location: tivoli, ny (hudson valley)| venue: ham house | photographer: weddings by two | caterer: gigi hudson valley | dress: karen sabag couture | glam squad: stephen knoll salon | rentals: rhinebeck rentals + new england country rentals | tenting: sperry
Author: allydwyer
Everyday calls for a pizza party!
In our family we have a pizza party for every occasion. No matter what the season is- pizza works. If we don’t make our own dough we use our cousin’s product- Ultra Thin Pizza Shells & Flatbreads ©. They have an awesome product, I am not just saying that because my cousin’s husband and father own the company | manufacture these products (right here in NY)! I wouldn’t support them if I thought it was a crap product. This stuff is great. They make all different types of pizza shells: original, traditional thin, artisan flatbreads, 10 grain, hemp, pretzel, piadina, etc…
I had this product a few years back and fell in love. It is super versatile. Ever since I tried it I have been using it for my own consumption. I also had the pleasure of doing some food styling and product development with their product. The amount of crust to topping ideas are truly endless… appetizers, wraps, savory, sweet, you name it we have some pretty cool ideas on Ultra- Thins new website.
Click here for all sorts of fun pizza recipes | ideas + more of my work!
Blank Canvas: The Perks of Working in Raw Spaces
Throughout my experience of planning and working different events, I have come across many different types of venues and event spaces. Some of the greatest spaces to work with have been open, raw spaces such as lofts or old barns. One of the greatest advantages of working with raw spaces is the ability to completely transform the space from its original form into essentially what you have envisioned it to be. A raw, empty space can be daunting for some to work with and may require a bit more work, however with the use of the right tools, lighting, vendors, resources, and team, the transformation can be undeniable worth the extra work.
I have majority of my raw space experience at barn weddings- which we all know have exploded in popularity and I’m more than OK with it! In the past few years I had the pleasure of working events with some pretty awesome rustic backdrops. From Vineyards and barns to tents and makeshift structures. But don’t be misled, just because a wedding or event might be set in a barn does not necessarily mean it can’t be upscale. In fact, it usually doesn’t come at a low cost but you can truly go in any direction and utilize the bones of a blank barn.
These shabby chic events can add up in cost when you have to rent or bring all of your amenities (bathrooms, kitchens, running water, furniture, service, electric generators, etc.) If you’re trying to execute the good ol fashion country wedding here are few ideas that won’t break the bank: self-parking, utilizing the natural landscape, bon fire after parties, picnic tables, mason jars, bbq food, simple band and yes -porta potties 😉 If you want the rustic setting with all the luxuries and added ambiance, consider springing for these extras: tenting, lounge furniture, charging stations, full-service catering | plated dinners, custom dance floors, beverage carts, ice cream trucks, photo trailers. The possibilities are endless.
Be sure to pick your venue | land | vendors and planner wisely.
Textured Vegetable Protein aka TVP©
Versatile | Cheap | Long Shelf Life | Healthy
If you haven’t used it yet, it is time to get with it and buy some of Bob’s Red Mill TVP. I love this stuff. As a single girl on a budget, diet and unpredictable schedule I always have this in the house. It is super cheap, lasts forever and is healthy. You can make so much stuff out of it: chili, breads, tacos, meat loaf, cereals, burgers, burritos, sloppy joes, bolognese, granola bars, stuffing, ahh the list goes on…
What is this amazing dehydrated stuff? It is defatted soy flour, which is a by product of the soybean. It is a nutrition extender, which helps lower cholesterol, high in protein, gluten free, vegetarian and vegan. ≤ $3 a bag.
Chilin’
serves 10
the goods:
2 cups Water (hot)
1 Onion large-sized, chopped
1 Jalapeño pepper, charred
1 Carrot, chopped
2 Garlic cloves, chopped
2 Tbsp Oil
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
2 tsp Cumin
2 tsp Smokey Paprika
1-1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
2 cans Tomatoes (28oz cans, chopped)
2 cans of your favorite beans
2 cups TVP® (Textured Vegetable Protein)
Salt and pepper to taste
Things you might want to add for color celery, corn, etc…
what to do:
In a large bowl, pour 2 cups of boiling water over 2 cups of TVP flakes (or chunks). Set aside for it to rehydrate.
Heat a large Dutch oven or stock pot, add 2 Tbsp. oil. Make sure the pan is very hot- add whole, fresh, raw jalapeño, char on all sides. Lower heat and then sauté onions, carrots, garlic and spices (I like them to get a little toasty) for a few minutes.
