March 16, 2010 at 11:23 pm
· Filed under Celebration Tips, Celebrations, Holidays, Menus & Recipes, Party Ideas, Thoughts & Ideas, Uncategorized
What to do for St. Patrick’s Day? Hold a Black & Tan tasting. We did on Saturday night. It was a blast. Below are a few suggestions to get you going. My favorite– the Blacksmith.
US Black & Tan: Guinness Stout and Bass Ale
Half and Half: Harp’s Lager topped with Guinness. Half and half because both ales come from the Guinness Brewery.
Black & Sam: Guinness Stout and Samuel Adams Boston Lager
Blacksmith: Guinness Stout and Smithwick’s Irish Ale
Black and Red: Guinness and Killians Irish Red Lager
Irish American: Half Guinness and half Budweiser or Miller
Irish Canadian: Half Guinness and half Molson Canadian
Slanté,
Tricia
www.RoyalTart.com
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February 27, 2010 at 4:19 am
· Filed under Celebrations, Menus & Recipes, Party Ideas, Uncategorized
Beat the cold, cold with a pot of chili in honor of National Chili Day. Serve your chili with a tasty ale; add some cornbread or French bread & a salad and you have a warm and satisfying dinner.
Cheers,
Tricia
www.RoyalTart.com
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February 24, 2010 at 1:10 am
· Filed under Celebration Tips, Celebrations, Menus & Recipes, Party Ideas, Setting the Scene, Uncategorized
This week is National Pancake Week…celebrate by hosting a dinner party, serving family breakfast for dinner or by heading out with your best friends for some savory pancakes or crepes and Champagne? Even better, how about all three?
Invite your friends over for a savvy dinner party and serve them a different type of pancake with every course; you can tell them it’s National Pancake Week before the dinner party or at the end. A party favor, you ask, how about a cute brown bag of pancake mix?
Don’t be too serious with the tabletop–do something fun like Royal Tart’s red polka dot plates.
Suggested Menu:
Appetizer:
Buckwheat pancakes and caviar
Main Course:
Potato Pancakes with oven roasted salmon, tomatoes and spinach
Dessert:
Crepes Suzette
Yum!
Cheers,
Tricia
www.RoyalTart.com
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February 11, 2010 at 3:09 am
· Filed under Celebration Tips, Celebrations, Holidays, Menus & Recipes, Party Ideas, Setting the Scene, Uncategorized
It’s a big weekend coming up…there are so many reasons to throw a party…starting Friday we have Opening Celebration of The Vancouver Winter Olympics, then there is Valentine’s Day, Chinese New Year, President’s Day and if you want to keep partying there is Mardi Gras on Tuesday.
You can have a party everyday or put ‘em all together for the “Presidential Chinese Olympic Valentine Gras!”
Decorate for your party with a combination of hearts, Chinese dragons, chopsticks, Olympic Rings, top hats and masks. Serve take-out Chinese food on red-heart shaped plates, with Olympic or sports napkins and ask everyone to wear a powdered wig. For party favors, give out Mardi Gras beads—what a blast!!!!
Cheers,
Tricia
www.RoyalTart.com
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February 3, 2010 at 11:37 am
· Filed under Celebration Tips, Celebrations, Menus & Recipes, Party Ideas, Uncategorized
Hey, so whether you are cheering for the New Orleans Saints or the Indianapolis Colts or just along for the party you can host an easy and fun Superbowl party by adding a twist to the traditional potluck.
Suggest that your friends bring a potluck item from their team’s hometown or region. This suggestion not only creates a cohesive potluck but also gives your guests a place to start when they are deciding what to bring.
A suggested New Orleans Saints Menu:
Shrimp w/ Remoulade
Red Beans & Rice
Gumbo
Mufaletta Sandwiches
Zapp’s Potato Chips
Hurricane Cocktails
Beignets
Chicory Coffee
A suggested menu for the Indianapolis Colts:
Breaded Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Indiana Dill Bread
Collins Caviar
Indiana Succotash
Hot Cider
Sugar Cream Pie
Butterscotch Pie
Enjoy your team oriented potluck.
Cheers,
Tricia
www.RoyalTart.com
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February 1, 2010 at 7:33 am
· Filed under Celebration Tips, Celebrations, Holidays, Party Ideas, Setting the Scene, Thoughts & Ideas, Uncategorized
Celebrate Valentine’s Day like a real holiday; take the day off from work or since Valentine’s is on a Sunday this year, shift your Valentine’s celebration to Friday and take Friday off from work. Playing a little hooky might get you in the mood for some…
Spend the day in bed together, have breakfast in bed, rent romantic movies, light a fire, drink hot chocolate. Set a romantic table for two with a beautiful centerpiece and your fine china or with red & white (like Royal Tart’s polka dot plates). Go dancing, look at old pictures, make a homemade Valentine, take a drive, go for a walk, get a new puppy, listen to your favorite love songs, and eat chocolate in front of a roaring fire. Celebrate each other.
Happy Valentine’s Day.
Cheers,
Tricia
www.RoyalTart.com
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January 23, 2010 at 7:33 am
· Filed under Celebration Tips, Celebrations, Menus & Recipes, Musings, Party Ideas, Setting the Scene, Thoughts & Ideas
Hey, so we have been talking about it for a long time–supper club. What is supper club? Well in our case it is a group of friends and acquaintances that get together every so often to cook a foodie meal together and then dine on it.
