St.Patrick's Day Dinner Party

I hope that everyone had a wonderful St.Patrick's Day! I wanted to share a St.Patrick's day dinner I created. I cooked traditional Irish food and used a green and white color scheme for my table. 

Inspiration: I knew that my St.Patrick's day table would feature the standard St.Patrick's day items such as; shamrocks, St.Patrick's day hats & shamrock garland. I had the green & white polka dot picture frame in my bedroom and I knew it would look perfect on the table. I love how the picture frame looks with the glitter shamrock inside. I also loved the Crate&Barrel Chase Green Plate and thought the plates would be a nice addition to the table. 

Décor: I decided to use a white tablecloth so that the green decorative items would pop on the table. I also decided to put the shamrock garland in the apothecary jar to add some height to the table. I scattered some glitter green shamrocks on the table, which gave the table some sparkle. I also bought some beautiful green & white flowers from Whole Foods. I found the "Lucky" cup at Party City and thought that the green & white lollipops would look good in the cup.  As a final touch I added some green votive candles, which gave the room some much needed light. 



Where I Brought Each Item: 

St.Patrick's Day hats, glitter shamrocks, "lucky" cup, garland and shamrock toothpicks (in the cupcakes): 
Party City, www.partycity.com


Plates: Create&Barrel,
Chase Green Plate;www.crateandbarrel.com


Apothecary Jar: Crate&Barrel, Delfina Covered Jar Small; www.crateandbarrel.com


Plastic Beer Mugs: www.partycheap.com/Plastic_Beer_Mug_p/50972.htm


Green & White Lollipops: 
www.orientaltrading.com/swirl-pops-light-green-a2-5_1491-12-1.fltr?Ntt=light+green+swirl+pop




Menu:
I knew that I wanted traditional Irish dishes for my St.Patrick's day menu. When I was in Ireland 2 years ago my friend & I had a delicious Beef & Guinness stew in a pub in Galway and I wanted to find a recipe to recreate that amazing stew. 


Irish Beer Bread & Garlic Dip: 
www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/813562/st-patrick-s-
day-party-menu-1

Self-Rising Flour Substitute: 
www.cdkitchen.com/features/tip/528/self-Rising-Flour-Substitute

Beef & Guinness Stew:
http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/690/beef+and+guinness+stew


Cupcakes: Pre-made from Stop & Shop


Beer: I served guinness & I also served magic hat (which is pictured in previous pictures with green food coloring). I decided to use a light beer such as magic hat so that I could add green food coloring to the beer & create green beer. (Not so easy to tell in these pictures)

Oscar Party

Anyone that knows me knows how I love throwing an Oscar party. This year I wanted my Oscar party to exude hollywood glamour and I wanted fun, easy to eat finger food, which guests could easily eat while watching TV at the same time. 

Inspiration: 
My inspiration for this table setting came from Rachel Ray's Oscar Party: www.rachaelraymag.com/easy-party-ideas/great-get-togethers/theme-party-menus/oscar-party. I loved how Rachel Ray used a red runner on the table to represent a red carpet.  I really  liked how the red runner popped on the white tabecloth. I also loved the gold stars that Rachel Ray scattered on the table.

Décor: Along with using a red runner my table setting also included director clapboard platters, black plates with gold stars, black napkins with gold stars, gold & red glitter votive candles, popcorn box cartons and red & white daises. All of these décor elements exhibited the hollywood theme I wanted to portray through the décor. 




Where I Bought Each Item: 

Black plates, black napkins, director clapboard platters, popcorn cartons:  www.partycity.com


Red & Gold Glitter Candles: B&J Florist Supply, NYC; (212)564-6086


Red & White Daises: Trader Joe's, www.traderjoes.com/index.asp


Menu: 

For this menu I wanted to choose delicious finger food that had an upscale Academy Award's feel, but was still easy for guests to eat. 


