Having a Ball Decorating for Christmas

So every year we have a different theme for our Christmas party and Christmas decorating. This year I asked the husband what came to mind when he thought of Christmas decorations. He replied, “Christmas balls.” So I looked for party supplies with Christmas balls. As always I started the process early. It's odd searching for items for Christmas while decorating for Halloween... but it makes things less expensive. Last year's Christmas stock was available for 50% off. Yay!

So this was this year's inspiration:

Inspiration - Fête Avec Moi

Fête Avec Moi

In late September, I found some large Christmas Tree Store decorations in our theme. I purchased 4 big Christmas balls (2 gold, 2 silver). Had them rattling around in the trunk of my car for months. But it was well worth it when I pulled them out this weekend to decorate our front walkway. A few weeks ago, I also found a great garland of large (but not as big) multi-color Christmas balls.. Add to cart!

At a local Target and a dollar store I found beautiful silver and red ribbons. As I dug out our boxes of previous year holiday decorations, I discovered silver garlands that I could reuse. Free is good. I wrapped the walkway stair rail with silver garlands. Then I suspended the balls from the ribbons. The ribbons were a nice quality with a wire along the sides. They help keep the Christmas balls from blowing in the wind too much.

At a CVS at the start of the holiday season (sadly this means October), I found battery operated led Christmas tree lights. I remembered when we were first married we had a small potted faux Christmas tree. I hunted and dug it out of storage. Add a few mini red Christmas balls, the left over end of a silver garland from outside, and the battery operated lights. Tada, beautiful mini-tree in the hallway landing. Thank goodness the neighbors appreciate my decorating and don't frown upon me taking over the halls.  Also, reclaimed the light up battery operated gift package decorations that I bought at 50% plus a coupon in January of last year.

I found online at Target (some of my biggest steals) a battery operated strand of red glass ball shaped lights. Yay! Mix with another silver garland and the inside stairs look rather festive. Love that they are battery operated even though they are so large. Yes, folks this Christmas I will be piloting using a few rechargeable batteries. I found some chargers last Spring that charge via usb. Bingo! My green side cheers. Will let you know how they go.

On the first day of Christmas Target found for me... 50 red Christmas balls for $15 dollars. Also 50 silver Christmas balls for $15 dollars. Do you think, I have enough Christmas balls now? I hope so but my crafty side isn't sure lol. Plan to add a few more to the staircase inside on our floor this weekend. Plan to display in glass vases here in the apartment. And plan to offer them as favors to friends during the holiday season. I love personalized ornaments.

I'd love to hear what you think. Voulez-vous faire la fête avec moi? Joyeux Noël à tous. More to come soon as I prep for this year's annual Holiday Cookie Exchange. Are you hosting your own Cookie Exchange this year? One tip, I just have to share... evite.com  has an adorable free invitation that you can send via email or Facebook. So very cute.

Pausing with Pumpkin Perfection

Pausing with Pumpkin Perfection - FetaAvecMoi

Entertaining with friends and family is so rewarding. But don't forget to occasionally treat yourself to some precious downtime too. As the holidays get under way, it's nice to take a moment to relax and unwind. Do you have a Keurig yet? If not may I suggest you put this on your holiday wishlist. Yes, coffee smells wonderful when perked in a vintage coffee pot on the stove. But what mess with grounds and cleaning all the parts! Modern technology has brought us many updates since. But Keurig... oh my! I like ease and convenience. Open, poor in water in well, pop in a coffee kcup, press the button... voila coffee.

This weekend I have been enjoying the comfort of pumpkin coffee, time on the couch, and pumpkin spread. I must admit, my pumpkin spread was discovered as an accident. I was making pumpkin creamcheese (or so I thought). I was exhausted and making it late at night. Can you picture my surprise when my pumpkin creamcheese turned out all lumpy and bumpy. Urgh what is wrong with this? I taste it to try to figure out what went wrong... I dorked... I pulled out the ricotta cheese container not the cream cheese container. But you know what? It was delicious. Healthy and yummy... bonus! So now I make it throughout the fall to enjoy.

