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Come Party With Me: All Hallows' Eve - The Look

partysugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:50:08 -0700

It's easy to go all-out crazy with the decorations for a Halloween party. Think black rats, spiderwebs, glittery skulls, and hanging jack-o'-lanterns.

Throw in orange lights and lots of candles for spooky intimate lighting. Cover the table with a festive printed cloth.

Serve the food on black platters and in black bowls. Place skull glasses near the punch cauldron. Lastly, don't forget lots of your favorite Halloween candy!

How are you decorating for Halloween? Share your ideas below!

Behind the Scenes: My Halloween Party

partysugar — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 10:18:33 -0700

Last week I told you step-by-step how I was planning my Halloween party. I showed you the invitations, the menu, the drinks and the decor. The party took place this past Saturday and although it was a fabulous success and the majority of my guests had a glorious time, there are a few things to make note of for the next time.

Here are my after party reflections:

Leave the frozen berries out of the Dangerously Delicious Punch. Unless you want to spend the next day rubbing berry stains out of your carpet, it's best to not garnish punch at a large party.

I would have liked a picture of everyone who came in their costume. Next time I will set up a Halloween costume photo shoot area and ask guests to snap themselves with an old Polaroid when they arrive.
Don't offer Halloween candy that comes in wrappers. The house was littered with Kit Kat and Skittle wrappers by the end of the night.
Put a large towel under the keg. We put a small one underneath it, but the condensation was so bad that the floor ended up getting slippery and wet.

For more on my Halloween party, including a virtual tour of the space before the party began, read more

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Come Party With Me: Halloween Bash - The Look

partysugar — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 06:00:00 -0700

Bloody candles and geometric pumpkins aren't the only fabulous decorations that will transform my friend Emily's house on Saturday night for our Halloween Bash.

The natural lighting will be replaced with orange Christmas lights and an excessive amount of votives. Black rat silhouette cut-outs will scurry up the staircase while spooky music plays in the entryway. The tables will be covered with black spiderweb tablecloths and piles of skeletons will act as creepy centerpieces.

The food and candy will be served in bright orange bowls, the drinks in orange plastic keg cups, and the cupcakes will fill the cupcake stand. Black, glittery candelabra add a touch of chicness. The punch bowl will rest inside a large fog making copper cauldron.

Now that you know how I am decorating my Halloween party, how will you be decorating yours?

Come Party With Me: Halloween Bash - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 08:00:57 -0700

At a blowout bash, like the costume party I am hosting this Saturday where the guest list tops 50, it's important to get a large amount of alcohol. I'll be buying a keg of easy-to-drink beer - Miller or Bud Light - that both guys and gals can enjoy.

Along with the beer, I'll serve a friend's recipe for deliciously dangerous punch that tastes so good you can hardly tell it's alcoholic. When my guests ask me what they can bring to the party, I'm suggesting they bring one of the alcohols used to make the punch. Lots of water and ice are also necessary to ward off evil hangovers. To ensure that the party flows smoothly, the keg and punch will be set up in different rooms.

For my tips on purchasing kegs and to get the recipe for the dangerously delicious punch, read more

Dangerously Delicious Punch
From Melicious

1 bottle white rum
1 bottle Southern Comfort
1 bag frozen mixed berries
1/2 liter bottle Sprite
6 small cans pineapple juice
Ice

Place all of the liquids in the fridge for several hours to chill.
Fill a large punch bowl with the rum, Southern Comfort, and berries. Let mixture sit for ten minutes (and up to two hours, chilled) to allow flavors to meld and the berries to infuse the alcohol.
Add the juice and sprite and ice. Stir to combine and serve.

Makes one punch bowl.

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If you have never ordered or purchased a keg before, here are some helpful tips:

Locate a liquor store, beer store, or brewery near you that sells kegs and see what they have in stock.
Order yours at least three days before your event to ensure that you can pick it up the day of the party.

