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Come Party With Me: Pool Party - The Look

partysugar — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 13:00:43 -0700

Make the outdoor area surrounding your pool as lush, clean, and comfortable as possible for the pool party. Set up a picnic table and plenty of lounge chairs. Stack folded beach towels on the chairs and let guests use them at their leisure. Stick tiki torches in the ground along walkways. Serve the drinks in plastic cups (with palm tree swizzle sticks) and the food on plastic plates. Place a rock on paper napkins so they don't blow into the pool. Arrange colorful bouquets of flowers in pretty blue vases.

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Come Party With Me: Pool Party - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:15:51 -0700

When hosting a pool party, stock up on plenty of ice and water to ensure that guests stay hydrated. For easy access, place coolers around your backyard and fill with refreshments.

Since beer bottles inevitably get broken at any party, purchase beer cans and plastic bottles. Barefoot guests won't have to worry about stepping on glass shards.

Offer one fresh-fruit cocktail. This recipe for pineapple mango rum cocktails is cool and delicious. To learn how to make it, read more.

Pineapple and Mango Rum Cocktails
From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

2 1/2 small ripe mangoes, peeled and cubed (about 2 cups), plus 1/2 mango cut into slices with skin, for garnish
4 ounces best-quality golden rum
4 cups fresh pineapple juice (from a 4 1/2-pound pineapple)
Fresh tropical fruit, such as dragon fruit and star fruit, for garnish

Directions

Puree mangoes, rum, and 1/2 cup water in a blender.
Pour 2 ounces puree into each of six 12-ounce glasses.
Fill glasses with ice, and top off with pineapple juice. Garnish with tropical fruit.

Serves 6.

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Come Party With Me: Pool Party - Dessert

partysugar — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:00:57 -0700

Although I love a decadent chocolate cake, there is no place for rich desserts at a pool party. Guests will be in swimsuits, so serve something that's refreshing, cold, and not too sweet.

These sangria popsicles are a delicious grownup treat. Made with white wine, rum, pineapple chunks, and fresh orange juice, they're the perfect pool party crowd pleaser.

For the recipe, read more.

Sangria Popsicles
From Everyday With Rachael Ray magazine

Ingredients

1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Zest of 1/2 lime
3 cups fresh pineapple chunks (about 1 pound)
2 dried star anise pods
1½ tablespoons white rum
Juice of 2 to 3 oranges (2/3 cup)
2½ cups dry white wine

Directions

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, ginger and lime zest. Add the pineapple and toss.
Scrape the pineapple into the skillet, add the star anise and cook, without stirring, until the pineapple caramelizes, 5 minutes.
Stir in the rum and let the alcohol burn off, about 3 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in the orange juice, scraping the bottom of the pan; let cool.
Discard the anise. Puree the fruit mixture in a blender.
Stir in the white wine and pour the mixture into icepop molds. Freeze until solid, about 4 hours.

Makes 12 popsicles.

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Come Party With Me: Pool Party - Menu

partysugar — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 07:45:42 -0700

When planning a menu for a pool party, select a variety of cold and hot (preferably grilled) dishes. Serve small, light bites buffet-style all day, replenishing plates as they go empty.

Offer guests a cool treat the moment they arrive in the form of watermelon wedges with lime ice. Served with tortilla chips, shrimp and avocado ceviche make a nice alternative to classic guacamole.

Skewered hot dogs with toasted croissants and spicy, cold gazpacho round out the menu. For these delicious recipes please, read more.

Lime Ice on Watermelon
From Gourmet magazine

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups lime sugar, recipe below
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 1/4 cups water
4 whole star anise (optional)
1 3/4 cups fresh lime juice (10 limes)
1/2 chilled watermelon, cut into slices or wedges

Directions

Boil sugars, water, and star anise, stirring, until sugars are dissolved.
Pour syrup through a fine sieve into a bowl, discarding solids. Cool syrup.
Stir in lime juice.
Freeze in a 13- by 9- by 2-inch glass dish, stirring occasionally with a fork, until liquid is frozen and granular, about 6 hours.
Serve lime ice on watermelon.

