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Archive for the ‘Entertaining Ideas’ Category

The Sweetest Wedding Favors

Posted in Entertaining at Home, Family, Musings, tagged , , on July 8, 2010| 6 Comments »

A few weeks ago Hubby and I escaped, ran away, packed our bags and got out of Dodge, made a mad getaway…  we went on vacation! And it was awesome.

But before our official vacation fun began, we made a detour of a few hundred miles so we could 1. spend Father’s Day with our dads and 2. attend the wedding of my cousin’s first born, dearly loved son. I’m so glad we did.

As you may or may not know, I love weddings. Absolutely, cotton-picking love weddings. I love the emotion, the joy, the laughter, the wedding songs, the beautifully-wrapped gifts and the cake, particularly if it is chocolate.

This wedding that united Chance and Veronica in wedded bliss was so much fun – and so very sweet.

Mother of the Groom, my cousin Julie, is on the right - the cute one laughing. If I had to get stiffed on all the good genes, I'm glad she's the one who got my share.

The mother of the groom, my sweet cousin Julie, was very gracious and lovely. Not that I’d expect her to be anything else. She is one of those people you’d love to hate because not only is she is perky and gorgeous, she is also hysterically funny, sweet, sincere, genuine and beautiful. Yeah, I’m not sure how we could possibly be blood relation because looking at us you’d see absolutely no family resemblance at all. I think Julie got my share of all the cute and fun genes.

The newlyweds prepare to leave the church via a buggy ride.

Anyway, the wedding was casual, relaxed and lovely. Then we all loaded up in our cars, left the church and drove out to Julie’s home. Not everyone could accommodate several hundred guests descending on their home like ants on a picnic, but Julie and her husband Wally did a swell job of making everyone feel welcome.

The first dance for Chance and Veronica.

We enjoyed a splendid feast, cheered as the newlyweds cut the cake, listened to amusing and touching toasts from the best man and maid of honor and watched the first and second dance. It was fantastic.

The groom and his mother share a dance while the bride danced with the father of the groom.

I think my favorite thing of all were these little packets of seeds that were handed out as we signed the guest book.

The front of the packet has their names and wedding date.

But the back is what made my heart melt. It says "Everytime you give these flowers a glance, please remember that Veronica loves Chance." Not only sweet, but what a clever idea!

Thanks to Julie and Wally for welcoming us to your home and being so gracious. Thanks to Chance and Veronica for allowing us to be a part of your special day,  and for the flowers that will indeed make me remember this special wedding every time I see a bloom.

Best Wishes!

Shanna

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Summer Entertaining Essentials

Posted in Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas, tagged , , on July 6, 2010| Leave a Comment »

If you are planning to do some entertaining this summer, make sure you have a basic “toolkit” of summer entertaining essentials. It will make your life so much easier and your entertaining efforts so much simpler.

Ice and Beverages – I can’t stress this enough, but make sure you have plenty of ice and beverages on hand. When you think you’ve purchased all you need, buy a little bit more. You’ll be glad you did. In addition to whatever fun summer beverages you are serving, make sure to have an ample supply of ice water available – be it in pitchers or bottles. Encourage guests to stay hydrated. If you are serving one specific beverage, try a beverage server. It will keep your drinks cold for a couple of hours, make self-service a snap and it looks really nice! Also, if you are intointeresting party drinks, keep some fun sugar on hand to rim the glasses and offer lemon wedges, maraschino cherries, peach slices and mint to garnish drinks.

Chairs – Again, when you think you have all you need, set out a few more. There is nothing worse than being at a party and not being able to sit down to chat. Create groupings or set them around a fire ring, but just make sure you have enough.

Trash Cans – If you put them out, people will use them. One easy way to clean up after a party is to have a trash station set up. Have a trash can and another container for recyclables (lined with trash bags, of course), provide a pan or basket to collect dirty utensils and have a tray or container to hold used plates and glassware. Your guests will gladly  throw away their trash and pile in their plates and forks if you give them an easy way to do it.

Shade – If you are entertaining outdoors, check out what shade is available at the time you have designated for your party a few days before the event. Is there adequate shade for everyone. Do you need to get a few lawn umbrellas or maybe invest in or rent a tent? If your yard is lacking in shade think about how you can create some. If you are on a tight budget but have the willingness to get creative, something as simple as a sheet tacked to corners of the house and some stakes in the yard can create temporary shade.

Barbecue Grill – Make sure if you are barbecuing that the grill is in a safe place. Do not reuse plates or utensils that touched raw meat.

Napkins, Towels and Hand-Wipes – Between drippy hamburgers and juicy watermelon, summer entertaining seems to call for more napkins. Have plenty available. You may want to also have paper towels on a stand set out or a container of hand-wipes. A great place for the paper towels and hand-wipes is at your trash station.

Keep Food at the Right Temperature – A good rule of thumb is to never let food sit out more than two hours and in the summer heat, that time frame should be even less. Keep cold foods cool by nestling serving bowls into bowls or pans filled with ice. If you don’t want guests to see the ice pans, put a drape over them before setting in bowls. This not only keeps food cool, but also creates a nice element of visual interest on your buffet table. Keep hot foods hot by bringing out a hot plate, using a crock pot or warming bricks and laying them under the warm dishes. My own rule of thumb after a party is “if in doubt, throw it out.” Don’t try to save food, especially containing things like mayo, if it has set out too long.

