Archive for the 'Parties + Entertaining' Category

While I love board games and have a whole shelf dedicated to the boxes we’ve collected, I am all about handmade games specific to a holiday or theme. We only had time to play The Newlywed Game out of the two I prepared, but here are both for some inspiration. :]

[Newlywed Questions]

These sites [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] were a great starting point for question ideas. Here are a few of the ones we had:

For the girls to write:
. What is your husband’s most prized possession?
. Who takes longer to get ready in the morning?
. If your husband was lost, he would: a) stop and buy a map b) ask you for directions c) stop and ask for directions d) pretend not to be lost
. What is your husband’s favorite late night snack?
. Name one activity your husband does with you only because he loves you.

For the guys to write:
. What will your wife say is your most annoying habit?
. How will your wife complete this sentence: My husband has more _____ than anyone else I know.
. What is your wife’s shoe size?
. How many cousins does your wife have?
. What is your wife’s favorite nickname for you?

A few scenes and tidbits from a little shindig we hosted yesterday [love Monday night parties], celebrating all things love…

Here’s a little somethin’ somethin’ I’ve been working on for Valentine’s Day… ;]

Have a lovely Tuesday!

How can it be that Christmas is just a couple days away? Gah! It snuck up on me again. So let’s talk feasting and pretty tables. First, how gorgeous is this purple for Christmas? It’s totally underrated and so luxurious – in both a traditional and modern setting. And this menu is my dream meal. Well, one of them anyway. It’s a combination of great food memories from delicious Christmases past and new things to try (like oozing molten chocolate cakes a la mode).

if anyone knows the credit for [1], please let me know, [2] via pinterest

My fascination with telegrams began early. I can still remember watching The Sound of Music, imagining I was Leisl, sneaking out to sing and dance in gazebos with Rolf whenever he delivered telegrams to the Von Trapp mansion.

In an age of texts and emails, with all its convenience and speed, we crave methods of communication that are more personal, and even from another time. When I found TelegramStop, I gasped that something so cool existed and immediately began making a list of telegram recipients. You can send one to anyone in the world for $5.85. It’s made to look like a classic telegram and even replaces periods with the word stop (punctuation cost more), just like the old days. You can send a memorable note to friends and family for the holidays, send a party invitation, an announcement, a save-the-date, or just say hello. And boys, if you want to impress your sweetheart, this is pretty much a home run.

Happy Tuesday!

We won’t be hosting Thanksgiving this year, but seeing so much inspiration on my favorite food blogs and websites has prompted this hypothetical menu. If I were hosting, this is probably what I would serve. Preparation time is way less than a typical Thanksgiving feast; it’s simple yet sophisticated, traditional and non-traditional all at the same time. My favorite part? There’s a food color scheme. And food color schemes rock my socks. [Is that normal?] I’m picturing this all on a minimalist, modern tablescape with lots of whites and touches of browns and creams.

[photo via Apartment Therapy]

[recipes: soup, turkey, string beans (or parsnips or white asparagus), mashed potatoes, gravy, dessert]

Scouting the web for Thanksgiving tablescape ideas, I came across this – and still haven’t recovered. Featured on Style Me Pretty and captured by Jose Villa, Jessica Claire’s wedding is a true feast for the eyes. Hands down, it’s the most beautiful harvest themed wedding I’ve ever seen! Not only is the table decor amazing and inspiring for your own gathering, but the colors and details woven throughout the entire wedding are jaw-droppingly gorgeous. These flower girls? Oh. My. Goodness.

[photos by Jose Villa featured by Style Me Pretty]
More details here, here, here, and here.

How fun would these be for a modern Thanksgiving tablescape?

[by Owen Gildersleeve :: found via unruly things]

Friends mingled as heavenly aromas of cinnamon, nutmeg, and apples baking in buttery dough drifted from the kitchen. These little pies would be served warm, with a mini dollop of vanilla bean ice cream right on top. At least that’s what I envisioned. While I didn’t get a chance to make for these for the party, they made a delicious Sunday morning treat for me and Andrew. And there’s nothing better than dessert for breakfast – especially mini apple pies on a crisp fall morning.

I usually cut the butter first, then put it back in the fridge so it remains firm while I mix the dry ingredients. Cold bits of butter in your dough = maximum flakiness. And I love using a pastry blender rather than a food processor so I can feel the texture of the dough changing. Ok maybe it’s also because I’m lazy and hate taking the food processor out of the closet, then taking it out of the box, washing the bowl, blade and awkwardly shaped top thingy, waiting for them to dry, putting them back in the box, then back in the closet. See? Even saying it is exhausting.

Fruit wrapped in buttery dough, especially free-form like this, is one of my favorite things in the world.

Read more…

After a crazy and fun weekend of cooking, partying, and marathon spectating [congratulations to my amazing brother and everyone who ran in the Marine Corps Marathon - you are my heroes], I am proud to present my very first dessert table from our fabulous Halloween soiree. Since it’s not holiday specific, it would be a great addition to any fall party.

I ended up sticking to my black/brown/white theme, but took at least 4 desserts out from the original plan. Yes, I’m a crazy person – I was going to make even more. But everything you see here was easily doable in less than a week, even with coming home late from work.

[Sunday] – made grocery list and went shopping for all baking ingredients and candy

[Monday] – homemade oreos – stored at room temperature in airtight container. [served with milk for dunking, of course]

[Tuesday] – pecan squares – covered and refrigerated

[Wednesday] – snickerdoodle blondies – stored at room temperature in airtight container. (these became very dry by Saturday. I either baked them too long or they should be made closer to the event day)

[Thursday] – made galette dough (can be refrigerated up to 2 days before baking) for mini apple galettes that I never got a chance to assemble and bake during the party. recipe coming soon

[Friday] – chocolate cake with white chocolate mocha frosting – recipe coming soon

[Saturday morning] – mini bourbon sweet potato cupcakes with vanilla bourbon cream cheese frosting – recipe coming soon

Then the food… oh, the food. With the help and expertise of my amazing sisters-in-law, we served this mouth-watering finalized menu:

[1] prosciutto and asiago with sliced baguette

[2] homemade pesto with grape tomato and mozzarella skewers

[3] chilled beef tenderloin on crostini with horseradish sauce and chives

[4] gnocchi in quattro formaggi sauce

[5] butternut squash soup sips [in these adorable things] with mini toasts

[6] cocktail meatballs in marinara sauce

[7] seared cheddar polenta rounds with bbq chicken and avocado sauce

We learned quite a bit about planning and execution in this area as well, but for making all this in just a few hours, the day of, and making time to get into costume, everything came off without a hitch.

Happy Tuesday, everyone! And a very Happy [THIRTY-FIRST!] Birthday to Andrew – I love you!