Makin' whoopie...

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies for Valentine's Day

PIES

3 cups all purpose flour

1 t baking soda

2 t unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups canola oil

1 t white vinegar

One 1 oz. bottle of red food coloring

1/2 t vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

FILLING

5 T all purpose flour

1 cup milk

1 cup sugar

8 T (1 stick) butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

1 t vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two cookie sheets. Sift the flour, baking soda and cocoa together. In a separate bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, food coloring and vanilla.

2. Using and electric mixer, beat the sugar and eggs together until they turn pale and double in volume. Add the oil mixture and beat to combine. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately in five small additions, starting and ending with the flour.

3. Drop the batter by teaspoons onto the baking sheets, allowing 1 inch between drops, as the cookies will spread. You'll be making 48 cookies. Bake until the cookies are firm but not crisp, about 12 minutes. Transfer immediately to racks to cool.

4. To make the filling, put the flour into a medium saucepan and slowly add the milk, whisking until smooth. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly with a whisk, until very thick, about 3 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

5. Cream the sugar, butter, shortening and vanilla with an electric mixer. Add the cooled flour mixture and whip until fluffy. Spread onto one cookie and top it with another to make a sandwhich; repeat with the remaining cookies and filling. Cover the filled whoopie pies with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.

Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen...

Send in the Troops...

Trooper Easter Basketwww.pineapplecourt.com

"Easter Egg Hunt" Ensemble...

Daisy Mae Ensemble in White

also available in pink

(includes basket and matching headpiece) www.pineapplecourt.com

Pretty in Pink...

Pretty in Pink Easter Egg Hunt Ensemble

(includes basket and matching headpiece)

www.pineapplecourt.com

Southern charm...

Steel Magnolias Easter Basket

Yeehaw!

Cowgirl Easter Basket

www.pineapplecourt.com

Giddy Up!

Cowboy Easter Basket

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Hippity Hoppity...

Feather My Nest Easter Basket

Farmhouse Easter Basket

Little Boy Blue Easter Basket

Garden Party Easter Basket

Cotton Bouquet Easter Basket

Our Easter baskets are available at...

http://www.pineapplecourt.com/

Sneak Peek

Hippity Hoppity Easter's on it's way....



Okay so it is still three months until Easter but Pineapple Court is very excited about the Easter baskets we have for you! Here is a very tiny sneak peek...more to come!

Feather My Nest Easter Basket

Funny Valentine

Valentine's Day Tree...

"The Market"

"One of a Kind Finds and Handmades"

Pineapple Court is going to market! The flea market that is. We attend several markets as vendors throughout the year and adore shopping for one of a kind finds in need of a little love. We are pleased to announce "The Market". A part of Pineapple Court where you will find those one of a kind treasures and handmade items that we come across throughout the year!

Coming soon...

What exactly does "black tie optional" mean?

Is it really optional? Should women wear cocktail dresses or evening gowns?

When you receive an invitation with a black tie optional dress code...here are some guidelines to keep in mind when choosing your attire...

Men ~ Black tie optional for men means that both a tuxedo or a black/dark navy or gray suit is acceptable. So if you do not own a tuxedo or are unable to rent one for the evening is it perfectly okay to wear a suit. Either way...you should wear a tie.

Women ~ Black tie optional for women means that it is acceptable to either wear a conservative but festive cocktail length dress or an evening gown. A fancy pair of stilettos and an evening handbag of the smaller kind would be great accessories.

Heart shaped cookie cutters...

Yesterday, we found a great heart shaped cookie cutter for Valentine's Day at Michael's. It is large (so you can have plenty of room for decorations or sweet sayings) and it is pink! In our experience the large cutters are usually made of copper and overpriced and this one is inexpensive, large and cute. Go get yourself one and start planning your treats now!

holiday

hol·i·day
noun

day set aside for leisure and recreation; a celebration

Valentine's Day Tree

Christmas is over and the New Year is here! It is time to pack up your holiday decorations and retire them to the attic once again. Wait though.....you don't have to put all of them away! What better way to get in the spirit of the most romantic holiday of the year than to decorate your tree with handmade Valentine's and cherubs? Leave your tree up through February and decorate it for Valentine's Day! It can adorn a romantic dinner for two, be enjoyed by your children who can decorate it with Valentine's from their friends or as a single gal you could host a ladies luncheon or elegant dinner with all your single gal friends! Pineapple court will be doing our Valentine's Day tree this year....look for pictures to come!

elegant

el·e·gant
adjective

Characterized by or exhibiting refined, tasteful beauty of manner, form, or style.

