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Pumpkin Cocktail Recipe~ Pumpkin Pie-tini

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Only a couple weeks until Halloween! Are your fall and Halloween party plans in full swing yet? Today I thought I’d share a recipe courtesy of Three Olives Vodka. One of my favorite fall flavors is pumpkin, so this pumpkintini recipe definitely caught my attention!

This yummy cocktail would be perfect for a fall harvest or Halloween party. Make a whole pitcher to shake and pour in your guests’ glasses as they arrive. It’s sure to be a big hit.

The crème de cacao, vanilla, and pumpkin flavors sound like a wonderful fall flavor combination. Yum!

Pumpkin Pie-tini

  • 1 oz. milk
  • 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
  • 1 ½ oz. Three-O Vanilla vodka
  • 1 ½ oz. crème de cacao

Using a small amount of honey, rim martini glass with graham cracker crumbs.

Shake milk and pumpkin puree over ice to combine. Pour in remaining ingredients and shake well. Strain into the martini glass.

I have more fall and Halloween party cocktail ideas and recipes coming up. Maybe I’ll roundup some of my favorites! Don’t forget to remind your guests to drink responsibly.

Painted Pumpkins For Fall and Halloween Party Decorations

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Decorating a pumpkin doesn’t have to involve a sharp knife. We haven’t carved a pumpkin for several years at our house. We paint them!  Painted pumpkins will last longer than carved pumpkins do, and you can get very creative with paint. Here are some cute and fun painted pumpkins for inspiration.

You can use any acrylic paint, and top it with a coat of polyurethane to give the pumpkin a shiny finish.

Image via flickr

Dress them up like your favorite character, better yet make a pumpkin look alike for everyone in your family.

Here are some painted and carved pumpkins.

Image via boliyou flickr

Any of these would make wonderful Halloween party decorations, or a wonderful addition to your fall outdoor decorations.

Summer Party Planning Tips

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Today I have a few summer party planning tips to share. It’s wonderful when you have everything planned out, and ready to go, so you can kick back and enjoy yourself at party time. Summer parties always work better when they’re laid back, and easy. A complicated formal summer party just isn’t as much fun.

Guests love to hang out around the pool, or on the back deck in their chair, playing a game of cornhole, horseshoes or around the grill on warm summer nights, talking and laughing about good times.

Keep your summer parties easy going and fun. Here are a few summer party planning tips to get you started:

  • Set the mood for the party before your guests arrive. Add some tiki lights for decoration, or some candles placed on the tables to help set the mood.
  • Keep the decorations simple, let the great outdoors do your decorating, with some simple single flowers in vases for table centerpieces.
  • Look in your cabinets before you go to the grocery to see what you already have to serve to your guests. Sometimes some simple crackers and dip will save you from making an extra run to the store.
  • You don’t have to make everything from scratch, use a few prepackaged items in with your homemade and no one will know the difference.
  • Make dishes you can prepare ahead of time, marinade your meat the day before, make chilled desserts you can store in the fridge until party time.

I guess basically what I’m trying to say is, keep your summer party simple! Oh, and have fun and enjoy the night!

Cucumber Sandwiches

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I have an easy Summer party appetizer or finger food recipe to share with you today. Cucumbers are a cool refreshing taste of summer.

Cucumber sandwiches are super simple to make. They’re great for bridal or baby showers, graduations, a summer garden tea, or backyard cookout.

Cucumber Sandwiches

Mini pumpernickel bread (in the Deli section at most supermarkets)
1-2 cucumbers~ sliced
Dill weed
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1~ 8oz cream cheese (at room temperature)

Mix the Mayonnaise and cream cheese together with a blender until smooth. Spread the cream cheese Mayonnaise mixture on the pumpernickel slices, then top each one with a cucumber and sprinkle with dill on top for garnish and flavor.

Cinco De Mayo~ Summer Tequila Cocktail Recipes With a Twist

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Today I have some fabulous Cinco De Mayo cocktail recipes to share with you. These recipes would also be perfect vor any summer party. I can see myself beside the pool, or lounging in the beach chair with one of these in my hand.

