May is National Barbecue Month and Memorial Day Weekend is the unofficial start of summer. So here’s a fired up party menu that puts your BBQ to work, and gets you out of the kitchen! Get out of the kitchen and away from the stove this season. We have come up with an easy, affordable and delicious Outdoor Party Menu: including appetizer, main, side, dessert and cocktail! Each recipe features grilled ingredients and stars
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Make Memorial Day memorable this year and pick party activities for the kids that are fun and meaningful. Without the sacrifice of our brave soldiers, we would not have an opportunity to celebrate this holiday as freely as we wish. With that in mind try out these ideas and activities and celebrate the red, white and blue! Here’s a bonus: How happy are you when you arrive at a party and there’s an activity all
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Here is a pretty way to add a burst of color and some fun to your table and home this spring. Create fun pinwheels that pull double duty as party décor and favors. They are perfect for spring soirees, children’s birthday parties and showers. It’s an easy and fun project for the kids! Start with a colored sheet of paper. Cut it into a perfect square. Use thin paper so that the pinwheel will
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Caesars Entertainment Atlantic City will proudly present the Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival’s fifth annual celebration, beginning Thursday, July 25, with events taking place throughout the weekend.The four-day culinary and spirits festival, will feature a star-studded roster of the world’s most renowned culinary experts and TV personalities, including Robert Irvine, Rocco DiSpirito and The Neelys, and more. Festival guests will have access to events at all four Caesars Entertainment resorts and casinos –
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Dishing with Padma was like discovering a kindred spirit. She, like us, truly believes the most important quality in a host is the mood they set, not the food on their table. Although, the food and wine enhance a party, it’s the host that give it life and energy. We had Padma’s undivided attention, during our private 30 minute interview, and by the end, we were simply three hosts who love entertaining in their homes
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reposting for GRADUATION TIME! Add some fun sweets to your graduation celebration with these simple and special Graduation Cap inspired cupcakes. They’ll be the hit of your party and they are so easy to make. Simply turn your cupcakes on their heads and dress them up for graduation day with a mortarboard. Ingredients 1 box chocolate cake mix (+ ingredients listed on box for preparation) 1 can prepared vanilla frosting 1 bag Pull ‘n’ Peel
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As bloggers, Elizabeth and I get treated to some very special events. The Godiva Spirits Mother’s Day Celebration was definitely one of them. The decadent luncheon for bloggers (who happen to be Moms too) was held at NYC hot spot, A Voce Columbus. Executive Chef, Missy Robbins presented elegant appetizers and a 3-course lunch, featuring her mother’s signature dishes. Chef paired each course with a Godiva cocktail as a special way to pay tribute
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We did some polling of friends and family here at The Party Bluprints Blog and discovered that a large majority of you participate in activities (parades, fairs, races, baseball games…) on Memorial Day, before heading home to host a celebration for family and friends. With that in mind, we have come up with a stress-free party solution for you - A “Make-Ahead” Memorial Day Menu! It can pretty much be done the day before, leaving
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Repost… Tea Parties are a wonderful way for girls and women of all ages to connect. They’re perfect for celebrating Mother’s Day, but also make for a magnificent baby shower, a teenage birthday or women’s club get-together. Be inspired by the feminine spirit of the Tea Party we all loved as young girls. Mix and match modern and traditional elements to fit the celebration. Below are recipes and tips for hosting this Par-Tea! Tea Sandwiches
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Celebrity caterer, Andrea Correale, president and owner of Elegant Affairs Catering, is sharing her Cinco De Mayo menu with us today. In honor of the holiday, Andrea has created several fun, easy and beyond delicious recipes inspired by traditional Mexican dishes. Hope you enjoy! Spanish Rice Stuffed Bell Peppers Ingredients 1 – 6 oz. package Spanish Rice 1 – 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained 1 – 1/2 cups water 6 – red bell peppers
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Image credit to: SkipToMyLou.org Today is May Day so celebrate with a May Day Tussie Mussie! Here’s a link for a simple cone and gift tag from SkipToMyLou.org - may-day-cone-template . The site is beautiful check it out! Ideas from Elizabeth.. For centuries, May Day, May 1st, has been celebrated by many cultures around the world through many different traditions. You may have heard of a Maypole, well, its’ big day was May Day. People