New Year's Eve Party Detail

Don't forget to throw some fortune cookies on the table with your spread for New Year's....it is inexpensive and fun for your guests as they look towards the new year!

Some good luck...courtesy of Paula Deen

INGREDIENTS

Two 15 ounce cans black-eyed peas, drained
One 15 ounce can whole kernel corn, drained
One 10 ounce can Ro-Tel tomatoes or any spicy canned tomatoes, chopped
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh jalapeno pepper
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
One 4 oz. jar chopped pimientos, drained

DRESSING

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon of dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon of sugar
Pinch of dried oregano
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
Corn chips, for serving

1. In a large bowl, combine the black-eyed peas, corn, tomatoes, red, green and jalapeno peppers, onion and pimientos.

2. In a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the wine and balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, mustard, sugar, oregano, and olive and vegetable oils. Shake until the ingredients are blended.

3. Add the dressing to the pea mixture and stir gently but thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate until serving time. Allow to come to room temperature before serving. Stir well. Serve with corn chips.

Serves 10-12

source: www.pauladeen.com

Fabulously simple champagne recipe...

Kir Royale

In a champagne glass pour

1/2 oz. Creme de Casis

Fill with Champagne

Stir Gently

Auld Lang Syne...

In a couple of days it will be the very first day of 2010 and the beginning of a new decade! No better time to clear the cobwebs and start fresh! New Year's Day is the perfect excuse to make some resolutions and get things done! Pineapple Court wishes everyone luck, prosperity, lots of love and many stylish celebrations in 2010! Don't forget to make a pot of black eyed peas for good luck as well!
Celebrate in Style!

Jennifer & Angie

Fabric Memory Boards

Display memories that you make with your little ones on this chic fabric memory board! Comes in several different colors and patterns for boys, girls or either!

www.pineapplecourt.com

Adorable Burp Cloths

New to Pineapple Court!

Style your baby with these precious handmade burp cloths that come in assorted sets of 3 for boys, girls or both!

www.pineapplecourt.com

Halloween Etiquette

Trick or Treat!

Here are a few tips on Halloween Etiquette:

1. While we sincerely hope that you all will participate in handing out candy to trick-or-treaters please remember too turn you porch lights and front of the house lights off if you won't be home or do no intend on passing out candy.

2. Looking at those cute little faces can make it very tempting to give them handfuls of candy but 1-2 pieces per child should be sufficient enough.

3. Wouldn't it be great if we could make handmade treats from the heart to hand out to the kiddos? Unfortunately, if you do this you hard work may not be appreciated by parents. Most parents will only let their children accept and/or eat pre-wrapped candy so make a trip to your local drug store and stock up!

4. Bring hand sanitizer! With all of those little hands in the pot picking out candy germs can be easily spread. Frequently use hand sanitizer on your kids hands to protect them as well as others.

5. If you are in the car instead of at home on Halloween (which happens to fall on a Saturday night this year) PLEASE drive carefully and much slower than usual through the neighborhoods.

6. Have fun and get into the spooky spirit.....Halloween only comes once a year!

photo courtesy of marthastewart.com

Stovetop Potpourri

Fill your home with a wonderful fall scent with ingredients out of your kitchen cabinet! This is a great way to make your home fragrant and inviting for guests or to keep on the stove and do every morning for your family to enjoy! This scent will fill up your house very quickly so it is great for surprise guests!

Ingredients:

About 10 cloves

4-5 cinnamon sticks

4-5 T of vanilla (we use the imitation vanilla for potpourri)

Water to fill pot

Combine all ingredients in a medium size pot on your stove and heat on a low temperature.

