Create My Event - Event & Party Ideas Blog

SUMMER ICE CREAM PARTY

An ice cream themed party is always a successful event - people of all ages LOVE ice cream!

PRE - PLANNING:
Is your party simple or elegant or something in-between? Indoor or out? If outdoors, plan for shade (see below for more ideas). If indoors- plan for a mess inside your home! Whether inside or out, keep travel wipes around for quick clean ups.

IDENTIFY YOUR ICE CREAMS:
Ice cream is the “star” of your party. Make homemade if you have a small gathering. For larger groups, determine a nice product to serve. Look for ice cream produced locally – this is a more environmentally sensitive choice to lower your carbon footprint. Select variety for all tastes. Have a non-dairy alternative available, like a sorbet or sherbet.

IMPORTANT- Think through your serving process. Having a bottle-neck while serving can make for a not-so-fun party. How many people you can you serve over a 10 minute time duration? Recruit servers or prepare portions ahead of time to keep the pace moving. Decide if you are serving cones, sundaes, build your own sundaes or something else.

INVITATIONS:
See sendomatic.com's Garden, Flower Pattern, Pink or Ice Cream - depending on your style of decor.

DECORATIONS:
Color palette: use pink, red & white stripes, checks or polka dots- they all scream ice cream! (you could throw in chocolate brown too)

Depending on the budget, include any of the following: tablecloths, tulip sundae, parfait or tall soda glasses, banana boats, long spoons or paper goods. A must: fun ice cream scoops for serving. Ice cream is a good annual theme for a party. Consider investing in materials to build an inventory. You can also rent at party rental supply vendors.

You can order paper “Soda Jerk” hats online- you would be surprised how many gentlemen guests are keen to wear one during your event!

MUSIC IDEAS:
Ragtime (focus on piano), 1950's crooner songs, sock hop, “juke box hits”. If you have guests that really like to chat- consider playing instrumental music only to support and not compete with conversation. Vocals can interfere with conversation.

CENTERPIECE IDEA:
Carnations as ice cream! White pink and red – look like luscious scoops of ice cream! Take small floral vials, fill with water and trim your carnations to fit in ice cream cones or in tulip sundae glasses. If your reception tables are in the shade forgo the floral vials – your carnations will look okay for about 2 hours.

SUMMERIME MEANS YELLOW JACKET PATROL:
Yellow jackets -don't be overly afraid or hate them. But, they can ruin parties with their persistence. And bees are hard to ID sometimes. Remove food sources for them in the area a week before your party. Hang traps that have a pheromone to attract them. Hang traps at the eating area three days before the event, empty and re-hang a bit farther away from the area on the day of your event. Use trash cans that fully close and continually remove finished dishes.

SERVING TIME:
Large tubs of ice cream thaw for 1-6 hours before showtime, small cartons need 5-15 minutes depending on your weather conditions. Do a “dress rehearsal” with one carton in similar conditions the day before to determine thawing time. Use dry ice around your large tubs if you are serving people over an extended time period.

Toppings can be used on cones as well as sundaes. Please plan for mess!!!

WATER:
I don't know why, but ice cream makes people thirsty. Create a pretty water service station with a large glass beverage dispenser. Old-fashioned paper cones for water dispensers add a nice touch.

Tyropitakia

The following recipe is inspired by the delicous flavors we sampled on a recent trip to the Greek Isles. In Greek: τυροπιτάκια (pronounced tee-ro-pee-TAHK-yah) loosely translates to cheese-filled triangles. These are little golden packets of goodness which are very easy to make using store-bought phyllo dough and they look scrumptious on the table. The filling can be made a day in advance to help save time before your party. Be sure to buy extra phyllo dough as the sheets may stick together.

Tyropitakia (cheese-filled triangles)
Ingredients:
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
1 scallion, finely minced (white and light green parts only)
1 Tbs. finely minced fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. dried organo
1 tsp. freshly grated lemon rind
1 egg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
8 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
8 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed

To Make:
Mix Cheeses together in a large bowl. Stir in scallion, parsley, oregano and lemon rind. Beat egg in small bowl and add to mixture with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt butter in small saucepan. Lightly brush a large rimmed baking sheet with about 1 tablespoon of the melted butter.
Place 1 phyllo sheet with short end closest to you (keep remaining phyllo covered with plastic wrap and damp kitchen towel to avoid drying out). Brush phyllo sheet lightly with melted butter, then cut lengthwise into 3 equal strips each about 4 inches wide.
Place 1 tablesppon of cheese mixture at bottom end of strip. Fold a corner of dough over filling and repeat folding (like a flag) until entire strip is folded. Brush with melted butter as you go.
Place triangles on baking sheet and brush tops with more melted butter.
Repeat until you have 24 triangles. Bake until golden brown and crisp, about 20 minutes.