Kegs come in different sizes, so figure out how much beer you need. A pony keg (half keg) is 7.5 gallons and serves 27 people three 12-ounce servings. A full keg is 15.5 gallons and serves 55 people three 12-ounce servings.
Some stores deliver, but be sure to ask when you call to order your keg. If you do have to pick it up, make arrangements to have some heavy-lifters come with you.
Don't forget to bring your ID and money for a deposit when you pay for the keg.

Source

Come Party With Me: Halloween Bash - Menu (Sweet)

partysugar — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 10:15:45 -0700

No Halloween party can be declared a success without an excessive amount of candy. I'll be strategically placing bowls filled with my favorite candies - Reese's Pieces, Nerds, and peanut M&Ms - around the two rooms that will house the party. The cupcake tier my sister gave to me for my birthday will make its debut at the party, since I'll be baking one batch of Halloween cupcakes to fill the stand. A few lucky guests can indulge in these homemade treats. For the recipe, read more

Halloween Cupcakes
From Kraft Foods

1 pkg. (2-layer size) white cake mix
1/4 cup Kool-Aid orange flavor sugar-sweetened soft drink mix
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
4-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp. Kool-Aid lemonade flavor sugar-sweetened soft drink mix

Prepare and bake cake mix as directed on package for cupcakes, adding dry orange drink mix before beating all ingredients together.
Make frosting by beating the butter, powdered sugar, milk, and lemonade kool aid mix. with electric mixer on low speed until well blended.
Frost cooled cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles or candies or sprinkle with additional soft drink mix, if desired.

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Come Party With Me: Halloween Bash - Menu (Savory)

partysugar — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 08:30:14 -0700

Although my Halloween party starts later in the night - at 10 p.m. - I will have food. At larger parties where lots of alcohol may be consumed, it's best to offer guests a few savory nibbles to snack on throughout the night. Don't go gourmet, but keep things simple by serving classic, crowd-pleasing dishes.

I'll be pairing blue tortilla chips with green guacamole and gooey queso fundido. To keep the queso fundido warm, place it in a fondue bowl. Crispy cheese straws made from puff pastry round out the easy, no-fuss menu. For the recipes, read more

Guacamole
From Simply Recipes

2 ripe avocados
1/2 red onion, minced (about 1/2 cup)
1-2 serrano chiles, stems and seeds removed, minced
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of fresh lime or lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
A dash of freshly grated black pepper
1/2 ripe tomato, seeds and pulp removed, chopped
Garnish with red radishes or jicama. Serve with tortilla chips.

Cut avocados in half. Remove seed. Scoop out avocado from the peel, put in a mixing bowl.
Using a fork, mash the avocado. Add the chopped onion, cilantro, lime or lemon, salt and pepper and mash some more. Chili peppers vary individually in their hotness. So, start with a half of one chili pepper and add to the guacamole to your desired degree of hotness. Be careful handling the peppers; wash your hands thoroughly after handling and do not touch your eyes or the area near your eyes with your hands for several hours.
Keep the tomatoes separate until ready to serve. Remember that much of this is done to taste because of the variability in the fresh ingredients. Start with this recipe and adjust to your taste.
Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole to prevent oxidation from the air reaching it. Refrigerate until ready.
Just before serving, add the chopped tomato to the guacamole and mix.

Serves 2-4.

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Queso Fundido
Modified from Sur La Table

2 fresh poblano chiles
4 ounces (1/2 cup) Mexican chorizo sausage, casing removed if there is one, store bought or homemade
1 medium white onion, sliced
Salt
8 ounces Chihuahua or other Mexican melting cheese such as quesadilla or asadero (lacking Mexican cheese, queso fundido is delicious made with everything from Monterey jack to mild cheddar), shredded (you’ll have about 2 cups)
About a teaspoon or so of crumbled dried oregano, preferably Mexican
tortilla chips for serving