Here's the deal:
1 can of Libby's Pure Pumpkin
1 small container of ricotta cheese
3 packets of Splenda

So simple. So yummy. What a great afternoon snack to spoon a little bit on a Ritz cracker or 2 (okay or 7 or 8). Pair it with a large cup of Dunkin Pumpkin Kcup coffee. Grab a few magazines (to start scanning for holiday entertaining ideas) and put life on pause for a moment. Life is good.

Dunkin Donuts now has Peppermint Mocha Kcups. Can't wait to try them. But for now I am stocking up on the last Pumpkin Coffees that I can find. Wish they sold them all year round. What is your favorite flavored coffee?

Poe Party Pizzaz

Recently, I blogged about the prep for Halloween, the food from our Halloween Party. Now that the party has happened and I have rested a bit, I can post more about the decorations and party wrap-up. I'd love to know what you think of our party decor. Would you borrow some ideas? Would you tweak some ideas? Would you avoid some ideas? Yes, if you convey this politely, I would love to hear your feedback. One can only grow from positive criticism. But for now on to showcasing the fun:

Photo Op Wall - Feteavecmoi

Photo Op Wall:
A white table cloth hung over the closet door with a Haunted House Wall Cling attached served as a great backdrop for photos of guests. For those that didn't dress in costume I had photo props: white tie, mustache, beads, gloves, and more.

Drink Table:
Decorated with a lit branch, books, raven, wine glasses filled with black and white beads and a Poe banner.



Drinks provided:

• Ghostinis: milk, vodka, Godiva chocolate liquor
• Scareberry Koolaid
• Coke
• Lemonade
• Coffee - everyone loves using the Keurig

Appetizer Table:
Decorated with a lightup plastic heart, skull and black leaves.






Appetizers provided:

• Pumpkin dip: 1 can pure pumpkin, 1 container ricotta, 3 pkg splenda
• Sea salt flatbread sticks
• Hearts: roasted red peppers folded and skewered with a haunted house pick
• Cheese and crackers
• Blue (black) Tortilla chips

Food Table:
Decorated with inexpensive black frames to label foods, black and white garland, faux candles and black and white serving dishes.

Candy Buffet Table:
Clear containers with metalic lids each labelled with chalkboard stickers for the candy inside. Candies included mounds, mints, ghost peeps, black rock candy, blood orange dots, mini-candy bars wrapped with personalized wrappers, hershey bars, cookies and cream hershey bars, black and white lollipops, chocolate eyes inside a skull, tootsie pops, and tootsie rolls.  Each guest was given a trick or treat bag to fill with their favorite selections from the Candy Buffet.


Main table (for congregating):
Decorated with black platter, skull, black spooky sign and faux candles.

Furniture:
Decorated with white covers, black leaves, chains, black pillows and a skeleton friend on the couch.
The TV was decorated with faux candles, eerie cloth, vintage style books, and a black raven.
A stool was adorned with a pillow that I had drawn Edgar Allan Poe on the pillow case.


Landing to the Apartment:
Decorated with lit and cobwebbed trees, bird cage, ravens, faux candles, and black pumpkins

Entrance to apartment:
Decorated with scroll (parchment paper rolled around a black hanger on which I wrote some of the text from The Raven), leaf wreath, black haunted house cutout, mini-pumpkin, and cobwebs, and lots of construction paper ravens.

Party Favors:
Black and white tubes filled with black and white M&Ms and ribbons
Takeout container style treat boxes filled with candies, blowouts, ball games, masks, and pencils.

Slide Show available here

Black and White and Yummy

Just settling down after our Pre-Halloween festivities. It was a fun day. Love when friends gather and provide feedback that makes my party planning and effort so worth while. Love all the oohs and ahhs as friends and family look around. So here's a little recap of the festivities.

