Tropical Dinner Party

I don’t know about your neck of the woods, but we have gotten tons of snow and cold weather this winter – much worse than usual, it seems – and I am ready for some sunshine!
A cure for the winter blahs? Why not host a dinner party that evokes the tropics!? Warmth, beaches, rum.... Yes, please!

Here are a suggested menu and other party touches to add the right "island oasis" atmosphere.

Start with a Bob Marley, steel drum band, or Hawaiian music CD playing over the stereo system. Spread out your most cheerful tablecloth. Buy some fresh flowers or tropical fruit for a centerpiece. Get real crazy and turn up the thermostat an extra degree! Whoohoo!!

My mom made the Coconut Cheesecake (recipe below) - how cool is the star fruit on top? (Photo by Pat Hamilton.)

Menu: (click the links for recipes)
Appetizers – Sweet and sour meatballs or Coconut shrimp. You can totally get either one of these all prepared in a bag in your grocery store's frozen food aisle. I won’t tell! (Hey, this site is for PRACTICAL party tips. It's not Martha Stewart!)

Salad - Spinach and strawberry salad with poppyseed dressing

Main Course - Teriyaki chicken skewers on the grill. The grill still works when it’s below freezing outside, did you know? It will only take two minutes of actually standing outside to cook this food, and your guests will really appreciate the luxury of grilled food in the middle of winter. So, suck it up and turn on the grill! Toss a couple red peppers on the grill for extra color.

Side – Tropical Rice

Dessert – Coconut Cheesecake with Passion Fruit Glaze from Bon Appetit. This was a fabulous cheesecake. The best part was it didn’t crack due to the innovative cool down method in the recipe. NOTE: passion fruit was not available in my city – not fresh, not frozen, not canned, and not juiced. I substituted a can of Dole Tropical Fruit (it's pineapple and papaya in passion fruit juice) for the glaze. I also found a can of Goya Guava Nectar and added a little bit to the glaze. It worked great and tasted divine. TIP – I doubled the recipe for the glaze and it was a wise choice. You may want to add additional gelatin because the glaze was more of a syrup and didn’t quite gel for me. We did find fresh star fruit, mangos, and pineapple and they were all wonderful in the compote.

Drink ideas:
Mai Tai1 (1.5 ounce) jigger spiced rum
1 (1.5 ounce) jigger coconut-flavored rum
1 tsp grenadine syrup
5 ounces orange-pineapple juice (or you can buy the two juices separately, but who wants to
end up with extra pineapple juice?)
ice cubes
Shake and Strain into a glass of ice.
Piña ColadasStrawberry Daiquiris

30 Kids Birthday Parties

So, as a parent, or aunt, uncle, grandparent, godparent, or best friend of someone with a kid, you might find yourself in a position of having to plan a child's birthday party. I mean, they have birthdays EVERY YEAR. Coming up with something new to do is often a challenge. The first thing to do, of course, is to ask the child what they would like to do for their special day. Although some children will know exactly what they want, other kids might need your help to brainstorm. And you might appreciate some help brainstorming! That's where this post comes in.

These ideas involve varying costs and some might be better for older kids. A night out to see a play might seem like it costs much more than a trip to Chuck E Cheese, but if your child only gets to invite one or two special friends, it will probably cost about the same. (And you won't have to go to Chuck E Cheese.)

The best thing about all of these ideas??? THEY AREN'T HELD AT YOUR HOUSE. You're welcome.

Here are some birthday party venues/outings in no particular order:

1. Night out to see a musical or play. Birthday guests get dressed in their finest attire and attend a local theater production. Look for kid friendly shows such as "Annie," "The Lion King," or "Cats" Depending on the professionalism of the company, you might be able to meet some performers if you hang out by a stage door. Ask an usher or call a stage manager ahead of time to see if that's possible.
   
2. Cupcake shop. Many bakeries host parties for kids. They might let the guests design their own cupcakes with colored frosting or give you a tour of the bakery.
   
3. Go Carts. Check out your local listings to see where this may be offered in your community. This would be perfect for a co-ed party.
   
4. Bowling. Go old school and have a bowling birthday. Most places have significant discounts for parties and will do bumper bowling. The adult chaperones can even get their own lane, so it's fun for everybody. For an added fun factor, see if your local alley offers evening "cosmic bowling" with music and neon paint.
5. Putt-Putt. It's a classic. For something different, go to a driving range and have a pro teach all the kids how to hit the ball really far.
   