These cocktail recipes would also be fabulous for a backyard barbecue, with a tropical island theme. Just looking at them makes me think of sandy beaches!

I might just have to make one of these tequila cocktails this weekend!

The recipes are courtesy of Oro Azul Tequila.

Island Sunset

  • 1 ½ oz Oro Azul Blanco Tequila
  • ½ oz Cointreau®
  • 2 oz pomegranate juice
  • 1 oz fresh lime juice
  • ½ oz simple syrup

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice add above ingredients shake well and pour into a Collins glass filled with ice.

La Bonita

  • 1 ½ oz Oro Azul Reposado Tequila
  • ½ oz Cointreau®
  • 2 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 oz pear juice
  • 1 oz simple syrup

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice add above ingredients shake well and pour into a Collins glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.

El Matador

  • 1 ½ oz Oro Azul Blanco Tequila
  • 3 oz pineapple juice
  • Juice of ½ lime

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice add above ingredients shake well and strain into a champagne flute.

Pomegranate Perfection

  • 1 ½ oz Oro Azul Añejo Tequila
  • ½ oz apple brandy
  • 2 oz pomegranate Juice
  • 2 oz fresh squeezed lemon Juice
  • Splash of cinnamon

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice add above ingredients shake well and strain into an ice filled 12 oz glass. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

Mangorita

  • 2 oz Oro Azul Reposado Tequila
  • ½ oz Triple Sec®
  • 2 oz mango juice

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice add above ingredients shake well and strain into a martini glass.

Oro Azul is produced by the Lopez Garibay family, which has been in the tequila business for over 100 years. Established in 1921, their present ranch is located in the heart of the tequila region, Los Altos, where only the finest blue agave is found.

After five generations, the family continues to follow a traditional style, handmade tequila production process that focuses on 100 percent estate grown blue agave and attention to preserving the original cultivation and distillation techniques used over a century ago.

Always remind your guests to drink responsibly, and never drink and drive!

Cut Some Fresh Flowers For Your Summer Party Decorations

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Fresh spring an summer flowers make fabulous table centerpieces, and decorations for your outdoor or indoor party. Just walk out in your garden and clip a handful of your favorite blooms, and arrange them in a vase.

A couple more quick flower arranging tips:

1. Use the freshest flowers possible.

2. Clip your flowers early in the morning, late in the evening, or just after a light rain. The flowers will be holding more moisture at these times. The extra moisture will keep them fresh longer.

3. Carry a pitcher of warm water with you as you clip, and put your flowers in it as soon as you cut them. This helps keep the stems open, and helps the plant continue to take up moisture.

4. You can use almost any flower in your arrangements. If you’ve got enough flowers, you might want to do a practice run ahead of time to make sure the flowers you pick will hold up, and to check out what looks good together.

5. Even tiny flowers can be used in small vases, or glass jars to make a cute table display.

You can’t go wrong with cut flowers for a summer party centerpiece. It’s really hard to make a floral arrangement look bad if you include an assortment of different flowers, and plenty of greenery! Just have fun with it!

Graduation Party Themes

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Every graduate has their own unique personality. You don’t have to stick to caps and gowns for your graduation party. You can create a party that’s as unique as the graduate themselves.

Here are a couple graduation party themes and some basic ideas to go with them. Over the next couple days we’ll expand on some of these themes, and give you more food, decorating, and cake ideas.

  1. Do you have a music fan? Someone who loves to play the guitar, drums or any other instrument? Plan a music themed graduation party. Use music notes, or cardboard cut out musical instruments to decorate for the party. Music note cupcakes, a keyboard, or guitar shaped cake would also be fun.
  2. Plan a graduation luau, complete with roast pork and grass skirts.
  3. Is the graduate into sports? Either playing a sport, or a spectator, plan their party around their favorite sport or sports team (high school, college or professional). Decorate your party with team colors and memorabilia.
  4. Plan a Mardi Gras theme graduation, use the Mardi Gras colors of purple, green, and gold to decorate. Hang brightly colored streamers and and masks for decorations. Let New Orleans influence your menu choices.
  5. Make graduation a red carpet event. Take photographs of the graduate and their friends as they arrive, and let them walk the red carpet, just like the stars. Serve a star shaped cake, or add star sprinkles to your cupcakes.
  6. Does your graduate speak a foreign language? Are they thinking about studying in a different country? If they’re fluent in French or Spanish use those cultures to influence your party decorations and food.

