Test Your Palate At A Wine Tasting Party

  Few of us understand how to choose the perfect wine for our dinners or events. Most of us know that red wine goes with red meat and white wine goes with chicken or fish, but there is a lot of in between that is a little blurry. That is why a wine tasting party is such a fun way to educate yourself on wine, perhaps choose the proper wine for your event, or just have fun with friends in a relaxing atmosphere. You also will learn the different types of wine glasses and flutes to bring out the bouquet in your choice of wine.
There is a place online – PRP Wine International, that can help you plan your party, steer you to the nearest wine tasting event, and give you tips on purchasing wine.You can also check your local listings for wineries in your area.
Wine is almost always an appropriate gift to bring as a Thank You to a dinner party. There are a number of other items you can bring that are wine-related – such as a wine carrier for picnics or those who want to carry their wine to events, personalized wine gift box , wine chillers , etc that will also make wonderful gifts in this category .
Make a list of your friends, visit a local winery or wine-tasting, and enjoy each other’s company while you experience an education in wines.

Labor Day Picnic

Labor Day symbolically marks the end of summer, and that means the last real party of the summer vacation season. You want to make it a real blast, and there’s nothing like a picnic to celebrate with family and friends. 
You can reuse the plates and cups you had for Memorial Day and the 4th of July. Red, White and Blue is still a good color scheme. Decorating with flags and stars and stripes.
You meal doesn’t have to be expensive. You can utilize fresh vegetables from the garden for salads and munchies while the good is grilling. Roll your silverware up in a napkin for each place setting. If you don’t want to do all the cooking yourself, have each guest bring a pass around dish. Make sure you specify dessert or salads so you don’t have too many of one and not enough of the other (balance).  Prepare as much as you can ahead of time so you can enjoy the meal and your guests.
Make sure to have plenty of watermelon on hand, and to make it special cut the fruit out of the rind and decorate the rind before putting cubed fruit back inside. Also, have pitchers of lemonade and tea in addition to any other type of beverages.
Here are a couple great recipe ideas for your party:
Broccoli and Chicken Casserole
4 oz. dried medium noodles
2-1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken or turkey
1  10-ounce pkg.frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 10-3/4 ounce can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2cup skim milk

1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese (2 ounces)
1 teaspoondried basil, crushed

1/8 teaspoon pepper
Paprika
1.Cook noodles according to pkg. directions. Drain well.2. In a2-quart casserole stir together noodles, chicken or turkey, broccoli andgreen onions.
3. In a medium mixing bowl stir together soup,milk, cheese, basil and pepper. Stir into noodles.
4. Bake coveredin a 250 degree oven for 40-45 minutes, or until heated through.Sprinkle with paprika. Makes 6 servings.
Note: This casserole canbe made 24 hours ahead and refrigerated until ready to serve, thenreheat.
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Grandma’s Best Potato Salad Ever!

5 lbs. red potatoes – cooked, cooled, peeled and chopped into cubes
2 cups sweet onions – dices
1 large green pepper – diced
8 hard boiled eggs – dice 6 and slice the other two for the top
1 cup real mayonnaise (Hellmans or Kraft is best – not salad dressing)
1/2 cup yellow mustard
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Salt
Paprika

Combine all ingredients (except the two sliced eggs and paprika) in a large bowl, adding more mayonnaise and mustard if it appears to be too dry. Season to taste.  Put into serving bowl and place egg slices on top. Sprinkle with paprika for color.

Back to School Children’s Safety Party

Some children have already returned to school, while others don’t return until after Labor Day. No matter when they go back though, a lesson in safety is not a bad idea. Why not do it as part of a celebration, as opposed to a school setting where kids will get bored and not pay attention.  
Children love to learn through interaction. Young children love to listen to a fireman or policeman talk about their job (especially if they bring a K-9) and how they can keep themselves and their families safe. Contact your local fire or police station to see if they are available to do a community talk or presentation.

You can rent a movie from the library that shows how children should react to certain situations (i.e. stranger looking for a puppy; when a friend falls down and is bleeding; stop drop and roll for fires; bike safety; crossing streets; etc.). During the movie provide simple snacks for the kids (they don’t need to be in a theater – set up small rugs in the basement) and after the movie hold a discussion – you ask them what they would do in that situation and how would they react.

Children are sponges, they soak up this information and store it for future use. It never hurts for them to be aware of potential dangers they may encounter, and they should be prepared in case of an emergency, at home or on the playground, in order to know how to handle themselves and whom to contact. Make the lesson fun and they will remember it better!