Serves 8.

Make ahead: lime ice may be made 2 days ahead and kept frozen, covered.

Lime Sugar

6 limes
2 1/4 cups sugar*

Remove zest from limes in strips with a vegetable peeler and cut away any white pith from zest (pith imparts a bitter flavor).
Chop zest (about 1/2 cup), then grind in a food processor with sugar until mixture is pale green with bits of zest still visible.

Makes about 3 cups.

Make ahead: lime sugar may be made 3 days ahead and kept, chilled, in an airtight container.

*The sugar becomes aerated in the food processor; do not pack when measuring.

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Shrimp and Avocado Ceviche
From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

4 limes
2 pounds medium shrimp
1/4 cup (about 3 limes total) freshly squeezed lime juice
6 scallions, trimmed and finely chopped
2 to 4 Serrano chiles, finely chopped
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
2 large ripe avocados, peeled, pitted, and diced
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons salt
Tortilla chips, for serving

Directions

Fill a large pot with 1 quart water. Cut 4 limes in half, and squeeze their juice into pot; add lime halves. Bring to a boil, then turn off heat; let mixture steep about 10 minutes. Return to a boil.
Add shrimp to pot. As soon as water returns to a rolling boil, pour shrimp mixture into a colander; discard cooking liquid and limes.
Return shrimp to pot; cover, and let stand 15 minutes.
Transfer shrimp to a baking sheet and spread them out; let stand until cool enough to handle.
Peel and devein shrimp, and cut into thirds. Transfer to a medium bowl; stir in 1/4 cup lime juice and the scallions, chiles, vinegar, thyme, and oregano. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
When ready to serve, stir avocados, cilantro, and salt into shrimp mixture. Serve with tortilla chips.

Serves 8 to 10.

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Hot Dogs on Grilled Croissants
From Food and Wine magazine

Ingredients

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
6 cups finely shredded green cabbage (from 1/2 small head)
3 fresh red chiles such as Fresno, seeded and thinly sliced
Salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 croissants, split but still attached on one side
4 large hot dogs
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 large garlic clove, minced

Directions

In a large bowl, stir the honey with the sherry vinegar until the honey is dissolved. Add the shredded cabbage and red chiles, season with salt and toss. Let stand until the cabbage is slightly softened, tossing a few times, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, blend the butter and the mustard. Gently spread the cut sides of the croissants with the butter.
Light a grill. Thread each hot dog lengthwise onto a thick metal or wooden skewer. With a small, sharp knife, make cuts at an angle in 3 rows down each hot dog, about 1/2 inch apart, cutting partway into the hot dog. The cuts should look like rounded half circles. Lightly run the knife down the center of the cuts to halve the half circles.
On a large plate, mix the ketchup with the soy sauce, oil and garlic. Turn to coat each hot dog with the mixture.
Grill the croissants over high heat, cut side down, until toasted, about 30 seconds. Turn and grill the other side for about 10 seconds.
Grill the hot dogs over high heat all over, until nicely charred and the cuts open up, about 2 minutes total; the hot dogs should resemble pine cones.
Mound the cabbage salad on one half of each croissant, set the hot dogs on top and serve.

Serves 4.

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Gazpacho
From Whole Foods

Ingredients

3 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into large chunks
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into large chunks
1 small yellow onion, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into large chunks
1 mild green chile pepper or jalapeño, seeded and cut into chunks
2 cloves garlic, cut into chunks
water, if needed
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange or pineapple juice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

Place tomatoes, cucumber, onion, red bell pepper, green chile pepper and garlic in a large bowl.
In batches, puree vegetables in a blender or food processor until smooth, adding a little water if mixture seems too thick. Strain each batch through a medium sieve to remove peel and seeds.
Whisk in the orange or pineapple juice along with the salt. Chill well before serving.

Serves 4.

