YumSugar

Come Party With Me: St. Patrick's Day - The Look

partysugar — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 08:01:33 -0700

Decorating for a St Patrick's Day party should be easy, just go green! Add festive touches in the form of shiny shamrocks. Cover the table with a green tablecloth and hang a shamrock garland from the ceiling. Serve the snacks on large green plates and pour the black and tans in clear plastic party cups. Create mood lighting with lots of candles and green votives. Add a touch of Spring with bright yellow daffodil floral arrangements. Greet guests at the door with a fabulous party favor. Give girls shamrock necklaces and guys "Luck of the Irish" beer koozies. Stick a shamrock sticker on guests who forgot to wear green.

Source

Come Party With Me: St. Patrick's Day - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:28:11 -0700

Just because St. Patrick's Day is a beer-centric holiday doesn't mean you can't serve a specialty cocktail at your blowout bash. Whiskey and Bailey's Irish Cream are excellent options, but a classic beer cocktail - the black and tan - will have guests cheering. A black and tan combines two types of beer to make one drink that has a stunning presentation.

Besides the black and tan, be sure to have lots of cold beer, your favorite liquor and mixers, and water. For the recipe for the black and tan, read more.

Black and Tan
From Cocktails.Org

Ingredients

8 oz Guinness Stout
8 oz Bass Ale

Directions
Layer stout over ale in a pint glass.

Makes 1 drink.

Print recipe with images | without images

Come Party With Me: St. Patrick's Day - Dessert

partysugar — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 10:15:10 -0700

Don't forget to provide guests with some sort of sweet at your St. Patrick's Day event. It's a party, so give the option of indulgence in the form of a dessert. These chocolate shots are great because they highlight the flavor of Bailey's Irish Cream, are gorgeous to look at, and are guaranteed to impress your guests. Even though they look complex, they are surprisingly easy to put together when you use packaged chocolate cups. The filling is a delicious mix of chocolate ganache, Baileys, and orange zest. To take a look at the recipe, read more.

Chocolate Shots
From Lisa Patrin

Ingredients

1 cup heavy whipping cream
6 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate
1/3 cup of Irish cream liqueur (recommended: Bailey's Irish Cream)
1 package edible chocolate cordial cups (18)
18 chocolate covered espresso beans
1 tablespoon fresh orange zest

Directions

Bring the heavy whipping cream just to a boil in a small saucepan, remove from the heat.
Whisk in the semisweet chocolate until smooth. Whisk in the liqueur.
Place in a medium size bowl and refrigerate for about 45 to 50 minutes until chilled but not firm.
Using an electric mixer, beat ganache until thick and semi firm. Stir in a pinch of fresh orange zest.
Fit a pastry bag with a size 6 round tip and fill with ganache.
Pipe ganache into chocolate cordial cups, fill almost to the top.
Place a chocolate espresso bean on top of the ganache and sprinkle with a pinch of orange zest.
Serve immediately or place in the refrigerator in a covered container until ready to serve.

Makes 18 shots.

Print recipe with images | without images

Come Party With Me: St. Patrick's Day - Menu

partysugar — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 08:28:31 -0700

Even though Aimee's St. Patrick Day party starts after dinner, she's planning on providing guests with a small selection of Irish inspired snacks. It's always nice to have some food on hand, especially when heavy drinking is involved. This menu twists classic Irish flavors – cheddar cheese, dark beer, corned beef, and smoked salmon - into modern favorites.

An Irish cheddar and stout fondue is gooey and decadent. Smoked salmon puffs are easy to make in advance and divinely addicting. Reuben roll ups are the perfect drunk food because they taste like an Irish pizza pocket. For all of these wonderful recipes, read more.

Irish Cheddar and Stout Fondue
From Bon Appetit magazine

Ingredients

2 cups 1- to 1 1/2-inch-diameter red-skinned potatoes, halved
2 cups cauliflower florets
2 cups very small brussels sprouts
2 apples, cored, cut into wedges
1 pound Irish cheddar cheese, grated
2 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
3/4 cup (or more) Irish stout (such as Guinness)
6 tablespoons frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Directions

Steam all vegetables until tender, about 15 minutes. Arrange vegetables and apples around edge of large platter.
Meanwhile, toss cheese with flour in large bowl.
Bring 3/4 cup stout, juice concentrate, and mustard to simmer in large saucepan over medium heat.
Gradually add cheese mixture, stirring constantly, until cheese is melted and smooth, thinning with more stout, if desired.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer fondue to bowl. Place in center of platter with vegetables.

Serves 6.

