Archive for October, 2008

Stinky Fish for Dinner

October 30, 2008 at 12:51 am · Filed under Celebration Tips, Musings

The other night we hosted a small dinner party. We were celebrating the honoree’s birthday. It was going to be a lovely meal. For the first course, Pear Salad (yummy—I may share that recipe sometime– it is a Royal Tart favorite), Mashed Potatoes, Garlic Sautéed Brussels Sprouts, and a lovely Crab “Stuffed” Salmon Filet; and for dessert a homemade Apple Cheese Crisp (another favorite) with heavy cream or ice cream.

The table was set, the appetizers were being nibbled and all the guests had arrived. Everything was prepped, sliced or baking except for the final finishes which included the fish. I went into the kitchen and pulled the fish from the fridge. When I opened the butcher paper I noticed a slight odor. I was a little surprised as I had just purchased the fish earlier in the day. I asked my husband to come into the kitchen—“does the fish smell bad?” I asked. His reply, “yup—I wouldn’t serve it or eat it.” Great! Even though I am a seasoned entertainer I had a moment of panic. What the &^%%# was I going to do?

Well the good news. I used a steak I had marinating in the fridge and pulled another from the freezer. It worked out really well but I realized that I was lucky as I had something else to serve. And then I realized we all probably do. If I didn’t have the steak I could have served a risotto or boiled some pasta and made Alfredo or some interesting pasta dish. The thing is, in all my years of entertaining this had never happened. But I can promise you now that it has I will make sure I have the ingredients for a back-up dish on hand—even if that back up dish is risotto (which I love and have served as a main course at a number of celebratory dinners).

Dinner turned out great. We all loved the steak and most importantly the guest of honor had no idea that the main course was stinky fish.

I hope my near disaster prevents you from ever suffering one.

Cheers,
Tricia
Royal Tart
Celebrating in Royal Style made easy as Pie

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What’s a Girl to Do with Place Cards?

October 27, 2008 at 5:21 pm · Filed under Celebration Tips, Setting the Scene

Short answer: Set them on the table for your next celebration silly. “But how” (say this in a whiny voice)? Below are some tips and tricks to using place cards holders and place cards.

See these tips and others at RoyalTart.com or the specific link Party Tips, Tricks & Etiquette.

I love the dimension place card holders and place cards add to a place setting and to a tablescape. I also love the added touch of a place card—often times the place card is the “wow” or the unexpected on the table—which is always a mark of a well planned table setting (ah tip number 1a—add an unexpected or “wow” element to your table setting to set yourself apart from other fabulous hosts).

Even though I like the visual aesthetic of a place card holder and place card I do not always want to tell my guests where to sit nor do I know where my guests might want to sit. So what is a girl to do without names for her place cards? Well, use place cards to include funny incidents about the honorees life or pictures of guests at other celebrations or how about witty sayings and quotes? Any of these place card tips add interest to a table setting and create the “wow!”

As an example one year before Thanksgiving I sent out an email to my guests asking them what they were thankful for. Some of the responses were traditional; some thought provoking and some down right funny. I printed these responses on each place card without names and placed them on the table at each place setting. It was fun and made for a great Thanksgiving dinner conversation.

Check in soon for other great celebration tips and tricks.

Cheers,
Tricia

Celebrating in Royal Style Made Easy as Pie!

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Royal Tart Parties Outside the Box

October 21, 2008 at 5:48 pm · Filed under Musings, Thoughts & Ideas

I submitted this 250 word essay to the iVillage “How do you pink outside the box?” Contest yesterday. Tell Royal Tart in the comments section below how you are living outside the box Or go to iVillage “How do you pink outside the box?” Contest to actually enter the contest.

Essay: This year I have chosen to really pink outside the box–figuratively and literally. I left my career and started a business targeted at busy women who need a little help entertaining. I liked the synergy of women helping women everyday.

You can imagine the out of the box living I have done–drafting business plans and financials, seeking investors in this economy, learning about the web, marketing with little to no budget, shopping for celebrations, etc. It hasn’t been easy (except for my blackberry which has totally streamlined doing business on the go!) every time I think it can’t get any harder it does. But I have really uncovered my essence—my soul!

