Daily Party Dish

Win a New Year's Party for 25!

 

Holiday season is upon us and it's great.  Everyone here at Party411.com are big fans of the holiday season because we love an excuse for awesome office parties.  Of course it's hard to celebrate the New Year here at the office because people are off taking cruises and generally enjoying vacation time.

To celebrate our inability to celebrate ringing in the New Year with each other, we decided to give you all a fantastic treat and have a giveaway, a New Year's Eve package giveaway. We're giving away a great deal of fun New Year's Eve decorations and party supplies.

All you have to do is go to our New Year's Eve giveaway page, sign up for the newsletter and you're in.  The contest ends December 21 2009.  Even if you don't win Party411.com can help you throw a New Year's Eve party!

ENTER NEW YEAR'S GIVEAWAY NOW!

Traditions are like kolachy… you can never have too many!

Since Christmas is right around the corner, I thought I would share one of my favorite holiday traditions. Every year my sister and I spend the day at my grandmother’s home baking cookies. A lot of cookies.

Last year we baked about 80 dozen. This year we scaled back a bit and did about 50 dozen.  The cookies we make rarely vary. Sugar cookies, walnut tassies and kolachy.

This year my brother joined us and made the sugar cookies. His first batch was a fail. He did not beat the butter and sugar together long enough and the cookies came out flat and hard. The next batch was better, and I am really glad he joined us. It’s fun to watch traditions grow and change.

My sister makes the tassies, despite the fact they aren’t her favorite cookie. We all love them though, and we appreciate her selflessness! My dad usually helps her for the first hour so he can claim a plateful at the end of the night.

The kolachy are my area of expertise (they are also my favorite, lucky me!) Grandma taught me years ago how to make these, but hers are still the best.

Kolachy
Makes a plate full :)

1 - 8 oz package of cream cheese
1 cup butter
2 cups all purpose flour
apricot pie filling

Creams butter and cheese. Work in flour slowly. Form into ball, cover in plastic wrap and foil, refrigerate overnight.

Lightly flour your surface roll our dough 1/8 inch think and cut into 2 inch squares. Spoon apricot filling into center. Bring together and fold over. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 11 minutes at 400 degrees.

Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Here I am right before the last batch of kolachy go in the oven…. After 12 hours of baking!

We all had a great time. I hope your holiday is as blessed and tasty as mine.

Merry merry!
Kathleen

Was it Seinfeld or Sandler who came up with Chrismukkah?

One joke and, oh my God! There’s stuff everywhere available to celebrate this merged holiday for those who have interfaith families, for those who were born Jewish but upon seeing a Christmas tree long for chestnuts and an open fire or for those who are basically insecure and want to make sure not to offend anyone.  Anyone.

P.S.  It’s no longer a joke.  There are cards and gifts at chrismukkah.com (like a tree ornament with the Star of David?!) plus this blended word has even hit Wikipedia: “Chrismukkah is a pop-culture neologism referring to the merging of the holidays of Christianity's Christmas and Judaism's Hanukkah as celebrated in interfaith households where one parent may be of Christian heritage and another parent of Jewish heritage. Or from two Jewish parents, where one may not be religious at all (having a desire to put up a Christmas tree) while the other is very religious causing Christmas and Hanukkah to cancel each other out into one blur of a gift giving holiday. Chrismukkah is also celebrated as an ironic, alternative holiday, much like the Seinfeld-derived "Festivus." USA Today has described it as "[t]he newest faux holiday that companies are using to make a buck this season."   Up until today, I didn’t even know the definition of neologism, and I ignored pop culture.

I remember the good old days before it was politically incorrect to have a Christmas party that covered all religions, all celebrations December-bred and all without offense or a 45 minute discussion:  “should we call it a Christmas Party or a Holiday Party?!”   But truth is, Christmas parties were true to Christmas, and that was just fine by this Jewish party girl.

Look, I am invited to Christmas parties and Chanukah parties.  It doubles my calendar and at a really good Christmas party I know I can look forward to a menu of everything opposite my family’s Chanukah feast:  meat and dairy mixed.  Spinach and crab dips, cheese puffs, pigs in a blanket, stuffed celery, honey-glazed pecans, cranberry chutney, a sugary ham, creamy scalloped potatoes, a jello mold with fruit and marshmallows and maybe, if I was lucky, those fabulous hot Parker House rolls with lightly salted butter.  Not to mention rum drinks!!! And mistletoe.  Ahhhh, mistletoe.  I love that tradition.

And then…lucky me.  It may be the next night or the next weekend, but I’ll be downing hot just out-of-the-oil potato pancakes with applesauce; brisket that falls off the bone, noodle kugel and farfel plus sponge cake like you’ve never tasted in your life.

What’s the number for Jenny Craig™?
   
Merry Christmas, oops, Happy Chanukah, oops…HAPPY HOLIDAYS
from the Party Girl

Amy Goes Shopping Online

I admit it … I love online shopping.  You can find the most amazing items on the internet and not just at Party411.com!  With the holidays approaching, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite sites to help make your shopping a bit easier!