Nutrition Info: Per serving (About 17oz/490g-wt.): 100 calories (10 from fat), 1g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 4g protein, 22g total carbohydrate (6g dietary fiber, 14g sugar), 0mg cholesterol, 320mg sodium

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Come Party With Me: Pool Party - Invite

partysugar — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 10:15:44 -0700

Two of my girlfriends are celebrating their half birthdays this month, so I'm planning a pool party to honor the occasion. It's going to be a fabulous fiesta filled with sun, swimming, and serious eats. All this week I'll feature my best pool-party ideas so feel free to use them to host your own perfect pool party. When hosting a party in the Summer, it's best to give your guests an advance notice of the event, so send invitations as soon as you have the date selected. To learn how I made the easy invites seen here, read more.

To make a similar invite you will need the following supplies:

image of a pool
colored cardstock
scissors
glue
computer and printer

To make the invite:

Drag the image into Photoshop or Microsoft word. Insert a text box on top of the image and write out the details of the party. For my invite, I used the font Dakota in size 14 to write this message:

It’s time to jump into summer!
Please help us celebrate
the half birthdays of
Emily and Katie

Saturday, July 19, 2008
2:00 in the afternoon

Katie’s parents' house,
Petaluma, CA
regrets only 415.555.5555

Check for grammar and spelling invites. Print out on plain paper and cut down to size.

Mount on the colored cardstock and cut down to size.

For this type of invite there are several sending options: you can slide into an addressed envelope, upload the invite image to your favorite online invitation service (evite, pingg), or add as an attachment to a regular email.

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Come Party With Me: Pool Party - The Look & Music

partysugar — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 06:01:39 -0700

Create a glamorous outdoor look for your pool party by incorporating organic, earthy blues and greens jazzed up with splashes of bright summer colors. Arrange patio furniture so that one area is about tanning/reading and another about lounging/chatting. Cover the chaises with striped beach towels and place brightly colored green cushions on top. Use large umbrellas to add shade for those who wish to stay out of the sun and be sure to fill small bowls next to the appetizer spread with tubes of sunscreen. For extra excitement, leave water balloons at the bar near a sink to encourage a water fight among guests! A plastic blue serving bowl and plastic cups ensure that there is no broken glass. Instead of serving the food on regular old paper plates, purchase disposable bamboo plates. Cover the tables with a fun floral fabric and stack napkins of the same style fabric near the plates.

For music, select a playlist of fun, upbeat songs. Attending a pool party this summer and don't know what to wear? My gal DearSugar tells you gal how to dress for one so check out her tips.

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Come Party With Me: Pool Party - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 07:01:38 -0700

At an outdoor party during the day, it's important to supply guests with lots of water to stay hydrated. Of course as this is a party, so beer, wine, and a special summer punch will also be on the menu. Steer clear from serving bottled beer to ensure that no bottles get broken and no bare feet get cut. Set up the bar as far away from the pool/lounging area as possible - preferably in a shady spot - to create a flow of people and allow room for relaxing away from the drinks. Get lots of ice to maintain the drinks temperature. Chill white wine in ice buckets with rock salt for maximum coldness. Purchase plastic cups for the punch. Make two versions of the punch, one with alcohol and the other without. Distinguish the difference between the two by making a clearly visible sign or put orange slices in one and lemon slices in the other and explain to guests the significance of the garnishes. Add rum to the punch to carry over the flavors from the piña colada granitas. To take a look at the summer punch recipe, read more

Vanilla Citrus Punch
From Art Smith

3 cups fresh orange juice
1 orange, sliced
1 cup fresh or unsweetened canned pineapple juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 whole vanilla bean
1 1/2 cups ginger ale or club soda, chilled
2 cups (+ more taste to your liking) dark rum, optional

Combine all the juices and rum if using in a large pitcher.
Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the juice. Stir with a whisk to separate the vanilla seeds.
Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight.
Just before serving, add the ginger ale (or club soda). Serve in ice-filled glasses.

Serves 4-6.

