Cion Ortega is changing salons!

This post is for my wonderful catering partner Cion. Since both of us have "day jobs" this is in reference to his. Cion has decided to leave Azur salon and move over to Traci Scott salon. His last day at Azur will be on December 20 and his first day at Traci Scott will be January 3. If you would like to book an appointment please call 713-520-8212. The salon is located at 615 West Gray (near Barnabys and Bibas).

In other news Cion and I are working on several new catering items. We have added a variety of individual desserts to the menu including apple crisps and chocolate souffles. We will be getting together over the holidays to test some more recipes. If you have suggestions please let us know.

The aftermath

Another weekend of parties checked off the list. I have to say I drank way to much champagne which makes work on a Monday morning VERY difficult. All that being said I think it was a huge success, but then again I may be biased. We went through a total of 2 bottles of vodka, 2 bottles of rum and over 15 bottles of champagne. Now those numbers indicate a good time had by all. I have to say that my favorite food item was Randy's breakfast french toast. It was yummy.

I still have many more events to go. Bert and Roy are hosting a movie night Wednesday, Thursday is dinner with friends, Saturday is my office party and Sunday is brunch with teh Nashes. The following week is my parents holiday dinner, the Nashes Wine and Cheese, Stephanie's Holiday party and Thuy's graduation dinner. So many parties so little time. My liver is going to need a vacation come January.

Hopefully Cion and I can book some catering gigs in 2009!

It's that time of year again... Parties Galore

I can't believe I haven't posted in over a month. The Indian themed dinner turned out really well. It was hard work and both Cion and I were incredibly exhausted after. The hosts were very happy with our work so it proved to us that we really could make a great career out of this.

In other news I have several parties this holiday season. The sad part is that on December 13 I had 4 invitations. They are all the night of my work holiday party so I have to miss all the festivities. Boo! On December 21 I am also double booked. So many parties but so little time. Did I mention that I LOVE parties though. :)

The menu for December 7 Holiday Brunch is below:
hashbrown casserole with sausage
hashbrown casserole with spinach
breakfast bread pudding
spinach dip
lox and bagels
mini bagel dogs
sausage balls
assorted pastries
fruit tray
wassail

Everyone have a wonderful and safe holiday season. Cheers!!!

2nd Official party Booking

Cion and I have officially booked our second party. It's an Indian themed dinner that is part of a fundraising event for AWTY. (Awty is a private school here in Houston). We will be preparing 3 appetizers, serving cocktails, serving food and cleaning up. Food wise it's really small but service wise we will be getting a workout. we estimate about 8 hours for the party prep, cleaning and the actual event.

We met with the client last night and walked through the set up and planned the appetizers she would like. Cion and I will be in the kitchen tomorrow night experimenting with mango martinis, indian themed seasonings and food. I will report back with pictures and progress.

Cheers!

The day after

Well yesterday was a long day. I actually peeled the 36 boiled eggs at midnight Sunday then slept a few hours. I got up at 5:50 so that I could pack up car, run and get ice as well as bagels. Cion arrived promptly at 8:30 and we actually left early. We made a stop off at Super Target for an extra puff pastry and arrived at the destination at 9:30.

The first thing we did was unload the car and set the table. I have a habit of labeling all the serving plates with the name of the dish that will go in them. This way as we go along we know what we need to make and what is left. We started with the delived eggs and assembling the bries. We quickly noticed that refrigerator space was sparse. Not sure how to over come this in the future. Anyways, moved onto assembling veggie tray and cheese tray. We started baking the artichoke/spinach puff pastries and then the bries. Serving wasn't to commence till 2:00 so we were all ready to go at 1:00 so we just took a quick break.

At 2:00 guests started to arrive. We both manned the drink area and tried to watch food spread for refills. Items to note: no one drank red wine, salmon was gone fast as well as spinach puff pastries, lots of left over roast beef and 4lbs of orzo pasta salad is a bit much for a crowd of 30. Overall I think it was a success. The clients were happy and we gave out quite a few business cards. We ended the day at 5:30 so it made for a very very long day with a very minimal profit. However, I am very thankful for given the chance to cater our first event and had a complete blast doing it. I really hope it turns into something more. I really think Cion and I make a great team and we are already planning our next menu items. Now we just need to book another gig with more profit.

Cheers!

Sunday's Luncheon

So far I have hit Costco, ordered the flowers from Killions and ordered the desserts. Here is the breakdown on the shopping lists and schedule:

Kroger:
Roast Beef
Puff Pastry - 2
Cream Cheese
Capers
Mayo
Sweet Relish
Ranch Dressing Pack
Swiss
Muenster
Frozen Spinach
Artichokes

Central Market:
pine nuts
orzo
sundried tomatoes
dill
vegetable stock

Caninos:
Mixed Greens
Red Onion
Red Pepper
Yellow Pepper
Cucumbers
Carrots
Celery
Cherry Tomatoes
Lemons
Green Onions
Mushrooms

Costco:
Napkins
Plates
Smoked Salmon
Eggs
Cheese
Brie Cheese
Case of Water
Diet Coke
Coke
Sprite
Red Wine
White Wine
Sour Cream

Hot Bagel Shop:
Bagels

Bakery - Desserts

Hello stranger it's been awhile.

After the big August 2nd party I took a few weeks off. Then September hit. Remember the Green Day song, "Wake me up when September ends"; well that is how I felt. So in honor of the conclusion of this month I am posting again.

I broke my foot after the last party, then Dave had to have his gall bladder removed, then Hurricane Ike. Both Dave and I are back and healthy howver we are still waiting on a check from State Farm so we can repair our house. Once that starts we are looking at 30 days of construction. They will have to repair 12ft section of missing siding, rip up section of hardwoods on second floor, sand entire floor and stain, rip out sheetrock and repair on all 3 floors, paint exterior and interior, etc.