Witches Brew

This witches brew is sure to be a winner at any Halloween party! The dry ice really adds to the decor!

Ingredients:

2 quarts lime sherbet

2 liters ginger ale

1 (46-ounce) can pineapple juice

Maraschino cherries

Dry Ice

Directions:

In a punch bowl (we prefer a black kettle), add 2 quarts of lime sherbet. Add ginger ale, pineapple juice and maraschino cherries. Then add dry ice to make this a genuine witches brew!

Halloween Martini

Halloween Martini Recipe

1 part coconut rum

1 part vodka

1/2 oz blue caracao

1 part pineapple juice

2-3 spooky eyeballs

Shake, pour & enjoy!

It's Christmas Time in the City...

Silver bells.....silver bells

It's Christmas time at Pineapple Court!

Deck your halls with this elegant display of three silver bells!

www.pineapplecourt.com

Farmhouse Cream & Sugar

New to Pineapple Court!

La Campagnarde Farmhouse Cream & Sugar!

www.pineapplecourt.com

Farmhouse Salt & Pepper Shakers

New to Pineapple Court!

La Campagnarde Farmhouse Salt & Pepper Shakers

Flavor your cuisine with these elegantly casual salt & pepper shakers. These are great to leave out and accessorize your kitchen!

http://www.pineapplecourt.com/

Holiday Greetings!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

You might not realize it yet but the holidays are fast approaching and before you know it, it will be time to send out holiday cards to friends & family. Pineapple Court will soon have holiday cards & invitation online so be on the lookout for what suits your fancy!

Happy Holidays!

Jessie Steele

This is just one of many FABULOUS Jessie Steele Aprons! Be on the lookout for Jessie Steele aprons, tea towels and oven mitts soon on Pineapple Court!

Thank you notes

What are the etiquette rules of writing thank you notes? There are several different kinds of thank you notes that one can write...a wedding thank you note, a newborn thank you note, a thank you note in a time of grief...and there are etiquette rules that apply to each one. We want to share with you the rules pertaining to the most common of thank you notes....the gift thank you note.

• Rule #1 Generally speaking, it is not necessary to write a thank you note to people with whom you live.

• Rule #2 Thank you notes should be sent promptly. A good rule of thumb to be safe is within a week of receiving the gift.

• Rule #3 Under no circumstances is it acceptable to send a thank you note via email.

• Rule #4 Thank you notes should ALWAYS be hand written.

• Rule #5 Address the person(s) in the same way that the card was signed.

• Rule #6 Avoid being vague. Instead of saying "thank you for the wonderful gift", say "thank you for the beautiful serving dish".

• Rule #7 If someone gives you a monetary gift you should send a thank you note express your gratitude for their generous gift. It is also thoughtful to send a follow up thank you note saying how the money was spent.

On a side note, a child by the age of 7 years old should be expected to write his or her own thank you notes.

Charm

noun

The power or quality of pleasing or delighting; attractiveness
A particular quality that attracts; a delightful characteristic

Tablescapes

The table setting is a key ingredient for a successful event. Whether you are hosting a sit down dinner with friends or a buffet style party, it is important to have a eye catching and inviting table setting. a few things that should be taken into consideration are:

• Is your event themed in color or a particular holiday?
  
• Will food be easily available to your guests?
  
• Do you have to proper serving pieces to accommodate hot and cold dishes if need be?
  

This particular table setting was for our Christmas party last year. A few tips that we used that might help you in design and with saving money are:

• Using artificial and real flowers...as seen here, the magnolias are real.
  
• The gold fabric used here were drapes that had previously hung in this room by the former owners.
  
• The pine cones were painted gold with spray paint from the craft store.
  
• Books were strategically placed under the wine barrel lazy susans to add height to the table and once the food was placed there were fresh green and red grapes that cascaded down them.
  
• Always be sure to use your finest serving pieces for your events and please do not forget to polish them beforehand
  

Your tablescapes will surely set the tone for your event so take the time to put a lot of thought into it when planning!