6. Sledding party. Sledding at the local big hill, followed up by hot chocolate and cozy fireplace. Obviously contingent on the season and where you live! (Sorry, Miami.)
   
7. Indoor or outdoor water park.
   
8. Zoo.
   
9. Camping trip.
10. Fancy restaurant. Got a kid who's an aspiring chef? See if you can reserve the chef's table at the best place in town. Clearly this will be expensive, but think of how little work this would be for you as the host. Basically the only thing you would have to do would be to make reservations. And what chef wouldn't like to share his craft with an adoring future foodie?
    
11. Karate. Hit the dojo (that's what it's called, right?) for an active birthday party for your favorite aspiring ninja. See if they'll show you how to do those nunchaku. Perfect for a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle fan?
    
12. Candy store. See if your local shop would help you plan a party. I bet they will. Then get all the kids sugared up and send them home to their parents. Mwahaha.
    
13. McDonald's with a Playland. As relevant now as it was when I was 8.
    
14. Pizza parlor. I know Pizza Hut has parties. Or check and see if your local place would let the kids come in at a not-too-busy time and let them play with the dough or make their own pizza.
    
15. Concert. I still recall the New Kids on the Block concert I attended in fourth grade with a friend for her birthday. Talk about the best night of my childhood! It was so exciting and we felt soooo grown-up!
    
16. Ice-skating rink.
    
17. Gymnasium. Some gyms offer parties. They let your guests jump on the trampolines and practice somersaults on the mats.
    
18. YMCA or Community Rec Center. Check for craft parties or open gym parties they might offer.
19. Indoor pool. Nothing is better when you are a kid than getting to go swimming in the middle of winter.
    
20. Local playground. There's usually a shelter house you can reserve. Choose the park with the best playground and let the kids run wild for awhile. When they tire out, offer cake and open presents. Then let them run amok again until their parents arrive. Easy as pie. Although transporting all the food from the car to the shelter house can be a chore, so bring help.
21. Horse farm. Take you child and their best friend out for riding lessons at a horse farm. They will usually get to ride a horse (slowly, while wearing a helmet) and then brush the horse or feed it a carrot. (Hmmm - the experience doesn't sound that thrilling when I write it out.)
    
22. Working farm. Take your city kid out to the country and let them see all those animals they've read about in picture books. If you don't know of any farms, ask around. I know there is a Metropark near Columbus, Ohio that has a farm that runs just like it did back in the 1800's. They have lots of kids programs.
    
23. History day. If your child is a history buff, make his or her birthday one for the history books! Around here we have Underground Railroad sites, American Indian Mounds (such as the Serpent Mound in Adams County, Ohio), and Glacial Grooves. Do a little research to see what your area has to offer. You all might learn something! Follow up your expedition with a visit to grab some ice cream.
    
24. Boating. Rent a speed boat. Take a dinner cruise. Take a sightseeing tour. Go whale-watching. Make the whole excursion pirate-themed if you have to.
25. Art studio. See if they offer a class for parties that really appeals to your child. There might be pottery, painting, sculpture, or mixed media. Get all the party guests some French-artist-looking berets for some tres magnifique pictures.
    
26. Museum. Go with Air and Space for your future astronaut or fighter pilot. Or choose the Natural History Museum for your favorite budding geologist or paleontologist. Check out the Art Museum mummy exhibit for a creepy thrill. The Hands-On Science Museum is great for all ages. Try the Planetarium for an "out of this world" birthday. (See what I did there?!)
    
27. Rent a limo and just drive around! Movie star sunglasses all around. Bring lots of their favorite CDs to play during the ride - full blast.
    
28. Historic train ride. We have several of companies that run recreational train tours in Ohio. Some even have murder mysteries (if yours is a child who loves to be scared or intrigued) or story time for the littler ones.
    
29. Tea Party. Find a local tea place that offers petit fours and little sandwiches for your little lady's special birthday. This is a party that her aunts and grandma would like to attend, too. Have fancy hats or white gloves for all attendees - cutest pictures ever!!!
30. Sporting event. Whether it's pro or amateur, the kids will get a kick out of attending a sporting event. Make sure to get the child's name on the JumboTron or scoreboard! See if you can get some autographs. That's more fun for most kids than actually watching the game.
    

Happy party planning!

