Ahoy Matey, It's a Pirate Birthday

It has been pointed out that I have not given equal time for boy’s birthday parties. For that I apologize. Without further ado, I present a boy’s party.

What boy doesn’t a some time or another enjoy being a pirate?

Invitation: Sadly I couldn't upload the invitation I sent out. I'm still trying to figure out what the problem is. What you are seeing is the thank you note that we used. If you would like to see the invitation, please look at it on my website at http://www.invitetheparty.com/. As with most of the invitations I design for my kids, they end up on my website.

Crafts: I always like the kids to decorate their own goodie bags. I give them plain white bags from the craft store and then put out lots of markers and stickers. They can decorate any way they think a pirate theme should be.

We decorated blank bandannas but Oriental Trading now has lots of fun pirate crafts to choose from.

Games: The kids always love a treasure hunt. I end up doing them at every party because it is always requested. Having a treasure hunt helps you in two ways

1) You don’t have to assemble goody bags before hand
2) It takes up a lot of party time for the treasure hunt.

Depending on the age of the child, there are different ways to give clues to find a treasure box.

1) For younger kids, I have taken pictures of the location of the treasure boxes. That way they try to figure out the location from the picture.
2) I’ve given clues that would say, hop 10 times or take 15 steps to the left. It helps with the party fun to be able to jump, hop or crawl.
3) Another fun one is to rip up the clues and put them in different balloons. They have to pop the balloons and then all the kids get together in order to put the clues together.

The key is the make it interesting for your age group. I usually put out about six treasure boxes with goodies or candy in them.

Another game is the piñata. My son’s birthday is in March and I still send them outside for the Piñata.

Pin the Eye Patch on the Pirate.

You can also put tattoo on the kids. What’s a pirate without a tattoo?

Paper Goods: There are so many different kinds of paper goods for a pirate party that it really is up to you.

Cake: I made the cake following Family Fun’s Pirate Cake recipe. They even have a video how-to so definitely check it out. http://www.familyfun.com/

I certainly had fun doing this birthday. There are so many ways to go with this, I just hope this helps you get your creative juices flowing. If you have any questions, let me know.

Elizabeth

My New Invitation Designs

I just thought I would show some of my new invitation designs I just posted on my website, http://www.invitetheparty.com/. No story just hawking my wears. I know, shameless.

Elizabeth

No Cook Summer Spaghetti Sauce

I was reading Ruth Daniels blog (onceuponafeast.blogspot.com) and she has been doing something called Presto Pasta Nights. The recipes look delicious so I decided to enter one of my recipe.

I know people will find this hard to believe, but New Jersey has the best tomatoes. We are called the Garden State for goodness sake. So with summer here, I feel need to give out my Summer Pasta recipe. The thing about this recipe is if you want to add more add it, if you don’t then don’t. You can’t make a mistake with this because it’s personal preference. The only thing you cook is the pasta.

Fresh mozzarella cheese (about 6 oz or more if you like.) cut into bite size pieces
Tomatoes (about 4) cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
2-4 cloves garlic (depending on how much you like garlic, personally I love it)
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound spaghetti

Make spaghetti as per package instructions. Place cooked pasta and all the ingredients in a large bowl. Combine together and serve. It’s great with a salad and Italian bread.

Even if you don’t have Jersey Tomatoes you will enjoy it.

Elizabeth
www.invitetheparty.com

Princess Birthday Party

My daughter was asking me questions the other day about the Princess Party I threw for her when she was 5. I asked her why all the questions and she said that her friends little sister wanted to have a Princess Party for her birthday. I realized that maybe other families could use some ideas.

Invitations: As you see these are the invitations that I made for her. They were such a big hit, I put them on my website. Each turret is hand glittered. Girls and glitter, need I say more.

Food: I had finger sandwiches.

Decorations: I went a little crazy at this party, but it was well worth it. I bought the plastic wine glasses that and hot glued jewels on them. The girls just loved them and wanted to take them home.

Cake: I found the most fabulous Castle Birthday Cake to make on www.familyfun.com

Crafts: What’s a Princess Party without crowns. Make your life easier, you can buy the kits at www.orientaltrading.com.

Games: We played “Pin the Crown on the Princess” and Pass the Parcel.

What girl (or woman) doesn't want to hold court and be a Princess for the Day.

