Fun and Flirty Valentine's Day Party (Part 2)

Since I couldn't fit everything in 1 post, here I go with part 2. Onto the drinks!

I'd make a pretty pink punch for guests. I have recipes in other posts on this site. If you want to give your guests a chuckle you can use these awesome playboy bunny ice cube trays in your punch, the ice bucket and drinks that call for ice. You can also make a drink list for guests that includes funny named drinks for the occasion:
Sex on the beach
Screwdriver
etc.
Don't forget drinks that invoke the season from their color or traditionally "romantic vibe"
Cosmos are a pretty pink color and orange and peach mimosas seem romantic and sophisticated because of the champagne in them.
For more fun take gummy sugarcoated hearts, cut a small slit in the side and put on the edge of your drink glasses.

-Fun Friends:
The most important factor in any party is to have your fun friends come and visit you. You're getting together to enjoy yourselves, talk & reminisce.

Setting the mood:
Got a pool? While it may be to chilly to swim in, clean it out. Get some pink and red rose floating candles, light them and set them in the pool. Make sure you have mood lighting inside as well. Burn candles and use lots of back lighting to create a romantic ambiance in the room.

If you liked my modern asian twist with the "fortune cookies" in Part 1 you might also like the idea of hanging pink paper lanterns around the table, outside, and anywhere you'd like to add some color.

Hosting a Fun & Flirty Valentine's Day Party

I've been thinking lately how fun it would be to host a Valentine's Day Party. I don't know anyone that has actually ever had one, so I think I should be the first to start this tradition. You should only either invite couples or invite couples and an even amount of singles of the opposite sex. This way you can encourage mingling of the singles (and you don't have to worry about single friends whining that they don't have a date on Valentine's Day).

We have a lot of things to cover to have a great party. Some things include:
-Atmosphere
-Food
-Drinks
-Fun Friends
-The Right Day

Atmosphere:
To set the perfect Valentine's Day mood, great music and decor have to invite the guests into the theme. Choose music that isn't too cheesy(step away from Barry White), but is mello, happy and fun all in one. Make sure the music doesn't overpower your room, you want guests to enjoy themselves and mingle; they can't do it if they have to shout over the music.

Atmosphere also means the right decor. Small things can sometimes bring the biggest impact. On a Coffee Table place a book that invokes thoughts of love or romance and toss some chocolate kisses ontop of it. Fill shallow crystal or glass bowls with pink and red candy. In my previous post I added how to create pretty "fortune cookies" out of paper. You may also use pink and red felt for this. Go to any craft store and get fortune cookie boxes in pretty patterns to match your theme. You can do really fun things with these "cookies" You can play games where people open up the fortune cookies and have to do or say something based on the paper inside, perhaps charades. You can just have cute notes and quotes about love and use the take out boxes as party favors.

Cover the table in either pinks or reds. Once again scatter chocolate kisses over it. Add some pink throw pillows to couches. To dress up chairs buy some inexpensive pink or red tulle and make big bows on the backs of the chairs with the tulle. Use a Red or Pink Charger plate under your serving plates.

Food:
Purchase sheets of paper slightly larger than 81/2 by 11" (maybe 9 x 12) that are either a pink or red color. Print off menus from your computer in a fancy font and attach this white sheet to the front of the colored sheet of paper. Place one menu on each guests plate.
Make sure your menu invokes "love" by either choosing cute twists on names or just going with traditional romantic foods.

Example Menu:
appetizer -
Mozzarella, Basil & Tomato
Slice up your (FRESH!!!)Mozzarella into thin circles and cover your plate with them. Now slice up your tomato into circles as well and place on top of the cheese. Take leaves of basil and place one leaf ontop of each tomato. Drizzle a little olive oil and sprinkle a little bit of salt and pepper to taste.

Salad - Mesclun Greens topped with Goat Cheese Croutons, Roasted Tomatoes and Balsamic Vinaigrette, Vermont Salad topped with Spiced Pecans and Cider Vinaigrette, Baby Spinach Salad with Bacon, Gorgonzola Cheese, Roasted Red Peppers and Balsamic Vinaigrette, or Classic Caesar Salad.