As was mentioned in an earlier blog post, we went with a black and white theme inspired by Edgar Allan Poe and The Raven. Little touches here and there that pulled it all together.

Let's begin with today's menu.

Appetizers - J.Shields

Appetizers:

Cheese and grapes (simple fair presliced cheese and grapes)

Lemon Pepper Cheese Balls (a mix of alouette and cream cheese with lemon pepper rolled into balls)

Roasted Red Pepper Hearts (marinated roasted peppers cut in half)

Main Course:

Main Course Table - J.Shields

Black Bean Salad

• Black beans
• Cannelini beans
• Safflower oil
• Vinegar
• Salt
• Lemon Pepper
• Artificial Sweetner
  

  Refrigerate overnight

Tell-Tale Heart Salad

• Romaine Hearts
• Roasted Red Peppers
• Mozzarella balls
• Hearts of Palm
• Artichoke hearts
• Cranberry vinegrette

Raven Wings

Was going to cheat and order wings. Realized they may cause a health issue for a family member due to an allergy. So I made them from scratch.

Saute oil and minced onion

Braise chicken wings in the oil

Season with seasalt and lemon pepper

Prepare BBQ sauce (oil, minced onion, garlic pepper, brown sugar splenda, apricot jam, pomegranate jam, ketchup and white wine vinegar.)

After sauting add to the BBQ sauce and boil.

Refrigerated the wings overnight. The day of the party I simmered the wings in the sauce in a crockpot to serve warm.

Black and White Pasta

• L'Antica Madia Farfalle (black and white striped)
• Alfredo sauce
• Tomato sauce

Backbone Sandwiches

• Turkey sandwich roll-ups ordered from Costco

[insert picture of food table]

Desserts:

Oreos (black and white of course)

Cupcakes orders ½ chocolate with white icing and ½ yellow with chocolate icing

Candy Buffet (mounds, ghost peeps, blood orange dots, tootsie rolls, hershey bars, hershey cookie and cream bars, mints, chocolate eyes, tootsie roll minipops, and black and white lollipops)

Lady fingers

Soon I will have another post with some of the decorations and other preparations. But after all the festivities, I am a bit overtired. Time for a rest.

Fall in Love with Kitchen Therapy

Today was a sick day. So I decided on a little kitchen therapy. It's October 15^th, the perfect time to embrace a little pumpkin. I looked online for how long to cook a microwave muffin. I found this healthy treat online, http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=868006.

Great advice about starting at a minute and adding time as you go until perfect.

So here is what I did:

I had extra muffin papers from last year. And people wonder why I horde. Because then I have stuff like this to play with when I want to later!

In a plastic cup I mixed (all rough measurements I did this by eye).

Ingredients:

1 tbsp margarine

2 tbsp canned pure pumpkin (not pie mix)

4 packets of Splenda

1 ½ tbsp flour

1 tbsp canola oil

(You could add some baking powder to help these rise a bit, although I didn't on this second batch. 

The first had a bit of the baking powder taste so I left it out.)

I sprayed the muffin paper with nonstick cooking spray (bottom and side walls). Blend all ingredients in the cup. Scoop half into each muffin paper. Place muffin papers on a microwave safe paper plate, lined with a paper towel. Microwave for 1 minute. See how that goes. These needed 30 seconds more. About a minute and half was perfect. After the first minute, I sprinkled with a lovely spice that was purchased at The Christmas Tree Shop. Then continued microwaving.

Now to enjoy with a cup of Pumpkin Coffee and a Quick Cook Pumpkin Muffin. What a great way to end a sick day. Curled up on the couch with the husband and perfectly portioned 2 pumpkin muffins.

Sophisticated Halloween

August Inspiration - FeteAvecMoi

This summer while on vacation my mind wandered towards what will this year's Halloween theme be for 2012. I knew what our costumes would be. [No spoilers]. Didn't want to decorate the apartment in that theme exactly. But hoped for decorations that would pair well. While shopping with my mother in late August, I found these great plates.

