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!