Print recipe with images | without images

Smoked Salmon-Stuffed Puffs
From Food and Wine magazine

Ingredients

Puffs
1 cup water
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons poppy seeds, for sprinkling
Filling
1/2 pound sliced smoked salmon
1/4 pound cream cheese, softened
6 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 small garlic clove
Tabasco sauce

Directions

Make the puffs: preheat the oven to 400° and position 2 racks in the upper and lower third. Lightly grease 2 large rimmed baking sheets.
In a saucepan, bring the water, butter and salt to a boil. Off the heat, add the flour and stir vigorously until combined.
Return to the heat and cook over moderate heat, stirring, for 1 minute.
Scrape the mixture into a bowl and, using an electric mixer, beat at medium speed for 1 minute. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, until thick, smooth and shiny.
Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip. Pipe 1-inch mounds onto the prepared baking sheets, about 3/4 inch apart. Using lightly moistened fingertips, smooth the tops. Sprinkle with the poppy seeds and bake for 20 minutes, shifting the pans halfway through, until the puffs are risen and golden. Lower the oven to 250°.
With the tip of a knife, poke a hole into the side of each puff and return to the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes longer, with the oven door slightly ajar, to dry out the centers. Transfer to a rack and cool.
Meanwhile, make the filling: in a food processor, combine the smoked salmon with the cream cheese, sour cream, mustard and garlic and process until smooth; season with Tabasco.
Transfer the filling to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch tip. Pipe the filling into the holes in the sides of the puffs and transfer to a serving plate. Serve right away.

Serves 10-12.

Make ahead: the unfilled baked puffs can be frozen for up to 1 month; recrisp in a 325° oven. The filling can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Print recipe with images | without images

Reuben Roll-Ups
From Taste of Home magazine

Ingredients

1 (13.8 ounce) package refrigerated pizza crust
1 cup sauerkraut, drained
1 tablespoon thousand island salad dressing
4 slices corned beef, halved
4 slices Swiss cheese, halved

Directions

Roll dough into a 12-in. x 9-in. rectangle. Cut into eight 3-in. x 4-1/2-in. rectangles.
Combine sauerkraut and salad dressing.
Place a slice of beef on each rectangle. Top with about 2 tablespoons of the sauerkraut mixture and a slice of cheese. Roll up.
Place with seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees F for 12-14 minutes or until golden.

Serves 8.

Print recipe with images | without images

Come Party With Me: St. Patrick's Day - Invite

partysugar — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 06:28:31 -0700

Last year I planned a St Patrick's Day dinner, so this year I'm helping my friend Aimee host a blowout bash for St Patrick's Day. Since St. Patti's is on Monday, the party will take place the Saturday before. I'll be discussing lots of festive ideas all week, so feel free to adapt them to suit your own hostess needs.

Let's get started with the invite. Aimee needed something that was simple to make and easy to send to a lot of people, so we went with a postcard invite. To see how I made it, read more.

To make an invite similar to the one seen here you will need the following supplies:

green cardstock
green paper
glue
scissors
St Patrick's Day themed ribbon
green shamrock stickers or cut outs
computer and printer

To assemble the invite:

Start by creating a new document on Microsoft Word. Write out the details of the party and center to the left hand side - as far left as you can, extending the margin - on the upper half of the page. On mine I wrote a fun message in the font Skia:

St. Patrick's Day is almost here
Let’s celebrate by drinking lots of green beer!

Saturday, March 15, 2008
Aimee’s House, San Francisco
9:00 PM

Let us know if you can make it,
The more the merrier!
415.333.2234

Those not wearing green will be pinched!

Print out the text on a plain piece of paper. Check for spelling and grammar mistakes. Once satisfied with the text, print out on the green paper.

Cut down to size and glue to the green cardstock. Cut the green cardstock down to size leaving a small border around the green paper.

Flip the cardstock over and glue the shamrocks to the back.

Flip the invite back over and glue a small piece of ribbon vertically down the middle, separating the text from where you will write the addresses. Write out the addresses.

Before sending be sure to bring a completed sample invite to the post office to see how much the postage is.

View 15 Photos ›

Slippage Aside Bailey's Chocolate Layer Cake Is Divine

partysugar — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 14:56:19 -0700

My half birthday was last Friday, and to celebrate I made myself a decadent chocolate layer cake. The recipe was something I personally devised by combining several different cake, pudding, and frosting recipes. The Bailey's pudding was an excellent consistency for the inside of a cake and the intense creamy flavor intense and insanely delightful. Even those who don't enjoy sipping a glass of Bailey's will enjoy this pudding. I have a delicious chocolate cake recipe that I use whenever I make chocolate cake, but this time I decided to experiment with a new devil's food cake recipe. In the end, I preferred my original recipe over this devil's food cake, but this one came out pretty good too.

