California Dreamin’: Girl’s Night Pizza & Bubbles Party

Brought to you by California Pizza Kitchen oven-ready pizzas

Champagne bar menu

Pizza and Sparkling Wine (Champagne, Cava, Prosecco…) are two of my favorite things. Naturally when I think of the perfect girls’ night in, I want to pair them up. Here is the easiest way to entertain this Summer. Set up a Sparkling Wine Bar with fresh fruit and herbs, juices and liquors, and bake a few California Pizza Kitchen oven-ready pizzas like the new Hand-Tossed California Style White or The Works, both made with a Hand-Tossed Style crust that’s crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Your ladies will feel spoiled by tasty treats even though you spent more time working on your outfit than working in the kitchen. It’s Summer, no one has time for any of that. The best part is that between the delicious pizza options and DIY Champagne bar, everyone will find something they love.

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Read on for our favorite tips and ingredients for the perfect Champagne Bar and 4 simple and delish champagne cocktails, all inspired by the combinations of premium ingredients in CPK’s oven-ready pizzas, like vine ripened tomatoes and gouda cheese. Now I’m hungry.

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Pretty Prudent Home Y’All

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What the heck Summer!?! What’s the hurry? It seems like just yesterday I was kicking off our Pretty Prudent Home book tour (and Summer) with a little party at Read Between the Lines, my new most favorite home and gift and stationary shop here in Dallas with 50 0f my closest friends, and a few brand new friends too! It was a top ten night in my life for sure. A top 5 of nights without Jaime. Obvs there are only a few good nights without Jaime. Here are a few pics of this fabulous night!

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Toast Tuesday: Watermelon & Feta

Toast Tuesday | Watermelon & Feta This ended up more like a full salad (maybe a take on Panzanella?), I mean you can barely see the toast. But so delicious and just perfect for warm summer days.

Start with your toast as per usual. Add some greens (I didn’t have any arugula on hand so I went with mixed baby greens and raddicchio, but the peppery flavor of arugula is amazing with watermelon), then pile on watermelon cubes. Top with crumbled feta and a drizzle of balsamic glaze (regular balsamic vinegar will also do). This is one I know you will want to repeat, with or without the toast.

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The Easiest Salmon Cornet Recipe

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Today I am going to show you an easy cheat for making these delicious salmon cornets.

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But first, I want to tell you what inspired this recipe.

On our last Caribbean cruise, Jacinda and I had the pleasure of experiencing the Carnival Chef’s Table dinner.

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It was an 8-course extravaganza featuring a tour of the kitchens, one-on-one time with the head chef, and plate after plate of delectable delicacies.

Check out the behind-the-scenes cruise ship fun and get my easy cheat Salmon Cornet Recipe after the jump… (more…)

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Beyond the BBQ – A Pizza Pool Party

Sponsored by California Pizza Kitchen’s new Gluten-Free and Hand-Tossed Style Crust Oven-Ready Pizzas.

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Summer entertaining doesn’t have to be all burgers and brats and working the grill. Bring California Pizza Kitchen’s new oven-ready Hand-Tossed Style and Gluten-Free Pizzas outdoors for your next pool party or backyard picnic. Pair BBQ Recipe Chicken Pizza with a side of coleslaw, fresh sweet corn and a local beer. Pair Margherita Pizza with Italian pasta salad, fresh fruit with a balsamic drizzle, and a glass of Pinot Blanc. You and your guests will never miss the hotdogs after trying these delicious combos.
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Read on for the low-down on how to prepare these simple and delicious Summer meals for everyone who makes you laugh.

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Made a New Dress!

New Look Mock Knit Dress Pattern

I made a new dress last weekend. I love wrap dresses but being a bit curvy, I can’t always find one that doesn’t gape in the chest, so I decided I needed to make my own. For this one I used a pattern by New Look: U06301A Misses’ Mock Wrap Knit Dress Sewing Template. The pattern was easy to use and easy to match different sizes body parts (allowing it to be customized to ones curvy parts pretty simply). For fabric I went with a few soft knits from Fabricworm. All in all, I enjoyed making this pattern (it took about 2.5 hours, start to finish) and will use it again. Before you get started on a sewing pattern for knits, give this post a read through: How to Sew With Knit Fabrics: Sewing with Jersey 101. So, what do you think?

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A Few Days in Heartlake City (aka Carlsbad, CA)

Carlsbad Jaime and Scarlet Scarlet and I had the pleasure of spending two nights in Carlsbad, CA and visiting Legoland to check out the new Lego Friends Heartlake City! It was so fun. There’s nothing like a couple nights away one on one with your kid.

We stayed at the Carlsbad Inn Beach Resort, which is a convenient place right in Carlsbad Village just across a small street from the beach.
Carlsbad Beach Inn Beach

They provided us with a beach umbrella, two chairs, and a big pile of sand toys! That was a great touch. We spent hours rolling around in the surf and experimenting with our sand to water ratio as we constructed and destroyed castle after castle.
Carlsbad Beach

The hotel is right next door to Norte, a Mexican restaurant with a great happy hour. Is it weird I took my kid to happy hour? I am happy to say I was not the only one.
Carlsbad Village Norte

The next day, it was off to Legoland! We wisely arrived about 45 minutes before opening, so we got to sneak onto a few rides that normally have long lines just when the park opened.
Legoland Cruise

My girly had to get her face painted of course.
Legoland Heartlake City Mia's Riding Camp

We spent the morning at the water park inside of Legoland (which is AH-MAZ-ING) but I wisely stashed my camera for that portion of the day. In the afternoon we headed to the all new Lego Friends Heartlake City, where Scarlet had to take her turn on Mia’s Riding Camp, which is an adorable version of a merry go round.
Lego Friends Heartlake City

We finished off our day with a visit to the Legoland Sea Life Aquarium, which is awesome! Scarlet loved the octopus of course.
Legoland Sea Life Aquarium Octopus

Scarlet is a big fan of aquariums, so she was thrilled to take the Sea Life quiz, which involved finding hidden questions in the aquarium and answering them correctly. She was thrilled with her official Sea Life Explorer sticker.
Legoland Aquarium Sealife Expert

We had so much fun spending a couple days in Carlsbad! If you want a relaxing few days by the beach to counterbalance a busy, fun-filled day at a theme park, Carlsbad is the place to do it.

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Toast Tuesday: Fig, Caramelized Onion & Prosciutto

Toast Tuesday | Fig, Caramelized Onion & Prosciutto Ohemgee. I want to eat this for every meal of the day everyday forever. It’s so luscious and deep and savory and sweet and satisfying, GAH!

Ok, this week go ahead and start with your toast as usual. Spread a layer of fig jam (find my famous recipe I make from my fig tree in our book, Pretty Prudent Home). On top of that you’ll pile on caramelized onions. Every couple weeks or so I slice about five or six onions and caramelize them by cooking in a couple tablespoons of olive oil over super low heat for about an hour and a half. They freeze very well, and I always keep a container of them in the fridge to add to salads, or in this case, toast. Ok, so on top of your onions you’ll want to shave a few thin pieces of cheese (I did a gruyere). The final touch is one ruffle of prosciutto. Put it in your mouth, then try not to make eight more pieces. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

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