Chocolate Toffee Trifle

Here's a dessert I made for a Going Away party at work that got glowing praise. (Don't get too excited, people at my work will eat week-old burnt-bottom cookies if you put them in the break room.) But, in my opinion, this dessert actually deserved the praise! Also, it's not a bad dessert to transport in the car because the top won't get squashed even if you make a crazy turn and the plastic wrap sinks onto the dessert. (Not that that's ever happened to me.)

I got 16 servings out of this trifle. People don't need a huge scoop of the stuff because it's a rich and creamy dessert.

The BEST part of this recipe is that I got to use my TRIFLE DISH!!!! *squeals* How fun is it to use those tools in your kitchen that are only good for one thing? (I'm looking at you, waffle maker.) Now, you can make this dessert in any large bowl, although hopefully it's at least a clear glass bowl so you can see the layers, but you won't get the WOW factor that comes with a trifle dish.

Please note that the brownies have to be made, then cooled, AND the assembled trifle has to be refrigerated for 8 hours before serving. So, you probably want to make this the day before you need it.

Chocolate Toffee Trifle
Modified from a recipe by "Wayne" on allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1 (19.8 oz) package brownie mix
1 (3.9 oz) package instant chocolate fudge pudding mix
1/2 Cup water
8 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1 (8 oz) container of Cool Whip (or equivalent) - THAWED
2-3 Heath or Skor candy bars, crushed
1 pint heavy cream
6 Tbsp sugar
1 jar of caramel ice cream topping

Directions:

1. Take the Cool Whip out of the freezer since it needs to be thawed. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Cool completely. Cut into inch squares or smaller.


2. In a large bowl, combine pudding mix, water, and sweetened condensed milk. Mix until smooth and then fold in 8 oz Cool Whip until no streaks remain.
   
3. Use the whisk attachment on your mixer and make whip cream by mixing the heavy cream and sugar on medium speed for a minute, then turn it up to medium high speed until soft peaks form.
   
4. In a trifle bowl or glass serving dish, place half the brownies, drizzle some caramel topping, toss on some crushed toffee bar, add half the pudding mixture, add half the whipped cream. REPEAT layers. Add some drizzled caramel and toffee on the top as garnish.
   
5. REFRIGERATE 8 hours before serving.

MY TIPS -
1. If you don't cool the brownies completely before assembling the trifle, you will end up with a runny, melted mess.

2. Think about substituting raspberries for the toffee chips.

3. If you plan to transport the thing, wait to add the garnish until you arrive at the location. Then you won't have any worries about the top getting messed up en route.

4. Crushing the toffee bars with the back of an ice cream scoop is strangely cathartic. And loud.

5. If there is a "cake like" or "fudge-like" option on the brownie box, go with "fudge-like" brownies. I tried it both ways and although the cake-like soaks up the pudding better, the consistency was almost soggy. The fudge-like brownies were divine and took this dessert from nice trifle, to ooh-la-la trifle.

Kids and Your Grown-up Party

If I were writing this post three years ago, it would be a different post. But I had a child two and a half years ago, and since then my views on this topic (and pretty much everything in my life) have changed.

Should you invite kids to your grown up party? It’s kind of a loaded question, isn’t it? So many feelings to consider. Will I offend childless people if there are kids running around the party? Will my friends with children skip the party entirely if they can’t bring their children? Do I really want a bunch of little hellions jumping on my sofa? Is it appropriate to have children around where the adults are consuming alcohol?

THE OPTIONS
1. Invite children. If your friends have little ones, the kids are a big part of their lives! Embrace it and make your party a family-friendly event.

2. Invite children, but segregate them from the rest of the guests. For example, have pizza and video games in the basement while the parents nosh fancy apps upstairs. Can’t completely prevent the little ones from trying to be right where there parents are, but an attractive enough distraction might help. Especially if a couple older kids are enlisted to watch the little ones. Or better yet, hire a couple teenage babysitters.
3. Don’t invite children and ensure that all your guests have a leisurely, grown-up time. If it’s a cool enough party, parents won’t mind hiring a babysitter for the night.

So, I will start with the parent perspective. If costs $6-$15 an hour for a babysitter. If I come to your party and hire a babysitter, it will cost me $40. Yikes. Sometimes, I’m willing to pay that kind of money to have a night out with my husband. But I can tell you, in this economy, we don’t splurge like that very often. Also, while I am at your party, I will be worried about what’s going on at home.