Inspiration found, August 24th. Care to eavesdrop on my internal monologue? It went something like this: moons, haunted houses, black, black and white, bats... no...crows...no ravens.... The Raven... Nevermore... Poe... Eureka! I always marvel at how the brain works. In my 80's raised brain, I hear that old tune, "Connect the dots la,la,la".

The Raven Inspired - FeteAvecMoi

So I started collecting. I saw a white pumpkin on a TV show. Hmmm black and white pumpkins would be cool. Visited our local Michael's Arts and Crafts, http://www.michaels.com and purchased some. At a dollar store I found black and white garlands. At another dollar store I found black ravens. Building, building. Thinking, thinking. Planning, planning.

At a local Marshall's, I found faux book boxes. Love those! So this led to a thought of going vintage.  Of course now my online crawling began. Black, ravens, natural, classic. Ideas swirled in my head.

 I found this adorable display. So very cute. I had to borrow this idea. I decided to just make three. Each carrying a trick-or-treat bag. Labelled one "Trick", one "Or" and one "Treat". Ordered baby sneakers and 18 month old jeans from Walmart. Yes, please bring Halloween decorations and deliver them to me. Lol. I cut a small hole in the jeans seat. Ran old flag poles down through the jeans into the hook on the back of the sneakers. At PartyCity, I found these hanging ghost decorations. They have a dual sytrofoam tube under the heads. Perfect to slip into jeans. Tied underneath with pipecleaners to hold together and form hands to hold the bags. I believe they are simply adorable.

I also found a Nevermore wall cling on Etsy from VinylDecalOutlet. Definitely, had to have. I also found some black feather hair accessories. Broke them off and added them to the wall cling.

As I shop in all the Halloween decorations available in stores I have this theme in mind. While away at the Montgomery, NY car show I purchased a few magazines. Curled up to relax and marveled at all the ideas on the same theme. Only thing I found that I liked was the concept of using a chalkboard and chalk. White on black. Simple. Elegant if you can print nicely. I learned calligraphy as a summer activity one year in highschool. Turn the pages quickly. Scan for ideas.  The rest of the decoration ideas, I either had, didn't want, or had better. Guess shopping early all the way back in August helps.

Now, September progresses and each night I plan a little more. I found a pillow on Etsy with a raven that said “Nevermore”. But it sadly had already sold. But it gave me the idea. I searched online for an interesting photo of Edgar Allan Poe. I landed upon this one. I printed it out on paper. I traced on a dollar store pillow case. I colored in with a permanent marker. I slipped it over an old pillow and now have an adorable decoration for the apartment.

My web-searches brought me to this fabulous decoration. I bought 20 black and white masks for $.99 each. I had every intention of making this wreath for our door. But as I saw them laid out on the table I realized they would look more interesting as a garland. So I stapled them end to end and added black and white ribbon curls. Now they adorn our stairway railing leading up to the apartment.

More photos will come after Halloween. I don't want to give EVERYTHING away before my friends get to stop by for coffee or something more...

But here is a before and after of our front steps:

