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Download Our Free Ugly Sweater Invite!

partysugar — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 07:45:18 -0800

This year instead of hosting a swanky (and expensive) holiday cocktail party, consider throwing an ugly sweater party! The theme is informal and fun, yet totally festive. It's an ideal party for introducing new groups of friends because the ugly sweaters break the ice and create easy conversation. To help you get your holiday party on, we've created a free downloadable, ugly sweater party invite! All you have to do is download, print, fill out, and send. Voila - instant holiday party. Don't forget to carry the kitschy theme to the menu by serving cheese balls, Chex mix, and slippery Santa shots. Happy hosting!

Come Party With Me: Ugly Sweater - The Look

partysugar — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 06:01:39 -0800

When decorating for your Ugly Sweater party, think the uglier the better. Create an over-the-top look with tacky accents and mis-matched prints in bright red and vivid green.

Set the mood by hanging a cheeky sign from the door encouraging rowdy behavior. When guests arrive give them a Christmas stocking shaped beverage holder and a black sharpie. Have them write their name on the stocking to prevent lost drinks.

Cover the table with a garish poinsettia tablecloth. Hang lights and wrap beads around banisters and staircases. Light candles and a fire in the fireplace.

Serve the appetizers on big red platters and the sweets in bowls shaped like ornaments. Pour the cocktails in festive martini glasses and pass them out with a plaid cocktail napkin.

Come Party With Me: Ugly Sweater - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 12:45:11 -0800

It's safe to say that a lot of alcohol will be consumed at your Ugly Sweater party. It's a shindig that starts later in the night, so guests will be excited and in the mood. When they arrive, offer them a cheesy cocktail or a scrumptious shot. Sandra Lee's Glacer-tini is bright green and sophisticatedly trashy, while a Slippery Santa shot is deliciously dark and potent.

Have plenty of beer and wine on hand. Expecting a large crowd? Splurge on a keg. Champagne and sparkling apple cider are festive crowd pleasers, so stock up on a few bottles. Sparkling and still water are a must.

For the holiday-themed cocktail recipes, read more.

Glacer-tini
From Sandra Lee

Ice cubes
1 part vanilla liqueur (recommended: Liqueur 43)
2 parts blue-colored tropical fruit liqueur (recommended: Hpnotiq)
Lemon-lime soda
1 rock candy swizzle stick

In a glass pitcher or cocktail shaker filled with ice, add vanilla liqueur, tropical fruit liqueur, and top with lemon-lime soda.
Stir and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a clear rock candy swizzle stick and serve.

Serves 1.

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Slippery Santa
From Cocktail Times

1 oz Blavod Black Vodka
1/2 oz oz Cinnamon schnapps
Whipped cream
Garnish: Maraschino cherry

Pour vodka and cinnamon schnapps in a shot glass and top with whipped cream and garnish with a maraschino cherry (or a red hot candy).

Serves 1.

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Come Party With Me: Ugly Sweater - Menu (Sweet)

partysugar — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 15:27:31 -0800

Fill a table at your Ugly Sweater party with sweet treats for guests to snack on throughout the night. Stay away from serving anything too complicated or showy that will require more than a cocktail napkin for eating. Choose your favorite classic, holiday candies - red and green M&Ms, peppermint bark, candy canes, etc. - and serve along side one homemade dessert. These chocolate-peanut bars are a no-bake, delicious dessert. The combination of chocolate and peanut is always a crowd pleaser. For the recipe, read more

Chocolate Peanut Bars
From Southern Living magazine

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 (16-oz.) box powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups vanilla wafers, crushed (about 45 cookies)
1 (12-oz.) package semisweet chocolate morsels
1/2 cup whipping cream

Beat butter and peanut butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended.
Add powdered sugar and vanilla wafer crumbs; beat until blended. Press mixture evenly into a lightly greased 13-x-9-inch baking pan lined with wax paper.
Stir together chocolate morsels and whipping cream in a medium saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Spread evenly on top of peanut-butter mixture. Chill 1 hour or until firm.
Remove from refrigerator, and let stand at room temperature 10 minutes or until slightly softened. Cut into 48 bars.