Etiquette

One of the best ways to show someone you care or lend a helping hand is to make a homemade dish to bring to their home. Whether your friend had a baby or lost a loved one, bringing a homemade dish is such a personal way to show them that you care. After all it is the gift of time, our most precious commodity. The time that you won't have to spend preparing a dish and the time that your friend put into the dish. It is wonderful to be on the receiving in of one of these gifts, especially when life gets hectic and a friends shows up on your doorstep relieving you from having to think about what to do for dinner. There is some etiquette, though, that goes along with receiving food from a friend. More often than not, it will be given in a nice dish from your friend's kitchen and sooner or later that dish will need to be returned. You should never return an empty dish! This does not mean that if you received a complicated casserole recipe that you should make another complicated casserole recipe, but you should place some cookies or muffins, store bought or homemade, in the dish along with a sweet thank you note as a gesture of gratitude.

Entertaining

en·ter·tain·ing

adjective

interesting and pleasurable; diverting; amusing

Fall Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

This is a wonderfully delicious and easy recipe that is perfect for the cooler temperatures!

Ingredients...

2 cans of chicken broth
2 cans of stewed tomatoes, chopped
1 garlic clove
1 T cumin (we prefer 2 or 3)
1 can of black beans rinsed and drained
1 can of salsa (we prefer southwestern style)
salt, black pepper & cayenne pepper to taste (we like a lot!)
2 cooked chicken breast cut into pieces or shredded
a sprinkle of olive oil
1/4 c sour cream

to top...
tortilla strips
shredded cheese
cilantro

Directions...

Cook the chicken and allow to slightly cool off before shredding. Mix all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Turn it down to a simmer for about 15 minutes to let the flavors marry. Top with tortilla strips, shredded cheese, cilantro and more sour cream if you like and enjoy!

Wine Bottle Tags

Between now and the end of the year you will probably receive several bottles of wine and champagne as hostess gifts. A lot of times that bottles are put on your wine rack and opened at some point....could be a special occasion or could be a Saturday night. Chances are though at some point you will invite the guests that gave you the wine to your house for a dinner party or gathering of friends in the coming year. A great way to personalize the occasion and make your guests feel that you appreciated their gesture is to serve the bottle of wine that when they come over. Here are our suggestion form keeping track of who gave you which bottle...

WINE TAGS.....

You can pick up these tags at most crafts stores in your area and they are super inexpensive. When someone gives you a bottle of wine write their name, the occassion and the date in your best handwriting on the tag and tie it around the wine bottle. This way you can easily see who gave it to you and pull it out when they come over! If you are having a large party and receive too many bottles to keep up with on the night of, you can take a nice silver or gold paint pen and write who gave it to you directly on the bottle to save time. We also suggest that when you give a bottle of wine that you write a personal message on the bottle with a nice gold or silver paint pen.

First Day of Fall!

Today is officially the first day of fall! The time of year when the leaves begin to turn brilliant colors of red, yellow & amber that that cool crisp air begins the settle in. Football season is also in full effect which gets all of us excited about rooting for our home teams and also gives us a reason to entertain every weekend if we want! Now is also a good time to pull out some of those soup and crock pot recipes that you put away at the beginning of spring and also to look for new recipes to try on some of those great fall football watching Sundays! Displaying decorations, cooking seasonal recipes and keeping traditions alive are what sets each season apart! So go the whole nine yards this season and you are sure to score a winning touchdown with your family and friends!

Welcome!

Welcome to the Pineapple Court blog! Pineapple Court is an upscale gift boutique that specializes in stationery & invitations, celebrations, gifts & more. Our products are carefully hand selected to ensure that customers have the highest quality items to choose from. At Pineapple Court we strive to offer the most up to date products as well timeless, traditional items to ensure that you are celebrating in style. This blog is designed to feature some of our most popular items and also introduce you to new items that we will offer. We will also be featuring some ideas for entertaining, decorating and maybe even sharing some delicious recipes! We want to hear from you so please feel free to make comments or ask questions and of course, we alwasy invite you to contact us directly.

Celebrate in Style,

Jennifer & Angie