Add TVP to the pot | vegetable mixture, cook for a few minutes. Stir in tomatoes, beans and 1.5 cups warm water.
Cover and simmer for 30 minutes to one hour. Taste and add seasoning if needed. Remove jalapeño. Serve!
Suggested toppings: cheese, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, fresh cilantro, scallions, pickled jalapeños, avocado, lime, hot sauce, etc…
If you ever have trouble with my recipes feel free to email me! Adwyer42@gmail.com- I would love to hear from you.
Thank you to who ever decided to manufacture TVP© .
Day of coordinator for your special day!
I highly recommend a day of coordinator for brides and grooms who want to do most of the planning. Unlike a full- service wedding planner, the “day of” is for me to make sure all of your hard work gets executed properly. I think every couple deserves this gift to themselves and their guests. It really helps ease your mind, makes things 10x smoother and you don’t put any responsibilities on your guests. Everyone has that family member or friend who wants to help but in the end everyone drinks too much or isn’t experienced enough to take care of all the day of responsibilities.
Package includes:
- Pre wedding:
- Consultation and walk- through at venue with client
- Organization of program timelines | day of event schedule (installations, vendor arrivals, ceremony, cocktail hour, reception, transportation times, etc.)
- Full on-site day of coordination:
- Set up of event material: escort cards, programs, place cards, seating chart, etc.
- Assist with transportation
- Contact between client, venue manager, mc, officiant and all vendors
- Delivery of all final payments | gratuities | contracts
This service will ensure your special day goes better than you planned!
Email me for further information + pricing: Adwyer42@gmail.com |
Check out my website www.AllyDwyer.com
A Remarkable Year- 2014
2014 was without a doubt a pretty rad year. I definitely had big goals for2014- as I do for every year, age and season. But 2014 is what I would call large bucket goals. There are always goals I want to accomplish to become a more well-rounded person, friend, family member and all around contributor to society.
In 2014 I wanted to accomplish more than getting healthy, saving money, etc. I wanted to: find a new job, move to a new city, start a company and travel as much as I possibly could handle (we will leave my lack of personal life out of this one). I had these buckets of career, experience and relocation but I knew I would need help accomplishing these goals within a year setting. I was lucky enough to have a life coach- if you are serious about making life changes I recommend working with some type of coach. A coach who is going to hold you accountable to meet your goals. She not only held me accountable for things that I said I wanted and mostly needed to get on a happy path but she taught me self worth and how I deserved the finer things in life that I wanted.
I could go on about my coach for hours and the benefits of having one and also the work and b.s. you have to do with them to really get what you want, but I won’t. Instead I want to recap on 2014 being a pivotal year for me.
As you may know, I had a great job as an event planner for a University Chancellor. I worked for the school throughout under-grad, graduate school and post grad school-totaling eight years of my tiny little life. Two campuses, several different event positions, etc. I really had no complaints there and most people were perplexed when I said I wanted to move on. It was a definitely a cushy job. I worked with great people. In an awesome city that I loved. I planned some pretty cool events throughout my duration there. I had a decent salary, unmatchable vacation and benefits. But the mover and shaker in me wanted more.
For lack of better words I really wanted to experience something outside of the academia world- I did lots of cool side stuff throughout my duration with other companies, etc. but it wasn’t enough. I wanted to push myself out of this comfort zone. I wanted a new job with new people in a cool environment, in a new city. I searched and applied to jobs for months- tons of interviews and a retarded amount of applications. I interviewed ALL over- NYC, NJ, PA, MA, MI, IL, CA, TX, NC, etc. The list goes on. Finally I pinned that I needed to be closer to my family in NJ because my sister was about to have her first baby. I never loved NJ and certainly not NYC. NYC and I had a huge issue. I was so anxious about everything in that city. I mean I couldn’t even take the subway. The thought of commuting from NJ via train, boat or bus to NYC and then subwaying it to a job made me want to puke. That’s when I knew I should move there. If I was going to go big and push myself might as well push myself to work in the most intimidating city (to me) and one of the most expensive cities in the USA. Staying true to my motto “go big or go home”. Well, I was doing both, I was moving home with mother, step father and step brother after living on my own since I was 18 years old. I took a job at Mario Batali’s company, B&B Hospitality Group. Leaving the university was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I left genuinely kind-hearted co-workers and a beautiful/affordable home on the East Side of Providence.
