Valentine’s Day reminds me of a purple lollipop. This is one of my favorite stories from childhood that I have shared a bunch of times with my kids and never let my brother forget. Before Kindergarten, I had never heard of…
vintage circus
Years ago I was asked to cater and set a birthday party for two sweet cousins, celebrating their first birthday together. The theme: vintage circus. I’m sharing all the details for decorating, setting, labeling and catering the dessert table. This…
Mili’s Snickerdoodle cookie recipe
A crisp outer rim and the fluffy-chew in the center, makes Snickerdoodles one of a kind. It’s an awesome vanilla cookie and will always crackle and must be covered in cinnamon-sugar before it is baked. I wasn’t properly introduced to this cookie, until after meeting my husband, and since all those years ago, I’ve mastered a recipe for him and for my customers.
“It’s your 4th birthday, Charlie Brown!”
When I explained that our son, Nikko, asked for a Peanuts party to celebrate his 4th birthday, friends gave me a crazy eyebrow-look of confusion, since everyone who knows and loves him understands that he has severe peanut and tree nut…
brownies: deep, dark, decadent
I take my brownies very seriously. I’m not kidding when I say that I’ve studied them. Over the years, I have made too many versions to count. Of all the different recipes, I’m sharing my all-time favorite recipe here, for traditional or gluten-free-flour brownies that are deep, dark, and decadent.
Here’s my perfect brownie: very rich, thick, dark, with a satisfying top layer. It should have a chew to it, with no dryness. Of course, my brownies will never have nuts of any kind, but I do love chocolate chips baked-in. I do love a good cut and the amount of chocolate used in this recipe-outcome makes it so that adding chocolate chips, or bowl “D” is not totally necessary. The center should be extremely rich, the top should have some crackle. I confess to reaching for a corner-piece if I get first dibs.
laughing at myself: epic-fails with cake
If I had a dollar for every embarrassing/humbling moment in my life, I’d be a millionaire! These are my real-life stories about a few of my memorable epic fails with cake. One of the main reasons why I’m smiling and…
romantic-rustic wedding at St. Margaret Parish
I absolutely loved working on this wedding. The bride and groom are very special to me. With all of my heart, I wanted to be sure they enjoyed everything detail to their heart’s desire. This reception is also very memorable since the desserts served more than 500 in attendance, and was the largest event I had catered up to that date. With all of the love and details, and because I baked alone, this would be a job that would require more prayer than usual. Everything worked out for the best and when my work was done, I felt amazing – like I had just climbed a mountain!
vintage teacup reception
This was one of my all-time favorite outdoor wedding receptions, that I was honored to style and cater, set at the Keys Creek Lavender Farm in Valley Center, California, years ago. I thought about my friends, Meghann and Fawaz, on their eighth wedding anniversary and wanted to share a little throwback of my Mili’s Sweets work to remember their special day.
celebrating my beautiful mother for her 70th
There’s no one like my mother. No one who knows me more, whom could ever love me the way that she loves me. No one has sacrificed more for me. Her example is one of the main reasons why I am who I am. It took me a while and a lot of growing up, to truly understand her life and the love that she has given. This was her 70th birthday party.
lemon meringue pie
My daughter and I were excited to make lemon meringue pie for our family visit last weekend. Her Uncle Mark (my brother) loves all things lemon, and this classic favorite is one of the best ways to enjoy such a bright and delicious natural flavor. Here I share how I pull my recipes to make Lemon Meringue Pie happen, for a delightful heap of fluffy, torched vanilla meringue, topping from-scratch lemon curd pie filling.
bows and glitter birthday
This is a party from my archives. There was a brief period of time in my daughter’s life, when she loved glitter and a big bow in her hair. Her 9th birthday party really took the theme the the right…
fresh-made citrus curd: lemon & orange
Fresh made citrus curd, especially with lemon, is a staple on my dessert menu and is constantly being prepped for my catering and custom desserts. Most everyone loves a good lemon bar! Once you know how good this tastes, and how easy it is to make, there’s no going back to the stuff in a can. You can do this! Lemon is the original basic, but you can use this recipe using most any citrus fruit you love: orange, lime, grapefruit, etc.