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Come Party With Me: Pool Party - Menu II

partysugar — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 07:01:38 -0700

Yesterday I talked about keeping cool at a pool party with light, crisp summery appetizer dishes. While serving chilled dishes is a must, in my opinion, you can't have any sort of outdoor party without something from the grill. Turn up the heat on the barbeque and offer guests rum and mint grilled chicken wings. They taste delicious hot off the grill or at room temperature so make them in batches throughout the day and guests can snack on them when hunger strikes. For a dessert, serve the classic childhood treat: otter pops and a homemade frozen treat in the form of a homemade piña colada granita. Sound delish, or what? To bookmark these recipes please read more

Rum and Mint Grilled Chicken Wings
From Rob Rainford

3 pounds chicken wings
Zest of 2 oranges chopped fine
Zest of 2 limes chopped fine
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons rum
1/4 cup rough chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
Splash hot sauce
2 fresh mint sprigs
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried hot chili flakes
splash tabasco or to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Place the chicken wings into a sealable plastic bag the chicken wings along with the rum, mint, oil, and a splash of hot sauce. Add in orange & lime zest. Seal the bag and toss gently to coat. Place in the refrigerator overnight.
Remove wings from refrigerator. Remove wings from the marinade and pat dry with paper towel. Discard of the used marinade.
Prepare the BBQ for direct grilling. Preheat to a medium grill.
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Oil the grill and add chicken wings for approximately 7 – 9 minutes per side or until golden and crispy. Remove.
Make sauce - In a bowl combine white & cider vinegars, brown sugar, dried hot chili flakes and Tabasco. Mix.
Serve wings with hot vinegar sauce.

Serves 6.

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Piña Colada Granita
From Cooking Light magazine

1 (8-ounce) can pineapple chunks in juice, undrained
3 cups pineapple juice
1/2 cup cream of coconut
1/3 cup dark rum
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon coconut extract
Mint sprigs (optional)

Place pineapple chunks in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth.
Combine the pineapple purée, 3 cups pineapple juice, and next 4 ingredients (pineapple juice through coconut extract) in a large bowl. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish; cover and freeze at least 8 hours or until firm.
Remove the frozen pineapple mixture from the freezer. Scrape the entire mixture with a fork until fluffy.
Spoon the mixture into a freezer-safe container; cover and freeze up to 1 month. Garnish with mint sprigs, if desired.

Serves 16.

Nutritional Information: CALORIES 75(31% from fat); FAT 2.6g (sat 2.3g,mono 0.1g,poly 0.0g); PROTEIN 0.4g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 10mg; SODIUM 1mg; FIBER 0.0g; IRON 0.3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 9.3g

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Come Party With Me: Pool Party - Menu I

partysugar — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 05:58:29 -0700

When planning a menu for a pool party, it's important to choose dishes that will hold up against the heat. The last thing you want is a melted cheese dip or wilted vegetables. Creative and innovative plating is a great way to keep appetizers cool. Arrange dishes on ice, in small glasses or on mini plates in the shade, or inside away from the sun. Like the pool water, I want all of the dishes to provide relief from the heat, so cooling, light recipes are ideal. For my menu I'll get some help from the grocery store by serving hummus with crisp pitas and marinated olives. Chilled gazpacho in shot glasses, citrus avocado salad in lettuce cups, and watermelon feta salad will round out the homemade portion of the menu. All of the appetizers are light, summery and perfect for a hot day by the pool. Interested in these taste treats? Check out the recipes, just read more

Grilled Vegetable Gazpacho

I got this recipe straight out of a "Cooking at the Academy" series put out by PBS/California Culinary Academy. When I started cooking in my early 20's, it was one of the first "involved" dishes I'd ever made. I can vouch for its deliciousness. Make a whole bunch, invite friends over, have some croutons on the side, drink Margaritas, and I can't imagine anything could be better. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 large onion, peeled
2 zucchini
1 each red, yellow, green pepper (or any combo)
2/3 cup olive oil
8 vine ripened tomatoes
3 cucumbers
8 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 cup fresh sourdough breadcrumbs
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 cups tomato juice
salt & pepper

Garnish
2 tablespoons thinly-sliced scallions (tops only), cut on the bias
2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
Coarsely ground black pepper

Preparation:

1. Preheat the grill to moderately hot

2. Cut onion into thirds lengthwise. Trim off ends of zucchini and slice in half lenghtwise. Brush onion, zucchini and whole peppers w/ a little o.o. and arrange on grill over high heat.