We had a couple options for New Year’s Eve this year. The one we said “yes” to stated in the invitation that “Children are invited and there are places for them to sleep upstairs when they tire out.” WOW. No babysitter to pay. I actually get to spend the holiday with my toddler. And I get to spend the holiday with my friends. I can stay as late as I want.

I figured my kiddo would wear an adorable New Year’s Eve hat, tucker out at 8:30, and my husband and I would be ready to rejoin the party before half of the guests even showed up. NO SUCH LUCK. We spent half the party trying to get her to stay in bed. Stories, begging, scolding… caving in and letting her come back to the party. The two-year old finally crashed at 11:45pm after dancing for thirty minutes straight. Arrghhh!!! And we were too tired after that trauma to stay at the party past 12:30.

Believe it or not, this toddler was being supervised by an adult at the time this photo was taken.

From the non-parent perspective (because I’m really not a fan of other people’s kids), I don’t mind seeing you child look cute for an hour or so, if they are well-behaved. If they are whining and crying though – please, just leave. I am at a party (and maybe even paid for a babysitter for my own kid) so that I could have a nice night out.

I really like the idea of the host accommodating the children, while keeping them separate from the adults. The kids get their own little party. This is especially true if guests are coming from out of town (Where the heck do you expect them to put their kids? Drop them off at McDonald’s Playland for five hours?), or if the event is a fundraiser (Don’t want guests to spend all their disposable income on a babysitter; you want them to spend money for the cause!)

SUGGESTIONS IF YOU WANT TO GO WITH OPTION 2

1. If you don’t have kids, but have friends who are bringing children to your party, hit up Goodwill, Toys R Us, or a garage sale and purchase a couple age-appropriate toys or movies. Kids LOVE playing with someone else’s toys. Your friends with kids will be overcome with your thoughtfulness of providing entertainment for their offspring. Bonus for you, you will get to have more uninterrupted time with your friends!

2. If this is a BIG event, like a wedding or a fundraiser, it would be great to have a room, away from the main party, where the kids could hang out. Hire a couple teenage babysitters to watch the young‘uns while their moms and dads have a great time at the adult party. Find a couple crafts or activities that will keep the kids busy for awhile. Bring in a puppy or hamster they can play with. Provide fun food such as pizza, pop, and cookies – things they might not normally get at home. Make it a movie party with a big screen TV and lots of pillows and popcorn. By the way, if the food in the kids’ room isn’t good, they’ll just sneak out to the adult party and eat all the maraschino cherries at the bar.

3. Four words: FENCED IN BACK YARD. And stay out, you little hoodlums! Mommy’s drinking. (Just kidding.) (Kind of.)

Don't let kids drink the beer. That stuff's expensive!


What do you think, readers? Should children stay home?

Not-a-Party Party

Are you just a little relieved that the holidays are almost over? Tired of cooking, cleaning, presents, and even witty conversation? Some of us party hostesses need to step back once in awhile and recognize that people can enjoy our home and our company without having it be a big deal every time. Here's the solution to getting your wish for relaxation without being completely anti-social.

Not-a-Party Party How-To:

Text a few friends and have them come over on a night that's convenient. Order a couple pizzas, serve the food on paper plates. NO DISHES. NO COOKING. Serve whatever wine you have leftover from the holidays. Have a couple movies picked out and have the guests vote on which one to watch.

Resist your perfectionist urges to buy coordinating napkins. Centerpiece? Just say NO. Step away from the silverware polish!!!! No, people will not rebel if you do not make a dessert this time. They are already getting free pizza - that's awesome enough.

Eat. Drink. Watch. Kick everyone out at a reasonable hour.

Hopefully it's just a refreshing and fun night for everyone, even you!

Name This Cocktail

From several years of bartending, I know that alot of people want to order a cocktail, but really don't know what to order. It's difficult to remember the names of all the drinks and you might not know what tastes good mixed together. Many people will chicken out and get a beer or glass of wine at this point. But believe me, any bartender worth their jigger would love to create a cocktail for you, or suggest one you might like. Don't be intimidated! It's your money, be adventurous.

Holding an interesting drink is a great conversation starter. You might even start a trend throughout the party!

The best time to make a request for a custom cocktail is NOT in a mega-crowded, four-deep at the bar, blaring music kind of place. Wait until the line at the bar thins out so you can make sure you have the bartender's full attention. He/she might even let you sample a couple different things, especially if they are really bored! Look for the most competent and/or friendly bartender.