Roasting the poblano chiles. Roast the poblanos on an open flame or on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler, turning regularly until the skin is evenly blistered and blackened, about 5 minutes for an open flame, about 10 minutes for the broiler. Be careful not to char the flesh-only the skin. Cover with a kitchen towel and let stand for 5 minutes. Rub off the blackened skin, then pull or cut out the stems and the seed pods. Tear the chiles open and quickly rinse to remove stray seeds and most bits of skin. Cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips about 2 inches long.
Heat the oven to 350-degrees.
In a medium-size skillet (preferably non-stick), cook the chorizo over medium heat, stirring to break up any clumps, until half-cooked, about 5 minutes. (As the chorizo heats, it should render enough fat to cook the meat; if the mixture seems dry, add a little oil.) Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is richly golden and the chorizo done, about 10 minutes. (If the mixture looks very oily, drain.) Stir in the poblano strips, taste and season with salt if you think the mixture needs some. Transfer the mixture to a 9- or 10-inch shallow baking dish, Mexican cazuela or pie plate.
Stir the cheese into the warm chorizo mixture. Set in the oven and bake until the cheese is just melted but has not begun to separate or look greasy, about 5 more minutes. Sprinkle with the crumbled oregano and serve without a moment's hesitation, accompanied by the tortillas.

Serves 6.

Make ahead: The chorizo-poblano mixture can be made a day ahead, covered and refrigerated; warm it in your baking vessel before stirring in the cheese and baking.

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Parmesan Cheese Straws
From Martha Stewart

1 3/4 cups finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 package (14 ounces) frozen puff pastry, thawed
2 teaspoons coarse salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Sprinkle work surface with 1/2 cup cheese. Place chilled puff pastry on work surface and roll out until it is about 1/8 inch thick. Trim to a 14-by-16-inch rectangle. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 3/4 cup of the cheese.
With the long side facing you, fold in half by bringing the top edge down toward you. Sprinkle with remaining teaspoon salt and 1/2 cup cheese. Using a pizza wheel or a very sharp knife, cut the dough horizontally into 1/2-inch-wide strips.
Divide strips between two baking sheets, placing them evenly apart. Holding each end of a dough strip with your fingers, carefully stretch and twist the strip in opposite directions. Repeat process with remaining strips.
Bake until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Let straws cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 1 dozen.

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Come Party With Me: Halloween Bash - Invites

partysugar — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 01:00:25 -0700

This Saturday night, I'm co-hosting a blowout Halloween Bash. My girlfriend Emily came to me at the end of September and asked if I would help her plan a costume party. Never one to say no to hosting a party, I excitedly said yes.

We decided on a date - the Saturday before Halloween - and got busy making invitations. We chose to send the invites via snail mail, instead of through email or Evite, in order to set the tone for the party and give everyone enough time to come fabulously disguised. To see how I made this simple yet spooky invite, read more

To make a similar invitation to the one seen here, you will need:

cardstock
transparent paper
a stapler
scissors
computer and printer
a fun Halloween image

To assemble the invite:

Start by dragging your image to a new Word document or blank Photoshop file. My image of a bloody knife and splattered "blood" is a picture I took after I pitted several bunches of cherries while making ice cream sandwiches this Summer. Crop the image to your liking and add the text Come if you Dare... in a haunting font. (I used Lucida Blackletter in bold.) Print out a test copy and, if you're satisfied with the look, print it out on the transparent paper. Set aside.

Create a new Word document and type out the details of the party. My invitation says:

…to a freakishly fabulous Halloween bash.
All goblins, ghosts and ghouls welcomed.
Come dressed in costume or be prepared to pay the price.

10 pm, October 27, 2007
San Francisco, CA 94117

Regrets only…
PartySugar 415.555.5555

Print out on a plain sheet of paper and carefully check for grammar and spelling mistakes. Ask someone else to take a look at it, because they might notice something you forgot. Once happy with the text, print it out on the cardstock.
Cut both the front and back of the invitation down to size.
With a stapler, staple the two sides to each other, back to back. Staple twice, making an X, on the left-hand side of the invite.

