Frocktail Party! with Unique Vintage

For those who know me, it should come as no surprise that I love a good pink frilly dress, and I love a good girly drink! I recently attended a party where cake batter martini's were served, and I fell in L-O-V-E. I knew I would have to re-create them for my Frocktail party (like the name? I'm kind of obsessed) that you're about to see here, and it's pretty amazing, you guys.

Now ladies and gentleman, may I present to you the cutest cocktail dress in the entire world, the Iconic by UV Dandridge Dress! What I love most about it is that it's the perfect 1950s silhouette and makes me feel ultra feminine and girly, and it can be dressed up or down. I'm a sucker for flats, but you can also wear some pretty kitten heels with it, or even some converse lace-ups for a Lily Allen-inspired laid back look.

When Unique Vintage asked me to create a drink inspired by one of their UV Brand dresses, I jumped at the opportunity! Once I laid my eyes on the dress, instantly I thought about that cake batter martini, and off I went to pick out all of the ingredients at my local liquor store. It' SO easy to make and tastes like a slice of cake! The pink dress + sprinkled cake drink combo are a match made in heaven, don't you think? Read below for more goodness and a link for where you can buy a Dandridge dress for yourself!

::CAKE BATTER MARTINI:: 

(makes one drink)

1) Pinnacle Cake Vodka (1/4 oz)

2) Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur (1/2 oz)

3) Amaretto (1/2 oz)

4) Creme De Cocoa (1/4 oz)

5) Heavy Whipping Cream (1 oz)

6) Sprinkles (I used rainbow jimmies)

Wet the rim of your martini glass (I just used water, but you could use lemon juice as well). Dump a bunch of sprinkles on a plate, and roll the rim of the glass around the sprinkles until they all stick to it. Add a small amount of sprinkles to the bottom of your empty martini glass. Then add all ingredients into your favorite cocktail shaker with a couple handfuls of ice. Shake and pour into your martini glass. Top with more sprinkles!

::Outfit Details::

Iconic by UV 1950s Hot Pink Swiss Dot Dandridge Strapless Dress (can be found at Unique Vintage)

Cupcakes provided by Goodie Girls Cupcakery

Shoes (Gilda in Blue) by Bait Footwear

Photos taken by my amazing friend Amy of A Fashion Nerd
Art Direction & Styling by me

*Unique Vintage specializes in vintage dresses*

Pizza Pizza

Yesterday I posted a recipe for homemade tomato sauce, and now here I am posting a recipe for homemade pizza! Yay! This pizza is probably the best pizza I've ever made, and I think mostly it's because I made almost everything myself. The crust is a cornmeal crust (which I did not make; I bought it at a local grocery store) but you can use whatever dough or pre-made crust your heart desires. You can also customize this with whatever you want, i.e. bacon, pepperoni, other veggies, etc. I happen to love caramelized onions as well as sauteed mushrooms, so I incorporated both into my recipe. One thing that really makes this pizza extra special is that it's ALMOST vegan! If I switched up the cheese to something like Daiya, it could be. I'm definitely going to try that as I love experimenting and trying new things. I hope you enjoy this as much as I love making it!

Ingredients:

1) Half a white onion (sliced longways and thin)

2) Half cup of your favorite mushrooms (cut up into slices)

3) Olive Oil (to drizzle on top of the pizza before it cooks, and to cook the veggies in)

4) Your favorite cheese (I picked shredded mozzarella and a sprinkle of parmesan)

5) Salt + Pepper

6) Rosemary (to add on top after it's finished)

* Pre-heat Oven to 425 degrees *

Step One: Cut up the onions into long, thin slices and add to the pan. Be sure to sprinkle some salt on top to make them sweat

Step Two: Once they've caramelized (about 5 min depending), add the mushrooms and cook until both are a little browned and are soft

Step Three: Add tomato sauce to the crust

Step Four: Add the cooked veggies all over the top of the pizza. Don't miss any open spots! :)

Step Five: Cheese! Add as much cheese over the top of the veggies as you'd like. Some people put some cheese on the crust before they add the veggies, but I like to do the opposite, having the cheese get golden brown on top as it's cooking in the oven. Mmm.

Step Six: Drizzle some olive oil on top of the pizza to help it brown a little on top in the oven, and some pepper

Step Seven: Cook the pizza for 12-15 min or until cooked. The cheese will be a little browned on top and the crust will be crunchy on the edges

Step Eight: Sprinkle some sprigs of rosemary on top, let cool for a little bit, and then serve! Yum!

 

 

 

 

Homemade Tomato Sauce

This is a fairly new recipe that I just picked up from my boss! It's so unbelievably simple to make. You can save it and use it for many meals after that (I have another recipe coming to the blog soon where I'll be using this tomato sauce). You can also add whatever you like to make it your own. I opted to use three cloves of garlic which is not what the original recipe called for, as well as Dry Italian Seasoning. So cook up a pot of this bright orange deliciousness, and give some to your friends, too!

Ingredients:

Half white onion
One celery stick
One carrot
One pinch Dry Italian Seasoning
Three Cloves Garlic
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
Ten Tomatoes (I use Roma Tomatoes on the vine)

Step 1: Set your stove to medium-high heat. Take your trusty cast iron pot and drizzle enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan (not too much)

Step 2: Once you've chopped up your onions (diced thin), drop it into your pot to fry for about five minutes (add salt to make the onions sweat).

Step 3: Once it's been around five minutes and the onions are looking soft, add in your celery and carrot (also diced thin) for another 7 minutes. Once it's been 7 minutes, add your tomatoes (I dice them into cubes first)

Step 4: I always like to add a little salt again so that each layer is flavored. Stir the veggies around and then put the lid on your pot

Step 5: Let the veggies get nice and cooked for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, making sure the veggies don't burn

Step 6: Once it's been around 20 minutes, add everything in the pot to your blender

Step 7: Add your pepper, your garlic and seasoning

Step 8: Blend away! I always like to check the flavor and see if it needs anything.

That's it! Serve it with your favorite pasta, make Chicken Parmesan with it, or use it as the base on your favorite homemade pizza and voila!