For personalized graduation invitations, cake ideas, graduation postage, banners and more, make sure you check out Graduation Party Ideas and Supplies.

If you have a unique graduation theme party idea please share!

Graduates Image: istockphoto


Red White and Blue Dessert Idea~ Cupcake Flag

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Here’s a fun twist to the flag cake. This cupcake flag would be a fun dessert idea for  Memorial Day, The Fourth of July, or any summer party. I used mini cupcakes to put this one together. You could also use regular size cupcakes to make the cupcake flag, if you’re making it for a large party. You can use a large covered cardboard, or assemble the flag right on the dessert table.

The cupcake flag takes 48 cupcakes to make. Here’s the breakdown: Ice twelve cupcakes with royal blue icing, use one of the star tips to make white stars on the blue cupcakes. Arrange the blue cupcakes in 3 rows of 4.

Ice the rest of the cupcakes with white icing. Arrange the white cupcakes 4 more cupcakes to finish off the blue rows. Add 3 more rows of white cupcakes below. For a total of 6 rows of 8 cupcakes. Add strawberry slices to make stripes.

Like I said above you can assemble the flag right on the dessert table, or you can cover a large piece of cardboard, or a baking sheet with silver foil. If you will be traveling with your cupcake flag, add a tiny dollop of icing under each cupcake to help hold them in place.

Cinco De Mayo Party~ Guacamole Mexican Flag Dip

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Today I have a fun recipe to share with you for your Cinco De Mayo celebration. I love guacamole, salsa and sour cream, so this dip is definitely a big hit as far as I’m concerned! It would great for any Mexican fiesta, or just because for a summer outdoor barbecue, or fall football party.

The recipe is courtesy of Wholly Guacamole , I have to say I’ve had the opportunity to try their guacamole and their salsa (they sent me a sample a while back), both are delicious.

Here’s the Guacamole and Salsa dip recipe:

Quick Cinco de Guaco Mexican Flag Dip

Prep: 7 minutes

Ingredients

  • 14 oz package Wholly Guacamole
  • Fat Free Sour Cream
  • Wholly Salsa—your favorite heat level
  • Rosemary sprigs
  • Black beans and olives
  • 1 bag your favorite dipping chips

Instructions:

1. Divide a rectangular pan into thirds. Spread guacamole, then sour cream in the center — and salsa on outer band last.

2. Top center with an “eagle” of olives, beans, and sprigs of greens. Use as a dip for fresh corn chips, or vegetables, and enjoy.

Image via Wholly Guacamole

How To Make a Decorative Ice Ring

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Can you believe it, spring is here, and summer is just around the corner, which means summer parties and entertaining will soon be in full force.

During the summer ice melts fast and can dilute your drinks, that’s why I almost never use plain ice cubes in the punch bowl. I usually make my own decorative ice ring. It’s simple to do with a little pre-planning, just freeze your ice ring a day or two before the party, with some of the punch you plan to use for the party.

I use a Jello mold, or Bundt pan to freeze my ice ring in. To make the ice rings I show here I used a Wilton Silicone Mini Fluted Tube Pan. It released the finished ice rings without much fuss.

To add texture and color to your ice rings add in season fruit like strawberries, or lemons slices. You can also add fresh mint leaves, lemon balm, or edible flowers to the mold.

Fill the rest of the mold with some of the juice you’re using to make your punch. If you use juice instead of water, when the rings start to melt your punch will not be diluted. Freeze the rings a few hours, or a few days before your party.

I used strawberries and lemons in one of the rings, in the other two rings I used mint leaves, and lilac blooms. You can use your favorite herbs, or berries to add flavor to your ice rings, mandarin oranges are also fabulous!