Before Decorating -FeteAvecMoi

After Decorating - FeteAvecMoi

After Decorating the Walkway - FeteAvecMoi

Garlic Onion Chicken Soup

Today is first weekend in October. Time to accept that the Fall Season is truly here. Started the afternoon with some Halloween decorating. [Blog post to come soon on this topic.] Settled in with some pumpkin coffee and some Nook magazines. Dinner was the remainder of a rotisserie chicken purchased earlier in the week, some mashed potatoes, and broccoli.  Than I had an idea. Why not make some nice chicken soup for next week?! Placed my minced onion and safflower oil (my new favorite) in the pot. Tossed in my chicken left overs. Reached for my chicken broth (I usually have on my shelf). Small problem, no broth container waiting for me. Urgh, time to restock the shelves with stock. But I did find the last half on envelope of Onion soup mix from the last time I made dip. Well worth a try...  Added water. Cooked away. Added minced garlic, cinnamon, Herbs de Provence, lemon pepper, and garlic pepper. The apartment was quickly filled with the most delicious aromas. Another light bulb lit over my head. I have Ronzoni Pasta Portions (small servings of pasta in 3 minute boil in bags). I added a bag to the soup. Let it cook for 3 minutes, covered. Removed the lid and enjoyed the sweet spicy smells. Drained the pasta and added it to the soup. Yummy, I admit. Felt I needed to share my discovery. Grabbed my camera phone and clicked a quick picture so I could add this to my blog. Hope someone else enjoys this tip when you don't have chicken stock readily available.

Last Minute ~Lee Denim Day

A few years ago, a teacher at school discovered a great program, Lee National Denim Day (http://denimday.com). This is a yearly event sponsored by Lee Denim Company. They have now partnered directly with The American Cancer Society. I have helped organize a team at our school for the last 5 years. Thank you administration for granting us permission. Every year I am so impressed with how large our donation towards Breast Cancer Research becomes. Thank you all!






This year however, I admit I have been quite busy with the opening of school. I had totally forgotten to register our team this year. Luckily a kind teacher asked me a few days ago, if we would be forming a team again. I requested permission on Wednesday. Thanks to technology and a connected administration, I had permission shortly after. I worked quickly to register, locate pink decorations, pink snacks, and an inexpensive pair of children's jeans. We sign a pair to represent our team each year as a reflection of those that have made a donation. It is amazing what a little creativity, supportive colleagues, and enthusiasm can produce. Everyone who donated was grateful for the little thank yous that I left in the faculty lounge.  But I am so grateful for those that stopped me in the halls and in the parking lot to offer support and make a contribution towards our donation. Can't wait to see just how much we will raise this year!

Purchases for this quickly put together "pink party":

• Nerds Candies: Stop & Shop 2/$5 (sorted out all the pink ones)
• Pink mints: $1 Stop & Shop
• Oreos (berry=pink): 2/$5 at Stop & Shop
• $1 pink table cloth: 1$ Zone
• $3.99 children's jeans: Jembro
• Sugar cookies, pink: $1.29
• Pink frame: $8.99 Staples
• Pens: sent to us gratis by Lee Denim Day
• Pink ribbon decoration: $1 purchased over summer at dollar store
• Envelopes with labels: $5 and effort to setup

I don't know about you... but I think this came together well for something that only started planning (except for the plastic ribbon I bought this summer) on Wednesday and took place on Monday. I'd love to hear your opinion. Any ideas to suggest that we could incorporate next year?

Our team website can be found at denimday (team 230230),
 if you would like to make a contribution.

Wounded Warrior Project Fundraiser

Our mustang car club, New York Mustangs, hosted a Wounded Warrior Fundraiser. I offered to decorate the pavilion that was being used for the main BBQ. In support of our troops and American muscle cars, we went with a red, white, and blue theme. So here is what I prepared:

My newest, favorite decor item is the Pop-up trash cans. I purchased two from Party City inexpensively. They make a great place for people to throw their trash, and yet add to the flair of the day. While on vacation I collected items to make the prep work easier. Mini flags, large flags, ribbons, streamers, etc.

Since we would be dinning outside, I didn't want our paper goods to blow away. So I took a picnic basket and put all the American flag themed cups, plates, and napkins inside.

At a local Christmas Tree Store, I found a wall poster with the statue of liberty on it. Exactly what a New York car club needs for decor. I poked holes in the four corners and used ribbon to tie the vinyl poster to the tables. Similarly, I found two large American flags with grommets in the top corners. I used ribbon to tie these to the tables as well. (Making sure not to let the flags touch the ground).

