresh squeezed is best)

Directions:

Boil together for 1 minute: 2 c. mineral or otherwise purified water (not tap water), 1 ½ c. sugar, 2 T grated tangerine zest.  Let this syrup cool and then refrigerate it.

Cut off 1/3 of the tops of 8-10 tangerines and carefully juice both pieces, taking care not to tear the larger piece.  After removing the juice, pull the remaining pulp out of the shells and freeze them so they are stiff.  Press the juice through a sieve to remove the pulp (you should end up with about 3 ¼ c. tangerine juice.) Add it to the lemon juice to make 4 cups.  Stir juice into the sugar/zest mixture and taste it for sweetness and then put in your ice cream maker (I use the Cuisinart frozen dessert maker) and process it until it has frozen and thickened.  Spoon into the frozen orange cups and freeze until you’re ready to serve.  Add a small, thinly sliced orange wedge on top when served.

This was probably one of my most favorite parties to attend.  If you’re looking for a fun night with your girlfriends this is the party to throw!  My friend Kiana and I threw our First Annual “Favorite Things” party not too long ago.  The day of the party we were thinking this might be the first and last, but I’m ready to plan another one.   Everyone brought their favorite $10 item and we all left with one of our friend’s favorite things.  It was a great way to hear feedback about all these great products I had no idea about!  Some of the new things I’ve fallen in love with are Essie nail polish, Victoria Secret smudge proof eye liner, and Enjoy hair mask.  Thanks ladies for the recommendations and thank you Oprah for the inspiration behind the party.

The menu consisted of:

Nordstrom Tomato Basil Soup

Creamy Cheddar Broccoli & Potato Soup

Parmesan Crostini

Mixed Berry Salad

Southwest Chicken Salad

Shirley Temple Bar

And of course we had to end the evening with a dessert bar that included mini chocolate cupcakes, fruit salsa and cinnamon chips, raspberry panna cotta, mini carrot cupcakes, meringues, mini milk and doughnut shooters, and raspberry brownie skewers.

It was hard to get pictures, because it was so windy and we had to set everything up at the last minute due to the wind knocking everything over.  Despite the wind it was a great night!  Thanks to everyone who came and mucho thanks to everyone that helped baked, set-up and clean-up.  So glad to call each one of you my friend!

Happy Birthday, Mom!  Jaron, Keaton, Tomsen and I are so lucky to call you mom.

Here’s the last few pictures to complete the last post.  Enjoy!

Grilled Carne Asada & Chicken Taco Bar (complete with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, corn, black beans, pico de gallo, salsa, sour cream and guacamole)

Tamales

Fruit

Corn Chips & Queso

Tapatio Chips

Assorted Mexican Sodas (mmmm, so much better with real sugar cane)

Panna Cotta

Mini Mexican Carmel Cookies

Churros

Happy Birthday Tom!  You are one stellar guy and we’re so happy you were born!

The menu consisted of “Tasty Turkey” sandwiches replicated from Einstein Bagels, Citrus Salad, Kettle Chips and mini pickles.  The Shirley Temple Bar was a hit in addition to the dessert bar that consisted of Panna Cotta, Strawberry Shortcake Trifles, Heart-Shaped Brownies, Mini-Cake Doughnuts, Cherry Cheesecakes, Mini Chocolate Cupcakes, Red Velvet Whoopie Pies and Doughnut Holes.  (A big shout-out to her family that each made something to make this table complete).

The festivities went down just before Valentine’s Day, which was the inspiration behind the color scheme.  We also had a table to decorate a hair piece for the new babe.  Some people were pretty creative!  Congrats Beca and welcome Baby Grace!

I debated even posting these pictures.  I didn’t have a camera so we resorted to my husband’s iPhone. They’re pretty bad quality,so to all my photog friends…don’t judge me!