Makes about 4 dozen.

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Come Party With Me: Ugly Sweater - Menu (Savory)

partysugar — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 08:28:39 -0800

Although the Ugly Sweater party starts at 8 p.m., it's important to offer guests a few snacks to nibble on throughout the night. The last thing you want is a drunken guest raiding your fridge or pantry. To avoid this sloppy situation, set out a variety of small appetizers that require virtually no work throughout the night.

A vegetarian garlic, eggplant, and tomato spread is delicious on crusty bread. A homemade chex-style party mix is an excellent absorber of alcohol. Since this is a tacky-chic party, make three different kinds of cheese balls. Serve with an assortment of crackers and flatbreads. If desired, supplement the menu with store bought goods like olives, dips, and vegetables.

For the recipes, read more

Garlicky Eggplant and Tomato Crostini
From Food and Wine magazine

2 pounds small eggplants-peeled, quartered lengthwise, then halved crosswise
6 medium garlic cloves, halved
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
One 28-ounce can peeled Italian plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped, juices reserved
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
toasted croutons, crostini, or crackers for serving

In a large saucepan fitted with a large steamer basket, bring 1/2 inch of water to a simmer. Add the eggplant and garlic to the steamer. Cover the saucepan and steam the eggplant over moderate heat until tender, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the chopped tomatoes and their juices along with the cilantro, cumin, paprika and crushed red pepper and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 15 minutes.
Drain the steamed eggplant and garlic in a colander, pressing gently to extract any excess water.
Transfer to a bowl and finely mash the garlic and coarsely mash the eggplant with a fork, then scrape them both into the tomato sauce.
Add the fresh lemon juice and simmer over moderate heat for 5 minutes, stirring a few times. Season the eggplant with salt and pepper and transfer to a serving bowl.
Serve the eggplant salad at room temperature or lightly chilled with croutons, crostini, or crackers for spreading.

Serves 6.

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Homemade Party Mix
From Emeril Lagasse

1/2 pound cashews
1/2 pound hot roasted peanuts
2 cups pretzel nuggets
8 cups waffle cereal (such as Chex)
1 cup butter
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Creole spice

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
In a large bowl combine nuts, pretzels and cereal.
Melt butter with Worcestershire sauce and drizzle over nut mixture; sprinkle with Creole spice.
Toss to coat completely, pour onto a cookie sheet and bake until crisp and tasty, about 25 minutes.

Makes about 12 cups.

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Cheese Balls Three Ways
From Martha Stewart

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
3 packages (8-ounce) cream cheese
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
5 dashes hot sauce, preferable Tabasco
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
8 ounces sharp orange cheddar cheese, finely shredded
2 tablespoons store-bought chutney
3/4 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
Water crackers, for serving
6 ounces Roquefort cheese
1 shallot, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
2 teaspoons brandy, optional
1 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
Vegetable chips, such as Terra Chips Sweets & Beets, for serving
8 ounces goat cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh curly-leaf parsley
1 English cucumber, cut into 1/8-inch slices, for serving

Prepare the Base Mixture: in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter, cream cheese, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, salt, and pepper; mix on medium speed until combined. Divide equally among 3 medium bowls.
Prepare the Cheddar and Cranberry Cheese Ball: stir cheddar and chutney with base mixture in the first bowl. Form into a ball. If not using immediately, refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month. Roll cheese balls in cranberries to coat before serving. Serve with crackers.
Prepare the Roquefort and Walnut Cheese Ball: stir blue cheese and shallot with base mixture in second bowl; add brandy, if desired. Form into a ball. If not using immediately, refrigerate up to 3 days; freeze up to 1 month. Roll in walnuts to coat before serving. Serve with chips.
Prepare the Goat Cheese and Scallion Cheese Ball: stir goat cheese and scallions with base mixture in remaining bowl. Form into a ball. If not using immediately, refrigerate up to 3 days to freeze up to 1 month. Roll in parsley to coat before serving. Serve with cucumber slices.

Makes three 4-inch cheese balls and serves 8 to 10.

