Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Derby parties & Steeplechase brunch

I feel like Derby parties have become increasingly popular over the past couple of years. The premise of the party is to watch the "Run for the Roses," drink mint juleps in Derby fashion, and eat beer cheese and crackers and derby pie etc. Some non-profit organizations throw Derby parties as fundraisers, and guests show up in Derby attire to watch the races on a big screen. While I've never hosted my own Derby party, most of us Nashvillians tend to put our horse racing enthusiasm towards Steeplechase, which always comes the weekend after the Derby.

The springy/summery attire (including big hats), food and drink, and horse racing make Steeplechase very reminiscent of what you would expect at the Derby, although on a smaller scale. For a pre-Steeplechase brunch or a Derby party, I thought these invitations were just too perfect.



Inviting Company invitation from Finestationery.com



Odd Balls invitation from Finestationery.com

Or if you would rather send out an emailed invitation, check out Pingg.com. It is a service similar to Evite, but it has more invitation designs and a fresher look in general. They have a couple of options for Derby party invites too!

Southern Accents has a great feature on the Derby on its website. While I'm still trying to nail down my Steeplechase brunch menu, I think a menu along these lines would be very fitting and delicious!

Steeplechase Brunch
Ham & biscuits
Cheese Danish
Cinnamon sweet rolls
Layered fruit salad
Quiche Lorraine (w/bacon & swiss cheese)

Some champagne-based beverage
Iced coffee

Cheers!
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Friday, April 24, 2009

a new favorite...Garden & Gun magazine

Have you heard of the magazine, Garden & Gun? I know, it has a funny name, but the content is intriguing and oh so Southern. This edition covers topics ranging from the restaurants to hit up while at the Kentucky Derby to the resurgence of Mexican sugar cane Coca-Cola in the U.S and secret suppers hosted by foodies (see image below).


photo credit: Peter Frank Edwards for Garden & Gun

A friend gave us a subscription to G&G last fall, and we have enjoyed every copy that we've received! The G&G website gives a pretty good overview of what their magazine has to offer...right up my alley! The G&G website has some interesting blogs too (just discovered them today). Happy reading!

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Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Spring baby shower -- yellow and white

Last Sunday, I had the privilege of co-hosting a baby shower for one of my husband's sweet cousins. We had a whopping 10 hostesses, who each chipped in help to make the food, invitations, drinks etc., which made the whole party very manageable. 40+ guests showed up for the afternoon shower, despite the real rain showers outside. Because the mom-to-be decided not to find out the gender of her baby, we decided to go with a color scheme that reflects the baby's nursery -- shades of yellows and white.

The food turned out absolutely perfect! We served mimosas and tea punch and then had a fabulous spread of food on the dining room table. We kept the food light and bite-sized because of the time of day --2:00pm.

Spring Baby Shower Menu:
Tea sandwiches (cucumber sandwiches & chicken salad sandwiches on thin bread)
Fruit salad
Cheese tray with crackers
Spinach dip
Shrimp dip*
Petit fours from Sweet & Sassy
Yellow duck-shaped sugar cookies



Clockwise from top left: buffet table (before food arrived), drink station with lily centerpiece, main table flower centerpiece made of yellow and white roses, tulips, irises, and daisies, the ladies watching the mom-to-be open her many gifts, the mom-to be (center) with friends, shower invitation designed by Amy Kinard (Click on image to zoom in)

After much planning and anticipation, I think the baby shower was a success. The mom-to-be had a great time seeing so many friends and family members and the level of energy was through the roof! I wish I had stopped to take more pictures during the party, but oh well!

Here is the recipe for the shrimp dip that I made for the party.

Shrimp Dip
1pkg tiny cooked frozen shrimp (if I use bigger shrimp then I just chop)
1 8oz. cream cheese, softened
1 T. minced onion
1 T. minced green pepper
1 stalk celery – cut very fine
Dash Tabasco sauce
About 1T. Lemon juice
Salt to taste
A couple of tablespoons of mayonnaise (just enough to hold ingredients together)

Chill until ready to serve. Serve with bagel chips or crackers.

Yield: makes about 3 cups of dip, serves 10 people.
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Posted by AnnieB at 11:05 AM 1 comments
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Monday, April 20, 2009

Bubblicious brunch......a champagne bar

Yesterday's baby shower was a complete success! I will dedicate an entire post to the shower, but I haven't uploaded the pics off my camera yet. So in the meantime, I'm brainstorming about my next event. We had a number of bottles of champagne leftover from the mimosa's, so I am thinking about how to use it in a few weeks for a brunch before Steeplechase.

