Throw a Memorable Memorial Day Bash

It's not too late to have a memorable Memorial Day party. Here's some advice from Colin Cowie on how to have the perfect Memorial Day event from food to decor!

Recipe of the Day!

In honor of Memorial Day and the first entry for 'Recipe of the Day' I bring to you...

Picture courtesy of Coordinately Yours

Fruit Flag Pizza!

Ingredients:

FRUIT PIZZA
1 pkg. Pillsbury refrigerator sugar cookie dough, thinly sliced (use about 1/2 pkg. for 10" pizza pan)
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 (4 1/2 oz.) frozen whipped dairy topping

FRESH FRUITS:

1 pt. strawberries (or other berries such as blueberries, raspberries, etc.)
2 bananas, sliced
2 to 3 kiwis, sliced
1 (8 oz.) can pineapple chunks, drain and SAVE juice

GLAZE:

1/2 c. sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 c. pineapple juice

Press cookie dough into pizza pan to make crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool. Whip cheese and topping and spread over cooled crust. Overlap fruit in a ring for example: First ring strawberries, then pineapple, sliced kiwis, bananas and other berries as desired.

FOR GLAZE: Boil the ingredients for one minute. Spoon over fruit, especially bananas.

Chill before serving. Makes one fruit pizza.

Recipe from Cooks.com ENJOY at your next party!!

Backyard decorating

When you're hosting a party, it's not just about the inside of the party that should look decorated; the backyard should look decorating too! Sometimes simple decorative pieces like sofa pillows, throws, small decorative pillows, lamps, and the like can attribute to the decor of your backyard during a party. One of my favorite places to find great backyard decor items is Cost Plus.

Cost Plus often have wonderful sales so be sure to check them out!

Cake of the Day!

Hmmm...Candy heaven? Yessss, I think so! Today's Cake of the Day comes from Carlo's City Hall Bake Shop located in Hoboken, NJ! You may recognize the name of this shop as the owner, Buddy Valastro, is also on the popular TLC Show, Cake Boss. In the show, Buddy and his chefs create unique custom cakes in an attempt to make Carlo's City Hall Bake Shop a household name.

Cake of the Day!

The sun is shining bright so that must mean Summer is approaching! Today's Cake of the Day comes from the Pink Cake Box. This birthday cake was in honor of Jimmy Buffet.

"Wastin away again in margaritaville
Searching for my lost shaker of salt
Some people claim that theres a woman to blame
But I know its nobodys fault"

Enjoy the long 3-day weekend!!

Karen's Fantasy Bachelorette Party Pt. 2: Sugar & Spice and Everything Nice

In Part 1 of my Fantasy Bachelorette Party I discussed just HALF of the things I would incorporate for a Bachelorette Party I was hosting and that leads me to Steps 5,6, & 7.... Sugar & Spice and Everything Nice.

EVERY
THING
NICE
Step #5: Decorations & Party Favors

For the main event, the in-house Fun & Games portion of the night, there would be a designated room in which all the ladies would meet for the fun & games and usually a hotel room or reserved meeting room would be the best location. The second the ladies walk into that room the "Fun & Games" experience should immediately hit them, so I would make sure to have several Bachelorette Party favors in the room amidst the decor.

Damask and polka dot patterned balloons, napkins, dishes, bows, vases filled with pink flowers, pink & black paper lanterns, pink & black votive candle holders and jewels scattered across tables would be just some of the decorations I would incorporate in the room. You can find all of the pictured decorations at Party City!

SUGAR
Step #6: Sexy Delights

The second the ladies walk in adult beverages would be nicely displayed on a separate table. But, not any old plastic beverage cups, but cute personalized glasses much like the ones below.

Pictured: Lolita "Who Needs a Man" Glass from Beverage Factory

"Who Needs a Man?" Wine Cooler Recipe

* 4 oz. Red Wine
* 2 oz. White Grape Juice
* 1 oz. Lemonade
* 1 oz. Club Soda
* Serve Over Ice

What's a Bachelorette Party without guilty pleasure ;-) Pink Lingerie cupcakes that is!

Cupcakes like these from Two Parts Sugar located in Orange County would also make their way to the food and beverage table.

SPICE
Step #7: FUN & GAMES!!

What is a Bachelorette Party without fun & games, right?! Depending on the level of comfort the bride-to-be has, there are several ways in which you can have fun & games, whether totally wild or mildly conservative; at the end of the day everyone is sure to have a good time.

BUT, since this is MY FANTASY, fun & games = A WILD TIME ;-)

For my fantasy Bachelorette Party I say skip the male dancers! INSTEAD, I would have just enough poles at the party and would hire a certified pole dancer to come in and teach us how to work the pole! Talk about so much fun and you learn something new :-) They are called mobile pole dancing lessons; they come to you. Check out Shake, Rattle, & Pole! If you want it to be a little more "spicy" hire a "strip tease" dancer and have her teach the girls how to dance strip tease!

Of course, you cannot veer away from traditional fun & games, so click here for a list of Top 10 games I would play at the Bachelorette Party!


LOOKING TO PLAN YOUR
OWN
REAL
BACHELORETTE PARTY?

Feel free to contact me for ideas and tips! Also, grab the book "How to Host A Hilariously Fun Bachelorette Party" a full book of ideas, decorating tips, recipes and more.


Thanks for reading :-)

Favorite Party Item!!

Trying to dress up your food?! I found just the answer to make your food look, well, uh, DIVALISCIOUS!!

Lavish Bliss Boutique sells super cute food trays for any occasion! "Jazz up a table for any gathering with a Diva Tray. Whether you use it for a birthday party, wine night, family pizza night in front of the tv or Girls' Night In, your tray will surely stand out! This tray measures 14" x 18" "

I'm sure Beyonce would approve ;-)