This girl likes to party all the time ;) (Que Eddy Murphy song now)

I've been meaning to start this blog for awhile, and since my girlfriend Tiffany has Fizzy Party on Facebook, she's inspired me to do this lil ole blog.  I can't guarantee that I'll post daily, since I am a full time student, but I'm aiming for at least once a week.  If I don't make that, I apologize in advance. :)


Even though Easter has come already, I thought I'd share some cute ideas from various places that I've found and will probably use next year.  As I said, I haven't done much party planning with school monopolizing a bunch of my time, but I fully intend on getting back into the addiction my mother created within me of being a hostess.

Easter Decor:

I am a huge fan of decorating in some way shape or form, as well as having an abundance of food/drinks at a party. Why go to all the trouble of cooking all day, slaving away, and not having a good presentation, right?

The first thing I want to share is this cute carrot idea for Easter from Martha Stewart's website :) 


http://www.marthastewart.com/274530/decorating-for-easter/@center/276968/easter#/335075

These are so cute, I will defiantly be making these <3

This next project is also from Martha Stewart's website! She has a ton of great ideas, and if I am having hostess-block, I go here first :)

This Easter Egg Tree is adorable, and can be reused or gifted to a guest who comes to your Easter Festivities! Instructions are available here: 

http://www.marthastewart.com/274530/decorating-for-easter/@center/276968/easter#/272734

Drinks:

This is one of my favorite drinks, and the recipe includes how to make it child friendly.  It's refreshing and crisp, and oh-so delish :)

Fresh Strawberry Bellini

A recipe from Mario Batalli, Famous Chef

Ingredients

• 1 bottle prosecco*
• 2 cups pureed and strained fresh strawberries
• Special equipment: Blender, strainer, iced champagne flutes, pitcher and tall "swizzle stirrer" (for the pitcher)

Directions

Place 8 Champagne flutes in the freezer for 20 minutes. Open the prosecco and let it stand in an ice bucket for 5 minutes.

Into a pitcher, pour the 2 cups pureed strawberries. Gently pour in the bottle of prosecco and stir gently to combine. Divide among Champagne flutes and serve.

*For Kid Bellinis, substitute sparkling water for the prosecco.

Another fav of mine is what I call the Chocolate Easter Bunny Martini. Sooooooo good, and is a choc-o-holics dream come true :)

Chocolate Easter Bunny Martini aka Death by Chocolate Martini

made famous by The Neely's, Food Network Stars

Ingredients

• Cocoa powder, for rimming
• 2 parts chocolate liqueur, plus more for rimming
• 1 part vodka
• 1 part half-and-half

Directions

Add a few tablespoons chocolate liqueur to a small rimmed plate. Add a few tablespoons cocoa powder to another small plate and whisk briefly to break up the lumps. Dip the rim of a martini glass into the liqueur then into the cocoa. Set aside.

Add the chocolate liqueur, vodka, and half-and-half to a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake for a good 20 seconds. Pour into rimmed martini glass.

Food:

There are so many good recipes out there, I don't usually have to worry too much about food.  I rely heavily on family recipes, but if I can't find what I'm looking for, I refer to Weight Watchers Magazine, Food Network Magazine, or Food Network.com, none of which have failed me.

I did make these eggs this year, which were fun and fabulous :)

You can find the recipe I used here: 

http://www.foodjimoto.com/2011/04/easter-eggs.html

Other than that, my usual fare for Easter dinner consists of the following:

Ham

Deviled Eggs of some kind

Green Bean Casserole

Hot Rolls

Salad

Jello Ambrosia Salad

Roasted Veggies of some kind

Red Velvet Cake

I am always on the look for new ideas both decorative, and food/drink wise. So I'm sure in the future, you'll be seeing things I've found for holidays past (or upcoming) depending on when I find them :)

Hope you enjoyed my first blog entry. 

As my favorite cook ever says, Best Dishes, from my kitchen, to yours.

Melly