I did have a few friends over in honor of my 32nd birthday in the midst of all this. The menu was sandwiches from Jersey Mikes, 7 layer dip, homemade cake from Miriam, snacks from Anika and what not. Great casual fun was had by all.

All that being said teh Two Party Planners has booked our first paid gig. The event is being held October 5. It's a memoriam for a friends late father. The menu is the following:
Sliced Roast Beef (served cold)
Rolls and Assorted Crackers
Lox and Bagels
Deviled Eggs
Saffron Orzo Salad
Veggie Tray
Cheese Tray
Baked Brie with Mushrooms in middle
Assorted Desserts
Wine and Beverages

Cion and I will prep most of everything at my house then head out to Spring around 9am. We met yesterday to discuss schedules and shopping lists. I need to go at lunch today and get napkins so I can start rolling the silverware. I have ordered the flowers from Killions and placed the dessert order. We will hit Specs Thursday night, Costco Friday, Caninos, Kroger and Central Market Saturday. Our budget for this party was originally $600 but we have had to up it to $700 or we would be in the red.

I will keep you posted on how we do as well as post pictures.

Cheers!

Launch Party Wrap-up

I am happy to report that despite all the blood (several cut fingers), sweat (house couldn't handle all the people and 100º temperatures outside) and tears (in spirit) I feel that the event was a great success. All the food made it to the table in time and all bottles of alcohol were consumed. This in my book equals a good time had by all. Let's take a look back at all the preparation and menu and weigh in on the cheers and jeers...

Friday evening we split up shopping duties. Cion took Central Market to get flowers, fresh herbs and miscellaneous items, Dave took the Kroger list and I took the Costco list. My cart at Costco was over flowing. I picked up 2 7-8lb beef tenderloins and 6 3lb pork tenderloins, numerous vegetables, water, plates, trash bags, soft drinks, brie cheese, etc. Needless to say when the last item was scanned and the total appeared I had a bit of sticker shock ($400). Despite the flashing dollar amount I passed out 4 business cards to soccer moms waiting in line.

Cion, Randy, Dave and I all gathered our items and met back at the Massey casa. We began chopping and prepping for the layered vegetable terrain and Cion prepped sauces for the beefs. He stayed up late into the night (2am) prepping and marinating. Cion had to get up for work (we both still have day jobs) and I began running around town looking for other items. I dashed over to Williams Sonoma to pick up another white tablecloth, more hydrangeas from Central Market then onto pick up pastries and anti pasto tray. Randy was running around town getting more food supplies we needed and a bucket to keep the wine chilled.

After completing the gathering process we all met up (Randy, Cion, Dave, Deidra and me) at 2:00. Then it became a race to finish by the 6:30 mark. We started with the crabcakes, construction of the mini capreses and slicing zucchini. Then we moved onto dips, sauces and baking the bries. We all kept a watchful eye on the clock (ok I did and just yelled time to everyone) and rushed over food to my brothers house to start the ovens. With the sweat pouring down my back I raced between the houses carrying baked bries, nicly cooked crabcakes and prepped zucchini. Cion and I would quickly pass each other in the heat and update on progress. Each item was then carried into the house where Deidra arranged the presenation on the trays. Then grilling commenced outside with Dave and Cion manning the grills. It became Hell's kitchen upstairs as the 6:30 mark was approaching and we were all dirty, sweaty, hadn't showered and we were still missing the tenderloins. I raced to light candles and start the music and Deidra and Randy raced to complete the crackers. The dance of completion ended about 12 minutes past the 6:30 mark but all in all not bad.

Cion, Deidra and I raced upstairs to quickly hose off the sweat and make ourselves presentable. I could hear the crowd gathering as the 7:00 hour struck. Once Cion completed my makeup I raced down the stairs to greet the crowd of friends and family. Then right as I reached the last step and turned to say hi to the crowd I fell. CRAP. Twisted my foot. Dang the timing. If it weren't for Jimmy catching me I would have been a pile on the hardwoods. I pressed on and began pouring wine. Cion and Deidra followed shortly behind and the party began.

The heat from the outside and the crowd size inside forced my ac's into overdrive. They just could not keep up. The temperature in the inside had climbed to a sweltering 82º. You could see the sweat pouring off everyones faces and makeup running around the eyes. I felt terrible but I really couldn't do anything about it. While continuing to refill trays and pop open champagne bottles I cut 3 of my fingers so by the end of the night I was covered in bandaids and had frozen peas on my foot.

In the end all the food was eaten and we only had a few tenderloins leftover. After the last guest left we layed down our exhausted sweaty feet and crashed into the bed with large smiles and words of praise across our faces.

I want to offer special thanks to the following people whom we could never have completed this party without:
Cion - no words could express my gratitude for all that you did. You continue to amaze me with your talents and dedication.
Randy - you are an amazing source of strength for Cion and I as you raced around town to look for the perfect ice bucket, load supplies into the garage and help us prep. You are also an EXCELLENT dog sitter.
Dave - without you I would never have been able to do this. You are my spirit and I can't thank you enough for putting up with me in the heat of the moment. You are an excellent grill sous chef!
Deidra - came through on the final day to showcase her amazing talent for food presentation.
Brian and Nicole - Thank you for letting us smoke and heat up your house.
Keith, Thuy and Hi - Thank you for washing all the plates and helping clean while Cion, Deidra and I collapsed. We all appreciated your helping hand when we could no longer lift a finger or were to drunk to handle plates. :)
To all our friends, family and party guests - Thank you for sharing in this special moment for us and we hope you will pass on our information to anyone who is in the need of party planning services.

CHEERS!

PS - as soon as I get the photos from the photographer I will post a link.

Launch Party Update

I have to admit that I am currently breathing into a brown paper bag. Long deep breaths praying that this Xanax starts working. My frazzeled self is imagining standing over the edge of the Grand Canyon looking down going "who needs a parachute I can fly by flapping my arms". Translation - I never think logically before I leap. EVER!

