Category: Entertaining Solutions

Simple Fall Centerpieces

8/24/2016

During the fall create more opportunities other than Thanksgiving to decorate your table by hosting a dinner party or Sunday dinner.
It is simple to dress up any table with these three suggestions.

Pumpkin Inspired

Small white pumpkins known as baby boos, candles, antlers and flowers brighten the table
and are simple, yet elegant.

Vegetable Inspired

Have you ever though of using vegetables to dress up your table? Cut the asparagus and green beans the appropriate length for the candle. Place a rubber band around the candle and slide green beans and asparagus through. Once you have finished arranging, cover the rubber band with satin ribbon. To set candle inside artichoke, just simply core out the center and slide candle inside. Add white flowers and additional votives and your table is complete.

Apple Inspired

Tea light candles are the perfect choice for this project.

Before beginning, soak apples in apple cider vinegar. This will keep the apples from browning,
This trick works for keeping your pumpkins looking fresh as well.

Core the center of the apple, either with an apple corer or a melon baller.
Place a tea light inside, arrange the apples on pieces of bark and your centerpiece is complete.

You can also place the apples and tea lights in water for a floating centerpiece.
If your dinner is outdoors, place apples inside the pool for a beautiful glow.

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Summertime Sweetness

7/17/2016

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A simple entertaining solution for summer that works for kids of all ages is a milk & cookie bar. This is a perfect set up for outdoor parties by the pool because they take seconds to eat and leave only crumbs behind.

Use beach buckets and frisbees as serving platters for your cookie bar, along with galvanized buckets for drinks.
Everyone knows milk goes with cookies, so have iced individual cartons on hand. Don't forget to have water available for those guests who are lactose intolerant.
In order to error on the side of safety in regards to nut allergies be 100% sure there are NO NUTS in anything you serve. Either make them yourself or order them from a bakery. Whatever you do, do not buy store bought cookies, as majority of them do not disclose if they were made in the same bakery as those containing nuts.

Milk & Cookie Bar

Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (about 12 ounces) semisweet and/or milk chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to one week.

Chewy Sugar Cookies

INGREDIENTS

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups margarine

2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup white sugar for decoration

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients until just blended. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls and roll the balls in remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets and flatten slightly.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned at the edges. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

No Bake Chocolate Crunch Cookie

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons red liquid food coloring
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Parchment paper
2 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1/4 cup white chocolate morsels, melted according to package directions and cooled
Garnish: white chocolate morsels

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 325°. Beat butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add egg and food coloring; beat 30 seconds.
Sift flour with next 2 ingredients in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed until combined. Stir in vanilla.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls, and place 1/2 inch apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Press thumb or end of a wooden spoon into each ball, forming an indentation.
Bake at 325° for 10 to 15 minutes or until cookies are fragrant and dry. While cookies are still warm, press indentations again. Cool cookies completely on a wire rack (about 30 minutes).
Stir together cream cheese and melted white chocolate in a small bowl. Fill centers of cookies with cream cheese mixture.

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A Superhero Birthday

7/8/2016

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Who wouldn't want a super hero birthday party?
Here are a few ideas to make your birthday party a success!

Dress Up
Provide capes, shields, masks, and weapons of your child's favorite superheroes.

Provide superhero themed food
Use jello as kryptonite, fruit and marshmallows to make Captain America's shield, flag subs with phrases from the classic comic books, fill cones with "power pretzels," and thinly slice "veggies of virtue" for both children and adults to enjoy.

Use frames and superhero themed scrapbook paper to make it easy to give these everyday foods superhero themed names.

Let them eat cake!
Whether professionally done, or homemade like the one above, add superhero catch phrases to give your cake that classic feel. BAM, BOOM, KAPOW!!

Document your memories
Use a photo booth to capture images of all of your guests. Use selfie sticks to get group shots and set up a superhero news cam for guests to report superhero sightings.

Provide activities
Bounce houses are always a favorite and can give your superhero the feeling that they can "fly." Use Hulk fists and have a cone crushing contest. My personal favorite, give every child a can of "Spidey string" and tell them there is a villain on the loose. Once they find the villain, let them attack. This will be the highlight of the party, so save it for the end.

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desireésolutions

Simple Fall Centerpieces

Pumpkin Inspired

Vegetable Inspired

Apple Inspired

Summertime Sweetness

Milk & Cookie Bar

Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chewy Sugar Cookies

No Bake Chocolate Crunch Cookie

A Superhero Birthday

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