38th Annual Grant Park MothBall

MothBall was almost a month ago and I'm still struggling for words to describe the experience. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about: MothBall is Grant Park's annual costume ball. The theme changes year to year; the 2013 theme was Hootenanny. How this all relates to me/And Topher Too? I was this year's Grant Park Neighborhood Association (GPNA) MothBall Committee Chair; as such I led a team of 10 Grant Park volunteers for three months. Together we brainstormed and built the entire party from the ground up. A task that sounded simple enough in the beginning but turned out to be extremely challenging. (You wouldn't believe the number of unpredictable complications that never stopped being hurtled in our direction. Even three hours before show time we were still confronting unexpected challenges).  

Fortunately, karma bestowed upon me a team of genuinely talented, hard working and supportive volunteers* that made the process fun, friendly and unforgettable. My sincerest thanks go out not only to the 2013 MothBall Core Committee but also to every single neighbor who showed their support. Three weeks after the event and we're still hearing rave reviews. If a picture is worth a thousand words then check out the photos below to see the looks of pure joy on everyones' faces.

(*Paul & Christy Simo, Jeff Rodgers, Lauren Rocereta & Rob Bernier - y'all are amazing. Thank you for your patience, brilliance and encouragement! You're the best neighbors ever.)

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MothBall Core Committee marching in the EAV Strut Parade

And Topher Too - Proud 2013 MothBall sponsor

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Brunch, babies and a party in the park

This morning we invited a dozen friends over for brunch before our annual neighborhood summer festival. Oliver made biscuits and gravy as well as a big pot of grits. Friends brought quiches, frittatas, cinnamon bread, fruit salads - all kinds of delicious breakfast foods! We were also happy to have a handful of new friends at the party - babies! This summer was "that" summer for us: many of our local friends had kids. It's sort of nonstop... In a photo below you'll see a two month old, a three week old and friend pregnant with twins (and they're really just the tip of the ice burg). After breakfast everyone walked to Grant Park and spent several hours in the grass enjoying the festival. Our thanks to everyone for a super great day. XO - Cullen

Step by step lasagnas cupcakes

Better late then never! A super simplified tutorial on the "cupcake" mini lasagnas Oliver made for the baby shower. Since almost all of the guests came straight from work we wanted to serve something that might be considered dinner but didn't require utensils and a place to sit. Mini "cupcake" lasangas were a perfect, delicious, real food solution. Give them a try at your next party!

What you'll need: wonton wrappers, a cupcake baking pan and the ingredients for your favorite lasagna recipe (we made one spinach and one pork).


Start by laying out the room temperature wonton wrappers as shown in the top left photo. Press the wrappers into your cupcake pan and fill with your prefered lasagna mixture.  

(We filled our meat lasagnas with a stewed tomato and ground pork mixture and then topped it with shreds of fresh mozzarella, a bit of ricotta and shaved Parmesan.) Onto that layer a third wonton wrapper and a repeat of your lasagna mixture. Then into the oven for 20 minutes at 375 degrees. Oliver embellished the lasganas with a basil leaf and sliced grape tomato before serving them to our guests.

Eva's baby shower: food, games & favors

A couple of weeks ago Oliver and I co-hosted a girls only baby shower for a friend. While I organized invitations, decorations, games and favors - Oliver took responsibility for food and drinks.  The food was so incredible that two different guests asked if my husband was caterer. Later this month we'll share the "cupcake" lasagna recipe.
Oliver's Baby Shower Menu
Two types of finger sandwiches: 
• Apple slices with prosciutto and a drizzle of honey
• Cucumber slices with goat cheese and fresh dill
Two types of "cupcake" lasagnas:
• Meat • Spinach
Three varieties of crostini:
• Bruschetta  • Baba ganoush  • Goat cheese with fig jam and a pickled grape tomato

The Mom-to-be's last name is "Story" - so the theme of our shower was "Storybooks". I had a lot of fun coming up with ways to incorporate storybooks into the party. The first thing I did was to ask Eva's guests and out-of-town friends and family to help surprise the first time parents with a collection of books. Every invitation included a bookplate that read "The sweetest story" along with a note explaining the surprise group gift. Books arrived from as far as Korea and Austria (with guests coming from Los Angeles and New York City). 


The obligatory shower game was also used to highlight the theme: Pictionary - Nursery Rhyme edition! This game was super easy to prepare and a surprising amount of fun. Before the shower I wrote the name of 25 nursery rhymes onto 25 blank cards. Then I dragged my old easel, a pad of newsprint and some Sharpies from the art closet. BOOM! We were ready to play. Instead of teams we pitted the Mom-to-be against the young daughter of a friend and had the guests guess what they were each drawing.


For my bridal shower Oliver's aunt made a dozen ceramic, heart shaped, jewelry dishes. I was so flattered by her thoughtful handmade gift that I knew I wanted to pay-it-forward and do the same for Eva. My first thought (as vegetable garden crazed person) was to grow a dozen bean sprouts, replant them in cute terracotta pots and tie on a tag with a quote from Jack and the bean stock. But there was neither enough time or money for that idea so I improvised. Instead, I bought two flats of marigolds, replanted them into styrofoam cups, wrapped the cups in pink scrap booking paper and included a personalized tag that read:

A marigold for your garden-

Mary, Mary quite contrary

how does your garden grow?

With silver bells and cockleshells

and pretty friends all in a row.

I'd never hosted any type of shower before this one. I was nervous about how it'd go. Eva's wonderful friends and Oliver's impressive cooking made for a fun and easy going evening. My thanks to them!