Day one on the job at B&B Hospitality I had no doubt I made the wrong decision. I am not going to go into details but needless to say my morals and the company’s morals were not ethically align. I gave the job three months. 2 hours of committing each way to NYC from my mother’s home. I didn’t know what I was going to do. I knew leaving the university was good because I was near my family and friends plus the experience was terrible but it was an experience and a new one at that. I knew I would get out of it but I had to get out of it ASAP. Everyone always says, ” don’t leave a job without another job”. At this point I had signed a lease with my friend to move into our own pad in Jersey City, so I was definitely stressed about leaving a job without any income. But I left- I walked out of this job like I had never left a job in my life. Definitely not an example of my professionalism but sometimes you have to stand up for what you believe and if that means not putting up with unethical b.s. then leave. Super liberating!
The day I walked out of B&B I decided I would never work for inhospitable people and that I wanted to work for myself and all different companies in all different places and that I knew I couldn’t be stuck in a confined boring environment. Since that beautiful day in May I have been a freelance event planner or whatever you want to call it: consultant, sub- contractor, contractor, whatever I am doing I love it. Risky business but I love it. I left that day and ever since then I have not had any troubles of finding work; and not just any old work. The work I have been doing is with and for remarkable people in awesome places utilizing my event planning and hospitality skills.
As an event planner with a strong hospitality and culinary background everything that I have had the privilege of doing has been directly related to my talents in those arenas.
Some of 2014 cool jobs: destination weddings with one of the most talented planners out there, farm/ barn events with an outstanding catering company in Hudson Valley, food styling for a manufacturing company, large production events in NYC with an event producer, project management for hospitality companies in the NY/NJ area, few of my own full- service events, closing out the year working for a huge financial company as a full-time event constant on Wall St. My experiences in all spectrums have been everything I could have asked for and much more. Plus, I have even grown to love the big apple, including my beautiful ferry ride across the Hudson River.
Places of 2014: Wyoming, California, Florida, Hawaii, Mass, New Hampshire, The Hamptons, Chicago, Philly, France, Belgium, Amsterdam, South & North Carolina, Delaware and of course the two places I ”lived” the Garden State and the Ocean State.
2014 mottos: high risks=high rewards, everything will go better than I plan- in regards to an event and for my life. I also did a few things in 2014 that helped me to get to where I wanted to be and the major one was consistently/ almost daily forcing myself out of my comfort zone. Not just by taking a different route some where but really doing things that made me super uncomfortable. Being a freelance event planner in general is a huge challenge and uncomfortable for a control freak event planner. I have spent the past several years of my career planning A-Z for events, knowing every detail that was going to happen; as a freelancer I show up to unfamiliar environments, venues and teams of people and need to make s*** happen- no dress rehearsal. That is going outside of my comfort zone to the 10th degree.
Personally a few great things in 2014: moving in with my funniest gal pal, living close to my friends and family, seeing my niece grow into the coolest 7 month old ever. Being able to attend social gatherings that I have missed out on for the past several years while living away.
Gratitude for 2014: I have always been a grateful person but I must say 2014 made me even more grateful for my life than ever before. It also gave me more faith for the future. I know there might be rough patches but I also know that everything will go better than I plan. I do give credit to my coach for pushing me but I always give credit to my two supporters in heaven my best friend, Mark and my brother, James. I always feel like they are motivating me to do what they want- which usually seems like risky business. Being a freelancer is awesome- no doubt. But it is really risky, if it were easy everyone would be doing it.
Plans for 2015: create a hospitality scholarship, plan fundraisers for a women’s hospitality school in Africa (Akihila Institute), travel as much as possible, continue to work with awesome people and companies all over the place, to be a positive influence in society and to the companies that give my opportunity and support, while growing myself, other companies and my own brand- A.D. Mark.
Thank you for everyone who has believed in me, supported me, guided me, listened to me and helped me along.
p.s. As always, I am eager to start Jan. 1, so this post has been a little rushed, resulting in poor grammar. Cheers and Happy New Year! Be kind to each other.
A 60th Birthday Celebration~
Last week I worked with some very special people to throw a festive 60th birthday bash. In-home events are my favorite because there is usually a large focus on the food and the intimate company. And really what’s better than that? I get to do a little menu planning, event styling, some crafty tablescapes and boom. This one was especially awesome because the guest of honor was someone near and dear to my heart.
The scene: The birthday gal’s residence. New kitchen, open floor plan, a warm and intimate crowd.