3. Grill, turning occasionally, for 3 - 4 mins per side or until skin of peppers blister and turn black and veggies are roasted. Remove and set aside to cool.

4. Peel blistered skin off w/ knife. Cut peppers in half and remove seeds and membrane. Cut all veggies and place in the bowl of food processor fitted w/ metal blade. Process until coarsely chopped and transfer to bowl.

5. Core tomatoes and cut into medium (1/2 inch) dice. Peel cucumbers and cut into (1/2 inch) dice. Finely chop garlic.

6. Add tomatoes, cukes, garlic and breadcrumbs w/ veggies. Stir in vinegar and tomato juice.

7. Gradually, add the remaining olive oil, stirring to combine.

8. Refrigerate for 2 - 3 hours until well chilled. Garnish the edges of the plate with the scallions, red onion and ground pepper.

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Citrus Avocado Salad
From Farmer of the Month

1 large grapefruit
1 large orange or 2 mandarins
2 Tablespoons each lemon juice and salad oil
Butter lettuce leaves
1 large ripe avocado
1/3 cup chopped, salted cashews or peanuts

Using a sharp knife, cut, peel and remove all white membrane from grapefruit and orange. Holding fruit over a bowl to catch juice, cut sections free and drop into bowl. Add lemon juice and oil, mix gently, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to four hours.
Just before serving, arrange lettuce leaves on four individual plates.
Pit, peel, and slice avocado. Arrange avocado equally on each individual lettuce then top evenly with citrus mixture and juices.
Sprinkle with cashews or peanuts.

Serves 4.

*Please Note: the image at right is the salad mixed with spinach rather than served in butter lettuce cups.*

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Watermelon-Feta Salad with Fresh Herbs
From Culinary In The Country

6 cups cubed seedless watermelon
2 cups chopped trimmed watercress
3 ounces crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, gently toss together watermelon, watercress, feta, onion, basil, mint, lemon juice and salt.

Serves 4-6.

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Come Party With Me: Pool Party - Invites

partysugar — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 12:21:38 -0700

Although the 4th of July has come and gone, summer is here to stay (well at least for the next 2 months!), making it the perfect time to throw a pool party. This week I'm all about bikinis, water balloons, and blended cocktails, so come party with me by following my pool party plan. A pool party is a "the more the merrier" type of party where you can invite people from different groups of friends to come together to enjoy the glorious weather and cool off in the water. When inviting a lot of people to any event, keep the invites as simple as possible. A chic flyer invite with images of water are ideal because they are easily mass produced and can be sent though regular email. To see how I made my invites, read more

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

images of pools
image of girl in bikini
computer & printer or email

To assemble an invitation similar to the one seen here:

Start by finding several images of pools that you find pleasing to the eye. Drag and drop them into either Photoshop or Microsoft Word. Arrange them into an interesting collage.
Insert text boxes with the details of the party. For mine I used Arial Rounded MT bold in sizes 18 and 14. Here is what I wrote:

The time has come to dive into summer!
Please join PartySugar
in cooling off this
Saturday July 14th, 2007
by taking a dip in the pool.

2:30 in the afternoon
PartySugar’s
Grandfather’s House
Walnut Creek, CA
directions to follow

bikinis & board shorts requested
rsvp 415.555.5555
Place the image of the girl in the desired space.
Ask a friend or family member to proofread the invitation. Once you are satisfied, save to your desktop and send in an email to everyone you know. Be sure to tell friends that they can forward the invite on to more people.

Are you hosting a pool party this summer?! Please share the details of your invitation below!