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Hosted by Dana Holmes of Gifts.com How would you like to “Hangout” with some amazing people and win prizes for doing it? Gifts.com is hosting a Google Plus Hangout where they will be chatting with the experts about our ultimate Mother’s Day dreams and most awkward Mother’s Day nightmares. Get Mother’s Day gift advice, get your voice heard, or both! How to participate and win: Join Google+ if you haven’t already Follow Gifts.com’s Google+ Page
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Red Velvet cake is a favorite in our house – there’s something about it that just says “special”. So when I was whipping up a cake for my mom’s birthday, Red Velvet was a natural choice and she LOVES chocolate so I decided to “incorporate” oreos into my cake. It was fun and she loved it, so did the kids! Print Monagrammed Birthday Cake Author: Elizabeth Mascali Recipe type: Dessert Ingredients 2 – 8” or 9”
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Mother’s Day is around the corner and brunch is the perfect way to celebrate. Brunch is also a great way to host many other occasions. Brunches can be a fun, enjoyable and a budget-friendly way to entertain. Follow our Brunch Basics Guide below… 3 Practical & Easy Tips For A Stress-Free and Successful Brunch 1. Serve the right balance of breakfast and lunch foods. Why? Your guests will fall into 1 of 3 categories:
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Celebrate EARTH DAY and impart the LESSONS OF THE LORAX on your party guests. Children are the hope for the future and are eager to be stewards of our planet. Dr. Seuss’ Lorax makes a PERFECT PARTY theme for young children. Not only has the movie made the story hot and the characters more beloved than ever, the Lorax is a perfect parable for fostering a more eco-freindly, green economy and way of life. The
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Martha Stewart is having a party at JCP and I’m impressed. Prices are a bit more expensive than the versions on Etsy.com or elsewhere, however the one-stop shopping and cool inspirations make it worth the extra bucks. Cheers Martha – love it! Head on over and check it out>
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Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest. —Larry Lorenzoni Who doesn’t love a birthday celebration? A birthday is one day devoted to celebrating a human being’s presence in this world and is one day that you should celebrate “you”! Frequently Mothers don’t get a proper birthday celebration because, let’s be honest, many times we have to plan them ourselves and it doesn’t feel right. However,
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Four Fabulous Party Pairings! I had lots of fun today pairing some of my favorite cocktails with gorgeous dresses. The cocktail recipes are from Godiva Spirits – each is fabulous and deserves a party of its own. The dresses are from Piperlime, my go-to online site for fashion. If time allowed, I would host four Springtime Soirees so that I could feature each signature cocktail and have a chance to wear each dress. However,
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THE BASICS Martini Making: The king of all martinis is the “basic martini”. It is a symbol of elegance and adult recreation. Those who are passionate about their martini fall into one of 2 camps: (1) those who believe there’s only one real martini and it’s made with gin, and (2) those who believe a vodka martini is a real martini. Since the camps are always split, make sure you serve both versions at your
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Spring is such a wonderful time to entertain. The weather is nice, it’s light for longer and in general people’s spirits seem lighter too. Here is a great menu I found at Williams Sonoma, that really got me excited to host a dinner party. This party will be all about the food, sitting at the table for a few hours and enjoying conversation over a delightful meal. The menu highlights several seasonal spring foods
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As Featured in Kroger’s Spring Mailer “MyMagazine” Supermarket floral departments can be a great resource for creating affordable flower arrangements to decorate your home. We love shopping the supermarket for a few bouquets of flowers and then seeing just how many arrangements we can create to decorate the house when prepping for a party. It’s actually quite easy to become a savvy shopper and DIY your own flower arrangements: shop the supermarket floral department for
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Here is a “BEST” from Betty Crocker for the kids table. These Easter cupcakes are simple to make yet special to serve and certainly have a WOW FACTOR! Plus make sure to check out the Betty Crocker Site for more wonderful recipes at BettyCrocker.com> Easter Basket Cupcakes Ingredients 1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® yellow cake mix Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box 1 container (12 oz) Betty Crocker® Whipped fluffy
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Planning a baby shower? Looking for a fun activity for your guests? Here’s a great idea: a personalized crossword for your guests to test their knowledge of the Mom-To-Be! You can also hand write the answers in and frame it as a special gift that can hang in a nursery. There are other styles available too, plus coordinating party items and matching invites. Available on Etsy.com at the KreativeCupcake Shop>
