To make Entertaining easier... Come up with a Theme!

It's Thursday... so that means Today's post will be about

The Art of Entertaining.

Almost everyone likes to throw a Party now and then. Some more than others, but that's a whole other topic... SO, once you decide that you want to celebrate something, whether it be a birthday, dinner party, holiday or just because- then it's time to make a plan and come up with a "To-Do" list. You need this to stay organized and this helps your party to be successful. (Check out my post on "Planning for a Successful Party" for more details.)

 The Best Parties are Successful 

because they have a THEME!

You can get this napkin as well as
other party supplies from: www.myexpressions.com

A Theme gives your party much more of a WOW factor with your guests. It doesn't matter how old the guests are, but a theme gets everyone excited and anticipating your party. You are more likely to have more "Yes" responses if you send out your invite by snail mail, an Evite over the internet or even Facebook event notice (if you want a BIG party-LOL) to let your friends, family & others know about the party you are having. Let me spell it out for you...

Sample One: 

You are cordially invited to my house on Friday, February 18 for a casual dinner. We hope you can attend.

Sample Two:

Hola! Pam & Brian are hosting a Mexican Fiesta with Margarita Madness this Friday, February 18. We'd love for you to come party with us.

Which party sounds like it will be more fun to you? 

Well, I hope you answered Sample Two! 

This photo is from www.eventnow.com

A Theme not only gets your guests excited, 

but it gets you, the host inspired as well. 

The possibilities are endless, a lot depends on what you want to celebrate. At the bottom of this post I will list some themes, but I also would love to hear from you. Lets grow this idea list of Party Themes. I'll return and post more if you make a comment adding your theme idea to my list in a red color.

If you are having a hard time coming up with what you think is a great theme, then take a quick run to your local party supply store, or better yet "Google" Party Themes. You will receive some interesting and fabulous ideas from the web sites that appear.

Now I just said, go to the party supply store; but unless you love what they are have and it's a decent price, go home and make most of your own theme invitations & decorations. 

Get inspired! With a Theme,you can create 

your own way cooler, unique, fun, 

creative and less expensive decorations.

The "go ahead and buy it rule" is if you are short on time, have the money to spend or don't think that you can come up with anything better than what you see at the store. It's really ok to buy party supplies, but my blog here is to inspire you and help you get more creative. I like to buy things when they are really cute, pretty or unusual, of quality and the price is right,( but I'm also really picky and a perfectionist!) I love being creative and make my own creations. 

PARTY THEME IDEAS: 

Kids' Parties:

Alice in Wonderland

Dress Up Time

Harry Potter Hogwarts

Home on the Range Cowboy 

Let's be a Princess Party

Let the Force be with You!

Pirates of the Caribbean 

Pretty in PInk

Tea Party

Toy Story

Make your own mask just like these!
Love this photo from www.mypartyplanner.com

Casual Get-togethers:

Casino Royale

Chocolate Dreams

Football Team (Pittsburgh Steelers) Party

Girls Night Out

Ghouls-Girls Night Out

Sandals & Sangria

Halloween Monster Mash

Kiss me I'm Irish!

Love My Italiano Pasta NightMexican Fiesta

Margarita Madness

Mardi Gras Party time

Red,WhIte & Blue Fourth of July

Super Bowl 

Sandals and Sangria

Wine and Cheese

So why not have a party? Everyone loves a get together. 

Use my tips to get started and have fun! Cheers!

Game Day Appetizers Score Extra Points! Crab is KING!

It seems that it's time again to post some appetizer recipes.  Thursday is the day I've  scheduled to pass along some great recipes.This week is Yummy! (Good thing we don't have a calorie count! Whipping cream & half & half are delicious!)This is a re-write of a post from my original blog, but definitely worth taking a look at again in honor of Super Bowl Weekend.

I have to say that I LOVE appetizers. In fact sometimes, I would rather eat appetizers than a real meal. I have come to the realization that it is because you can just get so creative with them. Several types are usually required when entertaining. The ingredients are never boring, and spices are fun and well,"Sparky" and SPICY!!! It can be inspiring to create and design an appetizer platter. Food can be a fabulous part of the edible and memorable "decorations" for a party as well.

In honor of Super Bowl Sunday- I thought I would share a couple of Appetizer recipes that I have collected over the years. My Mom Sharon called me over the holidays and asked me to give her that Yummy Hot crab appetizer recipe that I made last year for them. I had to pause for a moment because I actually could not remember which one that she was talking about. But this gave me the chance to go through some of the great recipes and so when I made a copy of them for her, I thought that I would share them with you too. If you can't make them all for the game, then try to make at least one over the weekend. ENJOY!

NEW!

Instead of a Chili Recipe, I am posting my friend Claudia's Cream of Crab Bisque-Recipe. Now, if you decide to make this recipe for this weekend, make sure that you do not waste this golden "melt in your mouth" gourmet recipe serving this soup to those who do not appreciate seafood delicacies. It's way better than Campbell's but it's a bit pricey- just make sure to enjoy every drop!

Claudia's Cream of Crab Soup

2 Lbs Jumbo Lump Crabmeat (only break apart some of the meat)
1 Sweet Onion (chopped finely)
1 stick butter (butter only)
1 bottle Clam Juice
1 can (15oz) Chicken Stock
2 qts Half and Half
1 1/2 quart Heavy whipping cream
4 Tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
2 Tablespoons Cooking Sherry
1 Tablespoon Fresh Parsley
Flour
Milk

In a large pot melt 1/2 of stick of butter, add chopped onion, saute until translucent, salt and pepper to taste. Add clam juice and chicken stock to sauted onion, stir to get all of the browned butter mixed in with the clam juice and chicken stock. Turn heat to medium, add Half and Half, Heavy whipping cream and bring to a boil, make sure to cook this slow and stir constantly. While waiting for mixture to boil, make a thickening paste with flour and milk, "you are going to have to judge this according to how thick you want your soup to be" the thicker the better. Once at a boil, add Crabmeat, 1/2 stick butter, Old Bay seasoning, Sherry and Fresh Parsley. Stir in Flour and Milk mixture to thicken, make sure to stir constantly. This soup is best to make ahead of time so the Old Bay can work it's magic and it will thicken as it cools. You can add more or less Old Bay or Sherry, it's up to your taste buds!

Serve with crackers!

PS -Claudia's Tip: Your have to go to Costc to purchase Phillips Jumbo Lump, it has the best flavor and makes the best soup, it's worth every penny and makes a big pot of soup that will go fast! Great for a party esp. Super Bowl!!

The next two recipes below are from one of my favorite little mini books printed by Oxmoor House for Southern Living called "Ultimate Book of Appetizers" The last one is a crab dip that you serve cold that was published first in Southern Living Magazine in April of 2004.

Crab Dip Recipes1-11

Crab Cakes & Lime Garlic Shrimp & Mango Salsa Recipe1-11

P.S. Our Willow House Food Mixes are perfect to keep handy for last minute guests! 

We carry 3 different kinds of Specialty Dip Mixes:

Tuscan Roasted Garlic Dip Mix 

Santa Fe Dip Mix

Parmesan Peppercorn Herb Dip Mixes.

Plus we offer these specialty drink mixes: 

White Sangria Mix 

Sangria Mix

Margarita Mixes 

We also offer these Bread Mixes:

Lemon Blueberry Bread Mix and Rosemary Olive Bread Mix.

These are our Specialty Desserts: 

Tiramisu Mix 

Pound Cake Mix and 

Cappuccino Mousse Mix.

Check them out on my web site in the Shop/Order section: http://Pamlau1.willowhouse.com  Everything ships within 48 hours of our order.

Enjoy!