Along the outside of the pavilion, we placed American flags in the rafters. And strung red, white, and blue star twine between the beams. The finishing touch was the most work. I bought a balloon hand-pump. Used it in the beginning and then gave up. Guess I am full of hot air, for I was faster lol ;) But we found some great balloon tape that helps you separate balloons in a line. We doubled over the strip and hung from the rafters. I think this really added to the visual as you approached the pavilion from the parking lot below.

I had promised to bring dessert. So I made marshmallow pops. My new favorite dessert. Sorry I forgot to photograph them. But I made some red and some blue ones. I was lucky and found JUMBO and I mean J-U-M-B-O marshmallows to use. What a festive addition they made! Each was individually wrapped and they were all placed inside a white plastic planter for added height. Simple, yet elegant.

Also, I bought large bags of Twizzlers and wrapped them with an image I found on the web in support of The Wounded Warrior Project.

All in all, I think the decorations added to the fun. May the fundraiser have been a success so that we can help our Wounded Soldiers help each other.

Great Work Ahead

J.Shields - Great Work Ahead

Today was the first real day back to school. As a thank you to staff for their patience while we get everything connected, I brought in some treats. Just a way to encourage colleagues to come visit to reset passwords, ask questions, and discuss future possible projects. During my summer vacation, I found some great construction themed items. Mixing those with some creativity, I think I created a nice atmosphere for beginning the school year. Many teachers thanked me for my generosity and creativity. Their kind words were appreciated.



Below are some pictures showing our fun. For breakfast I served: bricks (breakfast bars), tires (donettes), wrecking balls (clementines), nuts and bolts (trail mix) and coffee.

J.Shields - Bricks

J.Shields - Wrecking Balls

For lunch, I offered traditional construction sandwich lunches (peanut butter and jelly Uncrustables), pizza,  bottles of water, beams (sugar-free chocolate wafers) and more.

J.Shields - Traditional Construction Worker Lunch

Special thanks needs to go out to http://blog.thecelebrationshoppe.com/2010/05/10/real-parties-under-construction/. After seeing their photo online, I had Clementines to offer. I try to include healthy snack items too. But I was struggling for ideas besides snack mix. Luckily I found this blog online with their wonderful party buffet and the "Wrecking Balls".  Thank you for the inspiration.

Tiki Iced Tea Party

I read an article in Woman's World (one of my top favorite magazines), suggesting the hosting of an Iced Tea Party.  Hmmmm. Great idea! Recently, I had decorated the backyard for summer with a Tiki Hut theme. Put the two ideas together and you have a Tiki Iced Tea Party open afternoon. I told my friends that I was serving lunch around 12:30 and dinner around 5:30 come when you can, stay for as long as you can.

I lurked around on the Internet for ideas of various concoctions for Iced Tea. I live on Iced Tea in the summer. So I tried several different flavors. I actually came up with a few I can drink unsweetened. And some evenings I splurge and add a small sugar packet for extra flavor. But most can stand on their own. I served Citrus Iced Tea, Blueberry Iced Tea, White Tea Iced Tea, and Raspberry Iced Tea.

While shopping at Target, I found these great beverage decanters. Each was $7.99. For me, this was a splurge for a party. I'm the discount store queen. But the shape, size, and style was perfect so I splurged. I had also printed a Target $5 coupon, so I purchased 3 very happily.

Searched online for decorating ideas. I found a site that showed how to make a printable that looked like a pair of sunglasses for identifying food items. Printables are great. But $.99 Party City sunglasses labeled with a white poster pen look even better.

A good start but frustrating

I had this idea to turn the backyard into a small haven to get away from the usual hustle and bustle of everyday routines. I invested in a rather expensive Tiki Hut umbrella (purchased with a frequent shopper coupon) for our round white table. Problem... the “universal” umbrella covering wasn't quite so universal. It was much larger than our umbrella, and yet the tie down at the top was too small. Not a good combination. The frustration grew.