The concept is even out of the box! The business is called Royal Tart. It is a web-based business that sells pre-packaged celebrations, parties, baby showers, wedding showers, dinner parties, birthday parties, theme parties, tea parties, etc shipped right to your door. This means that a busy hostess can go online, choose a celebration theme, order the celebration, and have it delivered to her door. She will open a box (out of the box!) to find invitations, cloth table linens, ceramic dishes, decorations and party favors. All she has to do is purchase some party fare, put on a pretty outfit and welcome her guests to a fabulous celebration. And my goal is to create these celebrations for the cost of a new dress and pair of shoes–a party for 8 averages $300.00 and you keep everything in the box.

As for the literal part: Check out http://www.royaltart.com–its pink!

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40th Birthday Celebration Royal Tart Style

October 20, 2008 at 5:10 pm · Filed under Celebrations

Hey ya’ll it was my big milestone birthday this weekend! I turned 40! Yup, I celebrated my 40th birthday! I am lucky as I am an autumn baby and therefore I am always the last to hit the dreaded milestone birthdays. So in this case, most all of our close friends and family broke the fall—turning 40 wasn’t bad except for shimming into my Spanx and waxing my toes—it just isn’t fair for a birthday girl to have hair on her toes! Alas, all ended well…

On Friday night we had a celebratory birthday dinner complete with shots! On Saturday our “at home” birthday celebration was a bit tamer but no less fun and really beautiful.

Even though it was my birthday I set the table—I am a geek like that and love doing it. So the tabletop was in true Royal Tart style! The celebration was lovely complete with many birthday wishes especially from the boys, birthday decorations created by my very special sister-cousin, a bottle of champagne supplied by my lovely neighbor, a perfect dinner created by my mom, and a birthday cake baked by my wonderful husband. So far, 40 is pretty darn good! I wonder what body parts I will be waxing at 50?

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Haunted Wedding Celebration

October 9, 2008 at 4:59 pm · Filed under Celebration Tips, Celebrations, Setting the Scene

The Haunted Wedding Celebration is a glamorous “groan-up” Celebration created by Royal Tart.

It would be sexy to invite your friends over for a late night wedding feast. Ask all you guests to dress in black tie or in cocktail attire so that they are really dressed up. Then you can answer the door dressed in an elegant white dress and or tuxedo with your face made up to look like a ghoul. It would also be fun to have your guests dress like elegant dead people.

Once you have decided the attire, time and date (Halloween is on a Friday this year) of the Celebration invite your favorite friends over using the traditional wedding invitations provided in the Celebration; make sure when you are sealing the invitations to let the red sealing wax run so it looks like blood…you can draft the invitation as seriously or as silly as you like.

I like the phrase “Please join us for a night to remember…” as perhaps the opening line of the invitation but you could also say “Mr. Dead Man and Ms. Haunted Bride request the honor of your presence…” Spin the celebration to your liking.

On the night of the Wedding Celebration turn off the lights and light lots of candles. The Haunted Wedding table setting is easily creepy and glamorous. The Haunted CD included in the Celebration is perfect dinner “music.” During the cocktail hour you could play Mozart’s Requiem or for a little rock and roll edge which I love, play The Rolling Stones–”Their Satanic Majesties Request.” Eerie and cool!

The Haunted Wedding menu included in the Haunted Wedding Celebration is classic, decadent and fast. For dessert I recommend a Red Velvet Cake. I will share the recipe in tomorrow’s blog–it’s not mine and I have no need to improve on it. It is fabulous and perfect being blood red. You can see a picture on Royal Tart of Royal Tart’s Red Velvet Cake with a bride and groom topper which is the perfect witty finishing touch on a finishing touch.

I loved designing this Halloween party. I think it is a perfectly elegant and eerie Celebration–but you could add some outside decorations and more spider webs–you could really make your bridegrooms green with envy…

Congratulations on your bloody nuptials!
Tricia
Royal Tart, Celebrating in Royal Style Made Easy as Pie!

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And the Winner Is…

October 6, 2008 at 5:39 pm · Filed under Promotions

Good Morning! I am so excited to announce the first ever winner of a Royal Tart Contest. Your name will go down in history (smile). And most importantly you are one lucky Chick! (This is so as no man entered (or entered with his name)–imagine that? No guy wanted a pretty teapot embellished with butterflies. Hard to believe but it is true!)