Fresh Fig Spread: http://frenchfood.about.com/od/dips/r/Fresh-Fig-Spread-Recipe.htm?rd=1 
*I put the spread on toasted french rounds with brie cheese

Mini Open Faced Steak Sandwiches on Garlic Bread with Aged Provolone & Parsley Oil:

www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/mini-open-faced-steak-sandwiches-on-garlic-bread-with-aged-provolone-and-parsley-oil-recipe/index.html

Roasted Beet Salad with Feta: 

http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/salads/r/beetsalad.htm

Baked Sweet Potato Fries: www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/baked-sweet-potato-fries-recipe/index.html

Do-It-Yourself Truffles: 

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/chocolate_truffles/

Trader Joe's 12 Classic Lemon Bars: Pre-Made from Trader Joe's, www.traderjoes.com/index.asp
* Trader Joe's is a great source for miniature sized pre-made desserts


Sidecar: Recipe from InStyle Parties book:
(serves 12)
Mix 1 1/2 cups triple sec, 1 1/2 cups brandy and 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice with ice. Shake, strain and pour into martini glass (sugared rim optional). 
* I decided to make the drinks more old-school hollywood by putting the sidecar in a low-ball crystal glass. 

Mardi Gras

I wanted to bring the best of New Orleans Mardi Gras festivities to my house so I created a party with purple, green & yellow décor and delicious popular New Orleans cuisine. 

Inspiration: After looking at pictures online with Mardi Gras décor I decided that I wanted to use a black tablecloth because I liked how the black contrasted with the purple, green and yellow. I learned that the purple signifies justice, green signifies faith and yellow signifies power.  I also decided to make the Mardi Gras hats, masks, beads & coins the focal point of the table. I wanted to use the hats, masks, beads and coins because they could double as party favors. These items can also help get your guests into the Mardi Gras spirit. 

Décor: I knew I wanted the Mardi Gras mask to stand out on the table so I chose to put it on a wooden skewer and place it in a square glass container with Mardi Gras coins. I also put some green, purple & yellow beads in plastic champagne glasses. The rest of the beads I scattered around the table. I wanted to make sure there was plenty of light so I placed purple and green tealight candles on the table. I also used some gold glitter votive candles to give the table a little sparkle. Mardi Gras themed paper plates and napkins were also on the table. 

Where I Bought Each Item:

Beads, Hats, Coins, Plates, Napkins, Green & Purple tealight candleholders: 
Party City; www.partycity.com


Mask: 
Party Harty, Westport, CT ; (203) 454-2525


Champagne Flutes: Wegmans, Unbreakable Champagne Flutes; www.wegmans.com

Gold Glitter Votive Candles: 
B&J Florist Supply, NYC; (212)564-6086

Cake Stand: HomeGoods, www.homegoods.com

Square White Plates: Pier 1, Small Rectangle Server; www.pier1.com

Paper On White Plates: http://mambus.deviantart.com/art/Mardi-Gras-Paisley-12x12-Paper-161843990

Menu:

For this menu I chose some classic New Orleans recipes such as New Orleans- Style Chicken, crab cakes and the traditional Mardi Gras King Cake for dessert. Since seafood is very big in New Orleans if you are having a lot of people coming over I would recommend having an oyster bar and would make various oyster dishes such as, Oysters Rockefeller and Oysters Casino. An oyster bar is a fun and special appetizer for your guests. 

New Orleans- Style Chicken Recipe: 
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/New-Orleans-Style-Chicken

Shrimp Creole: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/True-Shrimp-Creole

Crab Cakes: Pre-made from Fresh Market

King Cake:

http://homecooking.about.com/od/cakerecipes/r/blc148.htm (recipe)

http://homecooking.about.com/od/cakerecipes/ss/kingcakesbs.htm (pictures)

* I like how this recipe shows step-by-step pictures, which makes it easy to see how the crescent roll triangles should be positioned on the cookie sheet and then folded over the filling. 

Sandra Lee's Mardi Cocktail: 

www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sandra-lee/mardi-gras-cocktail-recipe/index.htm

Valentine's Day

In honor of Valentine's Day I put together a dinner party. I decided to use a lot of pink and red for the décor. I also displayed a lot of candy on the table because, at least to me, candy is the best part of Valentine's Day. I chose a menu that was simple, but still felt special and festive. I went with an easy menu because I know Valentine's Day is on a weekday and a lot of people don't want to cook an elaborate dinner after a long day at work. 

