Cinnamon Crust-- A Thanksgiving Treat!

While I love making pie for Thanksgiving, what I love even more is making my mom's Cinnamon Crust with the leftover pie dough! 

This was my favorite treat as a child. When my mother made pies, she'd let me use the scraps of dough to make a delicious cinnamon-sugar pastry. My children love this special treat at Thanksgiving. They gobble it down within minutes after it has cooled.

For a delicious pie dough recipe, try My Mom's Extra-Flaky Pie Crust Dough.

Wishing you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Warmly,

R O S A N N A I N C . C O M

Host a Spooktacular Halloween Dessert Party!

If you're considering throwing a Halloween Bash, I'd recommend skipping the hectic dinner feast and throwing a frightenedly festive dessert party instead!  Not only will you save yourself the expense of serving a whole dinner, but you'll save time as well. Make some memorable Halloween treats and everyone will be begging you to host again next year.

Tips For Planning Your Party:

Who: Invite Friends, Family and Neighbors
What: Offer scrumptious treats that go beyond the usual Trick or Treat candies. (See ideas below.) Go all out and decorate your table with spooky Halloween-themed accessories--skulls, cauldrons, witches, spiders, ghosts and goblins. 
When: After dinnertime, so guests can stop by for a sweet treat, or in the afternoon for some midday delights
Where: Your own home, in the dining room or other room that can easily accommodate a dessert buffet table
Why: It’s fun, easy and a great way to reconnect with family, friends and neighbor

Boo-tiful Dessert Ideas:

Our Halloween dessert table features devilishly delicious desserts from Sprinkles and Sweets, a Seattle family-owned business that specializes in cupcakes, cakes and specialty desserts. (Photos by Nazra Knutsen.)

Our Halloween Dessert Table 

For our tablescape, we add black and white for sophisticated chic and elegance and a little spookiness. Our Rococo Noir Pedestals, Black Dauphine Candlesticks and, Large White Pedestal make the perfect stands for the spider cake, cookies and candied apples. For a pop of color, we placed included orange candlesticks and an orange runner. 

When planning a dessert table, remember… sometimes less is more! Start out by choosing the backdrop and linens first.  Be careful not to linens and decorations something that are too busy or that will clash with the simple elegance of your desserts.  Once you have decided your color scheme, lay it out and don’t be afraid to add multiple linens and layers. 

Then select desserts that complement your cake stands and pedestals. For the medium Rococo Noir Pedestal, we selected the spooktacular white spider cake.  For the other two Rococo Noir Pedestals, we choose cookies decorated with orange and purple to add a splash of color.   

Spider Cake on Medium Rococo Noir Pedestal

I love how simple, yet effective this cake is!  To make a spider cake yourself, just choose your favorite cake recipe and cover it with white frosting. It could be a carrot cake or even a red velvet cake… just be sure to cover it completely with a smooth layer of white frosting before setting the spiders. 

To make the spiders, you can either buy small plastic spiders at your local craft or cake store or make them yourself using basic modeling chocolate. Eeeww!

Pumpkin Cookies on our Small Rococo Noir Pedestal

These Pumpkin Cookies sugar cookies are decorated with Royal icing in orange, purple, white and black accent for the leaves.

Spiral Halloween Cookies on our Large Rococo Noir Pedestal - (Recipe Below)

Tips: Make sure the dough is properly chilled before working with it. When the dough is just pliable (but still cold), roll up the dough (begin with the long side) like a jellyroll. As you begin to roll, gently curl the edge with your fingertips so you don’t get any air pockets as you roll dough into a log. As you roll, pinch tears together as they occur and keep rolling.And don’t be discouraged if the spirals aren’t perfect.

I hope this post gets you in the mood for Halloween and inspires your own Halloween Dessert Party!  Please post pictures of your Halloween Dessert Party on our Facebook page. 

Happy Halloween!

Warmly,

R O S A N N A I N C . C O M

A Sneak Peek of our Spring 2014 Collection!

There's nothing like cozying up on a cold February night under a warm blanket with a good book.  But around this time of year, I'm truly tired of winter. With the torrential snowstorms that keep blanketing the country, I'm sure you are too!