Guest count is now 60+, my yard is a big pile of dirt right now, I am getting a new garage floor installed Wed and Thurs and I haven't even remotely got everything ready for the party. I feel like the guy on the Next Food Network Star that always over extended himself. I mean who schedules a complete overhaul of their garage and frontyard the week of a major party? Oh and I forgot one more idiotic thing... we have our first dog obedience lesson on Saturday morning of the party. IDIOT!

Payday is Friday which means on Friday I will be doing the Costco, Kroger run then come home and decorate and knock out as much food preparation as I possibly can. Cion is doing the Central Market run and Dave is going to Home Depot to get us patio furniture. We will also need to reload the fridge back in to the garage on Friday. All of this AFTER working an 8 hour day.

Saturday's schedule looks even worse. Wake up, take Xanax, take dog to obedience training at 10:00am, go to bakery, Nudini, shower, clean, cook for 60+ people, pray the house doesn't over heat, freshen up, pop another Xanax, greet guests and pray for a miracle.

Wish us luck... we need it!

Launch Party

We decided to change the menu just a tad for the party on August 2nd. Instead of lamb we are going to do a beef tenderloin and a pork tenderloin. Below is our revised menu and the estimated preparation time.

Beef Tenderloin - grill 30 minutes
Pork Tenderloin - grill 20 minutes
Crab Cakes - stove - 45 minutes
Baked brie - oven - 20 minutes
Zucchini wrapped in proscuitto - stove - 20 minutes
Mini Caprese - will be prepared Friday night
Stuffed Mushrooms - oven - 30 minutes
Anti pasto tray - assembly time
Desserts - assembly time
Asparagus - stove - 20 minutes

Cion went to Whole Foods last night and ordered a case of white wine. We are off to Specs tonight to look for red wine and champagne. Guest count so far is 36 with more to come in.

We will go to Costco next Wednesday and Central Market on Thursday or Friday. We have jam packed days ahead of us and lots to get ready for.

Wish us luck!

Official Launch of Two Party Planners

It's official. Cion and I are launching Two Party Planners. Deidra is going to help us out when she can and be a great help to us on the business side. We have designed a logo and ordered business cards. Our first open house is scheduled for Saturday, August 2 at 7:00.

The menu we have planned consists of appetizers and finger friendly foods.

Lamb bites
Crab Cakes
Baked Brie
Zucchini wrapped in proscuitto
Mini Caprese
Crackers served with warm goat cheese and fruit
Stuffed Mushrooms
Antipasto Tray
Steamed asparagus
array of desserts

We are going to pick a red and a white wine to serve. Our goal is to give our friends, family and potential clients a glimpse into what we plan to offer.

If I left you off the email and you would like to come please RSVP to me by July 30.

Cheers and wish us luck!

4th of July Holiday

So for the 4th of July Cion, James and I will be gathering to let Tashi have a playdate with Reilly and Zachary. We will be grilling hamburgers and bratwurst served with Cion's famous salsa and quacamole. I will be making a cucumber tomato salad and a blueberry cheesecake.

The cucumber tomato salad recipe I got years ago and have made on numerous occasions. The ingredients are cucumber, tomato, red onion, mint, olive oil, white vinegar, salt, pepper and sugar. Once I get home I will post the recipe for everyone. It's always a light, refreshing side and a great accompaniment to burgers, fish and even chicken dishes.

The blueberry cheesecake recipe is a new recipe I am trying from Tyler Florence. Usually his recipes are a great success and if it goes well I will repost it. Based on the reviews it needs some cooking adjustment and a little bit of tweaking.

Hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July holiday.

It's been awhile...........

Wow I did it! Dave made me promise not to throw any parties during the month of June and today is June 25. I succeeded! My reward was supposed to be a dinner at Mark's but we decided to buy a puppy so that is my reward. For those who don't know above is a picture of Tashi Massey.

So July is now around the corner and I am going through serious party planning withdrawal. I have so many new recipes I want to try so everyone get ready!

Party #1 - Project Runway Season 4 premiers on Wednesday, July 16. My dear friend James started the tradition of getting together as a group to cheer on our favorite contestants. He so graciously included me in the fun and of course my party planning took over and now I like to help organize the wonderous events. So our first event will be the season premier. It will take place at my house and I will provide some snacks. I just sent an email to the group notifying everyone so I should have an RSVP count soon. Then I can plan what snacks I would like to do. I may do a red pepper hummus recipe from Barefoot Contessa I have been wanting to try.

Party #2 - I would like to host a small cocktail party. This is still in the planning stages and a date has not been selected.

Hope everyone is doing well and I will post more soon.

Disco/Mexico Bridal Shower Brunch

James Phillips, Jennifer Massey, Cion Ortega

(There were 4 hosts for this party; Kim Simmons is missing from this photo)

The Disco/Mexico Bridal Shower Brunch was another success. I was fortunate to have 3 other co-hosts for this party: James Phillips, Kim Simmons, Cion Ortega and myself. Dave was kind enough to do the grocery store shopping for me on Saturday and Saturday night James came over to help me decorate. To add some fuel for the decoration committee we grilled hamburgers and I made home fries (russett potatoes, olive oil, Tonys seasoning) and baked beans (ranch style beans, pork and beans, ketchup, mustard, brown sugar).

I think I did a great job combining the themes and really making everything come together. I strung some chilli pepper lights along the fire place and attached 3 disco balls. We hung a 12" disco ball from the ceiling fan and tied Mexcio tissue flowers (miriam made these) along the staircase.

On Saturday evening we marinated the chicken and beef. Sunday I got up bright and early and made the fruit salad. Then Kim came over and we made the quiche. Dave started grilling about 11:00 and we were able to assemble the quesadillas by 12:00. We ran behind on the shrimp but the whole food spread was finished by 12:30. Cion made homemade red salsa, spinach dip (AMAZING) and quacamole.

Everyone raved about how great the food but we still had lots of leftovers. Group size was 20 and we did go through all 10 bottles of champagne in 2.5 hours. Elizabeth (our bride and guest of honor) really got some wonderful gifts.

