More and more lately we see party food presented in “interesting” vessels – taking standard hors d’ouevres and jazzing them up. Really, it is not about what you are serving, rather it is all about the presentation!
At a few of my recent work cocktail events, we have served hand-cut Belgian french fries in darling little paper cones, making it easy to handle the savory treat and a glass of wine while networking. While I probably wouldn’t serve fries at an in-home cocktail party (not because I don’t like them, but more because they just wouldn’t be as good), Martha Stewart recently featured these cute do-it-yourself paper cups as a new way to serve snacks to a group. They feature them with a summer fruit salad, but they could be used to single-serve almost any snack! Martha includes assembly instructions on her website, which could be easily customizable for any event color-palate.
Try them out!
fls

Wedding Wednesday: Richmond Edition

Happy Fourth of July to everyone! Here are some pictures from a wedding I recently attended in Richmond. The colors were purple and green, with gold and white accents. It was a great combination, especially in terms of the flowers. - LG

The Cake: The Favors (small boxes with chocolates inside):

Table Flowers (notice the sliced limes in the vases): Bridesmaids Flowers:

Cheers!

With the approaching holiday and the summer party season upon us, a good cocktail is always in order. I tried this below (from the Summer 2007 Martha Stewart Weddings issue) recently, and it was a great way to incorporate summer fruit into a refreshing drink. I am more of a vodka fan than gin lover, but this was great and summery!

Blackberry Gin Fizz
12 oz blackberries, plus extra for garnish
2 tbs superfine sugar
3 tbs fresh lime juice
6 oz gin
15 mint leaves, washed and torn, plus sprigs for garnish if desired
1 ½ cups seltzer

Puree berries and sugar in a food processor. Strain and discard seeds
Fill cocktail shaker with ice, 1/3 cup puree, 1 tbs lime juice, 2 oz gin, and 1/3 of mint leaves. Shake vigorously until cold. Pour into two 8 oz glasses** and add ¼ cup seltzer.
Repeat twice.
Garnish with berries and mint.
** I served mine in tall mojito-style glasses over ice.

Cheers!

fls

Sail Through Your Day

A friend recently directed me to the Nauti Gear by Ella Vickers website. All the products are made from sails that have actually been used on boats. The items are a bit pricey, but the information on the website indicates that everything is very durable. My favorite item is the tote below, but they also carry everything from dog beds to shower curtains. This struck me as a great option for the next time I try to shop for a man (always a daunting task) or any friend who loves being by the water. -LG

Rub a Dub Dub?

In my house, we have been getting really into cooking with rubs lately. Although I don’t have much experience with them (I used to be a standard marinade kind of girl), I have been really pleased with the results, and they are usually very easy and quick!. Below is an excellent recipe that we tried out last night on a flank steak – mmmm, read meat. It was slightly smoky (the cumin) and a little spicey. The best thing was, I had all of the ingredients already in my spice cabinet.
Give it a try!

Blackened Grilled Flank Steak (Cooking Light July 2007)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons hot paprika
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground red pepper
1 2lb flank steak, trimmed of fat
Mix the first 7 ingredients together in a small bowl. Rub mixture all over both sides of the steak. Cover and refrigerate 3 hours. Prepare grill or grillpan and grill to your desired degree of doneness.

fls

Bikini Cake

Now that summer is in full swing, I'm sure that some of you are throwing parties to celebrate the season. The cake below can be decorated as a bikini or as an underwear set for lingerie showers. (This example was made by our talented friend Liz for an engagement party.) You just need a standard rectangular cake pan, cake batter, and a steady hand. Bake the cake and cut as shown. Then you are free to decorate it any way you like. When Liz made the cake she cut the bottoms down so they would be a little bit skimpier. (In case you are having a hard time seeing, the triangular shapes that are left over after cutting the bottom are flipped to create the top portion of the bikini.) Warning: The icing is not easy to apply! Take your time on the raw edges. - LG

Wedding Wednesday: The Wedding

Our bouquets were primarily white, with the most wonderful smelling freesias.

Because it was a beach wedding, the color scheme was steel blue and white, with starfish decorating all the stationery and tying everything together. The bridesmaids dresses were by Jenny Yoo. They were very well made, and flattering to all ten maids.

The starfish theme was continued with the seat assignments. Each starfish had a small card attached by a silver ribbon.

In keeping with the groom's love of UVA sports, the martinis were chilled in a Virginia sabre ice luge.

A view of the ballroom upon entry:

The place settings included a menu and a sand dollar cookie. The menu featured:

• She Crab Soup En Croute
• Romaine and Baby Spinach Salad with a choice of Balsamic Vinaigrette or Buttermilk Parmesan Dressing (I chose the Buttermilk Parmesan option, and it was so good.)
• Hereford Filet Mignon and Mediterranean Wild Salmon, Miniature Idaho Potatoes, Vegetables (The Salmon had some sort of stuffing- I will let Farrell explain when she comes back- and it was excellent.)
• Sorbet (with an edible flower!)

The tables alternated centerpieces. Some had flowers...

Others had candles:

The happy couple during their first dance. (They are fantastic dancers- I wish I could share a video because they have some serious moves.)

The cake!

It was a beautiful event- elegant, perfectly coordinated, and fun! - LG

Rehearsal Dinner

Farrell's wedding was amazing, as expected. I have a ton of pictures, so I am going to break them up and post a little bit at a time this week.

The Rehearsal Dinner was at a restaurant on the beach. Everything was very relaxed, and a great time was had by all. The signature drink at the restaurant was the Orange Crush (yum) and the signature dish was the crabcakes. Most people chose the crabcakes, and they were delicious.

Seating was assigned by table, which was a great plan considering the number of people in attendance. Here is a picture of the cute placecards:

A mysterious plastic looking pirate ship which haunted us all weekend...it made its first appearance during the Rehearsal Dinner:

Our very cute bridesmaids gifts, which included a monogrammed towel, two tote style bags (one monogrammed), Bliss sunblock and J. Crew flip-flops (very much appreciated the next day):

More pictures tomorrow! -LG

Wedding Wednesday: How Much?

Earlier this week Yahoo ran a small article about a topic that always makes me nervous: How much should one spend for a gift when attending a wedding? Does it matter if one is in the bridal party? Does that mean the amount should go up (because this indicates a strong connection to the bride and groom) or down (because of the money spent on dresses, showers, etc.)? Some people say that spending $50 per guest (ie, $100 if you are bringing a date) is appropriate. According to one reader on Yahoo, anything less than $250 per guest is considered insulting in New York City. What do you all think? And is it too risque to suggest throwing the rules out the window and just spending according to one's own financial situation? - LG

Just so everyone knows, this will be the last post of the week due to Farrell's wedding! I will be back on Monday (ok, maybe Tuesday) to report on all the pretty details.

Knick-Knacks

Generally I dislike a lot of clutter around the house. Additionally, I have always thought that a picture frame is sort of a cop-out move in the realm of gift giving. However, I recently bought one at a local store that has changed my opinion on both counts. It is by Two's Company which, according to the website, is "one of the leaders in the giftware industry." If my picture frame is any indication, their items are reasonably priced and very cute. (Sorry about the quality of the picture!) - LG