What if I let my guests come up with their favorite champagne cocktail? In order for this not to get completely out of hand, with thousands of mixers, keep the number of ingredients under control so your guests aren't entirely overwhelmed.

Also, you could write out a few recipes for guests to follow, in case they really don't have a clue where to start. Here are the basics that you could use as a base for the champagne bar. Make sure your juice mixers are chilled too. Pour juices into small, clear pitchers for pretty presentation and then line up your champagne glasses next to the mixers and champagne. Do you have a favorite champagne cocktail?
  • moderately-priced champagne, chilled

  • creme de cassis

  • Chambord

  • orange juice

  • cranberry juice

  • lemonade

  • St. Germain elderflower liqueur

  • peach puree or peach nectar

  • pomegranate juice

  • garnishes: raspberries, strawberries, pomegranate seeds, blueberries....

Here are some recipes for champagne cocktails:


Cranberry Blush Champagne Cocktail
from myrecipes.com
Into a champagne flute, pour a splash of lemonade, a bigger splash of cranberry juice, then slowly top with champagne. Garnish with a twist of lemon peel or a couple of cranberries threaded onto a toothpick.

Champagne Bellini
Pour peach puree or nectar into a champagne flute until glass is 1/4 full. Add a drop of aromatic bitters. Top with champagne. You can also substitute peach schnapps, if you don't have peach nectar or puree. Garnish with a slice of peach.

bellini image from the taste.com.au

Citrus Sparkler
Pour orange juice and pineapple juice into champagne flute until glass is 1/2 full. Garnish with a little slice of a mandarin orange.



Chambord & Champagne
Fill glass 1/4 full with Chambord (raspberry liqueur). Slowly top with champagne. Garnish with a raspberry or two.

St. Germain & Champagne
Fill glass with at teaspoon of St. Germain (elderflower liqueur). Slowly top with champagne.

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Posted by AnnieB at 10:05 AM 1 comments
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Thursday, April 16, 2009

April {baby} shower!!

'Tis the season for baby showers and weddings! This Sunday, I'm co-hosting a baby shower with a group of girls, for one of my husband's cousins (she's a good friend of mine, too). Since the shower is at our abode, the hubby and I have been working in the yard and on various housekeeping projects for the past couple of weekends. {pictures from the shower, table scapes, flowers etc. will be posted next week}

While it's fair to say that we keep our house presentable enough for company, hosting a party of a considerable size gives me an excuse to tackle projects that I might not otherwise. So the yard is now groomed, mulch spread, back deck sealed, hand railing painted, concrete pressure washed, and planters planted!
Now it's on to the REALLY fun part...preparing for the party! We have 10 hostesses, so that makes it really easy for everyone to chip in and help out. Aside from hosting the party at my house, I am contributing chicken salad in cute little filo cups (recipe coming soon) and tea punch.

If you have never tried making tea punch (or fruit tea), here is my favorite recipe. It is absolutely delicious and very easy!
Mmmm, tea punch!

photo by Jan Smith from myrecipes.com

Tea Punch
Yield: 1 gallon of tea

6 cups water
3/4 to 1 cup sugar (based on your preferred sweetness)
2 family size tea bags (Lipton or your preferred brand)
4 regular size mint tea bags (I use Bigelow Plantation Mint)
6 oz frozen lemonade concentrate
12 oz frozen orange juice concentrate (no pulp)

a gallon size jug or pitcher

Boil 6 cups water in a large saucepan. Dissolve sugar in boiling water. Remove from heat. Add all the tea bags and let steep for 10-15 minutes. Remove tea bags. Stir lemonade and orange juice concentrate into warm tea. Pour tea/juice mixture into gallon jug. Fill jug with water until jug is full. Refrigerate. Serve over ice.

Tea will keep for a week or so. Be sure to shake before pouring, as the juices will settle.

Note: There are many variations of this recipe. Some do not call for mint tea bags, some use pineapple juice instead of lemonade. This is one of those recipes that can be easily adjusted to suit your taste buds. There are some restaurants and stores in the south that sell tea punch for $8-10 per gallon!

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Posted by AnnieB at 11:05 AM 1 comments
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Monday, April 13, 2009

Happy Scrabble Day!

Today, April 13th is Scrabble Day. Here's some Scrabble Trivia that might inspire you to host an impropmtu game night!

