Mardi Gras Bash

There is less then 36 hours to go until my Mardi Gras party and I believe I have everything basically under control. The invitations were sent and the RSVP texts have been vibrating on my phone all morning (why does everyone wait until the last minute to rsvp???), my house is already set into party mode, the keg will be picked up in the morning, and later today I'll start making sweet and savory appetizers. I hope that everyone comes in the mood to dance and that is why the music is a very important part of this party. The music at an event should never be overlooked (sometimes I get so caught up in the cooking I forget until the last minute!) and if you are not a super DJ, ask a trusted, musically inclined friend to help you. To see what I've compiled on my playlist, read more

Now that Valentine's Day is officially over I can turn 100% of my attention towards making my Mardi Gras blowout bash a memorable, fun, fantastic, and talked about party. I've already put time and energy into the planning stages of the event: on Monday I made and sent invitations in the shape of a Mardi Gras mask, on Tuesday I created a snack-able menu, and yesterday I decided to serve Hurricanes and beer (I'm getting a keg!). Whenever I am hosting a party, I take it one day at a time and organize a different aspect of the fiesta each day. This process allows me to get everything done without getting super overwhelmed or overly stressed out. Today I'm focusing on the Look of my party. The official colors of Mardi Gras are purple, green, and gold and they represent the symbols of justice, faith, and power, respectively. These three colors will be the foundation of my look, for the details, read more

Fat Tuesday, the biggest night of the Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans, is less than a week away. To honor the day I'm going all out and hosting a blowout bash. I made a whole bunch of mask invites and sent them to everyone I know. I researched Mardi Gras foods and will be making three savory appetizers and two sweet appetizers. This isn't the type of party that you would bring your mom to, there is going to be drinking, dancing, and whatever else happens... Wow, I'm getting ahead of myself, it's not party time yet and I still haven't told you about the drinks I'm serving. It has to be cocktails to fill a crowd and to see what I have up my sleeve, read more

Earlier today I talked about the menu for the Mardi Gras fiesta I am hosting this Saturday night. I intend on making several savory and sweet appetizers to tide the crowd over for the night. I already decided to offer guests Muffulettas, Spicy Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp, and a Cajun Crab Dip. To see what sweet treats I'll be pairing alongside these tasty nibbles, read more

This week I had a very tough decision to make: should I host a Chinese New Year dinner party and invite a select group of intimate friends or a blowout Mardi Gras bash and tell everyone I know to come party with me? If you caught yesterday's do-it-yourself masquerading invitations, you know what I chose (I guess it says in the title above, doh): Mardi Gras blowout bash. I need a break from planning dinner after dinner and want to host a party where I can let my hair down, wear something a little scandalous, and dance dance dance. A party without food is non-existent in PartySugar land, so I will be making a few bite sized nibbles in both sweet and savory varieties. To see what Creole inspired dishes, I'll be making read more

Lately I've been hosting dinner after dinner and I've been dying to have a reason to host a big blowout bash. And I've just found my reason: Mardi Gras! Mardi Gras is typically celebrated the last five days leading up to Lent with the biggest day of partying on Fat Tuesday, the night before Ash Wednesday. As much as I would love to host a huge party on Fat Tuesday, I know that not all of my friends will be able to attend, so it will take place this Saturday night instead. Mardi Gras is not the most sophisticated of celebrations and I'm excited to plan an informal party with dancing, flashing, beads, and all around havoc.

Today it's my favorite time of the week: invitation making time(!) so, read more