Condiments are Important – Have a variety of condiments including everything from ketchup to pickles and keep them well-stocked. And for goodness sakes, buy mayo not salad dressing. Your guests will definitely thank you!. For the 10-rules of condiments, check it out here.

The Extras – If you do a lot of outdoor entertaining, have a basket that contains bug spray, hats, fans and sunscreen and set it out where guests can easily find what they need.

Happy and Safe Entertaining!

Shanna

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Cupcake Flag

Posted in Entertaining at Home, Holiday Recipes, Holidays, tagged , , , on July 2, 2010| 4 Comments »

Patriotic Cupcake Flag

Here we are, ready to start our entertaining for the 4th of July with barbecues, picnics, and so much more.

If you are looking for an easy but attention-getting dessert, try making a cupcake flag. So simple and easy to make and even easier to serve!

Enjoy!

Ingredients for Cupcake Flag

Line a muffin tin with patriotic cupcake liners.

The baked cupcakes, looking so uniform and delicious, just waiting for the cream cheese frosting.

The frosted cupcakes.... oh, the temptation.

The cupcakes in all their berry bedazzled glory.

Cupcake Flag

1 box Betty Crocker French Vanilla Cake Mix

1 1/3 cups water

1/2 cup oil

3 eggs

1 cup raspberries, washed and dried

1 cup blueberries, washed and dried

1/2 cup flaked and sweetened coconut

Cream Cheese Frosting (you can make your own or use it out of a can. The homemade version is sooo good, I encourage you to try it! The recipe is below.)

Combine cake mix, water, eggs and oil.  Line a muffin tin with patriotic cupcake liners. Fill cups with batter and bake according to  directions for cupcakes on back of box.

While the cupcakes are baking, mix up your cream cheese frosting, wash and dry the berries and try not to eat all the frosting before the cupcakes come out of the oven.

Once cupcakes are out of the oven and cooled, frost with cream cheese frosting and line up on a large serving tray. Place blueberries for the stars on the cupcakes in the left-hand corner and alternate rows of raspberries and coconut on the rest of the cupcakes to make the stripes for the flag. Make sure your outside rows are raspberries.

Try not to eat the cupcakes before the guests arrive or pick off the berries now covered in delicious frosting!

Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

1 box powdered sugar

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine all ingredients until smooth and creamy.

Wishing you all a very Happy and Safe 4th of July!

Happy Entertaining!

Shanna

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Celebrating the 4th of July

Posted in Family, Holidays, Musings, tagged , , on July 1, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I was in a totally weird, nostalgic mood the other day and started to reflect on all the things that make me think of the 4th of July.

Besides the obvious like barbecues, fireworks and flying flags, there were several things that brought back fun memories.

The small town we occasionally frequented when we escaped life on the farm always “put on the dog” (as my Grandma liked to say) for the 4th of July. They didn’t get overly excited for any other holiday, but the 4th of July was when they pulled out all the stops and visitors would actually come to town.

The fun usual began on July 1 and ended the 4th of July – depending on the days of the week. But you could count on four days of excitement every summer.

There were events in the park, a rodeo every night, a suicide race that always made my mom nearly faint (and I’m sure that couldn’t be attributed to the participation of family members in said event), and a parade.

Dad's car is the turquoise one in the lead. My brother is drooling over the car behind dads.

Usually one, if not more, family members would participate in the parade. In later years, my brother and dad joined the car club and drove their old cars. Dad has a 1959 Chevy Bel Air that is his pride and joy. If there is a parade, he is in it. It is a lot of fun for us to watch and cheer him on from the sidelines.

One year my brother wanted to play old-time music from his car while driving it along the parade route, so I played “In the Good Ol’ Summertime” on the piano so many times for him to record it (remember back before you could download any song you wanted in less than 60 seconds?) that I have yet to make peace with it again.

Way back in the days when I worked for the local newspaper, I used to walk the entire parade route before it started snapping photos, then Hubby and I would camp out at the end of the parade and wait for Dad to drive by.

The rodeo was another highlight of my 4th of July memories. The first one I remember going to was when I was maybe 5 or 6. Dad took me to the local saddle shop, which also sold all sorts of wonderful western things like boots, hats and belts. That is where I first learned to appreciate the smell of leather. I remember getting a belt with a shiny silver buckle. A tiny little gold saddle was in the middle of the buckle. I loved that thing. I felt like a genuine cowgirl whenever I put it on. I also remember having a little purple suede purse and some brown cowboy boots. Boy, it was awesome!

Also during my newspaper days, I’d go to the rodeo every night and take oodles of photos. Taking the photos meant we always had great seats and were up close to the action. My mother would start gasping during the saddle bronc event and would be practically comatose by the time the bull riding ended. I don’t think she ever really enjoyed the rodeo. The rest of us were hungry for adventure and ready for excitement. The rodeo never failed to provide either. Those were some really good times.

We always had a barbecue on the 4th – either at our house or at one of my aunt’s homes. We’d all eat until we were stuffed then hurry off to the parade followed by the rodeo. There were fireworks shows to be watched after the rodeo, but we most often went home and created our own display of fireworks that mostly involved poppers, sparklers, ground flowers and bottle rockets.

The 4th of July was never complete unless we had a bunch of Idaho Spud bars, chilled in the fridge to snack on between barbecue fests. You can read about why I love these candy bars here.

What good memories do you have of the 4th of July? Family traditions?

Whatever you do to celebrate the 4th this year, be it some savvy entertaining at home or just hanging out with friends, may it be a safe, fun, and memorable celebration for you!

Happy Entertaining!

Shanna

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