Thursday, August 23, 2012

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.


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