A better option

Unbelievably, I found a better version for even less money from Party City. It opens easier (all one piece) and only cost $24.99. Yes, please, may I have more?


Food:
Not knowing exactly who would come to the party, when, or for how long, I wanted simple party food and yet good flavors.  I knew the day would be hot. I didn't want things that would spoil too much in the sun. I had intended to purchase a party tray of sandwiches from our local Stop & Shop. One problem, I didn't order one (they usually have some just sitting there). Of course the day of MY party there weren't any available. But, luckily lightning struck and I had what I think was a great idea. Definitely something I would consider doing again. I rushed over to our local Subway. I ordered 3 roast beef sandwiches and 3 turkey sandwiches. I brought them home and cut each foot long into 6 finger sandwiches. I wrapped each in aluminum foil and placed in fridge. As friends arrived, I brought out a few for them to enjoy. This way the meat didn't spoil being in the heat, and I didn't spoil my attitude with slaving over a stove. ;)

No summer party would be complete without coleslaw and potato salad. Grabbed a container of each from Stop & Shop.

Paper Goods:
Found discount Tiki plates, napkins and cups at Party City by luck.  Such a fun print. Have plenty of extra to enjoy during the remainder of the summer in the backyard as well.

Favors:
What is a party without party favors to go home with?! I purchased a package of brown lunch bags (100) for $1 at the Christmas Tree Store. Plenty for future entertaining. This adorable graphic came up during an evening's Google Image search. And the evening I viewed it, surprisingly, it was being offered as a free download. You can find the original at http://sweetcsdesigns.com/archives/1055.

At a local dollar store, I found plastic leis (6 for $1), I bought enough to have plenty for guests. At the Christmas Tree store I stocked up on various types of tea, tiki drink stirrers, root beer barrels and other goodies.  I stuffed the bags and stapled a copy of the fabulous Iced Tea graphic from above on the outside of the bag.

Dessert:
I had a craving for s'mores and a distinct desire to serve them for the backyard party.  However, we live in an apartment complex.  And we do not have a BBQ grill. So onto Google. I searched for “smores without fire”. I found several recipes that said you could roast marshmallows over a can of sterno. But then I found a few sites saying that this was not a healthy alternative. Bummed I had about given up hope when I accidentally clicked “Next” and the following result gave an idea of melting marshmallows in the microwave. Hmm interesting idea. But messy. Ah the lightbulb lit. What about marshmallow fluff!?

I ran to the store the next day and bought a container at Target ($.79 on sale). While there, they were also selling Stackers Marshmallows, http://soulsight.com/static/media/photos/kraft-jet-puffed-stacker-marshmallows.jpg.  I ran home greedily and hungry with both items to try. Grabbed a few sale packages of mini Hershey bars from CVS with Extra Care points (making them free). I made a few to see how they would turn out.  I really enjoyed them. So the night before my party, I made several. Wrapped them individually in aluminum foil. The heat of the day melts the chocolate, the marshmallows become gooey, and the whole thing comes together perfectly.

I also saw online recipes for Marshmallow Pops. I thought I was the only freak that loved Marshmallows. Apparently, these sites claimed that Marshmallow Pops are becoming very popular. Like Cake Pops are all the rage but messy to make.  These are much less time consuming. After viewing photo after photo of marshmallows dipped in chocolate melts and rolled in sprinkles. I had another idea.

I bought a generic container of chocolate fudge cake icing($.69). My mom had a box of graham crackers for me (free). I placed the crackers inside a plastic zip bag. I crumbled the crackers with the back of a glass. I took a large marshmallow. I stuck a toothpick (that we had) into the center of each marshmallow. I dipped it in a bowl of chocolate icing to coat the bottom. I then dipped it in the crushed graham cracker crumbs. I let each harden for a little bit. Then I wrapped it in plastic wrap (next time I would use cellophane bags) and tied with a gold ribbon. The day of the party, I placed each of the yummy bundles of s'more goodness into a brown basket. Friends seemed to enjoy them.