Let the frosting rest for several hours instead of just one and you will have a smooth, luscious, deep brown icing. I had a horrible crisis when I went to assemble the cake, the layers were slipping like mad. The frosting would not stick because each layer was sliding every which way. Extreme times call for extreme measures and I asked my dad to help me align the cake with skewers (conveniently he was prepping shish-ka-bobs for the grill and had the skewers handy). We placed a circle of skewers in the cake which looked like birthday candles and easily averted disaster. I popped the whole cake in the fridge for a few hours to chill and it firmed up expertly with the frosting cooling to a ganache like state. The final product was a cake that was dense and delicious, moist and super chocolatey. I can't wait to have another piece today when I finish dinner. For the recipe and a gallery of photos, read more

Party's Half Birthday Chocolate Irish Layer Cake
Modified from Epicurious and Martha Stewart

For pudding:
1 1/4 cups chilled whipping cream
12 tablespoons Baileys Original Irish Cream
3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
6 large egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
For cake
1 1/2 Cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for pans
3/4 Cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, plus more for pans
1/2 Cup boiling water
2 1/4 Cups sugar
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 Cups sifted cake flour, (not self-rising)
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1 Cup milk
For the syrup
2/3 cup sugar
5 tablespoons water
5 tablespoons Irish whiskey
For the frosting
3/4 cup chilled whipping cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup
9 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons kirsch (clear cherry brandy)

Make pudding: combine 3/4 cup cream, 6 tablespoons Baileys liqueur, sugar, yolks and nutmeg in large metal bowl. Place over saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water).
Using electric mixer, beat until custard thickens and thermometer registers 160°F, about 8 minutes.
Remove from over water and beat until cool, about 8 minutes.
Mix in remaining 6 tablespoons liqueur.
Beat remaining 1/2 cup cream in medium bowl to medium peaks. Fold into custard.
Cover and chill at least 4 hours or overnight.
Make cake: heat oven to 350 degrees; arrange two racks in center of oven. Butter three 8-by-2-inch round cake pans; line bottoms with parchment. Dust bottoms and sides of pans with cocoa powder; tap out any excess.
Sift cocoa into a medium bowl, and whisk in 1/2 cup boiling water. Set aside to cool.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on low speed until light and fluffy.
Gradually beat in sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down sides twice.
Beat in vanilla.
Drizzle in eggs, a little at a time, beating between each addition until the batter is no longer slick, scraping down the sides twice.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.
Whisk milk into reserved cocoa mixture.
With mixer on low speed, alternately add flour and cocoa mixtures to the batter, a little of each at a time, starting and ending with flour mixture.
Divide batter evenly among the three prepared pans.
Bake until a cake tester inserted into center of each layer comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes, rotating the pans for even baking.
Transfer layers to wire racks; let cool, 15 minutes.
Turn out cakes, and return to racks, tops up, until completely cool.
Make syrup: Combine sugar and water in small saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and bring to boil. Remove from heat. Mix in whiskey. Cool. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.)
Make frosting: bring first 3 ingredients to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low. Add chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. Mix in kirsch. Remove from heat. Let stand until spreadable, whisking occasionally, about 1 hour.
To assemble the cake: remove parchment from bottoms of cakes. Reserve the prettiest layer for the top. Place one cake layer on a serving platter; drizzle with syrup, and spread 1 1/2 cups Bailey's pudding over the top. Add the second cake layer, and drizzle with syrup spread with another 1 1/2 cups frosting. Top with third cake layer. Drizzle with remaining syrup.
Cover outside of cake with the frosting. Serve.

Makes 1 eight-inch-round layer cake.

Print recipe with images | without images

View 23 Photos ›

Come Party With Me: St. Patrick's Day - Music

partysugar — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 06:55:19 -0700

I've been a wild rover for many of year, and I've spent all me money on whiskey and beer. And now I'm returning with wealth in great store and I never will play the wild rover no more. And it's no nay, never... Yes, I know the lyrics to an Irish drinking song. Ok I confess I know the lyrics to more than one Irish drinking song: when I was little Al, my grandfather, taught me and my sister a whole bunch and we would sing them to our relatives. Tomorrow I'll sing them (with the help of a few beers) to my friends while I celebrate St. Patrick's Day. I've invited them to join me for an Irish inspired dinner followed by a pub crawl. I'm decorating my house with lots of shamrocks and serving green beer. Practically everything is all prepped and it's looking like one fabulous party. I just have to figure out what music will be playing softly in the background while we eat. To see the soundtrack to my dinner, read more

