Summer Entertaining - Progressive Dinner Party!

Summer Progressive Dinner
 Today is a beautiful day and Summer is near.  Summer is my favorite season by far and our patio becomes our new family room. We love to have friends over and our block of neighbors is the best. This year our neighborhood is going to host a progressive dinner party. Will keep you posted on the success but here are the details so far:

Set the mood with a great invitation. We have a great selection of summer party invitations at Paper Celebration. Everyone meets at our house for cocktails and appetizers at 6:30. At 7:30 we will draw names to determine who goes where for dinner. Each dinner house will host 6-8 people and serve the same menu to keep it simple. After dinner we will move on to the next house for dessert and cocktails. Drawing names for dinner is a good way to mix up the group and encourages everyone to get to know someone new. Providing a menu and recipes also makes it easy for everyone. Each guest is asked to bring a bottle of wine, dinner item or a dessert. Looking forward to the party and keeping fingers crossed for a beautiful summer night!

Neighborhood Progressive Dinner Party Menu

Salad w/ vinaigrette

Parmesan Rice (recipe below)

Shish kabobs (make ahead or have dinner guests assemble their own)

Parmesan Rice

adapted from An Occasion to Gather - Junior League of Milwaukee

2 medium onions, chopped
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups long grain white rice
1 1/4 cups (5 oz) freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
1 cup oil-pack sun-dried tomatoes cut into 3/4 inch pieces

Saute the onions in the butter in a large saucepan until tender. Remove from heat. Stir in the broth, rice, cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. Pour the rice mixture into a 2-quart baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake, tightly covered with foil, at 400 degrees for 45 minutes; remove the foil. Bake for 10 minutes longer or until the top is golden brown.

Serves 6 to 8

National Stationery Show is here!

Next week I am travelling to New York for the National Stationery Show at the Javits Center. The show is amazing and attracts stationery designers from all over the country. I love going to see all of the new items and ideas. This will be my 5th or 6th show and I think this show will be very different from previous years. The economy definitely affected the party and stationery industry - if you were looking to cut back that was an easy place to start. Technology has also taken a bite out of the business. Evites are easy to send and economical. The economy and technology have forced the industry to analyze the trends and work hard to create new items that will encourage consumers to spend and encourage consumers to entertain again.

How do you send party invitations? Printed invitations in the mail? evites? phone? Do you feel invitations are a important piece of the event? Has your buying patterns changed over the past few years? Will you entertain this year more than last year? Would love to hear your feedback and hope everyone is gearing up for Summer entertaining! Next post will be a Summer Progressive Dinner!

Looking for a WOW Wedding or Bridal Shower Gift?

I am very excited about a new line of personalized gifts we are now carrying at Paper Celebration. The line offers personalized tempered glass cutting boards, melamine personalized serving trays and much more! I ordered a large black damask cutting board with lime green monogram and I can't wait to entertain! I am going to use for cheese/crackers or as place for bottles of red wine to sit. It is gorgeous! Choose from stylish patterns such as zebra or damask and personalized with a monogram or name. Very unique and Made in the USA! Be sure to allow 3 weeks for delivery. The large cutting board is $48 and the small cutting board is $36.

Perfect gifts for bridal shower, wedding, new home, Mother's Day, birthday, etc., etc. A definite WOW gift!

Visit Paper Celebration to order and email customer service with any questions.

Kentucky Derby is May 1 - Perfect time for a party!

One of the most fun events you could ever attend is the Kentucky Derby. The combination of the warm weather, people watching, crowds, beautiful horses and the 136 years of tradition make the day exciting and memorable. I have gone to Derby 5 or so times, in the infield (very, very casual) and to the bleachers (casual). I have yet to make it to the grandstand and wear a hat, but will someday.

I asked some of my college friends who live in Kentucky for some Derby Party ideas and received great tips. My AOPi roommate,  Amy, gave me these ideas for a fun in-home Derby Party:

Décor – The Derby is the “Run for the Roses” so incorporate roses into décor. For a formal party combine roses and silver, for a casual barbecue party,  pair roses and red checked linens.

Attire – Hats are a must. If children are attending set up an area where they can decorate their hats.

Food – All of the these menu suggestions can be made ahead (perfect):

Kentucky Hot Brown

Country Ham w/ bourbon glaze sandwiches

Beer Cheese w/veggies

Kentucky Bread Pudding

Derby Pie

Mint Juleps – must have and easy to make (recipe below)

Derby Racing – This is a great idea because it is easy to execute and requires no knowledge of the Derby horses. Throw all of the Derby horses names into a Derby hat and each family/guest draws a name. Have everyone contribute $5-$20 for the prize. Have 3 prizes Win-Place-Show.