Send in an envelope with the address written in your best handwriting.

Lots more of this party to come! Is anyone else hosting a costume bash? If so, tell me about your invites below.

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What's Yummy This Week - YumSugar Weekly Recap

YumSugar — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 09:30:01 -0700

Halloween vampires, sink your teeth into blood orange sorbet.
Save money by learning how to make chicken cutlets.
Check out all our favorite recipes for Halloween!
Did you catch Natalie Portman as a guest judge on Top Chef?
Invite some friends over for a blowout bash on All Hallows' Eve!
Can you name these iconic dessert dishes?
Take a minute to remember 10 nostalgic candies.

Happy Halloween!

partysugar — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 08:00:06 -0700

Hope you are enjoying this spooky Saturday! If you are hosting a vampire party or blowout Halloween bash tonight, be sure to take a bunch of pictures. Then you can share them in my Super Special Occasions group in the YumSugar Community! I snapped this picture at my annual pumpkin carving party. Can you guess which pumpkin's mine?

Come Party With Me: All Hallow's Eve - Menu

partysugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 07:50:08 -0700

Have no plans for Halloween? Well, there's still time to invite some friends over for a blowout Halloween bash! Halloween won't fall on a Saturday again until 2015, so now is the time to throw a fright-night-themed party.

Start the soirée after dinner and you won't have to worry about serving a complex menu. Instead offer a few fun bar snacks like vampire nut mix. This easy-to-make mixture of nuts gets a vibrant red color from cayenne pepper. Sprinkle won ton wrappers with cheese and bake; the resulting snack resembles bat wings.

Make deviled eggs look like the actual devil by adding a chive beard and bell pepper horns. To check out these quick, simple, crowd-pleasing bites, get the recipes and read more.

Vampire Nut Mix
From Woman's Day

Ingredients

3 cups raw mixed nuts
1⁄3 cup agave syrup
2 tsp salt, or to taste
1⁄4 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste

Directions

Heat oven to 300°F. Line a baking sheet with nonstick foil or aluminum foil coated with nonstick spray.
Put all ingredients in a medium bowl; toss to mix and coat. Spread on prepared baking sheet.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes until fragrant and toasted. Cool completely before serving.

Makes 3 cups.

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Crispy Cheese Chips
From Diabetic Living

Ingredients

30 wonton wrappers
Nonstick cooking spray
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Directions

Use a sharp knife to cut wonton wrappers diagonally in half to make 60 triangles.
Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Arrange one-third of the triangles in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. If desired, for ruffled chips, line baking sheet with foil. Shape foil to make ridges. Lightly coat foil with cooking spray. Place wonton triangles on foil, draping over foil ridges.
In a small bowl stir together the olive oil, garlic, and basil. Lightly brush the wonton triangles with one-third of the oil mixture; sprinkle with one-third of the cheese.
Bake in a 350 degree F oven about 8 minutes or until golden. Cool completely on a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining wonton triangles, oil mixture, and cheese.

Makes 60 chips.

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Devilish Eggs
From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

12 large eggs
3 jarred roasted red peppers, finely chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco (optional)
1 small red bell pepper, cut into small triangles, for garnish
2 scallions, dark-green parts only, cut into small triangles, for garnish
Fresh chives, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, for garnish

Directions

Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside.
Put eggs into a medium saucepan, and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Cover; let stand 12 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer eggs to ice-water bath.
When eggs are cool, peel, and cut in half lengthwise. Carefully remove yolks, keeping whites intact and transferring whites and yolks to separate bowls. Refrigerate whites.
Add roasted peppers, mayonnaise, mustard, salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne, and hot sauce (if desired) to yolks. Mash with a fork until smooth. Cover, and refrigerate until stiff, about 30 minutes.
Mound yolk mixture in each egg-white half. Garnish with bell pepper, scallions, and chives to make devilish faces.

Makes 2 dozen.

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