James and Kim were most excellent at making sure all the guests were taken care of and this really helped as Cion and I cleaned, prepped and took care of the food. I was impressed with how we all worked together!

After the party I was exhausted and was able to join Cion poolside for even more champagne and we munched on leftovers. We had a major brainstorming session about forming a new partnership so hopefully we can iron out details and start something soon.

So this is my last scheduled hosting party for awhile. I hope that Cion and I can reach a joint venture and really make something out of this. I do have a few parties to attend (Cion's pool party June 1st, Breann's kitchen unveiling party June 28) so I will post more details soon.

CHEERS!

Pictures from Cinco de Mayo Housewarming

The biggest success from the Cinco de Mayo party was the beef fajitas and of course the seven layer dip. For the beef for this party I used flank steak from Kroger. Dave uesed a tenderizer to thin the meat and we marinated it for 24 hours with lime juice, garlic, olive oil, liquid smoke, salt and pepper. It was incredibly moist and really flavorful.

For the seven layer dip I used Rosarita Vegetarian refried beans (3 cans), 3 bags of Quac Sals (you can find this in Kroger vegetable area), Large container Daisy Sour Cream mixed with taco seasoning, 3 tomatoes, 1 container blak olives sliced, 2 bunches green onion and colby monterry jack cheese. This is always a hit!

I also made Trey's Mom's Green Sauce but not many people touched it. I need to tweak this recipe.

Elizabeth's Disco/Mexico Bridal Shower Brunch

Boy the title says it all. The shower I am cohosting on Saturday is a compilation of all sorts of themes. So here is a translation of sorts:

Mexico - Elizabeth and Rob are having a Mexico destination wedding
Disco - Well Elizabeth loves Disco music and it sounded like lots of big ol' gay fun
Brunch - The shower is taking place on a Sunday at noon to accomodate for several guests working on Saturday and we all love to gather for brunch and drink champagne
Bridal Shower - This is a bridal shower afterall

So to carry off all the themes I stocked up on disco balls from Arnies on Saturday. I got 6 4" disco balls, 1 12" with a motor that spins it, disco ball necklaces for each guest and even got disco plates (Arnies total $87.01). For the Mexico part my friend Miriam made these wonderful colorful tissue paper flowers for the Cinco de Mayo that I am borrowing, I have a bunch of chili pepper lights, Mexico decorations and of course teh menu will contain chips, salsa and quesadillas.

I was reading Racheal Ray Magazine last night and came across a fruit salad recipe that I am going to try. Here is the recipe:

Fruit Salad with Black Pepper Dressing, Rachael Ray, May 2008
Ingredients
2 bunches fresh mint leaves, washed
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon pepper
4 teaspoons cornstarch
6 large peaches
1 honey dew melon, cut into wedges
1 cantaloupe, cut into wedges
4 cups strawberries
2 pints raspberries

Directions
1. In a small saucepan; combine 1 cup of water, one half of the mint leaves, sugar, vinegar, and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and let simmer for 5 minutes.

2. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 4 tablespoons of water making sure to get out all of the lumps. Stir this into the saucepan with the dressing and bring it back to a boil. Remove from the heat, let it cool for about 10 minutes and strain.

3. In a large bowl toss the dressing with the honeydew, cantaloupe, peaches, and strawberries, (I would add the raspberries midway through tossing so they don't fall apart) Top with the remaining mint leaves.

Grocery Lists:
Shrimp
Tortilla Chips
Corn Starch
Honey Dew
Cantalope
Peaches
Strawberries
Raspberries (I may use blueberries instead)
Flank Steak
Chicken Breast
Spinach
Mushrooms
Garlic
Tortillas
Green Onion
Swiss Cheese
Monterrey Jack Cheese
Saltine Crackers
Limes
White Onion

Cion has volunteered to make his homemade red salsa and spinach dip, Kim is bringing the Tres Leches cake, James is in charge of the alcohol.

Several Down and One Left

I know I have been delayed on posting a few pictures but lately on Sunday after partying on Saturday I am pooped. Plus Monday - Friday I am strapped to an office chair trying to make money for all these fabulous parties.

So... Jimmy and Donald's Housewarming has concluded as has the crawfish boil and Miriam and Tom's Housewarming/Cinco de Mayo. Below is a summary and results for each party.

Jimmy & Donald's - They couldn't have picked better weather that weekend. It was amazing. We all sat outside among the wonderfully shaded backyard drinking some purple passion concoction of Jimmy's. The menu was well executed by Jimmy and consisted of a really awesome spicy bean dip served with veggies. I was also a fan of his black eyed pea dip. For this party as you remember I just contributed cookies and my goat cheese spread (recipe below). Perhaps I can talk Jimmy into releasing on of the previously mentioned recipes for me to post.

Crawfish Boil - Where to start.... Dave and I prepared the red beans Friday night as well as the pasta salad. This allowed for us to have a little more time for set-up on Saturday morning.

Saturday morning we created a guy by the name of Homer in the parking lot of the Hideaway on Richmond and Dunvale at 10:00am. He sold us 3 sacks at a $1.50 a pound. It was quite the spectacle. He had two huge trucks with big freezers on the bag and they were full of large sacks. Now these crawfish were not small. They were quite large so I think we got a great deal.

After picking up the mudbugs we were off to Deidra's house to drop them off. We set up the tables and taped newspapers to them as our table cloths. Let me tell you this was high class. Jenny (our recruited chef) and Adrianne arrived at 1:00 and we started to purge the bugs and make the seasoning. Now Jenny did something quite interesting, she steamed the bugs not boiled them. The seasoning consisted of garlic, italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, seafood boil, orange juice, lemon juice. She mixed all of this together and would pour this mixture over the bugs as they were dumped into the hot pot. They were absolutely wonderful and were quite spicy. My lips burnt for days afterwards. I do have to say that steaming them was awesome however made them a little more difficult to peel. I look forward to trying this recipe with more of a boil soon before the season ends. We also boiled 10lbs of shrimp and 5lbs of sausage.