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Come Party With Me: Ugly Sweater - Invites

partysugar — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 07:30:51 -0800

If hosting a holiday cocktail party is too formal for your entertaining style, host an ugly sweater themed bash instead! Invite all of your friends over and tell them to wear their most obnoxious Christmas sweater. This type of party is fun, informal, and hysterical. To get guests in the mood send a fabulous invitation. You can download, print, and fill out our ugly sweater party invite or make a more personalized invitation like the one seen here. To see how I made it, read more

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

2 sheets of cardstock
a funny picture of you and the other hosts/hostesses dressed in your ugly sweaters
scissors
glue
computer and printer

To assemble the invite:

Start by taking a fun picture of you around your Christmas tree in an ugly sweater.

Make a color photo copy of the picture and cut down to size. Set aside.

Create a new Word document on your computer. Write out the details of the party. I used the font Bradley Hand ITC TT-Bold in size 14 to write the following message:

You’re invited to rock around the Christmas tree
In your ugliest holiday sweater!

This Saturday night, December 15
8 o’clock pm
PartySugar’s house, San Francisco

Only those wearing a fabulously ugly
sweater will be admitted to the party!

Rsvp. 415.555.5555

Print out and check the text for grammar or spelling mistakes. Once satisfied with the info, print out on the cardstock.

Cut down to size.

Using fun scissors, cut another piece of cardstock down to size. This will act as the frame to the picture.

With a round shaped object, trace a circle on the picture. Place the picture on top of the frame cardstock and the circular object on top of this. Carefully slide the picture out while holding the circle in place.

Trace the circle on to the cardstock and cut the middle out. Turn over.

Glue the picture, face down to the back of the frame.

Glue the text face up to the back of the picture.

Add any special touches. I glued a gold bow to the front of mine.
Slide into an envelope and send.

View 32 Photos ›

Download Our Free Holiday Invites!

partysugar — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 10:15:14 -0800

OK, so you're not throwing an ugly sweater party this holiday season, but what about a holiday party? A festive cocktail, a delicious dessert soiree, or a laid-back brunch are great ways to gather friends together. Set the tone by mailing them a red and green themed invite. We've created two free, downloadable invites that celebrate the season. One features a girl and a Christmas tree and the other has an ornament theme. Start by clicking on the links above to download them. Next print, fill out, and send. So what are you waiting for? Go get your holiday party on!

What's Yummy This Week - YumSugar Weekly Recap

YumSugar — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 09:03:31 -0800

There was a lot of gingerbread this week. From classic gingerbread cabins to mid-century modern gingerbread houses, we had something for everyone. Find a great recipe and then create your own! You've got until Tuesday to submit your creation for our gingerbread neighborhood!.

Wishing you could find pure bottled water?
Can you figure out which celebrities designed these charitable lunchboxes?
Donating money to the UN World Food Programme could win you some amazing foodie prizes.
Get ready for the holidays by decorating your house with food inspired ornaments, snowman accessories and festive shotglasses.

Once you have all the decorations, invite everyone over for an Ugly Sweater Party.
Would you eat a scorpion? How about a soup made from hornets?
Speaking of wild foods, Food Network will be re-airing Anthony Bourdain's original show.
Our holiday gift guides continued. This week we covered ideas for the bartender, the seafood lover, the food snob, the grill master, and the beer lover.
Finally don't forget to vote in our Best of 2007 polls. This week we want to know:
- Who is your favorite food reality judge?
- Who is your favorite food reality contestant?
- What is your favorite food holiday?
- What is your favorite food trend of 2007?
- What is the top US foodie destination?
- What is the top non-US foodie destination?
- What is your favorite chain restaurant?
- What is the best grocery store chain?

Will You Watch the No Reservations Holiday Special?

YumSugar — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 05:27:31 -0800

Those of you who complain that you've never seen Anthony Bourdain cook anything may want to tune in to his new No Reservations Holiday Special. It airs tonight and promises to be full of wacky hijinx and ugly sweaters. He even has special guests The Queens of the Stone Age dropping by to help him out. The whole thing sounds like it's going to be a laugh riot, and I personally cannot wait to check it out. How about you? Are you going to tune in?

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