Las Vegas Casino Night

A Las Vegas Casino Night can be a winning fundraiser, and anniversary party, wedding or prom theme, or just a night of fun with your intimate friends. You can make it a big event, or just a small one, but no matter how large it is guaranteed to make you a big winner!
You can start out with round invitations where an image of a roulette wheel is the cover. Use a grommet to attach the wheel to the back part of the invitation so the wheel (face of the card) will slide to reveal the invitation itself.
For larger events or fundraisers, you can charge admissions. This will offset the cost of prizes.  Offer drink tickets at the door for favors, and guests can turn in chips they have won in exchange for money when purchasing drinks.
Decorations can be elaborate – from a playing card arch to poles painted to look large cardboard poker chips or dice. Tables can be covered with green cloth and a combination of red, black, white, yellow and blue plates to represent poker chips.  Place card holders with Las Vegas signs (right) will seat the guests. Poker chip candle holders can be placed at each table for additional fun lighting, and personalized poker chips or card decks with the name of the event can be placed at each setting. 
Entertainment, of course, will be cards, dice tables, black jack and roulette wheels. You could check around to see where you can rent tables and roulette wheels for these events in your area. Winners will receive poker chips (personalized for the event) that they can cash in for prizes (a nice gift idea is a poker set ).
It’s hard to walk away without a smile, even if you’re losing at the tables, with one of these parties.

The Road to Morocco

Hosting a dinner party with a Moroccan Theme doesn’t have to be expensive, but it definitely will bring your guests a night to remember.
   Decorating for a Moroccan Theme party requires more imagination than money. Lots of vibrant and colors – purples, burgundy, sapphire blues and greens; silk and organza fabrics, fringe and beads, mosaics, and pillows everywhere for seating. Small palm trees or fig trees would make great additions.
You can take some of your old costume jewelry (or go to a local dollar store and purchase some colorful beads) to drape around vases and on the table. Place Moroccan lanterns and tealights around for ambiance. Have some incense burning around the room (check to make sue some of your guests are not allergic).  Place gold charger plates under the dishes, or at least the centerpiece. The center vase can be filled with large leaves and fronds, and draped with beads and jewelry.
Your menu could contain: mint tea; avocado salad, couscous, lamb shish-kabobs and watermelon. It has a variety of colors and fits right into the Moroccan theme.
Wrap yourself in netted scarves with fringe, and ask your friends to dress in Moroccan themed attire. You can even have guest try to do Moroccan dances (belly dancing) as entertainment. 

There is no doubt this dinner party is one that will be talked about for months!

Cocktails Anyone?

A cocktail party, once thought of as a way for snooty people to rub noses with other snooty people, has started to come into vogue again. They are simple to plan, and can be done with a minimum amount of expense.
  Cocktail parties are great for entertaining friends and/or business associates. They're also perfect for receptions or open houses for both business and personal reasons.  It can be as simple or extravagant as you want it to be.
The great thing about cocktail parties is that no one expects a full sit-down menu. Simple food will suffice.
Planning a cocktail party requires just a few basics:

• A theme – which will make it easier to plan your drinks and food (i.e. Hawaiian theme serve tropical drinks and food; or a Las Vegas theme where you would serve martinis and hors d'oeuvres.)
• Will it be held inside our out?
• What is your budget?
• Full bar or limited drink choices? To save money, put together a drink menu so you don’t have to buy so many different bottles. You can also have several different punches or an open bar where you give your guests drink tickets, good for one free drink per ticket and they buy any more themselves.
• Plan on parking, and have a valet service or someone to park the cars
• Food can range anywhere from caviar for the crème-de-la-crème, to those who like to sample different homemade creations. If you don't want to deal with food at all, call a caterer.
• Knowledge of how to much to buy for – which means you will need to know how many people are planning on attending (A good buying guide reference is HERE) 
• Set a time limit – 2-3 hours is typical
• Should your guests bring anything?
• Is this invitation only? Send them out 2-3 weeks in advance
• Socialize with your guests, which means you should let someone else do the serving and bartending – ask friends or family, hire servers (teens who could use a little extra money). Make sure if you hire a bartender that you provide a tip jar for guests to contribute to.
• Make sure to have adequate amounts of napkins, glasses and plates.

Victorian is the 2012 Wedding Theme

There is nothing more romantic and classic than a Victorian wedding. Most weddings have a certain degree of Victorian in them - after all Queen Victoria was the one who initiated the white wedding dress with her marriage to Prince Albert. A truly Victorian wedding is full of lace, elegance and grace.

Back-dropped in a botanical garden,or garden setting, the traditional Victorian wedding is full of flowers. Any type of flower is appropriate, but the Victorian gardens are mostly roses. The traditional orange blossom is usually incorporated somewhere in the mix for good luck. Victorians brought the orange blossoms from China to symbolize purity, chastity and fertility.

Brides wear pure white while her bridesmaids wear the traditional Victorian-style long dress with plenty of petticoats. The fabric can be organdy, tulle, lace, silk, linen, or even cashmere. All members of the wedding party wear gloves, the bride's being white with lace while the bridesmaids wear gloves that coordinate with their gowns.

The groom and groomsmen wear elegant cut-away tuxedos (like Hugh Grant in Four Weddings and a Funeral) complete with ascot and top hat.

Candles and lanterns are traditional for lighting. Victorians were all about romance, so the more lace and romantic ambiance the better. A treasure box or chest to hold gifts and cards placed on the gift table, along with a unique memory box for guests to sign their wishes instead of the traditional guestbook would be a special added touch. Add a multi-layer cake, favors like a birdcage or can openers as a Thank You to your guests and you have an affair to remember!