ROYAL TART – Forum/Blog

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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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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Celebrate…it is National Carrot Cake Day. Yum!

Cheers,

Tricia

www.RoyalTart.com

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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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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

Delivering Complete Prepackaged Designer Parties to Your Door

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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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

Delivering Complete Prepackaged Designer Parties to Your Door

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

Delivering Complete Prepackaged Designer Parties to Your Door

These twice bakers were a huge hit at our annual holiday book club potluck. Serve them up for a cozy Christmas dinner or a fancy schmancy New Years Eve dinner. Really you can add them to any menu knowing that you will serve your guests an unexpected and delicious side.

Bacon & Boursin Twice-Baked Potato Recipe:

Ingredients:
14 fist sized potatoes (small/medium)
1 package Boursin Garlic & Herb Cheese
2 sticks of gourmet butter
1 can evaporated milk
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 cup cooked and crumbled crispy gourmet bacon (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Prepare potatoes for baking; place potatoes into oven for an hour or so—check for doneness by gently squeezing potatoes. If they give they are done. Remove potatoes from the oven. Place butter and cheese into a large bowl. Cut potatoes in half; scoop insides of potatoes into bowl; add evaporated milk as needed; mash or rice potatoes as you would for regular mashed potatoes. Add more milk and salt and pepper to taste. Pipe or spoon potatoes back into skins. Garnish potatoes with bacon. Bake in oven for about 15 minutes or until tops get slightly puffy and crispy.

Tips:
Serves 12-16 people depending on size of appetites and potatoes; you may use smaller potatoes for a group that favors seconds or 6-7 large potatoes for big eaters. I took 24 potato halves to our book club holiday potluck. There were 16 people and only 2 potatoes leftover.

Potatoes may be made ahead up to 2 days in advance and covered in plastic wrap and refrigerated. Re-warm in a 350 degree oven for about 30-45 minutes.

You may place uncooked bacon in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake it for about 20 minutes while you are baking the potatoes or while you are mashing the potatoes. Baked bacon tastes great and you don’t have the bacon grease splattered all over your stove. Check the bacon periodically for crispness.

Cheers,

Tricia

www.RoyalTart.com

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The Holiday Season is a cherished time for many; but how does one create enchanting visual images in their home?

I know I have several boxes of Christmas and New Years decorations along with a few Hanukkah items which are best described as disparate holiday items. These items include various snowmen, Santas, trains and ornaments.

One of the best ways to create some order to your holiday assortment and create strong visual memories is to set up vignettes or little arrangements all over your home. Place your Santas on the mantel, your snowmen at the entry, your dreidels on the coffee table, gingerbread men dangling from the kitchen ceiling, etc.

You may also group seemingly disparate items together if they have a common style. For example you can arrange your tin decorations together, your glass pieces together, your 1950’s ornaments together.

By adding various little arrangements around your home you create charming layers of decorations throughout your home bringing Christmas joy to every room.

And of course once you get your home decorated you will know exactly where you can add new decorations you purchased this year. Check out Royal Tart’s holiday items at www.RoyalTart.com for new holiday items.

Happy Holiday Decorating,

Tricia

www.RoyalTart.com

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Need a fabulous and decadent dessert for the holidays? Royal Tart made a recipe from Bon Appétit our own by adding chili chocolate and a decorative edge. Serve this at Thanksgiving, like I did, or at your next holiday party, on Christmas Eve or for New Years Eve (or any celebration)– serve it from a retro-holiday pedestal plate and you will win raves from all the chocoholics in your life. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Pecans
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 large egg white
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon golden brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (1/2 tsp provides real heat)
1 1/2 cups pecan halves

Crust
1 cup chocolate wafer cookie crumbs (about 28 cookies, RT used Nabisco Chocolate Wafers)
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling
1 cup heavy whipping cream
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (RT used Trader Joes 54% dark chocolate)
3.5 ounces chili chocolate, chopped (RT used Lindt),
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (optional)
pinch of salt

Directions:
For pecans:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Whisk all ingredients except pecans in medium bowl. Stir in pecans. Spread in single layer on sheet, rounded side up. Bake until just browned and dry, about 15 minutes. Cool on sheet. Separate nuts, removing excess coating. DO AHEAD: Can be made ahead. Store airtight at room temperature. TIPS: 1)RT added more nuts to the bowl and made about 3 cups of nuts to use in salads or as fancy snacks, etc; 2) Add more cayenne pepper for heat (the ¼ tsp doesn’t add heat but instead an interesting nuance).

For crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Blend first 4 ingredients in processor. Add melted butter; process until crumbs are moistened. Break several of the unused cookies in half; edge pan with curved side of cookie up and broken side down; press crumbs into 9-inch-diameter spring form pan with removable bottom. Bake until set, about 15-20 minutes. Cool on rack.

For filling:
Bring cream to simmer in medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolates; whisk until melted. Add butter, 1 piece at a time; whisk until smooth. Whisk in vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Pour filling into crust. Chill until filling begins to set, about 30 minutes. Then arrange nuts in concentric circles atop tart. Chill until set, about 4 hours. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover loosely with foil and keep chilled.
Serve tart with sweetened whipped cream.
Adapted Feb 2007 Bon Appétit Recipe

Cheers,

Tricia

www.RoyalTart.com

Delivering Complete Prepackaged Designer Parties to Your Door

Cheers,

Tricia

Delivering Complete Prepackaged Designer Parties to Your Door

Hey Santa How much for your naughty list? Invite your coolest cats and your hippest chicks to attend a fab, funkadelic Christmas gathering. Dust off that disco ball and think retro….it is time to GET YOUR MERRY ON! Spend you evening chilaxin with old school martinis or serve them with a peppermint twist! Anyway you “shake it” or “stir it” the gig is sure to be cool. Hip friends, mod food, a touch of naughty…can you dig it?

Cheers,

Tricia

Delivering Complete Prepackaged Designer Parties to Your Door

…the goose is getting fat…

Hey we are posting all of our Holiday, Christmas & New Year’s Eve Celebrations on our website, www.RoyalTart.com, over the next few days.

Today we posted our Peppermint Snowman Celebration. It is darling and so versatile with snowman decorations, tabletop, plates, party favors and even a suggested menu, recipes & party tips.

Cheers,

Tricia

Delivering Complete Prepackaged Designer Parties to Your Door