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Yummy Links: From Martinis to Foie Gras

partysugar — Fri, 16 May 2008 06:45:34 -0700

If a classic bridal shower isn't your style, consider hosting a girls' night in martini party. — My Recipes
Now that grilling season is upon us, be sure you know the difference between gas and charcoal grills. — Chow
Over evite? Try the new alternative Pingg, an eco friendly, chic way to send invitations. — Pingg
These luscious centerpieces make me want to host a Spring dinner party! — Hostess with the Mostess
Slightly disturbing: the difference between portion sizes then and now. — Divine Caroline
Watch as kung fu master, Ho Eng Hui, breaks through a coconut with his index finger, it's absolutely insane! — Serious Eats
The city of Chicago has repealed the foie gras ban. —Slashfood

Wedding Centerpiece Trends

partysugar — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 09:13:38 -0700

One of the many decisions you have to make when planning your wedding is how to style the tables. A spectacular centerpiece on the table is like the icing on the cake. It's an eye catching piece of decor that stimulates conversation and sets the atmosphere for the reception. This year centerpieces have moved beyond the traditional: fruits and vegetables abound, nature adds down-to-earth glamor, and the glowing cast of candles shadow the arrangements. To see some of the most popular centerpiece trends, click the "Start" button.

Easy Spring Centerpiece: Wheatgrass

partysugar — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 10:01:31 -0800

With Spring around the corner, there are lots of cheaper alternatives to fresh cut flowers. You could use petals, or you could skip the flowers all together. How simply elegant is this vibrant wheatgrass and lemon centerpiece?

I came across it last weekend while at a crab-feed fund raiser for the 49ers. Instantly hundreds of varieties come to mind: place limes in the middle for a St. Patrick's Day party or scatter dyed eggs in the grass for an Easter brunch. At only $11.00 a tray, fresh wheatgrass is affordable and fabulous.

Yummy Link: Score With This Super Bowl Centerpiece

partysugar — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 05:01:18 -0800

The Super Bowl is just around the corner and I'm sure many of you will be hosting parties. If so, then why not decorate your table with this festive football centerpiece? It's uber cute and certain to be a conversation starter! — Hostess With the Mostess

Cut The Cost: Fall Party Centerpieces

partysugar — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 10:11:49 -0700

If you are planning a party, you may run the risk of spending a lot of money. Flowers, while beautiful and fragrant, often cost a large amount of your party budget. Cut the cost by cutting the flowers. Fall is a great time to use other ingredients in the decor:

Create tonal arrangements using fruit. Fill a bowl with red apples, purple grapes, and burgundy pears. Or do the same arrangement with green apples, emerald grapes, and yellow pears.
Fill a large glass vase (you can find them at Michaels for super cheap) with dried, collected leaves. Place a large white pillar candle on the pillow of leaves.
Purchase potted plants. Pansies can handle frost and come at very low prices. The day after the party, plant the flowers in your garden.

Don't underestimate the power of pumpkins! Purchase several pumpkins in various shapes, sizes, and colors and place them in the center of your table or along your mantle. Use small ones to fill large glass containers.
Crowd bowls with nuts in the shell. Walnuts, pecans, and almonds look festive when placed at varying heights on a table in bright glass bowls.

Got a great idea on how to create a gorgeous look without flowers? Please share it with us below!!

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Yummy Links: From Edible Centerpieces to 171 Starbucks in a Day

YumSugar — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 09:03:38 -0700

If you're looking for something a little different in your decorating scheme, try edible centerpieces. - Slashfood
Learn about one of my favorite desserts of all time called ice kacang (aka hong dou bing) - a shaved ice dish popular in Asia. - Serious Eats
Justin Timberlake's new restaurant is now open. I guess this time he's bringin' fried pickles back. - Chow
Be sure to check out this guide on how to store fresh herbs. - Kitchen Therapy
Did you know? Lentils help you lose weight. - FitSugar
Fox is really pushing the new Simpsons movie, they even have a Ben & Jerry's flavor called "Duff and D'oh-Nuts". - Will Work For Food

What's better than frosted animal cookies? How about giant pimped out frosted animal cookies. - Baking Bites
Do microwaves cause obesity? - Culinate
Learn more about the allium family of foods - such as garlic, chives, leeks, etc. - The Daily Tiffin
What happens when one man goes to 171 Starbucks in one day? - Via Tastespotting

Flowers 101: Hydrangeas

partysugar — Wed, 02 May 2007 09:57:32 -0700

I'm a huge fan of Barefoot Contessa and this week I thought I would feature her favorite flower - one she grows in her garden and uses frequently in her simple centerpieces and awesome arrangements - hydrangeas. There are over 70 species of hydrangeas and the flowers bloom from early spring to late autumn. They grow on shrubs in light shade/filtered sun and in moist soil. Hydrangeas have rounded heads and large, coarse, glossy dark green leaves. Similar to broccoli, the flowers grow in bunches at the end of stems. The majority of hydrangea species grow white although some bloom in blue, red, pink, or purple with the color depending on the acidity level (pH level) of the soil. Blue hydrangeas get their color from the aluminum in the soil. If growing hydrangeas remember that they need lots of water and a large hole approximately two feet across and one foot deep. Hydrangeas name is derived from two Greek words: meaning vessel and water due to the fact that their seed-pods resemble that of a water vessel. In bouquets, hydrangeas combine well with lilacs and they are great for drying.