The sides for the party consisted of the usual corn, mushrooms, potatoes, potato salad, pasta salad and lemon bars provided by Breann and brownies provided by Christine. Not to many leftovers as the crowd size was about 50.

This brings me up to Miriam and Tom's - This event was held this past Saturday. The crowd size was about 20. We had tons of food with Dave grilling the fajita beef and chicken. I made a 7 layer dip and Trey's Mom's green sauce. Miriam made a fresh pico, quacamole, veggie skewers and a wonderful tres leches cake. We of course over did the food but it was great.

Dave marinated the beef on Friday. The marinade was garlic, lime juice, liquid smoke, olive oil and seasoning. This really makes the flank steak succulent. He also used a tenderizer to make the meat absorb the flavors and really adds a great texture to it. The chicken was also marinated in lime juice, salt, pepper and olive oil.

Needless to say after a month of non-stop parties and one more to go with Elizabeth's Bridal Shower on the 18th I am going to need a vacation. So after the 18th I will be taking a month off from hosting parties. Dave and I will be in Cabo for a week starting Memorial weekend. Dave has told me that if I can go all of June without hosting a party I get dinner at Mark's http://www.marks1658.com/ which is definitely a treat for me.

So my next post will be on Elizabeth's shower and maybe if I can get off my lazy bottom I will post pictures from the last three events.

Cheers!

Beginning the Crawfish Countdown

Perhaps in a different life, many moons ago I wronged a weather man. It never fails that when I attempt to do something outside it seems that the weather turns against me. We have had countless beautiful weekends the past 2 months so it never seems to amaze me that on the Crawfish Boil weekend we are getting a "cool" front. We started the week at a 20% chance of rain on Saturday but now depending on what source you look at, the chances are between the range of 30-50% now.

News flash you crazy weather man, our crawfish boil will go on. Dave located a source for the mudbugs. He contacted a guy named Homer who is going to meet us at the Hideaway on Dunvale Saturday 10am with 3 30lb sacks. That's 90lbs of mudbugs, unpurged. I have been reading on the internet how to purge them and all sources indicate to just run them through water until the water is clean.

Several great friends have stepped up to the plate being that this is my first boil. Miriam loaned me a second crock pot and Bonnie was kind enough to loan me a massive 90 quart cooler to store some of the critters in and Adrianne and Jennie are stepping up to help me cook the critters. Dave is off to Academy tonight to buy a 80quart pot and burner so that we can cook a sack at a time.

Currently we have a total of 40 RSVP's but I know of 8 that have not RSVP'd that are coming. ...By the way people how hard is it to respond to an evite? You are either a yes or a no. Just click the button..... Oops I digress.

Deidra has located several card tables and I have been stock piling newspapers. So I think we are all ready to go. Here is the breakdown and lists for the next several days as we countdown to the hoedown.

Thursday Night:

Costco:

Box of Fresh Garlic

2 Containers Lime Juice

Box of cubed butter

2 packages of italian seasoning

paper towels

Kroger trip 1: (this is a trip so that Dave can have his ingredients to make red beans Friday night)

Roses Red Beans - 2 packages

garlic

green bell pepper - 2

celery

onion - 2

Friday Night:

Kroger:

rice

onion - crawfish boil
tricolor pasta - 4 bags
cherry tomatoes
red onion
mushrooms
sausage
corn - frozen ears
red potatoes
stuff for potato salad
plastic bowls
silverware
plates
Chips and Dip

Crab Boil Liquid - 2

Party Central

Wow this month and May is jam packed with party's. I feel like I need a hotline, "Hello this is Party Central, how may I help you?" So here is the latest lowdown on all the upcoming events:

Saturday, April 19 - Donald and Jimmy's Housewarming
This event is a bit easier for me since I am only responsible for a cheese dip and cookies. I am going to make my layered goat cheese spread. Recipe is below for those interested.

Goat Cheese Spread - Southern Living, 2002
Ingredients
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
8 ounces goat cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 teaspoons chopped fresh or 1 1/4 teaspoons dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup basil pesto
1/2 cup dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
Garnishes: dried tomato slivers, fresh oregano sprigs
French bread slices or crackers

Preparation
Process first 5 ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Spread one-third of cheese mixture in bottom of a plastic wrap-lined 8- x 4-inch loafpan. Top with pesto; spread one-third cheese mixture over pesto. Sprinkle with dried tomatoes; top with remaining cheese mixture. Cover and chill 8 hours.
Invert spread onto a serving plate, discarding plastic wrap. Garnish, if desired. Serve with French bread slices or crackers.

Saturday, April 26 - Crawfish Boil
We have located two pots to boil the mudbugs in and we are on the hunt for tables right now. I need to send a notice out that people need to bring lawn chairs. Deidra and I will probably do the grocery shopping on Friday. As far as the bugs I am still researching if we should get them on Saturday morning or Friday.

Menu:
Pasta Salad
Potato Salad
Chips and Dip
Vegetarian Friendly - Red Beans and Rice
Sausage, Corn, Potato, Crawfish Boil
Shrimp??
Breann's Sheet Cake
Christine is also bringing a dessert

Saturday, May 3 - Tom & Miriam Housewarming, Tom Birthday, Cinco de Mayo
Miriam and I met last night to discuss menu and decorations. Here is what we came up with for this tri-celebration:

Menu:
Veggie Skewers
Beef & Chicken Fajitas - Dave and I will handle purchasing the meat and grilling
Grilled Portabella Mushrooms
Roasted Corn
Spanish Rice - I am going to see if I can purchase from El Tiempo
Quacamole
Queso
7 Layer Dip - I will make this
Homemade Green and Red Salsa - I will make this
Birthday Cake

Decorations:
Chilli Pepper Lights - I have these
Mini Sombrero Hats - I need to look for these
Paper Flowers
Pinata

Sunday, May 18 - Elizabeth's Disco Brunch Bridal Shower
Menu:
Bacon Quiche
Quiche Lorraine
BBQ'd Shrimp
Beef, Chicken, Cheese, Spinach Quesadillas
Artichoke Spinach Dip
Fruit Tray
Chips and Salsa
Cake - Kim has ordered

After all of these events I will be flying out for a much needed Mexican Vacation in Cabo. Till then Cheers!