Yield:
24 triangles

Backyard Bash with Greek Style Burgers

It's time to get your grill on and throw a casual BBQ for your friends.
It's easy to do. You just need some essentials to have a good time with good eats. You can even enlist your friends to help out. Have everyone bring their favorite side dish and tell them you will provide the main dish from the grill.

Here is a great recipe for Greek-style Lamb burgers:

What you need: (serves 4)
1 1/2 lbs of ground lamb
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
1 Tablespoon Greek Seasoning
1 Teaspoon crushed garlic (fresh is best)
1/2 Teaspoon Salt

In a medium bowl, combine ground lamb, feta cheese, chopped red onion, olives, Greek Seasoning, garlic, and salt. Wet hands to prevent sticking. Form lamb mixture into four 3/4-inch thick patties and place on grill when ready.

And don't forget this wonderful sauce to top the burgers...
What you need:
1/3 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup peeled grated English cucumber
1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint

In a small bowl combine yogurt, sour cream, grated cucumber and the mint. Set these items aside to top on burgers.

Don't forget to the decor. I found these great glasses at 2Modern. Since they are acrylic, there's no need to worry about broken glass in the grass...

I also really like these cool chairs. What a great addition to the table. A nice way to modernize your outdoor furniture. Totally suitable as an outdoor item, I loved these in Orange. Also found at 2Modern.

Twisted Tapas

Today's recipe is inspired by the some of the mainstay ingredients of Spain. I call it Twisted Tapas. Made with salty serrano ham, mild manchego cheese and sweet quince paste, these bite-sized pieces are a delicious delight for your tastebuds. Twisted Tapas are very easy to prepare and can be made up to 3 days in advance of your party and kept in the refrigerator. The day of the party, just slice, heat, serve and enjoy!

Twisted Tapas
Ingredients:
3/4 cup finely grated manchego cheese (about 3 ounces)
1 tsp. spanish smoked paprika (optional)
2 tsp. quince paste (spanish membrillo)
1 puff pastry sheet (from one 17 1/4-ounce package frozen puff pastry
sheets), thawed
1 large egg, beaten lightly
2 ounces thinly sliced serrano ham

To Make:
In a bowl combine manchego and paprika. On a lightly floured surface arrange pastry sheet with a short side facing you and cut in half crosswise. Arrange one half of sheet with the long side facing you and brush edge of far side with some of the beaten egg. Place half of serrano ham evenly on top of pastry, avoiding egg-brushed edge, and top with half of the manchego mixture. Starting with side nearest you, roll pastry jelly-roll fashion into a log and wrap in wax paper. Make second log the same way. Chill pastry logs, seam sides down, until firm, at least 3 hours, and up to 3 days.
When ready to serve, pre-heat oven to 400°F. and lightly grease 2 large baking sheets.
Cut logs crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices and arrange, cut sides down, 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Bake in batches in middle of oven until golden, 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool slightly. Serve warm.

Yield:
About 30 - 40 pieces

The Least Glamorous Place

What is the least glamorous room at a party or event for your guests? It just may be the bathroom! But it does not have to be the case.

If you are planning a large party or event... particularly if there are libations or children - or both... you must think about the loo. Failure to plan here can reflect negatively on the event.

If it is not already included, make sure you have a restroom category in your event planning list. At the very least, plan to have extra supplies that can be easily located by your guests. You may want to increase personnel to cover maintaining your restrooms. Plan to treat men's and women's rooms with the same care and attention, even if you customize it to the sexes- men appreciate nice things in the restroom too!

Be sensitive to the fact that many guests may have fragrance sensitivities and that in a small space like a bathroom you may want to be careful with flower selection, room deodorizers and soaps that are strong.

If you have a strong theme going for your event, bring in decorative elements that are appropriate to the restroom – plan a seamless approach to decorating on into the restroom.

Predictable items for decorating restrooms are candles, flowers and guest towels. But why not try a few other ideas?

