Labor Day Party Idea

END OF SUMMER PARTY
Some of might know that Labor Day marks the end of summer! Even though for those of us living in Northern California we are finally getting our summer weather. The old tradition was no more white apparel after Labor Day, so we thought it would be fun to have a party that is very monochromatic……all white. Well, almost all white.
This is another perfect opportunity to entertain outside especially if you are experiencing an Indian summer with wonderful evening weather.
Send out an invitation using evite.com to spread the word about your fabulous Labor Day celebration.
Mention to your guests to wear all white to your party.
To create a simple yet elegant ambiance for your party, our new favorite item is the paper lanterns that are found an almost any party store or if you live in the North Bay Cost Plus World Market carries a variety of shapes and sizes.

For your table, keep it simple. Use white table cloths or placemats, white dinner plates, and clear wine or water glasses. However, it might be fun to add just a bit of color on the table using a colored napkin placed the center of each dinner plate. For the centerpiece, find three of your favorite vases with similar height and fill them with flowers (such as daisies, hydrangeas, peonies etc.). Another idea may be use three cylinders and full them with sand or gravel and place a white pillar candle in each.

Remember is it the little things that make a party successful. If you are in a time crunch, ask your guests to pitch in with the food or drinks. The point is to send off summer with a bang! Have fun and send us your ideas on how you spend your Labor Day weekend.

Kid's Camping Birthday

Birthday Party Camp out

A great and easy birthday party idea for kids. With the summer quickly coming to an end, a camp-out birthday party is fun.

Set up a tent in your backyard with a fire pit somewhere in the vicinity of your tent.

Have the guests bring their sleeping bag, pillow, and warm clothing.

Start the party around early evening (It is up to you if you want to serve dinner (or BBQ)that evening or just partake in the nighttime activities with dessert/and late night snacks) and let the party goers get their stuff settled in the tent.

Start the fire in the fire pit as soon as the sun starts to set. As it gets dark, a great party favor the kids can enjoy during the festivities are glow sticks. They come in a variety of items (stick, necklaces, bracelets, headbands, earrings etc.) so the dark doesn't seem so scary if you have a bit of light with you at all times.

Some activities that are fun around the campfire is the old time favorites of making s'mores. Another is play charades or the telephone game.

Depending on the age of your guests, a good ghost story around the campfire is fun too.

Stay tuned for end of summer activities for all ages.

Get Fired Up Italian Style

Memorial Day weekend is the kick off to outdoor entertaining and BBQ season. So this weekend, get your grills fired up!

Here is one our favorite flavored hamburger perfect for entertaining this weekend.

Italian Style Hamburgers

1 lb. ground beef

1 package Italian salad dressing seasoning

1/2 red onion chopped

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Mix all ingredients together in large bowl. Let stand in refrigerator for about 1/2 hour. Take out of refrigerator and make individual patties. Barbecue to desired doneness.

Enjoy!

Memorial Day

Celebrating Memorial Day

This holiday came to be for the sole purpose to remember and appreciate the men and women who gave their lives to protect and defend our nation. Although Americans for centuries have always celebrated these fallen heroes, Memorial Day became official in 1868 by General John Logan.

However, along with the remembrance of our fallen soldiers, nowadays Memorial Day is the unofficial kick off the start of barbecue season and summer.

Stay tuned for upcoming BBQ ideas, recipes, and table setting ideas.

Flip Over Summer

We found this from bhg.com and thought it was the perfect cake to kick off summer vacation:

Ingredients
· 1 10-3/4-ounce frozen pound cake, thawed
· 3/4 to 1 cup desired-flavor ice cream
· 1/2 of an 8-ounce carton frozen whipped dessert topping, thawed
· Pull-apart licorice twists
· Bright-color candy wafers and/or round candies
· Graham cracker crumbs (optional)
Directions
1. Halve pound cake horizontally. Using a serrated knife, cut off the rounded top of the cake so each layer will be level. Cut each half into a flip-flop shape*. Place ice cream in a small bowl and stir to soften. Spread softened ice cream over one of the cakes. Top with second cake. Place ice cream-filled cake on a baking sheet. Cover and freeze until firm (2 to 3 hours). Spread with whipped topping.
2. To decorate, cut the ends of two twists at a diagonal. Insert a toothpick on the underside of each twist. Arrange the two twists with the cut ends together to form a V-shape, inserting toothpicks in cake to hold the twists in place as straps. Arrange candy wafers around base of flip-flop to decorate. Cover cake loosely and freeze until serving time. Serve on a platter sprinkled with graham cracker crumbs as sand, if desired. Makes 6 servings.
3. Tip: To cut flip-flop shape, trace the bottom of a child-size flip-flop (needs to be 7 to 7 1/2 inches long) on a piece of paper. Cut out shape. Place paper, clean side down, on a piece of clean cardboard or sturdy paper; trace shape. Cut out shape. Place cardboard shape on top of one cake half and use a small sharp knife to cut around shape and through cake. Repeat with other cake half. 4. Cake for 12: For a larger crowd, double recipe and make a pair of flip-flop cakes.

Recipe and photo from: bhg.com

Mother's Day Brunch

This looked really yummy and easy to make!

Stuffed French Toast

Ingredients
24 (1-ounce) slices cinnamon-raisin bread
Cooking spray
3 cups 1% low-fat milk
2 cups egg substitute, divided
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup sugar, divided
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 (8-ounce) block fat-free cream cheese, softened
1 (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
Bottled cinnamon-sugar (optional)

Preparation
Trim crusts from bread. Arrange half of the bread in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Combine milk, 1 1/2 cups egg substitute, half-and-half, and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Pour half of milk mixture over bread in dish.
Combine 1/2 cup egg substitute, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, and cheeses in a food processor or blender; process until smooth. Pour cream cheese mixture over moist bread in dish. Top with remaining bread; pour remaining milk mixture over bread. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350°.
Uncover and bake at 350° for 55 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar, if desired.

Recipe From:

Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2001

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=521691

She Is Royalty on Mother's Day

Here is a fun theme for a Mother’s Day gathering: Queen Bee!

All Mothers should be treated like royalty this Mother’s Day and here is a fun and easy idea for your Mother’s Day tablescape. This occasion is ideal for outdoor entertaining.
Set Your Table: Cover your table with a white tablecloth. Sunflowers are easy to arrange in a vase, so fill a simple vase with a variety of sunflowers. On either side of the vase, place jars of honey or small decorative woven beehives. For the place setting, use orange and yellow round place mats, white or yellow napkin, white dinner plate, and place a bee candle in the middle of each plate for your guests to take home. On all mothers’ plates place a tiara and bee candle so they are recognized as royalty.
Happy Mother’s Day!