Décor: For this party I made candy the main focus of the table by putting different types of candy in various different size vases and containers. I used heart shaped lollipops to fill an apothecary jar. The apothecary jar added some much needed height to the table, which made the table more visually interesting.  I also  decided to go with a red tablecloth  because it made all of the white platters pop, which helped draw your eye directly to the food. I also added some various other pink and red décor elements to the table because I think red and pink look very pretty together and Valentine's Day is the perfect excuse to use that color combination. I added my own artistic touch to the table by cutting hearts out of pink and red tissue paper and taping the hearts to clear votive candle holders. The candles looked really pretty lit and I felt it was nice way to make my table a little more customized and special. I also scattered the 2" conversation candy hearts around the table because I thought they were fun and added a festive touch to the table. 


Where I Bought Each Item:

Pink Tealights, Pink Plates, Pink Heart Candies, Red Heart Decals & clear votives: Party City; www.partycity.com


Large Conversation Hearts & Mini Heart Pops: candy.com
*This is a great source if you are looking to buy bulk candy for a party. On this website you can find any color of rock candy, M&Ms or various different types of lollipops. 

Square White Plates: Pier 1, Small Rectangle Server; www.pier1.com


Red Glitter Candles: B&J Florist Supply, NYC;(212)564-6086


Apothecary Jar: Crate&Barrel, Delfina Covered Jar Small; www.crateandbarrel.com


Pink, Red & White M&M's: CVS; www.cvs.com


Cake Plate:Home Goods, www.homegoods.com


Flowers: Fresh Market, www.thefreshmarket.com

Menu:

Hanger Steak With Mushrooms and Red Wine Sauce:  www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Hanger-Steak-with-Mushrooms-and-Red-Wine-Sauce-367758

Mashed Potatoes


Salad: Greens, cranberries & pine nuts


Macaroons: La Maison du Macaron, 132 West 23rd Street, NYC; www.nymacaron.com

Shrimp Cocktail & Cocktail Sauce: Balducci's, www.balduccis.com
*I like serving shrimp cocktail in martini glasses because it's a nice presentation and its a great way to give everyone their own individual cocktail serving and dipping sauce. 






Heart Cake: Betty Crocker cake mix in a heart shape pan. 

Raspberry Chocolate Kiss Cocktail: www.marthastewart.com/315960/raspberry-chocolate-kiss-cocktail?center=276967&gallery=326691&slide=256434

Schedule:
2 Weeks Before: Buy décor items. Order candy from candy.com


2 Days Before: Buy Flowers and set table to see if you need anything else. 


1 Day Before: Buy macaroons and groceries. Make cake and also the simple syrup for cocktail. 


Morning of Party: Finish setting up the table 


1 Hour Before: Make cocktails, but wait until a few minutes before the party starts to add the ice. Also, make appetizer by putting shrimp around edge of martini glass and putting cocktail sauce in the center of each glass. (Store in refrigerator until the start of the party)


50 Minutes Before: Make mashed potatoes & start your hanger steak. Put your oven on a low temperature and reheat steak and potatoes in oven before serving. 


A Few Minutes Prior to Party: Put ice in cocktail glasses and turn music on. 

Super Bowl

Its Super Bowl sunday, which is the perfect time to get together with friends, eat delicious food and enjoy some nice cold beers. For my Super Bowl party I went with a very traditional football party menu and made some 7 Layer Magic Cookie Bars for dessert. A great thing about Super Bowl parties is that  a lot of food you typically serve such as ribs,chicken wings and dips can easily be bought pre-made.  This makes a Super Bowl party an ideal party to host if you enjoy entertaining but don't want the pressure of cooking.

Inspiration: My inspiration for this party came from googling Super Bowl Party table settings and seeing a lot of pictures of tables covered with fake grass or green tablecloths that were made to look like football fields. After I decided to create a football field on the table I chose to keep the rest of the decor minimal and just added a few props such as a football and mini helmet to make the table a little more visually interesting. 

Décor: The first step to creating this table was buying the indoor/outdoor carpeting from The Home Depot. I bought the 7'x 8' roll, which was $19.00 and fit my table perfectly. I also bought white electrical tape and white press on numbers to create the yard lines and numbers for my football field tabletop. I also bought some football plates and napkins for the table. I used some green tealight candles to add some more light to the room. 

