Showing posts with label Lulu Powers From Food To Flowers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lulu Powers From Food To Flowers. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Tips For A Stress Free Dinner Party

I love dinner parties.
I love hosting them and I love going to them.
I would rather do a dinner party than go to a restaurant anyday of the week.
It can seem a little overwhelming at first, but if you are the one hosting a dinner party, just having a few tips up your sleeve can turn it into a stress free and fun evening. And with party season upon us, there's no time like the present!


Tips For A Stress Free Dinner Party


Tips-For-A-Stress-Free-Dinner-Party
Outdoor Dinner Parties ~ Image courtesy of www.blovelyevents.com

1. Plan Ahead

* For me this is a case of always thinking ahead. I like to keep notes on menu ideas, meal plans that look fabulous in magazines, things I see on cooking TV. 
I use many ideas from Lulu Powers' book 
(Lulu Powers From Food To Flowers) and website
My crazy schedule means that I have to do everything on the fly so having to come up with a menu plan at the last minute could be stressful.

* Keep core ingredients in the pantry. 


Tips-For-A-Stress-Free-Dinner-Party-well-stocked-pantry
I try to always have essentials in the pantry so that I can throw something together at the last minute. From Thai Sweet Chili Sauce to coconut milk, from cans of diced tomatoes to jars of roasted red peppers, from boxes of couscous to bags of jasmine rice, I like to have game changers on hand. This makes it easier to shop for an organized dinner party, but also bails me out when guests arrive unexpectedly, or when a fun afternoon evolves into a dinner.

* Stock up a hostess closet.
Having table linens, cocktail napkins, candles and place settings within easy reach makes entertaining much more simple.
I pick up cocktail napkins and candles throughout the year as I find them, and I love to find beautiful table linens both locally and on my travels. On my Christmas List this year I want Valentino's new book on entertaining Valentino, At The Emporer's Table
 Valentino's table settings and flair for entertaining are legendary.
Valentino-At-The-Emporers-Table

* Do as much as you can the day before
Trying to do everything the day of the dinner party can be stressful, and can eat up your personal glam time. A frazzled host is a vibe killer, so I like to get as much as possible done the day before ~ any shopping and food prep, setting the table, setting out candles, organizing music, making sure guest bathrooms are cleaned and well stocked, making sure my outfit is ready to throw on at the last minute.
Tips-For-A-Stress-Free-Dinner-Party-02
image courtsey of blog.gracioushome.com

*Plan your guest list
Think about who you are inviting, and who mesh well together. A dinner party is more about the personalities around the table than it is about the food. No matter how brilliant the food is, if you're stuck sitting next to some total tool you won't enjoy yourself.
Try to put together a good blend of people who will enjoy each other, inspire and entertain each other. 

2. The Menu
*When less is more
Make fewer food choices ~ less fuss = less stress.
Have something you can throw in the oven, have a few things you can pick up ready made, and have something you are really good at making.
I find the very best, most successful dinner parties are the ones where the food is simple, the wine is abundant, the setting is lovely, and the company is well paired.

* When more is more
Tips-For-A-Stress-Free-Dinner-Party-03As in more wine. 
I like to have several choices of wine available. I hate it when the only white is chardonnay (I'm a sauvignon blanc/sancerre girl), or the only red is heavy and dense. Having a variety of wines available makes it festive and fun. 
(And if the food isn't working out you can always get everyone drunk!)
*Stay out of the kitchen
As in create a menu that doesn't have you slaving over a hot stove. In order to be the hostess with the mostess you need to be part of the fun, so keep the food simple.

3. Be Chill
Your mood will dictate the vibe of the party. If you are stressed your guests are going to feel it.
Lulu-Powers
Lulu Powers. I steal all my best ideas from her books

*Allow yourself time for glam - half the fun is getting all prettied up for the party.
* Plan some great music
The soundtrack to your party sets the mood and keeps it flowing.
* Light candles
It's all in the ambience! And if something has gone wrong with the food copious amounts of wine coupled with candle light can mask pretty much anything!


Tips-For-A-Stress-Free-Dinner-Party-04



Bon appetit!

Friday, July 27, 2012

Lulu Powers Ice Cream Cake Flower Pots

I adore all things Lulu.

In fact celebrity caterer Lulu Powers book,   
entertaining bible. Endless great recipes and cool ideas to wow your guests with.

Anyhoo,  Lulu Powers blog had this fabulous idea 
for ice-cream.
I'm re-posting it today as I  plan on using it this weekend 
for a party I'm throwing....


 July Is National Ice Cream Month



Thanks to President Ronald Reagan, we now have an excuse to consume even more ice cream in this month than any other months in the year. In 1984, President Reagan deemed July the National Ice Cream Month and hey, I’m not complaining! In celebration of this steamy month, I’m whipping up my Ice Cream Cake Flower Pots.
They’re easy with a touch of whimsy. And most of all they’ll keep you cool on these hot summer days.

• 4-6 3” or 4” terracotta flower pots
• 1 Devils Food cake mix, baked and crumbled into pieces
• Your favorite ice cream
• 12 oz semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup water
• Mix-ins: mini oreos, crushed oreos, heath bars, M&M’s, Reese’s pieces, any chocolate or caramel candies.

Put chips, cream and water in heavy small saucepan. Cook on low stirring until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat. Place cake at bottom of pot, layer some ice cream then chocolate sauce. Continue layering with cake, ice cream and chocolate. The number of layers will depend on how big your pots are. Mix-ins can go in anytime or on top. Have fun with it and share your own creations with me via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LuluPowersFoodtoFlowers  TIP: Run a short straw through the middle of the pot and feed a flower threw it. Voile! Your edible flower pot is complete. Just be sure to eat it before it melts!