STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

hotcocoa · Kate Spade

girls night cocktail party

ILoveChoo · Hermes

let them serve their own drinks! No reason for you to have to do it! What about a big punch bowl of cosmos or some other girly drink like that?

And for food, do stuff that can be prepared ahead- spinach and feta in phyllo is really good, not too hard to make, and taste good warm or cold...same with terriaki chicken kebobs. shrimp cocktail is good and doesn't require prep- just make sure you keep it on ice

jj · Kate Spade

For drinks outside, galvanized buckets like these are great:

You can put in a few bottles of white wine or a pitcher of mojitos (my fav). We got ours two years ago at Restoration Hardware - not sure if they still carry them. More upscale than a cooler, and no running back and forth to the fridge.

And, my tried and true appetizer is asparagus wrapped in proscuitto or smoked salmon. It's easy to make in advance, and can sit out all evening.

hotcocoa · Kate Spade

jj wrote:

For drinks outside, galvanized buckets like these are great:

You can put in a few bottles of white wine or a pitcher of mojitos (my fav). We got ours two years ago at Restoration Hardware - not sure if they still carry them. More upscale than a cooler, and no running back and forth to the fridge.
And, my tried and true appetizer is asparagus wrapped in proscuitto or smoked salmon. It's easy to make in advance, and can sit out all evening.

i love the bucket idea... i have one and plan to use it just like you pictured.

would you care to share the directions for your fabulous sounding appetizer?

jj · Kate Spade

Oooops, sorry, yes, directions would help...

- cut the asparagus so the stalks are about 4 inches long (you should be able to eat them in 2 bites)

- cook them for just a minute or two in boiling water, until they turn bright green

- have a bowl of ice water ready, and take the asparagus out of the boling water and put them immediately into the ice water for a few minutes (this keeps them crispy and prevents mushiness).

- once the asparagus are cooled and dry, wrap them in thinly sliced proscuitto, a piece about 2x4 inches, it should wrap around twice. you can do the same with smoked salmon, but it's usually thicker, so requires a smaller piece and less wrapping.

Ok, here's another appetizer that I love, but may sound not-so-good on paper: bacon wrapped dates. But trust me, people LOVE them, and get mad when we don't have them at our parties. Although you have to cook them, they can be cooled and served at room temperature.

- cut slices of bacon in half, so instead of one long piece, you have two shorter pieces.

- wrap the bacon around a pitted date and secure with a toothpick

- cook them for 15-20 minutes under the broiler in the oven

hotcocoa · Kate Spade

i LOVE bacon wrapped dates!

i make them all the time for get-togethers, usually in the fall/winter. have you ever sprinkled a bit of brown sugar on top of the bacon before you cook them? mmmmmm, so good.

the asparagus recipe sounds like a winner. thanks!

jj wrote:

Ok, here's another appetizer that I love, but may sound not-so-good on paper: bacon wrapped dates. But trust me, people LOVE them, and get mad when we don't have them at our parties. Although you have to cook them, they can be cooled and served at room temperature.
- cut slices of bacon in half, so instead of one long piece, you have two shorter pieces.
- wrap the bacon around a pitted date and secure with a toothpick
- cook them for 15-20 minutes under the broiler in the oven

laken1 · Hermes

I have a champagne punch recipe that is always a hit & it's very cheap stuff - i've even tried it with more expensive ingredients & it is not nearly as good! You can put them in a pitcher & have them in your galvanized bucket if you want...

1 bottle Taylor Saturne wine (not sure the s word is spelled right, but you'll know it when you see it) - very cheap like where the screw top wine is.
1 bottle Andre pink champagne
2 liter bottle of Sprite (must be sprite not 7up for some reason)

Then you can have something different - I used to be in a neighborhood group & they always asked me to make this & drank it instead of wine - even when I had both available.

One time when it was my turn I served fajitas - Sams has big bags of chicken (maybe beef too?) already cut up & precooked, you just have to heat it. Not much cooking & it was fun & went over well.

This sounds like so much fun

erin · Chanel

my sister gave me this recipe and it's one of my favorite drinks to cook up! soooo good!

1 packet crystal light raspberry (the ones that make a pitcher of cl)
2 cups water
2 cups cranberry juice
1/2 cup vodka (or more if you like stronger drinks)
2 cups club soda

mix everything, and add the club soda right before serving.