  • The original Scrabble didn't include a board. It was played with just the tiles.

  • Can you guess what kind of wood is used to make Scrabble letters? Vermont Maple.

  • Scrabble is a real word. It means "to scratch frantically."

  • There is just one Q in a Scrabble game.

  • Scrabble sets are found in one out of every three American homes.

  • The original name of Scrabble was "Criss-Crosswords."

One sweet man proposed to his girlfriend by spelling out "will you marry me" on the Scrabble board. A little cheesy, yet so sweet! Here is a picture of their wedding cake. So appropriate, considering the proposal. Just goes to show how you can use the things you enjoy in your life, like games, as inspiration for parties and even your wedding!


Image courtesy of The Knot.com

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Thursday, April 9, 2009

Buffets ARE acceptable outside of the chinese restaurant.

A cocktail supper (primarily made of bite-size food), dinner buffet (main course and side dishes), and even a dessert buffet (entirely desserts) are all acceptable ways to present food to your guests this day in age. While in the past this approach might have seemed rather informal, today this is the most common way to entertain a considerable number of guests. Don't get me wrong, I love a formal dinner party, but that limits us to only inviting 4 guests (our dining table seats 6). Believe it or not, building and arranging a buffet spread takes some forethought.
  • Start off by referencing the chart I told you about on Epicurious.com to determine quantity of food you will need.
  • Next, decide which table or counter space you are going to use for your buffet. Decide which end of the table or counter top will be the beginning of your buffet. This is where you will place the plates, and possibly the silverware. Some people like to place silverware at the end of the buffet, so one hand is free to serve the food.
  • I like to the place the food item that is the most filling, perhaps a starch like pasta or potatoes, at the beginning of the buffet. People tend to fill up their plates towards the beginning of the buffet, since they don't necessarily look ahead to see what is next in line.

  • If you are serving one item of food that is more expensive than the other items (i.e. shrimp or beef tenderloin), you might consider not placing at the beginning of the line instead put in the middle or towards the end of your buffet -- chances are it will be the most popular item on the table. If there is room, I will place the dessert at the end of the buffet, or on a nearby table. If you are doing a cocktail or dinner buffet, it's best to have separate plates or bowls and utensils for your dessert.
Even if you don't have an entirely complete collection of serving pieces for entertaining, it is helpful to have a couple of platters or trays of different shapes, and at least a couple of good-sized serving bowls (for salads, vegetables etc.). Your serving pieces do not need to match, and I think it is more interesting when a variety of pieces (glass, pewter, wood, pottery etc.) are used on a buffet. Here are my favorite serving pieces:
Armetale platters -- keep food hot or cold, depending on what you are serving and doesn't require any polishing!

McCarty's pottery bowls and platters of various shapes and sizes


Michael Aram platters, trays and bowls

Cake plates give height and interest to your buffet.
I love to use a cake plate to serve cheese and fruit.

My mom and I are always on the look out for good deals at antique stores, flea markets, and estate sales. Recently, mom has found some lovely silver platters, chaffing dish, champagne bucket, gravy boat and other items for very little moolah. Granted, some of the items clean up better than others, so it pays to know what to look for -- good coverage on silver plated items. Although they will usually look tarnished, you can tell if there is a goldish sheen peeking through behind the tarnish. This usually means that the silver plate has rubbed off over the years, so keep your eye out for the pieces that look like they will polish well.

Tomorrow, I am planning to stop by this estate sale. It looks like I might score a silver Revere bowl or a round tray. http://www.pattersonestatesales.com/xsawyer%20010.JPG

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Monday, April 6, 2009

Host a Spring Bruncheon!

There's something about Easter and springtime that makes me think of entertaining with a weekend brunch. While it can be fun to go out to brunch, I think it is even MORE fun to invite friends over for a relaxed mid-day bruncheon. So I came up with a delicious menu that could be served on a Saturday or Sunday, preferably between 11:00am and 1:00pm.

While coming up with this menu, I thought to myself, "what dishes would make a well-rounded meal, even if there was 1 or 2 items with ingredients that someone didn't like?"...and this is what I came up with.

*Side note: this menu could be simplified by making a fruit salad instead of fruit kebabs and cooking regular ol' bacon instead of maple roasted bacon, but how much fun would that be?