Crawfish Boil Menu

Menu for Crawfish Boil: 

Chips and Dip 

Potato Salad

Pasta Salad

Red Beans and Rice

Crawfish, Sausage, Potato, Corn Boil

Brownies

Ice Cream Sandwiches

Updates

Okay so here is a quick update of things:

Deidra's Birthday Party:

The most successful food item by far was the sauteed zucchini wrapped in proscuitto and served with a ranch/sour cream mix. It was gone within the first hour. The bacon quiche were gone but I had a few leftover of the green onion quiche. Total crowd size was approx. 20 and I had way to much food. Sent the sandwich tray and antipasto try home with Deidra. Although I doubt she remembered.

Overall I think I could have toned the food size down and maybe had a bit more enterainment persay.

Next up:

Donald and Jimmy's Housewarming: Saturday, April 19, 2008

Menu:

Spin Dip, Chips-N-Dip, Garden Ranch Macaroni Salad, Blue Cheese & Chix Croissants, Hunnus & Pitas, Cucumber Sandwiches, Tomato Sandwiches, Spicy Pecan Nibblers, & Massey's Goat Cheese Dip.

I am in charge of homemade cookies and the goat cheese spread.

Miriam and Tom's Housewarming: Saturday, May 3, 2008

Currently working on invite list, need to work on menu. It will need to be veggie friendly and lean towards the Cinco de Mayo theme.

Elizabeth's Wedding Disco Brunch: May 18, 2008

Kim took care of the formal invitations. I am still working on planning a menu.

Grocery Lists and Schedule

zucchini wrapped in prosciutto
antipasto tray - ordered from Nundini
veggie tray
mini quiche
spinach puff pastry
cream cheese and raspberry compote spread with crackers
finger sandwiches - ordered from Central Market
pasta salad
tres leches cupcakes

Grocery List:
shortening
unsalted butter
evaporated milk
2 - sweetened condensed milk
coconut milk
zucchini
prosciutto
cream cheese
crackers - Cars for dip
wheat pasta tubes
fresh mozzarella
fresh basil
cherry tomatoes
red onion
frozen spinach
puff pastry
Monterrey jack cheese
Ritz Crackers
Swiss cheese
bacon
green onion
eggs
carrots
celery
cucumber
sour cream
plates
napkins
silverware

Alcohol is being taken care of courtesy of Kelly. I have also asked the guests to bring a bottle as well.

Thursday - go to grocery store
Friday - make spinach puff pastries and place in freezer, make cupcakes and pasta salad
Saturday:
10:00am - pick up tray from Central Market
2:00pm - pick up tray from Nundini
2:30 - set table
3:00 - start cutting veggies for veggie tray
4:00 - ice beer, make quiche, thaw puff pastry, sear zucchini
6:00 - make puff pastry and set table

Deidra's Upcoming Birthday

Okay so here is the menu for Saturday:
zucchini wrapped in prosciutto
antipasto tray
veggie tray
mini quiche
spinach puff pastry
cream cheese and raspberry compote spread with crackers
finger sandwiches
tres leches cupcakes

The antipasto tray I will order from Nudini and the finger sandwiches will come from Central Market. I will probably place the orders today. My game plan is to make the spinach and puff pastry's as well as the cupcakes Friday evening and the rest Saturday afternoon before the party starts. Should be an easy game plan as I am only expecting roughly 20. I will publish my grocery lists later in the week.

Updates

Okay so I have four events I am planning currently. I will start in order of events.

First Event: Finger Happy Hour
Date: March 14, 2008
The event starts at 6:30 at my house. It is a gathering of current and ex-finger employees. This is a bring a dish and bring a bottle of wine event so not much planning here. I will provide the plates, napkins and silverware. I am going to make my artichoke spinch puff pastries and bring a bottle of Chandon sparkling wine


Second Event: Deidra's Birthday
Date: March 29, 2008
So far I haven't done a whole lot for this. I am waiting on the guest list which I should have tonight. Once I have the list I will send out an evite and start thinking of a menu. This will be held at my house at I am probably looking at doing an array of finger foods.

Third Event: Jimmy and Donald's Housewarming
Date: April 19, 2008
I am sent the evite out last Monday and so far there are about 15 guests. This event is being held at Jimmy and Donald's house. Jimmy has planned quite a menu that he will prepare. I am providing my goat cheese spread.

Fourth Event: Elizabeth's Disco Bridal Shower
Date: May 2008
I am cohosting this event with Kim and James. We met at Shade http://www.shadeheights.com/) over brunch on March 2. They have an excellent brunch menu and I would highly recommend the eggs benedict. They roast Roma tomatoes and top the english muffins with the tomatoes, canadian bacon, poached eggs and a homemade hollandaise sauce. They serve there breakfast dishes with a side of potatoes and fresh fruit. I always have a bloody mary and upgrade from the house vodka. I like that they serve there bloody marys with a pickled okra. A very southern touch.

Anyways I digress... the event will be hosted at my house. We are currently working on a menu as well as invitations. Since this is a disco mexican theme the menu and decorations will center around this.

Welcome Home Party Aftermath

Another party has ended and all the dishes have been done. Tom and Miriam have officially moved home from Malaysia! I would say over all this party was a great success. The guest list was about 25 which makes for a more manageable group. I was definitely less stressed this go around.

I started Saturday morning with preparing the brie. This took about 20 minutes and then I placed in the fridge for storage. Then I was off to get my haircut, which by the way I chopped 6 inches. Then when I got back I started the remainder of the food preparations. I made the quiche, breadsticks, gnocchi, eggplant stacks and then ended with crab cakes. This way the crab cakes and eggplant would be hot when the guests arrived.