Where I bought Each Item:
Green Indoor/Outdoor Carpeting & White Electrical Tape:
The Home Depot, www.homedepot.com


Football Plates & Napkins: Stew Leonards, www.stewleonards.com


Football helmet & Football: Items I found around my house. This is a great example of how you can use a lot of stuff that you already own for your party décor, which saves you a lot of money. 

Menu:
I used a lot of pre-made items for this menu to save time.


Ribs: 
www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/who-loves-ya-baby-back-recipe/index.html


Chicken Wings: pre-made from Stew Leonards


Black Bean Dip:
www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/dan-smith-and-steve-mcdonagh/black-bean-dip-recipe/index.html


Guacamole: Whole Foods 


Corn Salsa: Trader Joe's Corn & Chile Salsa


Brussels Sprouts: Pre-Made from Whole Foods


Corn Bread: Used jiffy corn muffin mix and put in a 8x8 pan. 


Seven Layer Magic Cookie Bars: www.eaglebrand.com/recipes/details/default.aspx?recipeID=3966


Drinks: I served Corona but for those who want more of a cocktail I recommend Sandra Lee's Beer Margarita; www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sandra-lee/beer-margaritas-recipe/index.html

Chinese New Year

In honor of Chinese New Year I put together a Chinese New Year Party. 

Inspiration: For this party I went with a red and gold color scheme.  I decided to use these colors because red symbolizes good luck in the chinese culture and gold symbolizes wealth and happiness. I also tried to add some chinese elements to the table by using chinese fans, the lanterns that were hung from the ceiling, chopsticks and fortune cookies. 

Décor: For this table setting I  utilized some party supply resources that are a great source for inexpensive items. For very specific themed parties a good resource is Party City, which is where I bought the Chinese New Year napkins, take-out carton, hanging lanterns and gold plates. Another great resource is Oriental Trading Company, which is where I found the chinese fans and the fortune cookies. When throwing a themed party you want to be able to use fun, festive items that represent the theme, but you don't want to spend a lot of money on those items because they cannot easily be reused, which is why retailers such as Party City and Oriental Trading Company are such great resources. I also decided to use a floral arrangement as a way of adding visual interest to the table. The flowers are a combination of red daises, which I bought from a small grocery store in New York City and a flower arrangement from Trader Joe's. I have found that grocery stores are a great place to find pretty and affordable flower arrangements. I also added gold and red glitter candles to the table to add some candlelight to the table. I think that candles help set the mood and ambience of a party. 

Where I Bought Each Item:
Napkins, gold plates, take-out container, small black bowl and hanging lanterns: Party City, www.partycity.com


 Cake stand: (what cupcakes are on): HomeGoods www.homegoods.com
*HomeGoods is a great source for inexpensive serving trays and platters


Chinese Fans & Fortune Cookies: Oriental Trading Company, www.orientaltrading.com
Red & Gold Glitter Candles:
B&J Florist Supply, NYC;(212)564-6086


Square White Plates: Pier 1, Small Rectangle Server; www.pier1.com

Menu:
Vegetable spring rolls and vegetable potstickers: From Stop&Shop Freezer section


Spicy Peanut Chicken: 
www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/make-your-own-take-out-spicy-peanut-chicken/


Good Fortune Cupcakes:
www.familycorner.com/family/kids/recipes/chinese_new_year_cupcake.shtml

My Advice: to get the chinese lettering for "good luck" on the cupcakes put yellow frosting in a small plastic sandwich bag and a use a razor blade to cut a very small hole into one of the corners of the bag. You need to make sure your hole is very thin and small  in order to be able to write thin lettering on the cupcakes. 


Sesame Cookies:

http://chinesefood.about.com/od/dessertcookies/r/sesame_cookies.htm
*My Comments: This is a delicious recipe and is extremely easy to make. The cookies look beautiful and add a festive touch to the party. Your guests will definitely be impressed by your dedication to the asian theme. These cookies would also be great served with fruit or would also work well with sorbet. 


Beer: Kirin (yes,this is a Japanese not chinese beer, but I thought the label worked perfectly with my decor so I decided to go with it)

Be sure to check back regularly during these next few weeks because I will be posting a lot of new material