Entree -

1.) Roasted Rack of Lamb with Rosemary jus and a wild mushroom and Merlot demiglaze

2 racks domestic lamb, chine removed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoons shallot, minced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
2 cups Merlot
2 cups demi-glace
Arrowroot
2 tablespoons chopped rosemary

Serving suggestions:
Garlic Bread Pudding, recipe follows
Sauteed wild mushrooms and seasonal green vegetable

Remove the fat cap from the lamb racks, leaving a thin layer of fat on top of the meat, and clean the fat and skin from the bones and wrap the bones in aluminum foil. Cut the racks in half (leaving you with 4 (4-bone) servings).

Heat a large skillet over high heat, season the racks with salt and pepper and sear fat side down in the hot skillet until well browned. Turn the racks, fat side up and place in a 350 degree F oven for about 30 minutes. You can use a probe thermometer to check the temperature. (At Siro's we roast the racks in a 325 degrees F convection, 20 to 25 minutes to get to medium).

When the racks are at the desired temperature, remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes.

While the lamb is roasting, heat a saucepan over medium-high heat and saute the shallots and garlic until soft. Add the Merlot, turn the heat down to medium, and reduce by half.

Heat the demi glace and rosemary in another saucepan and let simmer slowly for twenty minutes. Stir in the reduced Merlot mixture a little at a time into the simmering demi-glace until you can just begin to taste the wine in the sauce.

At this time we combine a little arrow root with cold water and stir it into the sauce to give the sauce a little bit of a shine and some thickening. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, ladle the sauce onto 4warm plates, cut the lamb in half and serve with Roasted Garlic Bread Pudding, Sauteed wild mushrooms, and a seasonal green vegetable.

Roasted Garlic Bread Pudding:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 carrot, finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 scallion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon rosemary, finely chopped
8 whole eggs
3 eggs, separated
1 quart heavy cream
2 heads roasted garlic, recipe follows
3 cups sourdough bread, crust removed, cut into 1-inch cubes, and air-dried overnightSet a skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons oil. When hot add the onion, celery, carrot, bell pepper, scallion, and minced garlic. Cook until the vegetables begin to soften, mince the rosemary and briefly rub in your hand before adding to the vegetables. Cook for 2 more minutes, season with salt and pepper and let cool.

Combine the whole eggs with the egg yolks and beat well. Stir in the heavy cream and the roasted garlic puree until well blended. Combine the cream mixture with the vegetables and the dried bread cubes and mix well.

Allow the mixture to stand overnight, covered in the refrigerator.

Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into the bread pudding one third at a time and mound in a greased large muffin tin (you should get 4 to 6). Bake in a 350 degree F oven 45 to 60 minutes until golden brown.

Roasted Garlic:
2 heads garlic
1 cup milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup olive oilTo roast garlic, cut the tops off the garlic heads and simmer in 1 cup of milk for 10 minutes. Drain, season with salt and pepper, and combine garlic with 3/4 cup oil. Place in a tightly covered pan and roast for 2 hours in a 275 degree F oven. Uncover and let cool. Strain the oil to remove unwanted garlic skin. Squeeze the garlic from the heads and place in a small blender and puree, adding the strained oil in a slow, steady stream to emulsify the oil into the puree.

Sides: Seasonal Veggies & Herbed Couscous

Dessert: Strawberry & Cream Cake
*Make a white cake
*Slice in half after cooled and set top aside
*Spread cool whip over the bottom piece and add sliced strawberries
*put the top back on and spread the cool whip over the top and sides.
*put strawberries in a heart shape pattern in the center of the cake and drizzle melted chocolate over the top of the cake.

Part 1 of 2

Pretty Fortune Cookie Placecards/Gifts

Fortune Place Card How-To
1. Print messages or romantic quotations centered onto 8 1/2-by-11-inch card stock, oriented horizontally. Cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Turn strips over, and calligraph first and last names 1 inch from each end. Notch ends.