We started this party a little earlier than I normally do since we had a bit older crowd and kids were welcome. The party started at 5:00 and the last guest left at approx. 11:30.

The most popular item was the crab cakes followed by the eggplant stacks. The least successful item was the gnocchi again. I have to say that means that I won't be making any more gnocchi for parties. I was also disappointed in how the breadsticks turned out. They were quite dry and didn't have a whole lot of flavor so I won't be making those again either. Despite this I really feel the menu was perfectly planned as we didn't have to many left overs. Below is the recipe for the crab cakes for those interested.

I would say total cost of party was approx. $400 which is about $16 a person. Not to bad since that total includes alcohol. Which by the way we had the perfect amount.

The next party to plan is the bridal shower, a birthday party and a housewarming. Busy times around the corner. Cheers!

Crab Cakes
courtesy of Paula Deen

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Yield: 4-6 Servings

1 pound crabmeat, picked free of shells
1/3 cup crushed crackers (recommended: Ritz)
3 green onions (green and white parts), finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 egg
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt Dash cayenne pepper
Flour, for dusting
1/2 cup peanut oil
Favorite dipping sauce, for serving

In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients, except for the flour and peanut oil. Shape into patties and dust with flour.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, carefully place crab cakes, in batches, in pan and fry until browned, about 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip crab cakes and fry on other side until golden brown, about 4 minutes.

Serve warm with preferred sauce.

Upcoming Dates

February 23 - Adrianne and Pete's Birthday Party/Crawfish Boil: Just doing a cake and decorations.
March 29 - Deidra's Birthday
April 5 - Sports Party at friends
April 19 - Housewarming for Donald and Jimmy

I also have a bridal shower to work on and the date is yet to be determined for this one.

St. Patricks Day is on a Monday this year and I am working every weekend for the Rodeo so I may have to miss festivites.

More posts to follow soon.

Various Updates

Two more parties to work on, a house warming in April and a birthday party in March. We are also approaching St. Patricks Day and Rodeo time so lots of activities buzzing about.

In other news.... In preparation for Saturday I dropped by World Market and the liquor store. I ended up at the Mandola liquor store on Richmond. They average about $3-4 more per bottle. I was trying to save time so I figured the cost was worth it. Since we have a group of 16 coming I bought 4 bottles of white (Clos Du Bois Chardonnay), 4 bottles of champagne (Chandon) and of course vodka (Absolut for mixing and Kettle One for martinis or shooters).

I won't be able to do any preparations tonight since I have plans at Max's Wine Dive. I will publish more informaiton as the event approaches.

Cheers!

Shopping Lists for February 16 Event

I have changed the menu for the 16th. Here is what I have:

Brie en Croute with Mushrooms
Mini Onion Quiches
Crab Cakes
Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Stacks
Cheese and Rosemary Breadsticks
Smoked Salmon
Spinach Dip
Gnocchi with Basil Pesto
Assorted Desserts

Here are the stores and prospective lists:

Specs List:
Vodka
Club Soda
Dry sherry?

Costco:
Brie
Crab Meat (2lb crab meat)
Wine - white
Champagne - 3 bottles
Plates
Flowers
Smoked Salmon

Kroger:
Onion
Mushrooms (1/2lb)
Ritz Crackers – 1 box
Green Onions – 2 bunches
Milk
Swiss Cheese
Dry mustard
Flour
Lemon
Peanut oil
Cocktail sauce?
3 large eggplants
Balsamic vinegar
Garlic
Frozen spinach box
Cream cheese (for spinach dip and smoked salmon)
Sour cream
Ranch dressing pack
Chives cheese aloti pack
Parmesan
Gruyere
Breadstick dough (2 container Pillsbury)
Limes
Crackers for dip
Eggs

Central Market:
Nutmeg – fresh
Tomato (4 large)
Pesto – 1 medium container
Fresh mozzarella – 1.5lbs
French bread loaf (for salmon and spinach dip)
Rosemary

Cost Plus World Market:
Gnocchi – 4 packs

Bakery
3 dozen cookies

Arnies:
Silverware
Napkins

Flying Solo - Party Planning Number 2

As previously mentioned the next party I am planning is a Welcome Home party for friends Miriam and Tom. They are moving back to Houston after living abroad for several years. I sent the evite out about two weeks ago and the current head count is 12. The event is being held on Saturday, February 16 at 5:00pm. It's a little early to accommodate the couples with children and the parents of the guests of honor.

So far I have been working at planning a menu. It needds to be vegetarian friendly since the guests of honor and several of the attendees are also vegetarian. Here is what I have thought of so far:

Eggplant Stacks
Spinach Dip
Parmesan Twists
Baked Brie
Smoked Salmon
Crab Cakes
roasted Veggies
Stuffed Mushrooms
Gnocchi in Tomato Sauce

I am positive the menu will change since I am still in the research stage. Sice this is more of a small gathering I will probably just decorate with tea lights and other candles. Maybe some photos of their travels.

As far as drinks I will do an assortment of wines and champagnes. This is more of a wine and cheese with hors d’oeuvres. I will keep you posted as to my progress.

Cheers!

PS - I am also in the works planning a Bridal Shower for Elizabeth who is having a destination wedding. Lots to celebrate in 2008!

Super Bowl the Aftermath

Well where shall I start, hmmm let's start from Friday, February 1. I took a half day off work Friday to run some of the errands. I started off at Cost Plus World Market to pick-up the gnocchi ($12) then I was off to Costco for some other items($75). Deidra, Carl (a recruit) and myself headed over to the Signature Kroger Friday evening. With the typed list in hand we were able to weave our way in and out of the aisles in about an hours time. Not to bad given the size of the list. Total Kroger cost was $335.00. OUCH! Decided we need to drown sticker shock with lots of vino so we headed over to Fred's Italian Corner afterwards (http://www.eatatfreds.com/).