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Photo Credit: Alexandra Mascali Try these simple, yet special Deviled Egg Chicks for Easter this year. They will be the stars of the table! Chick Deviled Eggs Ingredients 6 large eggs, hardboiled and cooled 2 tbsp. mayonnaise 1 tsp. Dijon mustard salt and pepper, to taste 12 small Raisinetes (or raisins) 1 candied orange slice grated lemon peel 12 Cheez-Its Instructions Peel eggs. Slice bottom off each egg so it will sit flat. Slice top
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Post and images by Elizabeth Dawn and I were honored to be two of the 50 Wine Sisters (there were also 3 Wine Misters) in attendance at the 2013 Wine Sisterhood Gathering in Napa earlier this month. We love Napa, food & wine, a good party and we knew we would love sharing it all with our Wine Sisters! The 2013 Wine Sisterhood Gathering was such a rich experience on so many different levels. We
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Don’t go mad this March trying to host family and friends for last minute fun. Make it happen and join in on the action with this game plan for a last minute pop-up viewing party. Three weeks of tournament play provides dozens of opportunities to view and celebrate the games of the NCAA® Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament. To keep things simple and stress-free, I headed to Walgreens to scout out and test
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Here is a roundup of some really special and unique dessert ideas for Saint Patrick’s Day from around the web. Saint Patrick’s Day is Sunday this year so it we have special opportunity to celebrate with family and friends. Kids and adults alike will love the recipes below and it’s a festive way to mark the day. Below are the links and credits for each dessert – when you visit make sure to check out
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It’s most definitely the greenest holiday of the year, so as you Plan to Party this Saint Patrick’s Day wear green, Go GREEN! Try our six super tips and spread the “Luck of the Irish” to Mother Earth too! On St. Patrick’s Day, be truly green when you drink beer. Try organic, buy local, purchase a keg instead of cans and bottles, or use growlers* Go green with electronic invitations, save paper and all the
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These easy-to-make desserts are the brainchild of Lauryn Cohen, founder of Bella Baker. Each mouthwatering treat is red carpet worthy and a blockbuster idea for your Oscar party! You can find the recipes at Lauryn’s Blog here> Lincoln Top Hat Cookies – best picture nominee! Bow Tie Cake Pops Zero Dark Thirty Dark Chocolate Doughnuts – best picture nominee! Oscar Statue Cookies Red Carpet Cake Push Pops Silver Linings Playbook’s Philadelphia Cream Cheese Cake Bites
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The Governors Ball, the most coveted Oscars® after-party invite, serves up Hollywood glam and is a foodies’ dream! For the 19th year in a row, Wolfgang Puck, chef to the stars will produce a blockbuster menu for the Governors Ball. The celebrity chef, along with chef Matt Bencivenga, has created a menu featuring more than 50 imaginative dishes, from one-bite hors d’oeuvres to small-plate entrees that will be passed throughout the evening. This is a
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Try A Mini-Muff For Mardi Gras At Home! Muffuletta sandwiches are a wonderful New Orleans tradition. These famous sandwiches are served throughout the city, and particularly in the restaurants along Decatur Street in New Orleans’ Old French Quarter. Traditionally, this sandwich is served on 8 inch round, 2 inch thick, crusty Italian bread made in New Orleans, especially for the Muffuletta Sandwich (A Muff). However, Muffuletta bread is hard to find outside of New Orleans,
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If you want to throw a party Downton Abbey style, a tea party is the proper choice! Gather the girls together and go for it, dress the part if you like, and enjoy an afternoon of tea and conversation. Below is a menu with recipes for a trio of tea sandwiches, and our Teacup Cakes dessert idea. All proper English fare! Plus, we have tons of tips for setting up your own ‘tea bar’. Go
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Join us and Moll Anderson as we share romantic tips, recipes and table settings to create a Valentine’s Day you’ll always remember! We’re joining forces with Moll Anderson, lifestyle and romance expert, author and TV personality to make your afternoon a little bit hotter! We’ll be sharing romantic tips, recipes and table settings from Moll’s latest book, Seductive Tables For Two with YOU! Moll Anderson will be joining us LIVE to chat, her spirit and
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Can’t get down to New Orleans? No worries, host a party at home with these easy ideas straight from the ‘Big Easy’! February 12th is Fat Tuesday, the culmination and last day of the Mardi Gras celebration. Just because you can’t make it down to New Orleans, doesn’t mean you can’t party Mardi Gras style. You can easily turn a regular weeknight into a special one! Here are a few ways to celebrate what is
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