Dates to Save

For the first taste of the Cara + Alex wedding brand, our save-the-date mailings needed a detailed differentiator. Traditionally received as a basic reminder--wedding couple, date and location--our version begged for creativity and clean, sophisticated production to set the stage for our March affair.

I'm lucky to spend my days alongside a team of brilliant creatives at DCA, a Memphis-based creative communications consulting firm. They've treated my and Alex's wedding as a formal client with brand attributes and applications; and the save the date mailer and wedding website were the first steps of the process. Pairing DCA's design with The Stovall Collection's talented production team was a match made in heaven. Stovall's copper foil and embossment expertise marked the best introduction for our out-of-town wedding guests.

We needed a Caramelized touch to the trusted package, of course; so a candied dates recipe was featured to help "save the dates." I hope you'll try it out!

Makes 24 dates

1 lb. (about 2 dozen) pitted medjool dates ½ cup raw walnuts, halved 1 cup unrefined organic cane sugar ¼ cup water

1. Make small length-wise cut in each date and insert walnut half.

2. Lightly brush each date in water.

3. Roll dates in sugar individually until well coated, then place on parchment paper.

4. When dry, dates can be stored in muslin bag or airtight container.

Late Summer Peach Crumble

Feeling peachy this week? If so, you're in luck.

For an even sweeter end to summer, turn a farmers market bounty into a show-stopping dessert. Ripe peaches caramelize in the oven with a coarse crumble of healthy-ish ingredients, including King Arthur whole wheat flour. As Jeannine of Love & Lemons suggests (who inspired this recipe), serving piping hot with scoops of vanilla bean ice cream.

Makes 8 servings

2/3 cup rolled oats 2/3 cup chopped pecans 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 2/3 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon pinch of salt 6 tablespoons cold butter 8 peaches, sliced

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and brush an 8"x8" baking dish with butter.

2. Use a food processor to pulse the oats, pecans, flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add the butter and give it a few short pulses until the the mixture clumps together. If too dry, add water one teaspoon at a time. If too wet, add a little more flour.

3. Place the sliced peaches into the dish, sprinkle the crumble mixture on top and bake until the topping is golden brown and the fruit is soft, about 18-20 minutes.

Girl Scout Cookie Crust Cheesecake

Does anyone else have an unbearable number of sleeves of Girl Scout cookies in their pantries? I managed to get a bit ahead of myself when receiving an order form from my coworker's daughter. Samoas? Sure. Thin Mints? Obviously. Shortbread? They'll go well with hot tea.

Nonetheless, I found myself with far more cookies than I needed. I searched for a solution to diminish the count of shortbread wafers on my shelf--and this cheesecake quickly solved it. Avoid the late-night cookie temptation and, instead, trot this beauty to a dinner party for others to enjoy!

For the shortbread cookie crust:

1 sleeve Girl Scouts shortbread cookies, finely ground 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted 1/4 cup sweetened dried coconut

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cookies in a medium bowl and, with a rubber spatula, gently combine butter into cookie crumbs. Add coconut and incorporate.

2. Transfer cookie mixture into greased pie plate. Press firmly and evenly against bottom and sides. Bake for 8 minutes until fragrant and toasted. Allow to cool completely before filling.

For the cheesecake:

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature 1/4 cup lemon juice 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 tablespoons honey 3/4 cup greek yogurt Pinch sea salt

1. Whisk cream cheese until fluffy and smooth. Fold in lemon, vanilla, honey and yogurt. Sprinkle with sea salt. Pour filling into prepared crust. Freeze for two hours, or refrigerate overnight before serving with berry compote and a sprinkle of extra coconut.

Sticky Toffee Pudding Cakes

I know yesterday was Fat Tuesday. I ate king cake, too; and no, I didn't find the baby. But, I did find a way to continue the sweet tooth throughout this week as we lead up to Valentine's Day. Inspired by Memphis' culinary master Wally Joe, I took a toffee sticky pudding cake from the dessert menu of Acre into my own kitchen. I added a caramel toffee sauce simmered with Pipcorn, a delicious all-natural mini popcorn. It's vegan, gluten free, non-GMO and high in fiber. But most importantly, it's addictively delicious.

Try it out with your hon' this weekend. Or treat yourself. Either way, you'll be sweetly satisfied.

Makes 2 servings

2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 2/3 cup dates, pitted, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices 1/4 cup warm water 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed 1 large egg 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed 1/3 cup heavy cream 1 1/2 teaspoons rum 1/4 cup sea salt Pipcorn

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Grease and flour two 8-ounce ramekins and line bottom of each with round of parchment paper cut to fit. Set prepared ramekins in deep-side baking or roasting pan lined with clean dish towel.

3. Bring a large saucepan of water to boil over high heat.

4. Combine half of dates with warm water and baking soda in glass measuring cup and soak for 5 minutes. Drain dates, reserving liquid, and transfer to medium bowl.

5. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in another medium bowl. Set aside.

6. Process remaining dates and brown sugar in food processor until just blended, about five 1-second pulses. Add reserved soaking liquid, eggs, and vanilla and process until smooth, about 5 seconds. With food processor running, pour melted butter through feed tube in steady stream.

7. Transfer mixture to bowl with softened dates. Gently stir dry mixture into wet mixture until just combined and date pieces are evenly dispersed.

8. Distribute batter evenly among prepared ramekins. Fill roasting pan with enough boiling water to come halfway up sides of ramekins, making sure not to splash water into ramekins. Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil, crimping edges to seal.

9. Bake pudding cakes until puffed and small holes appear on surface, about 40 minutes.

10. While baking, melt butter, cream

adapted from Food.com

Dark Chocolate Stirrers

This month's thematic elements of luxury and romance hand us the excuse (and undeniable desire) to consume and covet an unnatural amount of chocolate. I'm rarely inclined to pine over a box of unrecognizable flavor-filled chocolates, but I've found that using the sweet as an additive to dessert, drinks or snacks makes the ingredient totally acceptable. Right?

During my weekly visit to the brand new (and absolutely beautiful) Whole Foods Germantown, a few bars of whole trade organic dark chocolate somehow landed in my cart. Upon reading the label, I learned that Whole Foods' whole trade program was created to honor its commitment to ethical trade, wages and working conditions. The products--including my new chocolates--are sourced in an environmentally-conscious approach.

So, what to do with them? I melted down the chocolate varieties and created an assortment of handmade chocolate stirrers with spoons on-hand. You can use paper spoons if you prefer to wrap them in cellophane as a gift! Miscellaneous pantry products adorned each spoon, from sweetened shredded coconut to pecans and dried cranberries.

This weekend, when temperatures will cool down to the twenties, I'll warm up a mug of almond milk and stir in a chocolate spoonful. Join me, why don't you?

This post is made possible by Whole Foods Germantown. Thank you for being supportive of my sponsors!