IDEAS:

Dimmer Switches: Dimmers are a permanent improvement to your bathroom and an inexpensive way to dial in a bathroom's atmosphere for your parties. They are readily available and can be done by any moderately handy person.

Audio: Plug in a small boom box and give your guests a surprise and additional privacy of theme-appropriate music or a soundscape in the restroom. A recent A Midsummer Night's Dream themed event merely had dimmed lights and played a cricket recording in the restroom, and this was something guests talked about later!

Single-Use Soaps: consider providing single-use soaps for your guests. They are more sanitary for your guests. Large event? Have a basket by the sink with packets of soap leaves imprinted for your event. These use and take packets, available from trade-show give-away vendors, will be a useful memento of the evening. Minimum orders are usually 250 packets. Smaller event? Consider single-use rose petal soaps or beautiful soap leaves from wrapables.com to go with your guest hand towels.

Kid-Friendly: For a kid's party, make sure you have a safe, sturdy step-stool for the sink for the little folks. Use window crayons to write theme-related sentiments or do drawings on the bathroom mirror and/or windows. If you are not good at drawing, use stencils.

These touches may go unnoticed, but they probably won't. Likely, they will provide a strong impression that your guests are thought of and planned for in every way- including in the least glamorous places!

Sweet and Sour Baby Shower

My sister attended a great baby shower theme recently that I thought I would pass along.

With the advent of fertility drugs and the ease of creating multiples, more and more of you may know people who are having twins!
I think that the theme for this shower is great! If I were to personally have twins, I would do everything possible to dress and encourage individual identities with my twins.
For this shower be sure to deliver your theme in the invitation, simply stated, "Sweet and Sour Baby Shower, bring gifts with opposite themes".
It would be fun to have a yin and yang symbol on the front of the invitation. Or a devil and an angel...

For games, food and decorations, stick to your "opposites" theme. You can serve spicy and sour foods and choose black and white as a color theme for decor. Black and white is especially effective if the mother-to-be does not know the sex of her babies. You can even decorate the cake with 1/2 vanilla and 1/2 strawberry, decorated with jungle and ocean images side by side.

I love the idea of playing a couple rounds of "Name the opposite".
As the host, you come up with a list of items, people and words, such as "dark, open, happy, Bonnie" also write a master list which includes it's opposite. For example, your list will have in column A: Bonnie and column B: Clyde. Try to think of harder ones than what I just listed.
Your game will involve the guest assigning what they believe the opposite of your word to be. The person with the most correct matches to your master list wins a prize

The ideas are endless for this theme. Help mom and guests learn to appreciate the differences in twins from an early start. Everyone deserves their own identity!

Moving Party

Do you know someone who is moving soon? Whether it's across the country, or across the street, people are constantly looking to upgrade their home, or just live in a new area. While having friends or family move away can be a tearful experience, throwing them a successful moving or "going away" party will create a wonderful memory between you.

Moving parties are not very complicated, and there is no need for an element of surprise. Check to see when they are moving, and pick a date that does not interfere with the craziness that always surrounds a move. This can be a very stressful time, so try not to put the moving party too close to the move date itself. Once you have chosen a good date, get your invitations out as early as possible so that your guests can clear their calendars. If you like sending electronic invitations, Sendomatic's Moving Invitation is a great choice.

Now that you have your date and your guests invited, you need to pick some kind of theme for your party. This is really up to you and should be based on the people moving. Try to keep their interests in the front of your mind - remember, you're throwing this party for them, not for the people you've invited. Make sure to keep the weather in mind, too, and prepare to take the party inside if it gets too hot, too cold, or rains.

Plan what food you will provide on the theme you have chosen, and of course, what the people moving like best. If you do not want to handle cooking as well as clean-up, you can always ask your guests to bring a dish that they know the guest of honor would enjoy. For entertainment, a moving party is usually sentimental, so I would suggest a slideshow featuring photographs of your guest of honor during their time in your area. Be sure to bring the Kleenex, leave plenty of time after the party for your goodbyes, and let those moving know they are loved wherever they go!