Fabulous Floramor

partysugar — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 08:57:37 -0700

I recently had a chance to sit down and talk to one of San Francisco's top floral designers, Laura Little of Floramor Studios, about flowers, weddings, and upcoming trends. Laura has a rich passion for the beauty of nature and a grand respect for fine arts that is reflected in all of her arrangements. Established in 1984, Laura and her team have been working with brides non-stop for the past 22 years and have orchestrated the design concept for over 3000 events. Her designs have been featured in countless books about wedding style, magazines from Town & Country to Elegant Bride, and she has a working relationship with all of the major hotels in San Francisco.

On the day I walked into her beautiful studio with brightly colored lime green walls and a checker-print black and white floor at 9 am, Laura had already been up since 2 am. According to Little, the life of a floral designer is far from glamorous with gigantic arrangements having to be ready before dawn to give the illusion that the flowers came out of nowhere. She took me through the steps that she would normally take a bride through explaining that at the first meeting it's customary to spend about an hour going through photos of past weddings until she has an idea of what the bride generally wants. All of her brides get to see a sample version of their centerpieces months before the wedding to ensure that they get to see their own vision brought to life before the big day. For more on floral wedding trends and to read my interview,

Come Party With Me: Wedding - The Look

partysugar — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 07:55:19 -0700

So I know I already said that the food and drinks at a wedding are extremely important but the look (like invite) is what sets the entire mood and atmosphere of the event. How can you have magic or love in the air without a beautiful look? Bright colors are an excellent way to add an element of surprise as guests typically expect pastels and when paired with plain white linens the colors can really pop. Remember centerpieces don't always have to be floral: experiment with unconventional centerpieces such as shallow bowls filled with live fish, hollowed out tree trunks filled with fruit, or nests/wreaths overflowing with berries. Integrate elements of nature into the decor by using coral branches for a sunset beach or green moss to blanket bare soil of a potted centerpiece. Instead of having floral centerpieces wrap wedding favors in pretty paper and stack decoratively in the middle of the table. For the look of Julie's wedding (in black, white, and light blue with art deco accents),

Floral Centerpieces

partysugar — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 02:59:13 -0700

In terms of style and sophistication, a beautiful floral centerpiece can take a wedding to the next level. This year the trends in floral arrangements have shifted from modern to more traditional. One color of one flower in a cascading and flowing grouping is breathtaking and very now. Flowers paired and accented with fruit are another popular way to create a centerpiece. Keep flowers clean and paired down as over baring fluff and frill doesn't look contemporary. In a large space, centerpieces add drama and a sense of intimacy and in a small space they add personality. Centerpieces set the tone and mood of a wedding or party with blooming yellow sunflowers creating a warm welcoming feeling at a winery wedding and billowing white roses adding elegance to a winter wonderland wedding. The most important thing you need to remember is to think outside the box and don't limit yourself. Get creative and use your imagination to achieve a look that represents you, your fiance, and the style of your wedding. For more fresh ideas on creating the best floral centerpieces,

Flowers 101: Ranunculus

partysugar — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 09:58:31 -0700

The other day one of my sister's friends stopped by with a bouquet of pretty pink flowers from her garden. They were ranunculus (pronounced ran-UN-kew-lus) a small camellialike bloom that ranges in color from red to yellow to pink and white and grows here in the Western United States during springtime. Wildly popular, there are over 400 different species.

When planting ranunculus, monitor the soil's moisture and handpick away slugs and snails. These bulbs grow in full sun to partial shade, spread naturally, and do best with cool night temperatures and slightly warmer days. When cut, a ranunculus can last over a week, making them an ideal choice for a bride's bouquet, a wedding centerpiece, or a mailed gift. They combine well with pansies, sweet alyssum, and other early spring blooming flowers.

Flowers 101: Daffodils

partysugar — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 09:58:19 -0700

What with the arrival of spring and the wedding season, I thought it was the perfect time to start my new weekly recurring feature, Flowers 101. Many brides and hostesses even have the perfect flower in mind for a wedding or centerpiece, but are heartbroken to find out that it is not in season. Imported flowers can be super expensive and I hope to help you avoid this mistake by educating you on various flower types. Let's start with a flower that just bloomed in my backyard: the daffodil. An early bloomer, daffodils herald the arrival of Spring in late February and early March. Also known as narcissus, there are over 25 various daffodil species. In your garden monitor the soil moisture and feed with all purpose bulb fertilizer. In an arrangement, place the stems in tepid water for a few hours to ensure they will live a long life. Daffodils pair nicely with tulips, grape hyacinths, and foliage plants. Quite tolerant of cold, daffodils grow in the full sun/part shade throughout most of the US with the exception of Florida. Their bulbs are quite durable and contain poisonous crystals that protect the flowers from being eaten by squirrels or rodents. They come in every hue of yellow (from lemon to goldenrod), snowy whites, rich creams, mandarin oranges, spring greens, apricots, and pinks - all of which would be beautiful in any bouquet.