The Derby and all of the prior races are televised throughout the day beginning at 11am on ESPN and the Derby will be televised from 5-6pm on NBC.

Recipes:

Mint Juleps 
recipe courtesy of Kentucky Derby

2 Cups sugar
2 Cups water
Sprigs of fresh mint
Crushed ice
Early Times Kentucky Whisky
Silver Julep Cups

No Derby Party is complete without the Mint Julep which has been the traditional beverage of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby for nearly a century. Each year, almost 120,000 Early Times Mint Juleps are served over the two-day period of the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby. This is a feat that requires over 10,000 bottles of Early Times Mint Julep Ready-to-Serve Cocktail, 1,000 pounds of freshly harvested mint and 60,000 pounds of ice.
Make a simple syrup by boiling sugar and water together for five minutes. Cool and place in a covered container with six or eight sprigs of fresh mint, then refrigerate overnight. Make one julep at a time by filling a julep cup with crushed ice, adding one tablespoon mint syrup and two ounces of Early Times Kentucky Whisky. Stir rapidly with a spoon to frost the outside of the cup. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.
The official mint julep glass is the most popular souvenir for Derby guests and will become a collector's items.  They make great gifts for your guests and look even better with the drink inside!
For more information on the Kentucky Derby including recipes and party supplies visit www.kentuckyderby.com

Celebrate Friendship at the American Cancer Society Ladies Spring Luncheon

The Wisconsin chapter of the American Cancer Society will hold its 35th Annual Spring Benefit Ladies’ Luncheon on Tuesday, May 4^th, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Milwaukee Country Club.  This benefit, one of the Milwaukee area’s premier charitable events, has been a successful fundraiser for the American Cancer Society for many years, and all proceeds from the event go toward research, education, advocacy and services for all forms of cancer.

2010 Committee Chair Jennifer Anderson explains  "This year’s theme is “Friends for Life” and I can think of no better way to support this terrific cause than to surround ourselves with wonderful, loving, supportive friends for a lovely spring luncheon!"

This annual spring event includes a silent auction, raffle, cash bar and luncheon, as well as a speaker.  This year, the featured speaker will be Joyce Garbaciak from WISN 12 News. 

I love this event and was happy to serve on the committee working on centerpieces, publicity and the program. The committee is always dedicated to hosting a wonderful event and each year brings together over 350 guests and supporters of ACS. 

The cost per ticket is $75 per person.  Preferred seating tables of 10 may also be purchased for $1,000.  A percentage of the ticket price is tax deductible Tickets can be purchased through the American Cancer Society office by contacting Jessica Zeisse at (262) 523-5573 013 or Jessie.zeisse@cancer.org.  The Milwaukee Country Club is located at 8000 N. Range Line Road in River Hills.

Celebrate Friends for Life on May 4th.

An Entertaining Spring Brunch

Time to pack away the black boots and unpack the pink & green and start the spring cleaning. To motivate yourself to start the spring cleaning, set a date on the calendar and host a spring brunch. A brunch is a perfect way to kick off the season and bring friends out of hibernation. A brunch is also stress-free entertaining because all of the food can be prepared one day ahead.

Let's get started:

Start with an invitation full of bright colors and decorate the table with the same color palette.

For the menu, serve eggs, meat, non-meat option, bread and fruit. Seems like a lot but try this:

• Quiche - meat and veggie varieties
• Baked French Toast with Berry Syrup
• Fruit Kabobs or a Fruit and Yogurt Parfait with Granola
• Coffee
• Amaretto Mimosa (Recipe below)

Prepare all of the food one day ahead. If you do not want to make coffee for a crowd, purchase a traveler at Starbuck's for around $12.00 which includes all of the cream and sugar.

Set the table one day ahead. Use colors from the invite and potted plants as centerpieces and as a party favor. If you prefer cut flowers, tulips and daffodils are a great value this time of year.

When guests arrive, offer coffee and the Amaretto Mimosa. As guests chat you will have time to plate the food. Serve the food plated. Much less stressful.

Have food come out of the oven at the same time, about 30 minutes after guests arrive.

Voila! You have just treated your friends to an enjoyable morning, your house is clean and you were able to enjoy the party too. Gotta love Spring!

Amaretto Mimosa
recipe from www.epicurious.com
3 cups Orange Juice
1/4 cup Amaretto or other almond flavored liqueur
1 bottle sparkling wine

In a pitcher stir together OJ and Amaretto. Fill 6 champagne flutes halfway with mixture and top with sparkling wine.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Wishing you a fun and festive St. Patrick's Day! Enjoy this easy and delicious appetizer!