Instead of slumping into our winter woes, here at Rosanna we're dreaming of spring and we wanted to share this sneak peek of our Spring 2014 collection. We hope it'll give you some inspiration to start thinking of ways to refresh your home with spring-inspired decor.

Spring is just 21 days away!  So clear out the wool blankets;  it's time to give your home a boost of sunshine.

Warmly,

R O S A N N A I N C . C O M

Dessert Tables on the Rise

The change in the economic climate has lead to more and more people opting to entertain at home rather than go out. Dessert tables are super trendy right now and a great way to elevate your party from ho-hum to something really special! Even better, little desserts are affordable luxuries we can all enjoy. What better way to delight your guests than with a variety of delicious, decadent treats? They're great for a number of events:

• Weddings
• Bridal showers
• Baby showers
• Graduation parties
• Easter
• Birthday parties
• Holiday parties

For a healthy alternative, why not carrot and celery sticks with little personal bowls of hummus or salad dressing? Or for a brunch get-together, you could even set out miniature breakfast items in a buffet style.

Take a look at the beautiful Rosanna products that have been used in recent magazines and blogs:

Amy Atlas Blog, December 2010

Brides, May 2010

Brides, September 2011

Layla Grayce Blog, March 2012 - designed by Kate Landers

Modern Bride, August/September 2007

Many of the Rosanna items would be perfect for creating your very own sweets table:

La Patisserie

  

Les Petite Sweets and Les Cookies

Decor Bon Bon

 

White Pedestals

Pedestal Cake Domes

 

Rococo Noir - perfect for Halloween-themed get-togethers!

To help get your dessert table off to a great start, I've included my mother's Butterscotch Pie recipe for you to enjoy.

Butterscotch Pie

MAKES 1 (9-INCH) PIE; SERVES 6 - 8

1 pie crust (I recommend my mom's recipe, which you'll find in a previous post)
4 large egg yolks
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/3 cup flour
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons salted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sweetened vanilla whipped cream (See note below)

Preheat the oven to 350 F (Gas mark 4). Prepare the pie crust.

In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks until they are lemon-yellow. Set aside.

In a small port, bring the milk and cream to the scalding point; you'll know the cream has reached the right temperature when a "skin" forms on top of the liquid. Add the flour at this point.

Meanwhile, in the top of a double boiler over simmering water, combine the brown sugar, salt, and butter. Stir until the butter is melted and the mixture is completely blended. Gradually pour the hot milk mixture into the brown sugar mixture, stirring constantly.

Pour a little bit of the warm double-boiler mixture into the egg yolks. Mix well, then return the mixture to the double boiler. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a whisk, until the custard thickens, 15 to 20 minutes; remember that it will firm up as it cools. Beat until smooth, then stir in the vanilla.

Pour into a pie shell and smooth the top. Cover with wax paper and refrigerate until cold. Spread the whipped cream in a thick layer over the custard. Serve, and wait for your guests' responses. This is a showstopper!

Note: Make the whipped cream at the last minute. Using an electric mixer, beat 1 pint cold heavy cream, gradually adding 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, beating constantly. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract as the cream thickens. Beat until the creams semi firm peaks.



With a little creativity and planning, you can create a dessert table that wows your guests and is affordable, too! Good luck!

With love,

www.rosannainc.com

Decor Bon Bon, Amy Atlas, and Bride Magazine

Who doesn’t love dessert? Sweets are one of the most fun things to indulge, especially with others. In addition to tasting divine, desserts are also often gorgeous to look at. You know that old saying—we eat with our eyes.

No one knows this better than event planner and dessert stylist Amy Atlas, who specializes in dreamy, sumptuous dessert tableaus. Amy’s dessert tables have been featured in many national publications. Bride Magazine will be featuring one of her tables in their spring issue. For shoot, Amy is using our Décor Bon Bon line! We’re thrilled to be part of the feature.

The Decor Bon Bon pedestals are a perfect way to display your desserts. Take a page out of Amy's book and make dessert your centerpiece!





www.rosannainc.com