If a bartender makes something fabulous for you, give a good tip!

Here's a new one I've created, based on my love of a classic cranberry-vodka, and my preference for a bit of carbonation. Also, I enjoy having a tall glass because it lasts longer! This cocktail does not have a name yet. If you have any suggestions, leave them in the comments. My mom thought of "Cosmo Kiss," which I like, but no man would ever feel comfortable ordering that in a bar! And it's really not a particularly "girly" drink. I searched the internet and the closest I could find was a drink called a "COD", but that drink calls for a splash of Sprite, instead of filling half the glass with Sprite. If nothing else, a bartender will be able to figure it out if you order "A Cranberry Vodka with orange vodka, and about half full with Sprite."

NAME THIS COCKTAIL

1.5 oz orange vodka

cranberry juice

Sprite

lime garnish

Fill a tall glass with ice. Pour orange vodka over the ice. Fill half the glass with cranberry juice (or cranberry juice cocktail). Fill the glass to the top with Sprite. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Do not shake in a cocktail shaker or you will flatten the carbonation. Plus, it will make the drink pink instead of the cool effect of clear Sprite sitting on top of red juice.

TIP - If you make this at home with Diet Sprite and Diet Cranberry Juice Cocktail, it will save you a bunch of calories. Most bars don't have anything diet on hand except Diet Coke.

Buried Cherry Cookies

Cookie Exchange! What to bring? Your Cookie Exchange goals: cookies that are easy to make, the recipe makes alot, and the cookies are delicious. Additionally, it's my opinion that all the cookies should be uniform. I don't really like cut-out cookies for exchanges because some always look way better than others. Plus, they are so much work, that if I go through the trouble to make them, MY family is going to get to eat them!!

Here is my go-to recipe for the annual Cookie Exchange. It's nice to have a chocolate cookie, because it seems that many bakers bring vanilla or spice cookies to exchanges. But I usually have to make two batches because my husband would complain if he didn't have 40 of these for his personal consumption!

Buried Cherry Cookies
Modified from a recipe in my trusty old Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

Ingredients:
1 10-ounce jar maraschino cherries (42 to 48)

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1.5 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1.5 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate pieces

1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk or low-fat sweetened condensed milk

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain cherries, reserving juice. Halve any large cherries. In a medium mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in cocoa powder and the flour with the mixer.

2. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press your thumb into the center of each ball. Place a cherry in each center.

3. For fudge topping, in a small saucepan combine chocolate pieces and sweetened condensed milk. Cook and stir over low heat until chocolate melts. Stir in 2-4 teaspoons reserved cherry juice. (If necessary, fudge topping may be thinned with additional cherry juice.) Spoon 1 teaspoon fudge toppping over each cherry, spreading to cover.

4. Bake about 10 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on cookie sheet 1 minute. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Makes 42 to 48 cookies

MY TIPS -
1. Refrigerate the balls of dough for a few minutes before baking. Stops them from becoming too flat in the oven.

2. Don't make the dough balls bigger than 1-inch. I made mine smaller and smaller each batch because I liked the way the little ones looked!

3. Don't put a dripping wet cherry on a cookie. After cutting your cherries, let them sit on a paper towel so some of that excess juice soaks up. Otherwise your dough will get wet, and your cookie will flatten.

4. Also, you read it correctly, the fudge topping does get baked. I usually add extra cherry juice to the fudge topping to get it to cover the cherry evenly and easily. But don't add too much or your fudge will get watery. It should be like frosting consistency.

5. Alternatively, you could probably drizzle the fudge topping over the cookies in a zig-zag pattern, and that way the bright red cherry would be visible. Not so much "buried" then, but visually appealing! I haven't tried this option, so if you do, let me know how it turns out. You would probably bake the cookies with cherries, let them cool, and THEN add the topping if you want this effect.

6. Use parchment paper on the trays for easy clean up.

7. Bribe your significant other into cleaning the mixing bowl and fudge topping bowl in exchange for cookies, sex, whatever it takes - what a mess!

These freeze really well. And taste great right out of the freezer if you want a snack and just can't wait for one to thaw! Not that I've ever tried that. ;-)

Turned out a little flatter than I wanted. I think my butter was too soft. You want it so you can mix it, but if the butter is too soft (such as mine after I microwaved it a couple seconds too long) your cookies can flatten. Oh well, I tried one and they are still fantastic!