Started Saturday morning off by cleaning the house to make it presentable for the party. I even put the decorations up and set the table. I labeled all the serving dishes so that I knew what went where and what I had left to make. After this I went to the French Gourmet Bakery to pick up 4 dozen assorted cookies. No one makes better cookies and I was hoping to shave some time by purchasing a few tid bits. Bill was $40 and yes the cookies are worth that. Deidra had a brillant idea to swing by 11th Street Cafe to buy some pizza dough from them for the pizza bites. I believe she said her cost was $20.

Sunday rolled around and ran around like a chicken with my head chopped off. I am always stressed until the last dish is made and I have a drink in my hand. The guests started to arrive around 4:00 and then we were off and rolling with the beer and drinks flowing. It was a great game but needless to say I didn't watch to much. I believe the total number of guests was about 40. This cause some problems with acoustics and seating. maybe next year the crowd should be contained to 20. Who knows.

I do think everyone had a good time. Overall the first food item to go was the shrimp and then the pizza bites. I would say the most unsuccessful items were the cheese tray and the gnocchi. Below are some pictures of the food spead. Maybe some of the guests that read this blog can comment on what they thought.

Another Super Bowl Party Update

I went to Costco last Sunday and got a few big items such as a 10lb bag of chicken wings and 2 2lb bags of shrimp (Cost $107.00).

This afternoon is my running around day. I will go to the grocery store and a few other needed places. Below is a prepared grocery list. I am sure I am missing a few items. The plan tomorrow is to set the table with serving wear and clean. Sunday morning will be for food preparation.

Grocery List

Carrots
Broccoli Florets
Cucumber
Celery
Cherry Tomatoes
Tomatoes – 4 large
Avocado (4 big)
Green Onion
onion
Basil
Sage
Cilantro
fresh jalapenos
2 packages of Guac/Salsa
3 cans veggie refried beans
puff pastry
grated cheese
cheese for cheese tray?? Perhaps just a brie?
Blue cheese dressing
beanie weenies
chips – tortilla, Fritos
sour cream – 2 large containers
embassa sauce – 2 cans
black olives
ranch dip for veggies
frozen pizza dough
red sauce
mozzarella cheese
fresh mozzarella balls
provolone cheese
capers
olive oil
butter
salsa (2)
large zip lock bags
skewers
pesto
olive tapenade
tobasco
cider vinegar
vegetable oil
toothpicks
pepperoni
biscuit cutter

Super Bowl Party Planning Update

6 days and counting till Super Bowll XLII Kick Off!

I went to Arnies today to stock up on some decorations, plates, cups and napkins. Total bill was $62.45. The evite currently is sitting at 29 but I know of 4 people that are coming that have not R.S.V.P. so I got enough stash for a group of 36. I always try and plan for extras.

This morning I sat down and wrote out the grocery and the Costco lists. I have scheduled those trips for later in the week to insure food freshness.

I will write more updates through out the week as the party is fast approaching.


PS - the second party this year for the Two Party Planners is a Welcome Home party for Tom and Miriam. They are moving back to Houston from Malaysia. This party is scheduled for Saturday, February 16. Looks like February is shaping up to be a busy month.

Cheers!

Completely off topic ...

Deidra is going to go see Oprah!!! A big call out to Kelly who was hand selected to take part in a book discussion. Deidra will be attending as Kelly's guest. The show is being taped next Wednesday. Maybe she should wear a shirt with our blog address. GO Kelly and Deidra!

Super Bowl Update II

We are excited that the two teams have been decided. It looks like a New York Giants and a New England Patriots Super Bowl.

At the requests of several invitees we have changed the menu a bit to the following:

Chicken Wings
Gnocchi
Pizza Bites
Caprese Salad Bites
Vegetable & Cheese Tray
Hogs in a Sleeping Blanket
Stuffed Dates
BBQ Shrimp and Bacon
Seven Layer Dip
Chips and Salsa (Ninfas Green Sauce)
Beenie Weenies in BBQ Sauce
Assorted Flavored Popcorn
Array of Desserts

The following is the schedule to get the party supplies:
Saturday, January 26 - Arnies: paper plates, cups, decorations
Thursday, January 31 - Costco: Beer, sodas, misc
Friday, February 1 - Grocery Store: ingredients
Saturday, February 2 - Menu prep and make desserts

Superbowl Meeting of the Minds Part 1

Are you ready for some football?!

Just a quick update to let you all know Deidra and I had our first meeting last night to plan the Super Bowl Fiesta! We decided to meet and plan over a few pints at Onion Creek in the Heights, (http://www.onioncreekcafe.com/). We have our invite list ready and now I am working to put the evite together. We are targeting Sunday to send the evite.

Again we sincerely apologize if you were not invited, we promise we will have an event just for you sometime this year.

The menu will include the following items:

Meatballs

Gnocchi

Pizza Bites

Caprese Salad Bites

Vegetable & Cheese Tray

Hogs in a Sleeping Blanket

Stuffed Dates

BBQ Shrimp and Bacon

Seven Layer Dip

Chips and Salsa

Array of Desserts

Once the event has been completed I will post which recipes were the biggest hit so that you too can plan your Super Bowl Fiesta!

Quick Party Tip - Once the teams are announced hit up your local party store for decorations. Try and do it early so you can get the best selection.

First party in the works!

We know it has been awhile and the holidays have come and gone. 2008 has started off with a bang and the Two Party Planners are diligently at work planning our first event. We have decided to throw a Super Bowl Party on Sunday, February 3. We are still hammering out a guest list of die hard football fanatics as well as a terrific Superbowl food spread. We promise to post more information soon.

Also, we would LOVE to invite everyone but due to space we are limited. We promise that if you didn't get invited to this one you will get invited to one at some point.

Quick Party Tip - Plan on giving your guests 3 weeks notice for your event so that they can make arrangements and give a firm RSVP.