We are officially in the final countdown! We leave for our wedding exactly one week from today (eek!). You may have noticed, my blogging schedule has been a bit spotty as of late. The days are flying by and it feels like for every two things I cross off my “to do” list, three more appear! As I shift my focus to wedding related projects (like the little sneak peek pictured above!) please rest assured that there will be plenty of posts in the future to fill you in on everything that has been keeping me busy… all in due time.

My niece created the CD art (above). I think we might have a budding graphic designer on our hands! 

At my bridal shower in Philadelphia, my sister-in-laws contacted the guests before the party and found out their wedding first dance songs then compiled a CD to give out as favors. While Jason and I have already selected our first song (hint: it’s not in the list below!), it was so fun to see the variety of songs and even more fun to see who picked them! We’ve been listening to the CD while doing wedding-related things like selecting songs for our band to play (which we are doing right now!).

Here’s the song list from this compilation:
“No Other Love” —Perry Como
“Harbor Lights” —The Platters
“Dance Only With Me” —Blossom Dearie
“The Twelfth of Never” —Johnny Mathis
“Sunrise, Sunset” —Perry Como
“First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” —Roberta Flack
“It Had to Be You” —Frank Sinatra
“Our Love is Here to Stay” —Ella Fitzgerald
“L-O-V-E” —Natalie Cole
“Fly Me to the Moon” —Frank Sinatra
“You’re All I need to Get By” —Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
“That’s How Strong My Love Is” —Otis Redding
“I’ll Make Love to You” —Boys II Men
“You’re the Best Thing” —Style Council
“Loving Cup” —The Rolling Stones

Last fall when my mom (known around here as MamamiaRita!) met me in NYC to go wedding gown shopping, we took these photos (above). They’re from the photobooth in the lobby of the Ace Hotel. In case you couldn’t tell — we had a ball! Honestly, it’s hard not to when MamamiaRita is around! I just so happen to be back in NYC right now to have my gown fitted (we had a successful trip in the fall!). So I’m thrilled to be celebrating Mother’s Day with my mom this year which is a rarity when you live on opposite coasts. Cin cin, Mamma! Ti amo!

There are two things you should know about me:
1. I cook too much food.
2. I hate to throw food away.

Hence the name “Frittata Cuffone”. A frittata is an omelette made with leftover food.  And a “cuffone” is somebody that is not very special. Once a week I will go to the fridge and take out every leftover that I planned to eat later but never did. Veggies, cheese, ham or fish, potatoes, whatever. You can even throw in the frozen veggies you kept on hand in case a snow storm hits (not applicable to those of you reading in LA).

Here’s how to make a Frittata Cuffone:

Sauté garlic and onions in oil.

Add leftovers.

Add a 16 ounce carton of Egg Beaters*, 3-4 fresh eggs and beat together with a little milk.
*I use Egg Beaters in an effort to watch cholesterol—something my ancestors never did and most lived into their 90′s, go figure!

Add your favorite seasonings fresh or dry then cook until liquid sets.

My Zia Antonietta (Lupa) made a perfect frittata pie every time. It was cut & served in wedges. She used an iron skillet that was so heavy she could hardly pick it up. It was seasoned from so much use that the frittata “came good” every time. I always start out with her in mind but rarely is my frittata perfect. It usually breaks up & becomes a mere omelette. So what, it still tastes good!

Always remember that presentation is important. Transfer the frittata into your serving dish then shake on paprika, chili powder, parsley, etc. Make a point to decorate the plate, this touch makes it look very professional.

Last but not least, add fresh cracked pepper over it all.

Mangia!
MamamiaRita

I’m one lucky gal! Not only one but TWO bridal showers are being thrown for me in celebration of our upcoming June nuptials! I’m headed back east this weekend because two of my sister-in-laws are hosting the second bridal shower near where I grew up in Pennsylvania. In contrast to our Jack & Jill shower back in February, this shower is going to be just us gals! How does that translate to the invitation design? A pastel color palette with a pop of metallic gold and a font with lots of swoops and swirls!

This invitation design started with the ombré background (hand drawn by yours truly!). It provided some color and texture upon which the slate grey typography was set. The swirly, curly and very girly Carolyna font is balanced by the clean lines of two sans serif fonts: Bebas Neue (outlined) and Nobel. (Psst, Bebas Neue is a free font download!) The modernity of the sans serif font is carried over to the color of the envelope and the clean lines of the gold herringbone paper used for the envelope liner. The liners were hand cut using Paper Source’s envelope liner template. For a quick refresher on how to line envelopes, check out my DIY video!

Looking forward to sipping some bubbly, noshing cupcakes and catching up with all the gals!