HelloBabyWear.com – I found this site this summer and I think it’s fabulous for personalized t-shirts, baby clothes, mugs and other gifts.  I’ve ordered a few items from them for the holidays and one for myself for an upcoming “Fun T-Shirt Friday” on Party411.com’s Facebook page.  Stay tuned! 

 

Bookmommy.com – I’m very into giving books as gifts this time of year.  I think I have a stack of 25 books so far (no joke) to give my kids and friend’s kids.  Most of them are from Usborne.  Take a look at this site – these books are great!  (We’re a big fan of the “That’s Not My…” books in my house.)

Pennello Gallery – this is my favorite gallery in Little Italy in Cleveland.  Fortunately for the rest of the world, they now have a website featuring their handcrafted art, jewelry and gifts. 

Mrs. Beasley's – This site is in our Shops page, but I still think it’s worth mentioning.  Mrs. Beasley’s is a site that sells gift baskets, gift towers, cakes, cookies, cupcakes and so many more yummy treats.  I’m thinking these chocolate covered pretzels might be perfect for gifts this year!

That’s all for now!  Happy holidays and happy shopping.
Amy

Office Holiday Party

The holidays are officially here.  How do I know this?  Is it the date on the calendar?  Is it the wind and sleet storm outside?  No, I know it’s holiday season because we had our holiday party today.  To say we had enough food would be an understatement; we had to tell people not to bring food in because it would have been too much.

We started with a dip for a nice appetizer.  As you can see, we enjoyed.  I think this dish was consumed in about 37 seconds.  Shelly did an excellent job with this dip and I think we might have to steal the recipe.

Then we moved into our dining room, I mean our show room.  We had a variety of jell-o (it wasn’t alive) egg salad, tuna salad, regular salad and bread. 

Of course when we sat we are all so busy eating that hardly a word was spoken.  We see each other almost everyday, and it’s time to eat.  We also went around the table to discuss what we had planned for the new year and highlighted what had happened in the previous year.  That was interesting.

The best dish was probably the cake.  I’m not a cake man and I’m saying that.  Not only was it delicious but it covers all of the birthdays and holidays.  We here at Party411 hope your holiday party is as delicious and fun as ours was.

- Brian

Edible Chanukah Menorahs!

Chanukah begins this Friday, December 11th.  I’m always looking for fun and easy craft ideas for my kids.  Here is a simple one the kids did at a pre-Chanukah party this weekend – Edible Menorahs!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Full size marshmallows – at least 9 per child
• White frosting
• Milk
• Blue food coloring
• Birthday candles or small Chanukah candles – at least 9 per child
• Popsicle sticks and paintbrushes
• Rectangular pieces of cardboard (for your bases)

Directions:
Start with the marshmallows and have the kids “glue” the marshmallows onto the cardboard using white frosting.  The popsicle sticks can be used to put the frosting on the marshmallows. “Glue” 8 candles across and 1 as your Shamash (helper candle). 

Add a bit of blue food coloring to the milk (in a bowl) and with paint brushes, the kids can paint their menorah.

Finally, add a candle in each marshmallow and you’re all set!  A fun, easy and completely yummy Menorah!  Here’s a picture the one my 3 ½ year old made…

An Aperitif, Appetizer, Canapé Christmas

Did you know that an aperitif is a drink to stimulate the appetite and an appetizer is food that also stimulates your appetite before a meal?  Me neither. I’m never hungry when dinner arrives.

Like me, most guests start at the crudité display (fancy for cut vegetables and dip laid out appealingly), move on to the passed hors d’oeuvres and then fill their plate(s) from the buffet that is overflowing with finger food.  And you? 

This year, forget the glazed ham with pineapple rings, the turkey with pork stuffing, the candied yams and Cajun string bean casserole.  Disregard the Busycook’s suggested menu of Mexican peacocks, jambalaya and/or salmon fillets. Dinner is never appreciated after one is stuffed with appetizers and aperitifs! 

And that is why I think cocktails and simple but heavy hors d’oeuvres make for a fantastic holiday party.  Now, you could go with those fancy appetizers that cost a lot and go unidentified …amuse-bouche, olive tapenade crostini, mascarpone puffs with roasted vegetables, prawn/prune/roasted garlic fillo wraps, citrus infused jumbo lump crabcakes, onion brie en croutes   Or you could stick to the old favorites. I’ve never met an artichoke or crab dip I didn’t like (love).  Who doesn’t like pigs in a blanket? spanikopita? mushroom toast points? cheese puffs? bacon cheese tartlets? No one.  And notice I’ve included vegetarians and vegans in my menu!  (And also note that I just got back from the frozen food section at Costco.)

Truth is, many of us would rather eat the comfort foods mentioned above (and anything with burnt cheese and/or bacon plus a shrimp or five) than Camembert mousse on rice wafers.  I know this because the party girl (me) watches as a slew of adults sneak over to the kids’ buffet at almost every event I do.