Hope this helps,

Elizabeth
www.invitetheparty.com

Rosemary-Grilled Shrimp with Tuscan Bean Salad

A friend called me to figure out how to plan "Fourth of July" party. She had me design her Fourth of July invitations. The invitation to your party really sets the theme. She then said that she didn't want to have the same old thing menu. I gave her my never fail "Rosemary-Grilled Shrimp with Tuscan Bean Salad". This is the recipe that people LOVE!

So here goes:

Rosemary-Grilled Shrimp with Tuscan Bean Salad Recipe

2 lbs uncooked shrimp (peeled)
2 cans of white beans (large cans)
1 cup chopped and seeded tomatoes (you can add more if you like tomatoes)
1 red onion (chopped)
¼ olive oil
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
4 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon of flaked hot pepper (optional)

Combine olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Wisk until well blended. In a large zip lock bag place 3 tablespoons of marinade. Place shrimp in the refrigerator for a 1/2 hour. Turn shrimp once.

Place beans, tomatoes, onion and marinade in a bowl and gently mix. Place in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Place shrimp on a skewer and cook on grill for no more than 3 minutes on each side.

I serve this with either orzo or rice and of course really good bread. This sooooo easy recipe wows the crowds.
Hope you enjoy.

Elizabeth
www.invitetheparty.com

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies, Ever

I was at a 4th of July party and was again asked to bring my famous “Ultimate Chocolate Chip” cookies. I know what you’re thinking , chocolate chip cookies are chocolate chip cookies. Not once you've eaten these. I usually ask people to sign a waiver stating that I cannot be sued for how tired you get making these cookies for everyone. Once you bring them somewhere not only are you asked back but only if you bring these cookies.

Before I give you the recipe, I just wanted to explain that the cooking time I have on here is not necessarily the amount of time you should cook them. Confused? A great baker friend of mine told me that she always pulled her cookies out before they are fully cooked. Never wait until they have even close to brown. The cookies will come out plumper and softer and may I add unbelievably good.

So that having been said, here goes.

2 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips*
1 ½ cups milk chocolate chips*
1 cup white chocolate chips*

( I like using Ghirardelli chocolate chips but it's up to you.)

Preheat oven at 375 degrees. Place flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; stir to combine. Beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add flour mixture slowly. Beat until well blended. Stir in the chips. Drop dough by heaping teaspoon 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes (remember this could vary from oven to oven. Check after about 6 minutes to see how they are doing.) until the edges are not quite golden brown. Remember, don't overcook these cookies or they will not taste as good. Let cookies stand on a cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Remove cookies to wire rake; cool completely.

Enjoy.

Come Down from the Ledge - Dinner Party Advice

A woman that I know was talking to me about how she has never had people over for dinner. She said that she had always wanted to but was afraid of failing. I asked her how she could fail when you have friends over? She said that she was afraid of not serving the right food and not setting things up correctly. She said that she always felt at ease with my get together's and that I always had things in control. I laughed and said you don't see how I am before the party. So I thought I would try to simplify for people how to throw a good dinner party.

1. Planning. From the moment I decide to have people over, I have a theme. What I mean by that is the food is the theme. Whether it's Italian, Greek, Mexican, etc, choose it and stick with it. From appetizer to dessert, it should all be consistent. I also like to look for recipes that are a little obscure. Who wants the same food all the time. Make it interesting, but also make it easy for you. I love "googling" the theme that I want and looking at recipes and deciding what I want to use. Just in case, this sounds too intimidating, you can always do take out and then put them in nice dishes. I've also done that. Quite honestly, I don't think people really care as long as 1) they don't have to cook and 2) they feel relaxed.

2. Inviting the Right Mix of People - I know it sounds strange, but I have a diverse mix of people I know. Although I usually like a lively conversation, sometimes views can differ drastically and some people are very vocal about their views. In that case, it just makes people feel uncomfortable.

3. Send an invitation - The invitation is the first glimpse of what kind of party it will be. It's very important to set to tone early. Decide if you want something casual or formal. Your guests will pick that up from the invitation you send them. Look at the examples that I sell to see what I'm talking about.

4. Preparation - Make sure that you prepare as much as you can before hand. I usually set the table the night before just so I can get it just right. I love an interesting table. I don't mean you have to spend a lot to decorate your table. I've been known to sprinkle jellybeans around the table for Easter or fake spiders for my Pumpkin Carving Parties. Cook what you can and spend the time you have to finish cooking talking to your guest. Everyone loves to be in the kitchen so take advantage of it and have drinks in there.

What I always remind people, these are your friends. Hopefully they are not there to judge you, but to enjoy your company. So relax!

If you have any questions, let me know.

Elizabeth

http://invitetheparty.com