The menu: Playful finger-foods (tomato soup shooters with grilled cheese, mini empanadas, seared ahi, avocado wasabi mash, wonton crisp, antipasto…to name few treats), stiff martinis and bubble bar for guests to concoct their own champagne cocktails.
The look: Holiday bling. crystal, gold and no shortage of sparkly things.
The people: My momma as my right hand chick, my close friend as FOH and a home filled with loud fun- loving Italian New Yorkers.
Crazy about Cranberries
Who knew these underused little gems known as a “superfruit”, were native to New Jersey and jammed packed with nutrients | antioxidants?!
This is the best time of year to start using cranberries- the harvest season has just come to an end. They have been perfectly plucked from their bogs and packaged for us in just about any market.
My favorite way to utilize the berry is to candying them, helping to cut through their tart | acidic genetic makeup. They are an awesome addition to any cocktail or dessert!
See recipes below:
Candied Cranberries
the goods:
2 cups Water
2 cups Sugar (granulated)
1 cup Sugar (super fine)
2 cups Cranberries (fresh)
what to do:
Place water and two cups of granulated sugar in a sauce pot- making a simple syrup. Cook on medium heat until the granulated sugar has melted into the water, about 5-7 minutes. Turn the heat off on the sugar mixture and add raw cranberries- just to coat them. Strain the cranberries immediately and roll in super fine sugar (not confectionery sugar). Place on a cooling rack until berries have cooled, harden and sugar has stuck. Store in an air tight container for 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator.
“Chocolate Mousse”
(4 servings)
the goods:
¾ cup Chocolate chips
1 container (12 ounces) Silken tofu (room temp)
½ cup Milk- warmed (any kind will do)
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
Candied cranberries (cuts the sweetness perfectly)
what to do:
Microwave chocolate chips in 30-second increments, stirring each time, until melted.
In a food processor | blender – puree melted chocolate with silken tofu (soft or firm) and warmed milk until smooth. Force mixture through a sieve into a medium bowl, pressing with a spoon.
Scoop mixture into four serving dishes, and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes. Garnish dessert candied cranberries!
Cran’s Cock
(1 drink)
the goods:
1 oz. Cranberry juice
1 wedge Lime
Champagne | Prosecco | Cava
Candied cranberries
what to do:
In a chilled flute glass add cranberry juice, squeeze of lime, fill with your favorite sparkling wine | Champagne, garnish with some candied crans. Cheers.
Chef Friends are the Best Friends
My absolute favorite people to hang out with are my culinary friends. There is a bond and a shared passion that is truly unexplainable. They are the only people I know whom I can talk to for hours about food or plan a vacation or trip completely around restaurants or cafes to try or seek out ingredients or dishes that are unique to wherever you are. No matter where I go in this world I meet up with one of my old culinary friends. They are spread out through every city big or small in the USA- South America, Europe, and the list goes on. I love that no matter where I go I let them know and they make time for me and a good meal- even if it means having to eat at their restaurant while they cook, serve or mix up drinks. Culinary friends are some of the most passionate people I know, they live, work, and play for food. I am continuously inspired by my culinary friends in their passion and creativity.
With that said, I am going to enjoy one of my favorite food towns, Providence, with some of my favorite food loving friends!
Nature is Inspiration
When looking to create a meal or design a tablescape, one of the places I always look to for inspiration in my design is nature. With each season passing there is always something new and inspiring that comes along. As we’re in the thick of fall and the winter months (and Holidays!) are quickly approaching there are many parts of nature that I rely on to get my creative juices flowing.
Starting off with crating a meal or a dish, whether its for a meal for myself or planning a menu for an event, seasonal items are always first. There is the obvious pumpkin ingredients and flavored items that are ubiquitous, but I think there are a few more items that I think deserve some recognition here. First, lets talk pomegranates. The beautiful pearly pink seeds add a pop of color to kale salads, atop my morning yogurt, or create a cocktail using the juice. The pomegranate when cut in half can make for a eye-catching presentation on a cheese board or even fruit platter.
Next, chestnuts. I feel like we don’t see these to often, but try them in soups or stuffings. They lend a warm nuttiness to a dish, a perfect accent for this time of year. You can’t forget outer parts of the chestnut can be great when used for decorating. This is the perfect DIY decorating piece – it’s simple, seasonal, and low cost. Simply gather chestnuts that have fallen and use them in tablescapes, fill a glass votive or bowl for decor. If you’re looking for something a bit more exciting, spray paint them in gold or silver for the holiday season.
Ally Dwyer 