Our Menu:
Baked Chicken Breast On-the-Bone Stuffed with Goat Cheese & Sundried Tomato Over Baby Spinach
Truffle Butter Tagliatelle
House Salad
Dessert (either red velvet cake or Royal Tart’s Chocolate Tart)
Of course, since I am hosting one of my concerns is what the tabletop will look like; what dishes, stemware and linens I will use
(I am thinking of the Groove Dinner Party) and what, if any, party favors I will gift. I am thinking that perhaps the perfect favor is a set of recipes for everyone. I will let you know how supper club goes—it’s scheduled for Feb 6.
Cheers,
Tricia
www.RoyalTart.com
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January 7, 2010 at 1:38 pm
· Filed under Celebrations, Menus & Recipes, Musings, Party Ideas, Thoughts & Ideas, Uncategorized
Celebrate Elvis Presley’s birthday (or the anniversary of his 75th birthday on January 8, 2010) by whipping up the sandwich he made famous–Fried Peanut Butter & ‘Nana. It’s a quick fix and the mini-celebration is the perfect pick-me-up for your post holiday blue suede shoes.
INGREDIENTS:
1 small ripe banana
2 slices white bread
2-3 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons butter
DIRECTIONS:
In a small bowl, mash the banana witha fork. Toast the bread lightly. Spread the peanut butter on one slice of toast and the mashed banana on the other. Fry the sandwich in melted butter until each side is golden brown. Cut diagonally and serve hot.
Spin a few Elvis tunes and enjoy!
Cheers,
Tricia
www.RoyalTart.com
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December 30, 2009 at 11:14 am
· Filed under Celebration Tips, Celebrations, Holidays, Party Ideas, Setting the Scene, Thoughts & Ideas, Uncategorized
Tick-tock, tick-tock…raise your glass and cheer…tick-tock, tick-tock…the birth of a New Year. A rock-the-clock cocktail soiree where midnight arrives every hour-or-so, with different countdown toasts to our hopes, our dreams, our loves…a proverbial toasting shower, of elation, jubilation, exultation…with love, with laughter, with merriment, raise your glass and cheer as each different time zone clock strikes midnight, you ring in the New Year!
As with every Royal Tart Celebration, a Royal Tart Let’s Get This Party Started Blueprint with Suggested Menu, Recipes & Celebration Tips is included. This particular Party Blueprint includes suggested appetizer recipes that correspond to each time you Rock-the Clock. Look for elegant, interesting and tasty recipes from South America, Russia, France as well as regional US recipes. Plus we’ve included a great Rock-the-Clock play list. This party is timeless, elegant and fun. Ask your guests to dress in their best black and white cocktail attire or go black-tie.
Cheers,
Tricia
www.RoyalTart.com
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December 28, 2009 at 12:28 pm
· Filed under Celebrations, Party Ideas, Setting the Scene, Thoughts & Ideas
Some would say the best thing about Christmas is that it is over; I, however, do not share this sentiment but I do know it is time to plan a New Year’s Eve party if you haven’t done so already. How about a slumber party with your girlfriend’s or a family hourly countdown similar to the adult one sold at Royal Tart or a romantic dinner bidding 2009 adieux?
Cheers,
Tricia
www.RoyalTart.com
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December 22, 2009 at 1:55 pm
· Filed under Celebrations, Holidays, Musings, Party Ideas, Setting the Scene, Uncategorized
Check it out…the boys and I baked and decorated a gingerbread house wearing Royal Tart’s totally cute gingerbread aprons in three sizes: adult, medium child, small child. We had fun building our masterpiece and the boys loved their 3-D aprons. Plus their sticky fingers smeared their aprons not their shirts. You can purchase these cute aprons and other coordinating gingerbread items at www.RoyalTart.com. The aprons and other cute stuff including tea cups, favor bags, Merry Christmas Cookie Tray, etc. is from the Jumpin Gingerbread: Let’s Bake Holiday Celebration.
Happy Holidays.
Enjoy!
Tricia
www.RoyalTart.com
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December 22, 2009 at 6:35 am
· Filed under Celebration Tips, Celebrations, Holidays, Menus & Recipes, Party Ideas, Thoughts & Ideas, Uncategorized
During the holiday month’s (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s) old family traditions arrive like comfy sweaters–sometimes we don’t even recognize them as traditions or as special. This year, as I have every year since I was an adult I served hot mulled (spiced) cider and rum. My parents made and served this cozy drink during my entire childhood. It never occurred to me that everyone didn’t know how to make this or thought it special. So, as I have learned over the last few social gatherings/parties this hot mulled cider with rum is special and very much a Blum family tradition. Below is the recipe. I hope you add it to your holiday entertaining repertoire and food traditions.
Hot Mulled Cider With Rum
Ingredients:
1 gallon cider (preferably organic, unfiltered but use whatever you can find)
1 crushed nutmeg
2-3 cinnamon sticks, more for garnish
10 cloves
peel from one orange (optional)
Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum
Directions:
In a large pot or slow cooker place a gallon of cider (unfiltered, if available), 2-3 cinnamon sticks, 10 cloves, crushed whole nutmeg, and the peel from one orange. Allow to simmer for 1-2 hours (you can simmer for less time but the spices really come alive the longer the cider is simmered). Ladle into a holiday mug, add a jigger (1 1/2 oz) of Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum. Garnish with a cinnamon stick. Instant holiday warmth.
Tip: If you are having a big Christmas party continue to add new cider to the pot throughout the event.
Enjoy!
Happy Holidays.
cheers,
Tricia
www.RoyalTart.com
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December 19, 2009 at 4:14 am
· Filed under Celebration Tips, Holidays, Party Ideas, Setting the Scene, Thoughts & Ideas
Relax!
Give yourself and your party guests the perfect party favor and the biggest Christmas gift this year…relax… and give others the permission to do the same.
Cheers,
Tricia
www.RoyalTart.com
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