Spring Brunch Menu

Mixed Vegetable Quiche with Cheddar and Parmesan
Blueberry Coffee Cake
Maple Roasted Bacon
Fruit Kebabs
Strawberry Champagne Punch



Mixed Vegetable Quiche with Cheddar and Parmesan

recipe from Robin Miller on Food Network
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 20 min
yield: 6 servings

1 (9-inch) refrigerated pie crust
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 cup cooked stir-fried vegetables
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
3/4 cup grated Cheddar
1/4 cup low fat milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Press pie crust into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch, removable-bottom tart pan (or 9-inch pie pan). Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine spinach, stir-fried vegetables and place on top of uncooked crust. In another bowl combine ricotta, cheddar, milk, eggs, Dijon, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Mix well. Spoon cheese mixture on top of vegetable mixture in prepared pie crust and top with Parmesan.

Bake 20 minutes, until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean and crust is golden brown.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

yield: 12 servings

1 box blueberry muffin mix (for testing purposes, I used Krusteaz)
1/3 cup milk or water
1 egg
1/2 cup plain yogurt (you could use lemon instead)
1 can blueberries, drained and rinsed (enclosed)

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans) -- optional

Preheat oven to 350. In medium bowl, blend together muffin mix, milk or water, egg and yogurt. Fold in blueberries. Spoon batter into lightly greased 8"x8"x2" baking pan.

In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and walnuts or pecans (optional). Pour half the cake batter into a buttered and floured 8-inch square baking pan. Sprinkle with half the brown sugar mixture and top with the remaining batter. Sprinkle remaining brown sugar mixture on top. Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted into center of cake.

Maple-Roasted Bacon
by Ina Garten on Food Network

3/4 pound thick-cut smoked bacon (16 slices)
1 to 2 tablespoons good maple syrup

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place a baking rack on a sheet pan and arrange the bacon in 1 layer on the baking rack. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the bacon begins to brown. Remove the pan carefully from the oven; there will be hot grease in the pan! Brush the bacon slices with maple syrup and bake for another 3 to 5 minutes, until the bacon is a warm golden brown. Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and serve warm.

Fruit Kebabs



Choose 4 or 5 of your favorite fruits. Go with fruit that is fairly sturdy, and won't fall apart when threaded onto a wooden skewer. Cut all the fruit into 1-2" pieces, except for strawberries and grapes which can be threaded whole. Thread one piece of each variety fruit onto a skewer, then place on a serving platter or save half of an unpeeled pineapple or half of an unpeeled watermelon and stick the skewers into the skin side of the pineapple or watermelon. This makes a very impressive presentation on your buffet!

Fruits pictured above:
Strawberries
Cantalope
Kiwi
Watermelon
Pineapple


Strawberry Champagne Punch

from Sandra Lee on Food Network
1 (12-ounce) can strawberry juice, chilled
1 bottle Champagne, chilled
Whole strawberries (for garnish)
Directions
In a medium pitcher, combine 3 parts champagne to 1 part strawberry juice. Stir together well. Pour punch into champagne glasses. Garnish each glass with a strawberry. Canned strawberry juice can be found in the international food section of your grocery store or at Walmart.



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Friday, April 3, 2009

Is it a boy or a girl? Nobody knows...the makings of a non-gender specific baby shower

The non-gender specific baby shower is a resurfacing trend, as more and more women are choosing not to find out the gender of their baby before birth. While this was commonplace 25-30 years ago, modern ultrasound technology has taken the mystery out of the "will it be a boy or a girl" question that expecting parents used to anticipate for 9 months.

Today, more and more expecting parents are putting the mystery back into pregnancy by not finding out whether their baby is a boy or a girl. I have two pregnant friends who have decided not to find out their baby's gender before birth, which creates a challenge for the hostesses and guests attending baby showers thrown in honor of these mothers-to-be.

What do you buy for these babies? Will they be draped in white, yellow and green for the first 3 months of their lives?

Adorable baby outfit by Barefoot Dreams from Layla Grayce

Well, buying gifts for a "PAT" baby shower is easier than it may first seem. As a baby shower hostess, you can stick to a neutral color pallate like yellow or green(stay away from ALL pinks or ALL blues). Another approach is to use ALL the colors of the rainbow, without having one overly predominate color in your invitations, decor, flowers etc. It can be helpful to find out the colors the expectant mother is using in the baby's nursery and use those colors to influence your color scheme.
I love the idea of playing off of the "shower" theme (think umbrellas, festive, youthful party colors). Look at these adorable invitations from finestationery.com.


More ideas will be posted soon on this topic of non-gender specific baby showers...

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Posted by AnnieB at 1:56 PM 0 comments
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