So, yesterday, I posted a little St. Patrick’s Day party suggestion—hosting a Black & Tan tasting. I didn’t give credit where credit was due; my fabulous, wonderful, handsome, supportive husband came up with the idea for Supper Club and I stole it. My excuse, a Leprechaun made me do it!!!!
Thank you honey,
Your mischievous wife
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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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Today in my inbox I received a Country Living Entertaining Email. The subject line read, “Host a Vintage Halloween Party.” I was so excited to see this email for a number of reasons: 1) it validates Royal Tart’s own choice in our Trick-or-Treat Party —clearly we are on trend; 2) it is always interesting to see all the different ways ideas are executed; 3) our vintage inspired Halloween party is so inexpensive and easy– a Country Living/Bruce Elsass vintage Halloween party would take you an incredible amount of time, energy and lots of money and if you have those three things as well as inclination you would be able to host a fabulous party with Bruce Elsass’ great ideas. On the other hand, Royal Tart will provide you with a inexpensive vintage Halloween party including vintage-like invitations, decorations, a handmade Halloween banner, table setting, etc. and it will arrive at your door in one box for a mere $177.00 including shipping for a party up to 16– You cant’ beat that! And Royal Tart includes a Let’s Get This Party Started Blueprint with a suggested menu, recipes and party tips with the purchase of your party.
I hope you enjoy our vintage Halloween offering. When we designed our Trick-or-Treat Party our inspiration was the fantasy of entering our eccentric aunt’s attic, digging through her boxes and trunks until we found all the treasures that complete our vintage feel party. We think the inspiration was the perfect way to create such a timeless party.
Cheers,
Tricia
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In European folklore, the witching hour is the time when supernatural creatures such as witches, demons and ghosts are thought to be at their most powerful, and black magic at its most effective. This hour is typically midnight, and the term may now be used to refer to midnight, or any late hour, even without having the associated superstitious beliefs. The term “witching hour” can also refer to the period from midnight to 3 am, while “devils hour” refers to the time around 3 am.
So host a witching hour party. Make it as fun or as creepy as you like. Royal Tart has helped you out with The Witching Hour Party, complete with witches cauldron, skull mugs, eerie decorations and spellbinding invitations.
Cheers,
Tricia
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There are so many fun things to do during the month of October. Many of them are centered on Halloween but even if you don’t celebrate Halloween there are plenty of fun Harvest activities, parties and traditions to enjoy…check out Royal Tart’s suggested list of ways to celebrate.
Halloween Checklist:
Trick-or-Treat
Trick-or-Treat
Carve Pumpkins
Throw a Halloween Carnival Party
Throw a “Cities of the Dead” Party
Tarot, Gris Gris Bags & Crystal Balls
Tell Ghost Stories
Read Edgar Allen Poe
Watch scary movies
Make costumes
Roast pumpkin seeds
Throw a Witching Hour Party
Haunted cemetary in your front yard
Visit a pumpkin patch
Boo the neighbors
Celebrate Day of the Dead
Hold a Séance
Have hot apple cider & donuts
Make Pumpkin Soup
Dance in the fallen leaves
Enjoy hot buttered rum
Enjoy Halloween crafts with the kids
Throw a spooky soiree
Do the Monster Mash
Invite the Vampires over for a snack…
Cheers,
Tricia
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Whilst the wicked wind blows this Halloween season create a special spell for your small ones. On any given afternoon, but especially on October 13, invite your favorite boys and ghouls over for a warm potion. Begin your potion for small ones with the below spell (recipe).
To a magic cauldron add the juice from four rotten apples (4 cups cran-apple juice) and a storm cloud. Stoke the fire and add a canister of alien secretion (two cups orange juice); inhale deeply. Magic the small ones to your side (holler at them to come into the kitchen) and instruct them to inhale deeply three times. After inhaling, the small ones shall add six bat eyes (six whole cloves); a small branch from the River Styx (one cinnamon stick) and three dried spiders (three allspice berries or a ½ tsp allspice). Give the potion a monster mash. Simmer gently while singing “strange brew [stills] what’s inside of you” seven times (Who knew Eric Clapton created such a divine spell?). Add a sprinkling of sand from the shores of the River Styx (sugar to taste—one to two tablespoons); give the cauldron a final stir. Dash the fire and serve in ghoulish glasses. With one last incantation, add to the ghoulish glasses two dragons’ eyes (Maraschino cherries) and serve to your little ghosts and goblins.
Cheers,
Tricia
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