Watermelon "Gazpacho"

The weather here in Belgium has been absolutely fabulous and it has inspired me to dig into some of the refreshing seasonal fruits that are now available. This watermelon "gazpacho" is the perfect starter for a dinner party, an easy take a long for a picnic event or a tempting treat on the appetizer table. The ingredients can be varied to your tastes and imagination, but here is my favorite version:

Watermelon "Gazpacho"
Ingredients:
5 cups seedless watermelon, diced and divided (approx. one 3lb. watermelon)
1 small cucumber, 1/4 in. dice (approx. 1 cup)
1/2 yellow pepper, de-seeded, 1/4 in. dice (approx. 1/2 cup)
1/2 red pepper, de-seeded, 1/4 in. dice (approx. 1/2 cup)
1 peach, 1/4 in. dice (approx. 1 cup)
1 small jalapeno pepper, de-seeded, minced
1/2 small red onion, 1/4 in. dice (approx. 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup mint, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
3 T. lime juice
2 T. red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt

Olive oil and sea salt for serving

To Make:
Put 4 cups of diced watermelon into a blender and puree. Pour into large bowl. Add remaining 1 cup diced watermelon and the rest of the ingredients. Stir. Cover and refrigerate for 1-4 hours. (The longer it sits the better the flavors will blend). To serve, pour into shot glasses and drizzle with olive oil and a little bit of sea salt.

Yield:
Approx. 20 shot glass servings

Margarita Mix-Off!

Every year we have a Margarita Mix-Off at our house to determine which of our friends have the skills to take the gold medal each year.
This is one of those parties where all of our friends call throughout the year to ask 'when's the next party?'

Here's a sure way to have a blast at your next adults only party. Believe me with Tequila, things can get a bit messy, you don't want kids around at this party.
Use Sendomatic.com to find the perfect invitation. A good party has at least 4-6 couples so that there is a good range of margaritas to be made. Instruct each couple to bring fixin's for their best round of Margaritas.
**Don't forget to have your guest RSVP! You need to tell everyone how many margaritas they should be prepared to serve.
What makes this party fun is that presentation is just as important as flavor. Each couple will name their margarita for voting purposes. We enjoyed a great "squeeze my melons" margarita last year, which was a melon flavored margarita served in halves of hollowed honeydew melons. The creative ideas never cease to amaze us so encourage creativity and costumes!

Once your quest arrive, draw numbers to see who goes first, and get mixin!

Each couple takes a turn in the kitchen preparing their margarita while the rest of the guest chat and snack on the patio. After tasting the margarita each person votes individually on taste and presentation separately. (make pre-made voting cards before the party, it's much easier for everyone to use after a few margaritas).
Continue to taste and enjoy everyones creative margaritas. Vote at the end, tally the votes, and declare the best margarita maker in your hood. You can provide a nice prize for both taste and presentation!

You will want to also have on hand:
Lots of water
Lots of food
Taxi cab #'s
and don't forget the camera!

have fun!

Backyard Bashes

It might only be May, but who says it has to be blistering hot to enjoy the outdoors? This would actually be a great time to throw a backyard bash, which can be for really any occasion. I personally will be having at least two in the next month, one for my brother's graduation and one for my parents' housewarming party.

Here are some delicious recipes for any outdoors event!

      

Deviled Eggs
6 eggs, hard boiled, cooled, and peeled
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon finely chopped chives
Hot pepper sauce
Paprika
Salt and pepper
Variation: add 1 teaspoon chopped canned jalapeno peppers
Place the cooked egg yolks in a bowl. Using a fork, work the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, chives, and salt and pepper into the yolks to form a smooth paste. Taste. Place 1/2 of this mixture in a small pastry bag with a large star tip. To the remaining mixture, add the jalapenos and season with Hot pepper sauce. Fill 6 of the egg halves with the basic filling. Fill the pastry bag with the jalapeno filling. Fill the remaining egg white halves. Top with paprika.

Potato Salad
4 potatoes
4 eggs
1/2 stalk celery, chopped
1/4 cup sweet relish
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1/2 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes; drain and chop. Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil; cover, remove from heat, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water; peel and chop. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, eggs, celery, sweet relish, garlic, mustard, mayonnaise and salt and pepper. Gently mix together and serve warm.

Baby Back Ribs
2 pounds pork baby back ribs
1 (18 ounce) bottle barbecue sauce
Tear off 4 pieces of aluminum foil big enough to enclose each portion of ribs. Spray each piece of foil with vegetable cooking spray. Brush the ribs liberally with barbeque sauce and place each portion in its own piece of foil. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Bake ribs wrapped tightly in the foil at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 2 1/2 hours. Remove from foil and add more sauce, if desired.

Whatever foods you make, be sure to check the weather ahead of time, wear plenty of sunscreen, and most of all, enjoy each other's company - which is what any party is all about!