The great news is that we girls will so enjoy having tea out of such a pretty pot. The teapot will work into anyone’s entertaining wardrobe, or teapot collection. The teapot will go so nicely with white, pink or light blue china or your more casual stoneware or porcelain. I myself have enjoyed a cup of tea from this celebration!

Teapot

And the winner is…Lorella (#42 comment)! Congratulations!

I hope Lorella enjoys the teapot and uses it all the time–not just for birthdays or showers but for any time you feel like having afternoon tea or just a cuppa joy. Invite a girlfriend or your sister over and enjoy!

Look for the complete Butterfly Tea Party Celebration in the early spring 2009!

Cheers,

Tricia
Royal Tart Founder
Royal Tart–where entertaining in Royal Style is as easy as Pie!

Ps if you would like to own a teapot Royal Tart offers several Tea Parties and other pre-packaged Celebrations and pre-packaged Parties for purchase at http://www.RoyalTart.com.

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The Perfect Old-Fashioned Popcorn Ball

October 2, 2008 at 5:18 pm · Filed under Celebration Tips, Celebrations, Menus & Recipes

It is the second day of the Month of Halloween! Yeah! This afternoon the kids and I are going to start decorating for Halloween. This year we are taking our queue from the Royal Tart Nostalgic Trick-or-Treat Celebration. I love the look of a nostalgic Halloween. It isn’t so much about horror and gore as it is about Celebration–though some would say any holiday with its roots in “evil” has got to be horrific.

So to get into the spirit of an old-fashioned Halloween I am sharing the perfect popcorn ball recipe that is included in the Royal Tart Trick-or-Treat Celebration!

Old-Fashioned Popcorn Ball Recipe:

For the best texture, pop corn on the stove or with a hot air popper not in the microwave.

Pop enough popcorn to make about 10-12 Cups of popped corn; no need to salt; set aside.

In a heavy bottomed saucepan combine:

1 c. sugar
1/2 c. light molasses
1/2 c. white corn syrup
1/4 c. water
1/4 tsp. salt

Stir constantly until hard-ball stage or 250 degrees if you have a candy thermometer. The mixture will thicken and darken as it cooks. Remove from heat and

Add:
4 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. real vanilla extract

Stir thoroughly. Pour mixture evenly over popcorn. Mix well. Form popcorn balls using buttered hands; makes about 12 popcorn balls depending on size.

Celebration Tip: once the popcorn balls have cooled you may put them in nostalgic treat bags or wrap them in cellophane and secure with a pretty Halloween ribbon.

I hope these Popcorn Balls evoke the same nostalgia and innocence for you as they do for me. I remember them from my early childhood. Popcorn balls were always part of Autumn Celebrations whether is be Halloween, Autumn Festival, Harvest Festival or a fall birthday.

Enjoy!
Tricia

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Nostalgic Halloween Candy-Bar Favors

October 1, 2008 at 4:46 pm · Filed under Celebration Tips, Celebrations, Setting the Scene

It’s October First. It’s Halloween Time! Yeah for all that Halloween means to you! Here at Royal Tart we are celebrating Halloween in a big way. We have four, yep, four Halloween Celebrations for our customers to enjoy. We offer: 1) Hocus Pocus; 2) Haunted Wedding Celebration; 3) Creatures of the Night; 4) Trick-or-Treat.

I love them all! I spent hours designing them and still find so many ways that a host or hostess may add to or personalize them. To that end, today I want to share the Candy Bar Favors I found while perusing the Better Homes And Gardens Website and Blog.

Nostalgic Candy Bar Favors

These candy-bar covers work so well as favors for the Trick-or-Treat Celebration. I include a recipe for popcorn balls as a wonderful nostalgic favor with the purchase of the strong>Trick-or-Treat Celebration but I just love these candy-bar covers. They are nostalgic and very Halloweenie–perfect for a traditional Trick-or-Treat Dinner or an old-fashioned Halloween Carnival. For those of you with a little extra time on your hands or who love to craft this project would be a great addition to the strong>Trick-or-Treat Celebration.

Happy Halloween Planning!
Tricia

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