San Francisco Entertains - A Great Gift Idea!

Calling all foodies, if you have been racking your brain over gift ideas for a Bridal Shower, Bridesmaid's gift or Thank You gift look no further! San Francisco Entertains is the latest cookbook by The Junior League of San Francisco celebrating its centennial in 2011. According to Gary Danko “[it is] a foodies manual for the perfect party.” Top Chef contestant Ryan Scott of Ryan Scott 2 Go says, “San Francisco Entertains will help make every season delicious.”

This brand new cookbook features amazing recipes from league members and top local restaurants and chefs, such as James Beard Award winning Chef Gary Danko of Restaurant Gary Danko as well as Michelin star award winning chefs Mark Dommen of One Market Restaurant and Jesse Mallgren of Madrona Manor (a fabulous wedding location). Nearly 500 recipes were triple-tested and whittled down to the top 139 that include local and historic recipes with a twist, accompanied by enticing menu options and beverage pairings. To top it off the book contains gorgeous color images of the dishes and iconic images of San Francisco in addition to interesting facts about the people, places and events that occurred over the last one hundred years in San Francisco.

To give you an idea of the recipes included here are a few:

Sugar Pumpkin Martini
Red Snapper and Green Apple Ceviche
Grilled Peach with Warm Pancetta and Frisée Salad
Spicy Meatball Sliders
Ancho Chile Brownies

And if you are in the mood for entertaining here is a sample of the menus available:

Cozy Valentine’s Day Supper for Two
North Beach Italian Family Get Together
Wine Country Cocktail Party

Click here for some sample pages from San Francisco Entertains!

If you want to purchase multiples you can get a 10% discount off a case of 10 books as well! This is a great gift for everyone, it’s a wonderful keepsake for those visiting and it’s a fabulous addition to any Bay Area foodie’s cookbook shelf. Even if you don’t cook the photos alone make this a gorgeous coffee table book. To purchase online visit http://www.sfentertains.jlsf.org/ or visit Williams-Sonoma Union Square (founder Chuck Williams donated a recipe too) or The Real Food Company on Fillmore or Polk.

Bon Appétit!

Michelle

What We Have Been Up To

Though it has been over a week since my last post, we have been doing so many fun things, I thought I would update on what has been going on here at the Dream A Little Dream Events studio:

* We had six weddings in May! We have our final two of the month tomorrow and Sunday. One is at the lovely Ralston Retreat in Mill Valley, while I will be working at City Hall for a gorgeous Persian inspired wedding.

* I had a film shoot with The Knot this week! Yes, soon you will be able to see me leading the film crew through the rainy streets of San Francisco to show the some wedding venues and vendors on the local insider's guide on theknot.com. It was so much fun working with Bernadette and Christa from The Knot. Can't wait to share the finished product!

* We are expanding!! While we love our beautiful studio here in Pacific Heights, it has become a little too small for all we are doing. So, I am taking over a small space next to my office that will be dedicated as our Design Studio. We will have meetings in there as well as design mock up meetings with clients, rental companies and florists. We can even do lighting! It will be a lot of fun, but doing contractor work is not my usual hat, but I'm learning a lot. We will definitely share photos when the work is complete!

Along with all of that, we are working on our 2010 weddings, and have already started working on our 2011 weddings. Can't wait to keep sharing and updating on all the exciting things we are doing here!

Look for a new real wedding post next week, and have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend everyone!

Happy Planning!

Blog it Forward | What Inspires Me

I am super excited to be in included in sfgirlbybay's Blog it Forward mashup. About 300 bloggers are participating, and we were given the task to write a post about what inspires us. Yesterday I was passed the baton from Discover: Interior Design, and loved her post about her inspirations. There are so many things I could write about, because I constantly get inspired by so many things around me, but I decided to write this post without restriction and straight from the heart. I usually don't go this personal, so this is a little scary for me, but hopefully you will enjoy it!

{Yoga} With so many things in my life to juggle, it sometimes can take over and overwhelm me. I learned years ago that I need only about an hour a day to myself, and doing my yoga practice is the best way for me to do that. It is when I can clear my mind and body, and prepare myself for the grinds of my job. At the weddings, we need to think fast on our feet, as problems arise and we have to fix it. Coming in peaceful and ready makes all the difference, and makes me a better person overall.

Image by International Orange

{My Home} Most who know me know that I always try to make every space I'm in as cozy and comforting as it can be. I'm a self proclaimed homebody, and I am proud of it. My home is where I come to at 2am after working a twelve hour wedding day, cuddle up in my midnight blue and white bedroom, and wake up the next day to choose which of my three balconies I will enjoy my morning tea on. I don't spend a lot of money on my decor, I just find things from many different sources and piece them all together.

{My Son} Most don't know this tidbit about me, but I had my son when I was 20 years old. He completely changed my life, and has been my best friend and proudest supporter. Everything I do, I do for him. I put so much effort into my business daily because it is to support us. He is a walking little me. Wait, take that back, a BIG me. He is now 5'9 and I'm pushing 5'1. Having a teenager in the house isn't always easy, but I always know that deep in there, he still loves his mommy.

{My Boyfriend} I met my boyfriend almost ten years ago at a Giants game, and we instantly had a deep connection. He came into my life and took on with grace being a big part of my son's life. He also was my biggest backer when I decided to open and run my own event planning business. My boyfriend was raised solely by his mother, as his father passed away when he was 2. He has struggled with many major health issues during our years together, and it has only brought us closer. On Valentine's Day 2008, I got a devastating call that Joe had suffered a major migraine induced stroke. This left him unable to speak for five days and in the ICU, with months of rehabilitation after wards. His strength and courage through that time, and even today, makes it clear that he is forever my rock. I will say though, I do make a pretty good nurse!

{Love} This one pretty much goes without saying, and may sound corny, but I actually get so inspired by my clients love for each other. The way they look at each other, or slightly grab the others hand always makes me smile. Much of my work and design isn't about the bells and whistles, I like to really focus in on the couple and their love for one another. One of my favorite weddings was one that hardly any money was spent, no details were majorly stressed over, but the love felt at their reception was overwhelming. It wasn't just their love for each other, but for life, friends, family and even their vendors. I walked out of that wedding with a different outlook on what is really important.

Image by Anna Kuperberg

Be sure to check out tomorrow's blog it forward post on drywell's blog, looking forward to it!

Happy Planning!

Wedding Firsts

I have had quite a few "wedding firsts" this year, (maybe I will share those in an end of the season wrap up post, as there are some doozies!) and this weekend surely added another one. While enjoying dancing and good times near the end of the wedding on Saturday night at the Legion of Honor, all of a sudden the smoke from the djay's fog machine set off the fire alarm at the museum, and we were all forced to evacuate. It actually turned out to be a great photo op, and the photographer, F. C. Wong, didn't hesitate in getting some great shots. I will be sharing many more images from this amazing wedding, but this one was a classic shot in front of the fire truck outside. The couple totally took it in stride, and were such a blast to work with, I will miss them!

Oh, and btw, that is not the groom she is shoving away in the photo!

Happy Planning!