2. To make the "cookie," cut patterned paper into a circle 5 1/2 inches in diameter (if you like, make a cardboard template using a compass). Roll circle into a loose tube. Overlap ends about 1/2 inch and secure with doublesided tape. Hold the tube so that the top flap is pointing down and facing away from you. Slip a fortune into the tube with the name toward you. Fold the tube inward and secure with double-sided tape.

Make your Own Gift Boxes

Are you bored of wrapping presents the old fashioned way? Would you love to give a gift in an interesting package or a custom paper? The wait is over you can now! I ran across these free box templates online that you can print from your computer. Make sure you purchase a heavyweight paper or cardstock in a print or solid color you like. There are hundreds of patterns and papers to choose from. These are great for brides looking for custom boxes for their wedding. You can even purchase a plain paper and stamp your initials or logo onto the paper before constructing the boxes. The choices are limitless.

Here's the template link:

Paper and more Templates

My Holiday Rant

Okay so Christmas is over, New Years is barely over and yet the stores are already two months ahead....Valentine's Day stuff is already packed into the retailer's stores.

Can't we get over our hangover in peace without having to worry about what to get our Valentine?
I just went broke a week ago from Christmas!

*sigh* They're always pushing the products. And the worst part is I'm semi-giving into what they want. But I'm doing it in my own way. Rather than going out and spending a ton of money on a singing dancing bear holding a tacky light-up heart... I'm going to bake and decorate.

You'll be seeing more and more "valentine related" recipes from me and fun little crafts, but I refuse to give in to the stupidity of buying the crapy bs junk they sell in stores. It's probally all made in china anyway, which doesn't really help our economy... especially since we're due for a recession. So if you're money cruched like me and want to enjoy the holiday without feeling pressured by retailers to buy their crap, stay tuned. I'll be posting all kinds of fun stuff for you to do.

Click on the "Valentine's Day" channel from the list of posts I've written. You'll see all my posts associated with the subject. Happy crafting!

Chocolate Cream Puff Hearts

Puffs:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup water
½ cup margarine or butter
1 oz. (1 square) semi-sweet chocolate
¼ tsp salt
4 eggs

Filling:
2 cups whipping cream
2 to 3 tbsp powdered sugar
1 cup caramel ice cream topping
¼ cup chopped pecans



Recipe


Directions
Heat oven to 375 F. Grease cookie sheets. Lightly spoon
flour into measuring cup; level off. In medium saucepan,
combine water, margarine, chocolate and salt over medium
heat until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Add
flour, beating vigorously until mixture leaves sides of
pan; remove from heat. Place mixture in large mixing bowl.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating with electric mixer at
medium speed for 1 minute after each addition; beat until
smooth and glossy. DO NOT OVERBEAT. To form each puff,
spoon about ¼ cup dough onto greased cookie sheet. Using
table knife, form heart shape by placing knife at edge of
dough and pulling inward ½ inch. Using knife, shape bottom
of puff into point. Bake at 375 F. for 40 to 45 minutes or
until puffed and browned. With sharp knife, pierce side of
each puff to allow steam to escape. Remove from cookie
sheets; cool on wire rack. In large bowl, beat whipping
cream at highest speed until soft peaks form; add powdered
sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold in 1/3 cup of
the caramel ice cream topping and pecans.

To serve, split puffs; remove filaments of soft dough. Fill
each puff with about 1/3 cup filling. Drizzle remaining
caramel ice cream topping over tops of puffs.(Remember you are the artist here. If you would like to top the cream puffs with chocolate, raspberry, cool whip, etc. it's up to you! Do whatever combo you love!)

Makes 12 puffs

*note: If you have trouble getting the puffs to form in a heart shape you may want to take a metal heart shaped cookie cutter, grease it and place it on the pan. Fill the cookie cutter as if it was a mold with the 1/4 cup of dough. Bake as usual. When puff is done, remove the cookie cutter and viola, you have heart shaped puffs.

Wishing You a Wonderful New Year!

Hello everyone!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful and safe new year! To kick off 2008 we'll have to start by committing to resolutions. Or at least give it our best effort.

I hope to lose weight and make lots of money... haha let's see if it happens.

I'll have lots of new fun stuff for you guys and gals looking to have a fun little project to make or bake... at least that's a resolution I know I can keep.