At a dinner party with a set theme with a certain type of music, Irish drinking music, I like to have one cd in my rotation consist of these songs entirely. A great example is this compilation, Irish Drinking Songs. Next I'll go on the iTunes music store and search St. Patrick's Day songs and create my own playlist with songs selected from the search such as John Mayer, St. Patrick's Day and The Hit Crew, When Irish Eyes Are Smiling.
Lastly I'll throw in a few songs by Green Day, Al Green, and a few that have the color mentioned in the title or lyrics. The cds of U2, The Cranberries, Enya, and the Pogues (see BuzzSugar tomorrow for more on this group) will fill up the rest of the spots in my stereo's ten changer. I'll hit random and be good to go for the entire night.

Have a great Irish inspired song you will be playing at your party? Share it with me below. I hope everyone has a happy and fabulous St. Patrick's Day!

Come Party With Me: St. Patrick's Day - The Look

partysugar — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 06:58:21 -0700

This week I'm killing two birds with one stone by hosting a half birthday St. Patrick's Day dinner party. It's my half birthday on Friday and St. Patrick's day on Saturday so I've combined the two celebrations and invited over a group of friends for dinner before we venture out for a night on the town together. I'm of Irish descent and love celebrating St. Patty's, so I am taking the steps to make my party fabulous, memorable, and successful. The drinks and menu are planned, and today I am decorating my house with shades and textures of green. Creating a look for St. Patrick's Day is quite simple because it's all about celebrating the color green and the rebirth that it symbolizes. To see how I'll transform my house with luck and leprechauns, read more

When decorating your house for a party, try to look at the rooms where the event will be held from the point of view of your guests. My friend Emily comes over to my house several times a week, so I'll change the look so when she comes over for the dinner it really feels like a party rather than just any other day.
Set appetizers in the kitchen and once all of the guests have arrived and dinner is to be served, ask them to join you in the dining room.
The focal point should be the dining table. Dress it in a deep forest green tablecloth. If you can't find the exact green tone you prefer, head to your local fabric store for a large piece of fabric that you can easily turn into a tablecloth.
Fill lots of low clear vases with groupings of bright, sunny yellow flowers (my daffodils are already starting to bloom so I'll cut some from the garden) with brilliant green stems.

Light all of the candles in your house for a warm, glowing atmosphere.
If it's a colder night, have a fire in the fireplace.
Scatter your tables and your counters tops with shamrock confetti.
At all of my parties I like to have little bowls of candies and luckily my days of sorting out the m&m colors are over because of a new specialty candy store with a wall of m&m's in every color!
Use your best china and nice flatware - dinner parties are what you got it for.

Don't splurge on expensive napkin rings when you can simply tie the linens with a pretty green ribbon.
Green streamers and balloons can be festive but remember you want things to look jubilant, green, and chic, not tacky, childish, and overdone so use them with care. I like to hang two tones of metallic green streamers along my closed curtains giving the walls a candy strip effect.

Check out the party supply store near you for last minute decorations, inspirations, and ideas.
When guests arrive place a shamrock sticker on everyone's shirt to get people in the mood.
Remember to keep everything light and fun, St. Patrick's Day is one of the most informal holidays so avoid making your guests feel uncomfortable with stuffy place settings.

How are you decorating your house for your St. Patrick's Day celebration? Please share your ideas below. Tomorrow the final leg of this plan: the music for my dinner.

Come Party With Me: St. Patrick's Day - Drinks

partysugar — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 06:58:19 -0700

St. Patrick's Day is Saturday and I can't contain my excitement. I have been obsessing about what to wear internally for a few weeks now, and had intended on wearing this green mini dress until I found this fabulous old football jersey of my mom's with my Irish last name plastered across the front. Now that I have my sporty chic green outfit picked out, I can focus all of my attention on my pre-pub-hopping, St. Patrick's Day themed dinner party. The invites have been sent and the menu (including a vintage Irish soda bread recipe and a glamorous layer cake) has been planned. Today I am turning my thoughts towards a classic St Patrick's Day subject: drinking. To see what I'll be pouring during my dinner (homemade Baileys anyone?), please read more

After we finish dinner we are going bar hopping, so I dont want to go overboard with specialty cocktails. I'll offer a simple yet widely popular drink, green beer. It's totally uncomplicated, all you do is add green food coloring to your favorite beer. I'll get a few six packs of Harps and Guinness Irish beer, enough for everyone to have a glass or two during the meal. We will be taking cabs and walking to our destinations, but if you are having a get together be sure to have an option for your designated drivers. Sparkling water enhanced with lime and mint or sprite mixed with lime sherbet are two refreshing choices. With dessert I am going to offer everyone a small glass of homemade Irish cream liquor that tastes and looks just like Baileys. I've made this for the last few years and it's absolutely creamy and fabulous. If you are attending a party a bottle of this makes an excellent hostess gift.