Porch Pasta Primavera

Here is the rough recipe of what I served when I had my family over to the back porch of our summer rental.  I am one of those "looks like about enough for me" types in the kitchen. But I have tried to approximate what I did that evening that was enjoyed by family.

Porch Pasta Primavera - Fete Avec Moi

Ingredients:
1 pkg of tricolor pasta ribbons
1 pkg of brussel sprouts (steamer bag)
tomatoes (2 the night before, 1 when serving)
2 oz. brie
Sea salt
lemon pepper
garlic pepper
3 leaves of kale
1 jar of tomato sauce
olive oil

Prepared the night ahead:
Microwave the bag of brussel sprouts. [~4 minutes]
In a skillet coated with olive oil, sauté brussel sprouts.
Dice 2 tomatoes and blend with the sprouts.
Season with sea salt, lemon pepper, and garlic pepper.
Dice 2 ounces of brie into the mixture.
Refrigerate overnight for flavors to mell.

Prepared before serving:
Boil pasta as directed. Drain pasta. Add to large olive oil cured skillet.
Add mixture created last evening.
Clean 3 leaves of kale. Roll and slice into shredded kale.
Add 3/4 of a jar of store bought tomato sauce to coat all the pasta ribbons.
Stir all ingredients in the skillet of a simmer.
Chop a 3rd fresh tomato and add to the mix.
When tomato and kale begins to appear well steamed dinner is ready.

The brie gave the dish a nice creamy tang that otherwise would have been missing. We were on vacation and my ingredients were limited. But I would love to try this with one of those new Philadelphia Cooking Creams. That would add nice flavor to this dish.

Quickly we decorated the back porch of the rental home with items we had brought along with us collected from The Christmas Tree Store and local dollar stores before arriving on vacation. The porch table had an umbrella in the middle. I took a dollar store shocking pink table cloth ($1) and draped it over half the table. With a scissor, I cut a slit from the edge of the cloth to the umbrella in the middle. Good old freezer tape curls taped the two haves of the slit together for a close to seamless look. At a local party stores clearance counter I had found 4 hibiscus table cloth clips ($2). The pink plates pictured were from the Christmas Tree Store ($1.99 for 4 plates). And we had multicolored martini glasses for our Koolaid and Rootbeer ($2.99 for 6). The kale I had purchased earlier in the week. I read a magazine article that suggests adding some to salads for more antioxidants. (Loving this!) Most of my spices, olive oil, and the pasta (this was vacation after all) came from an Ocean State Job Lot. With an on sale bottle of tomato sauce and a steamer bag of brussel sprouts I rounded out the meal on a very small budget. And yet everyone seemed rather pleased with the results.

If you try this and enjoy it, please let me know. If you try this and tweak the recipe some, I would love to hear of your additions.

More recaps of entertaining from the past to come. And of course future entertaining stories to come.

Opening My Party Idea Blog

Most recent party creation - Tiki Iced Tea Party

Recently, I was having a discussion with a friend about blogging. Everyone has a voice. Some will care some will not relate to your topic. But everyone has a voice to share. By day, I assist teachers with using technology to raise the creativity level in their classroom and engage learning. In my "spare time" (hahahaha) I enjoy entertaining, cooking and more. My mother recently told me I should start a cookbook after I had family over for dinner while we were all away on vacation together. Another friend referenced that her "DIY friend (implying me) will have to create those for me". Their recent conversations have been rolling around in my head. I am in the process of collecting directions for a charity event that I will be part of next month. I decided since I research so much on the web and constantly learn from what I see, read, and hear that it is time for me to share back. So I guess it is time to start a blog. I will try to remember to share the ideas I use while entertaining. Care to party with me? (Fete Avec Moi: french for party with me) Will you be interested in reading what I have to share?