Invite me, the Party Girl, but hold the seafood curry in banana leaf, ok?

Have yourself a very happy holiday!

Invitation Indiscretions

Wow, people say some crazy things on their party invitations!  Not that we here at Party411 are the invitation police or etiquette detectives, but before you make an unforgivable faux pas, here’s a list of never evers (to do or say) as far as we’re concerned.

    The Money Tree.  There’s nothing tackier than going out on a limb (sorry, I couldn’t help myself) asking guests to provide dollar bills for a tree that is central to the party (even if it is beautiful and replacing the centerpiece on the buffet).  I don’t care if you want to send Ed and Edna on a cruise for their 50th anniversary or start little Larry’s college fund—it’s tacky and unforgivable.

    Birthday Pinning.  Just another thing that will have invitees thinking, “Wow, now that’s a bit much.”  And it won’t be because they have no safety pins.  Asking guests to bring dollar bills to pin to the birthday boy or girl (no matter what age) is the same as having a money tree only it’s human and it walks and talks.  Distasteful.

    Send Money.  We recently had a client who wanted to say something to this effect on her daughter’s wedding invitation:  “Bobbie Jean and Billy Bob would rather you send money not gifts.” A bit crude?  I’d say.  She might as well just say, “Bobbie Jean and Billy Bob are registered at Key Bank.”   That at least softens it a bit!

    Bring Gifts. Unless it’s a shower invitation listing where the mom- or bride-to-be is registered, it’s best not to mention bringing gifts at all. In other words, to be clear, noting on Pop’s retirement party invite where he shops for his John Deere accessories and/or hunting gear is déclassé (as is hunting for some of us).

    Dutch Treat.  These two words and “you’re invited” just don’t work well together in any situation.  When you want to gather friends and/or family to celebrate a milestone at a local restaurant and you wish to share the expense, say something like,  “Let’s all chip in to celebrate Angie’s 40th!” or “Angie’s turning 40!  Let’s celebrate!”  If you invite people, they might misinterpret your intentions and be shocked when you ask for separate checks!

Have any other questions?  Ask the party girl!

When it comes to Thanksgiving...I hate Squares

What started off several years ago with just my brother’s family has now turned into a real gathering of friends, bosom buddies and some not so bosom.

Even I, the ultimate party girl, have no idea how to seat 16 people in a way that they can all converse with each other.  A pet peeve of mine that dates back to my Sweet Sixteen when I couldn’t talk to anyone but the girls on either side of me at the party.  And I saw 16 a long, long time ago.

That said, I hate sitting in a booth in a restaurant, I hate squares and I hate those long things they call banquet tables.  I hate the fact that I can’t entertain everyone in the round not just the people across from me.  Thus, faced with 16 guests, I’m at a loss.  The largest round table I can rent only seats 12—and that’s with chairs for thin people; really thin people.  If I make a square out of two 8’ tables, with four on a side, it’s so big that when someone says, “pass the turkey”—the poor schlub whose job it is will think they are lifting weights at the neighborhood gym.

So the bottom line is I’m going to have all these people at my house, and I’ll have to play musical chairs to feel the good hostess.  Doesn’t seem fair but then I could be the 16# turkey that went to the chopping block.  Ugh.

Happy Thanksgiving.
    The Party Girl

New New Moon Celebrity Cutouts

Less than a week until New Moon arrives in theatre!  Are you on Team Edward or Team Jacob? 

Really, why should you have to choose?  We’re excited to announce that we now have new Twilight New Moon theme cardboard celebrity cutouts, including Jacob, Edward and even one of them both with Bella.

Along with these characters, we have cutouts of the Cullen family, the Volturi and other favorites from the books and now movies!  Check out the entire selection.

I might just have Jacob move into my office to keep Edward company.  They might not be thrilled, but I will…

Halloween Office Party

Tomorrow is Halloween as you all should be aware of.  We here at Party411 hope you have your costumes and candy ready to go.  As you know we always like to have a party whenever the reason fits.  Friday usually fits the bill but today we decided to celebrate Halloween.

We last dressed up for Talk Like a Pirate Day and today we were expecting the normal participants. However, we had participation from almost everybody.  As you can see we had a Santa, Charleston dancer, hilarious clown, gunless Queen Amidala, a married woman, scary monster and a pirate.

I have to say I’m impressed with the variety and quality of the costumes.  Amidala made her costume from scratch.  Yes you read that right, from scratch.  She even made her laser gun look like the one from the movies.  Any way you cut it, an impressive display.

It’s hard to ignore the scary monster.  Look at the detail; I’m impressed, as you should be too.  As he said, “People sure got out of my way on the road to work today.”  Looks like a sure fire way to get to work on time, even during Halloween.

We had the typical office grub of pizza, salad, and wings.  Amidala was nice enough to bring in punch.  She went so far as to scoop sherbet into each glass.  Attention to detail is why she would make a good queen.  Santa then brought cookies to all the good boys and girls in the office.  Hard to say, but this might be the best Halloween party I’ve ever been to.