ROYAL TART – Forum/Blog

This past week I was perusing the Trader Joe’s Second Annual “Summer’s Ending. Schools Coming…” flyer and I came across this quote.

“Strength is the ability to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands-and then eat just one of those pieces.”
Judith Viorst, Author

Here at Royal Tart our Monday morning has been consumed with baby shower and birthday party planning and designing and discussing the above quote. We agree that we have all proven that eating just one piece is indeed a test of character, strength and willpower.

May you enjoy your chocolate bar all week long…

Cheers,

Tricia

Delivering Complete Prepackaged Designer Parties to Your Door

Royal Tart is so excited to add Half Hour Meals which can be found at http://www.halfhourmeals.com/ to our information community.

Their delicious, quick meals work with our party throwing theory (and living the good life in general) –we want your party to be stylish; the food fabulous and the drinks top shelf but we don’t want you to kill yourself planning them.

Royal Tart believes you can have it all and your cake too if you plan wisely, purchase our parties (of course, I had to say that) and follow our suggested menu & recipes found in Royal Tart’s Let’s Get This Party Started Blueprint included with every party you purchase from Royal Tart.

So check out our website: www.RoyalTart.com and www.HalfHourMeals.com for some great parties and quick party food!

Cheers,

Tricia

Delivering Complete Prepackaged Designer Parties to Your Door

Royal Tart can dance…rather my son can dance or at least he is a showman—he was a finalist in the “So you think you can dance” Contest. If this seems like an odd blog to some of you–Royal Tart held a trunk show at Danceology’s PAC Grand Opening in Rancho Bernardo today. While I was busy shopping, educating and selling my boys were busy entering hula-hoop contests, dance contests and taking dance classes. We all had a great day!
I met some great people–some wonderful women from Arizona and others from my own neighborhood. Since most of Royal Tart’s business is selling parties in a box over the Internet it is really nice to be with people.

Thanks to those of you that stopped by and made it a great day.

Cheers,
Tricia

Delivering Complete Prepackaged Designer Parties to Your Door

Please be our guest… and come dancing with RoyalTart.com this Saturday, August 15 & Sunday, August 16 from 10-4pm. RoyalTart.com, and other splendid vendors, will be sharing and selling our wares at Danceology’s Performing Arts Campus Grand Opening in Rancho Bernardo. KPRI will be on hand to spin the tunes and keep the celebration rocking. So “if you think you can dance” or you know how to party come join the fun! RoyalTart.com will be introducing our new line of handmade party banners and handmade keepsake boxes and gifts–made by artisans in the US exclusively for RoyalTart.com.

With the Holidays just around the corner, RoyalTart.com is giving guests of the Grand Opening a sneak preview of our inspired 2009 Halloween and Thanksgiving celebrations! To ensure you have the Holiday celebration you deserve, we will be accepting advance orders this weekend only…before we release the celebrations to the general public! We will also be test driving our Royal Tart Simple Pay Plan; ask me about it this weekend…you might be the first to play now and pay later.

We look forward to seeing you this weekend….Come dancin’ with Royal Tart!

Cheers,

Tricia

www.RoyalTart.com

Delivering complete designer prepackaged parties to your door

This past week we hosted our family reunion. We had a ton of fun. Per our family we ate exceptionally well. On the night that it was my turn to cook I made my crowd pleasing standby—the always fabulous Chilaquiles. We doubled the below recipe to feed 10 adults and a couple of kids. The Chilaquiles look ugly but taste great.

I saw Rick Bayless make chilaquiles way back in ‘98 or ‘99 on TV. I have been making them ever since. Below is my take on his recipe. But first what the heck is chilaquiles?

Chilaquiles is a basic Mexican dish, like a stove-top casserole, created to use up leftovers like tortillas, chiles, chicken, etc. Rick Bayless and I keep the recipe simple by doctoring canned tomatoes with canned chipotles in adobo.

My riff on a Rick Bayless Chilaquiles Recipe:

INGREDIENTS
1. One 28-ounce can diced or crushed tomatoes
2. 2 chipotles in adobo with a little of the sauce (you can add more or less to taste)
3. 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4. 1 large white onion, thinly sliced
5. 3 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
6. 1 1/2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
7. 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
8. Salt
9. 8 ounces tortilla chips—the thicker the better. (if you live in San Diego use El Indio chips—they are perfect)
10. 1 1/2 cups shredded chicken
11. 1/4 cup freshly crumbled queso fresco
12. 1/3 cup sour cream
13. 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves
14. fresh corn from the cob or a can of corn (optional topping)
15. a small can of black beans (optional topping)

DIRECTIONS
1. Finely dice chipotles.
2. In a very large, deep skillet, heat the oil. Add two-thirds of the onion and cook over moderately high heat until browned around the edges, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the can of tomatoes. Add the diced chipotles and simmer, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the stock and boil the sauce over moderately high heat until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and remove from the heat.
3. Gently stir the tortilla chips into the sauce, making sure they are well coated.
4. Plate the chilaquiles or serve them casually from the pan. I often use my Le Crueset Dutch oven as it works well on the stove top and looks fine on the table.
5. Have your family or guests build their own chilaquiles with the remaining onion, the shredded chicken, the queso fresco, the corn, the black beans, and a dollop or two of the sour cream, sprinkle with the cilantro and EAT immediately.