Homemade Bailey's Irish Cream
From Gail's Recipe Swap

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 pint whipping cream
3 eggs
3 tablespoons chocolate syrup
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 oz. Irish whiskey (suggested Jameson)

Mix all of the ingredients in blender and refridgerate.
Shake before using
Enjoy chilled over ice.

Print recipe with images | without images

I know a few of you are hosting parties as well and want to know what do you plan on pouring? Share with me below and come back tomorrow and Friday for more. I still have to design a look and select a playlist for this shin-dig.

Come Party With Me: St. Patrick's Day - Menu (Dessert)

partysugar — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 14:59:57 -0700

On Saturday night my friends shall be dining in with me before we head out together. I sent the invites yesterday and today is menu planning. I have been putting a lot of thought into my St. Patrick's Day dinner party menu and I've decided to start with corned beef and swiss appetizers followed by a smoked salmon salad, cottage pie, and Irish soda bread. Since Friday is my half birthday I am going to take advantage of the date and go all out by making a decadent dessert. To see my recipe for a layer cake with a definitive Irish twist - a Bailey's pudding filling -read more

Party's Half Birthday Chocolate Irish Layer Cake
Modified from Epicurious and Martha Stewart
For pudding:
1 1/4 cups chilled whipping cream
12 tablespoons Baileys Original Irish Cream
3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
6 large egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
For cake
1 1/2 Cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for pans
3/4 Cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, plus more for pans
1/2 Cup boiling water
2 1/4 Cups sugar
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 Cups sifted cake flour, (not self-rising)
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1 Cup milk
For the syrup
2/3 cup sugar
5 tablespoons water
5 tablespoons Irish whiskey
For the frosting
3/4 cup chilled whipping cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup
9 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons kirsch (clear cherry brandy)

Make pudding: combine 3/4 cup cream, 6 tablespoons Baileys liqueur, sugar, yolks and nutmeg in large metal bowl. Place over saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water).
Using electric mixer, beat until custard thickens and thermometer registers 160°F, about 8 minutes.
Remove from over water and beat until cool, about 8 minutes.
Mix in remaining 6 tablespoons liqueur.
Beat remaining 1/2 cup cream in medium bowl to medium peaks. Fold into custard.
Cover and chill at least 4 hours or overnight.
Make cake: heat oven to 350 degrees; arrange two racks in center of oven. Butter three 8-by-2-inch round cake pans; line bottoms with parchment. Dust bottoms and sides of pans with cocoa powder; tap out any excess.
Sift cocoa into a medium bowl, and whisk in 1/2 cup boiling water. Set aside to cool.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on low speed until light and fluffy.
Gradually beat in sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down sides twice.
Beat in vanilla.
Drizzle in eggs, a little at a time, beating between each addition until the batter is no longer slick, scraping down the sides twice.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.
Whisk milk into reserved cocoa mixture.
With mixer on low speed, alternately add flour and cocoa mixtures to the batter, a little of each at a time, starting and ending with flour mixture.
Divide batter evenly among the three prepared pans.
Bake until a cake tester inserted into center of each layer comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes, rotating the pans for even baking.
Transfer layers to wire racks; let cool, 15 minutes.
Turn out cakes, and return to racks, tops up, until completely cool.
Make syrup: Combine sugar and water in small saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and bring to boil. Remove from heat. Mix in whiskey. Cool. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.)
Make frosting: bring first 3 ingredients to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low. Add chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. Mix in kirsch. Remove from heat. Let stand until spreadable, whisking occasionally, about 1 hour.
To assemble the cake: remove parchment from bottoms of cakes. Reserve the prettiest layer for the top. Place one cake layer on a serving platter; drizzle with syrup, and spread 1 1/2 cups Bailey's pudding over the top. Add the second cake layer, and drizzle with syrup spread with another 1 1/2 cups frosting. Top with third cake layer. Drizzle with remaining syrup.
Cover outside of cake with the frosting. Serve.

Makes 1 eight-inch-round layer cake.

Print recipe with images | without images