MAKE AHEAD
The recipe can be prepared through Step 2 and refrigerated overnight. Reheat the chipotle-tomato sauce before proceeding.

Enjoy!

Cheers,

Tricia

Delivering Complete Prepackaged Designer Parties to Your Door

I spoke to a girlfriend today about her pending housewarming party. She was excited about her party but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to host an afternoon event or an evening event, whether she wanted a backyard bash or an intimate get-together, cocktails or beer & wine. She wasn’t sure what type of party she wanted to host at all. So she called me to ask my advice.

Here is what I told her: Compose a guest list.

Once you determine the reason for your celebration, whether it be a baby shower, bridal shower, dinner party, birthday party or a backyard barbeque you must, and I mean must, sit down and write out a guest list (okay you can whip it up on your laptop too).

Composing a guest list may seem like a detail but in reality it is the foundation for all of your other party planning. For example if you have 75 people on your guest list it is going to be expensive and challenging to host a sit-down dinner in your home unless you hire help; on the other hand, a sit-down dinner party for 10 is very doable. The same goes for the time and date of the party. If most of your guests are parents and you want an adults only party a Saturday afternoon is not usually a good time as there are soccer games and dance lessons to contend with.

So make your party planning easier and compose a guest list as your first task. Then move on to your party theme (Fiesta, bbq, afternoon tea), invitations, party decorations, menu planning and tableware. I think you will find that once you ascertain the number of guests then the other party details will fall into place either by process of elimination or choice.

Here at Royal Tart, we have many celebration themes (Baby Showers, Dinner Parties, Birthdays, Afternoon Teas, Barbeques and Holiday Celebrations to name a few) to help you create a stylish party after you have composed your guest list. We offer casual as well as sophisticated party themes including party invitations, decorations, table linens, ceramic dishes, stemware and a Let’s Get This Party Started Blueprint with a Suggested Menu, Recipes & Party Tips.

Once you have a guest list and a Royal Tart Party you are ready to celebrate with ease and finesse.

Check out our parties as www.RoyalTart.com.

Cheers,
Tricia

Delivering Complete Prepackaged Designer Parties to Your Door

Royal Tart’s pricing goal is to bring a stylish and affordable upscale party to every host. We aim to create easy-to-throw celebrations. Each celebration arrives at your door with everything you need to throw a super fabulous bash including invitations, party decorations, cloth table linens, ceramic dishes, some gourmet prepackaged food, party favors and Royal Tart’s Let’s Get This Party Started Blueprint including a Suggested Menu & Recipes. We create this celebration for the price of a new outfit and a pair of shoes– about $200 to $500 for a party of eight—after all, we all deserve an entertaining wardrobe as fabulous as our own personal wardrobe.

Check out our parties as www.RoyalTart.com.

Enter the below promotional code at checkout and you will receive 10% off your purchase until August 15, 2009.

Promotional Code: Enjoy
Cheers,
Tricia

Delivering Complete Prepackaged Designer Parties to Your Door

Grandmother’s Showers are a huge growing trend in the US. But what is a Grandma Shower or Grandmother’s shower anyway? Well it is just what it sounds like, a celebration for a grandma-to-be, a party for that special friend expecting her first grandchild or perhaps her first male or female grandchild.

Grandmother’s Showers like other showers can be any type of celebration from fancy to casual, from expensive to thrifty, silly to serious. The shower should honor the grandmother-to-be with a party thrown in her honor that she will enjoy.

There’s nothing like spoiling grandma with tokens for the little cuties-to-be. But unlike a traditional baby shower a shower for a grandparent can include gifts or not. A grandmother’s shower may be a garden party or an afternoon tea without gifts to celebrate the momentous occasion. Whatever you decide, Royal Tart has some elegant and easy or cheap and chic showers designed to make your entertaining stylish and easy. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Tricia

Delivering Complete Prepackaged Designer Parties to Your Door

Royal Tart designs complete designer parties and celebrations as well as gifts, tabletop, holiday and entertaining necessities. Our parties and gifts range from handmade birthday banners to darling baby showers to sophisticated (impress the boss) dinner parties; from first birthday parties to bridal showers. Our parties make hosting a party easy and fun. The host goes online to www.royaltart.com, selects a Celebration from a variety of offerings and then purchases it. Royal Tart ships the selected Celebration to the host’s door. The host uses the Celebration to throw a stylish party. The host then keeps the party incorporating the Celebration elements into their entertaining wardrobe for future parties or for everyday use.

In other words: Pick the party. Buy the party. Receive the party at your door. Keep the party!

Cheers,
Tricia

Delivering Complete Prepackaged Designer Parties to Your Door