Archive for the ‘Parties’ Category

One of the most widely known Mexican holidays happens to be Cinco de Mayo. This holiday is one that celebrates the independence of Mexico from the French and it is a big deal. Of course, you do not have to live there to enjoy having your own Cinco de Mayo party this year. Why not go ahead and throw your own party to celebrate this day. You can have fun with friends and family while also enjoying tasty Mexican dishes. Here are a few fun tips you can use for throwing this type of a party.

First, you may want to go with the colors of the Mexican flag for your party. You may even want to have a Mexican flag up. You can also use the same colors for your tablecloths, napkins, streamers, lanterns, and more. This way you use those colors throughout. It is even fun to find some traditional music to play as background music for your party as well.

These celebrations are usually quite noisy, so you may want to play your music rather loudly. It is also a popular option to have fireworks to set off at these parties. Of course, consider your neighbors and if you have nearby neighbors that may not appreciate any fireworks, consider going with sparklers, which are sure to be fun for all the kids. It is also a great idea to have some piñatas for the kids to swing at so they can break it and enjoy all the candy that it is stuffed with. Adults may even enjoy playing this traditional game.

Of course, you definitely want to make sure that you serve up some traditional Mexican dishes for your Cinco de Mayo party too. The food is sure to get everyone in the spirit for the party. Try offering several different traditional dishes for everyone to enjoy. Quesadillas make great appetizers and are easy for you to make. Serving several main dishes is a nice touch as well so guests can sample various dishes.

Do not forget about dessert. It is easy to focus on the appetizers and the main dishes, but you definitely want to serve up some traditional Mexican desserts as well. You can serve up some tasty flan flavored with coconut, which everyone will enjoy. Sapodillas are a popular dish too for dessert. Fried ice cream can be made for your guests too, but make sure that you are able to keep the ice cream cold until you are ready to fry and serve it to your guests.

Easy Crunch Fried Ice Cream Recipe

You may be surprised to find out that you really can fry ice cream. This is an easy and delicious fried ice cream recipe you will definitely want to give a try when you are throwing a Cinco de Mayo party.

What You’ll Need

• ¼ cup of heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 3 cups of vanilla ice cream
• 1 ¼ cups of graham crackers, finely crushed
• Oil to use for frying

How to Make It

Scoop out six ½ cup scoops of vanilla ice cream and place them on a foil covered baking sheet. Freeze the ice cream until scoops are hard. In a shallow bowl, place the heavy cream. Combine cinnamon and the graham cracker crumbs in a bowl as well. Take ice cream bowls and dip them into the cream and then roll them in the cracker crumbs. Cover them and then allow to freeze for about an hour or more. Place cream in the refrigerator until you are ready for it again.

Once again, roll the balls of ice cream in the heavy cream and in the crumbs. Allow to freeze for 15 minutes. Heat up your oil to 375 in a deep fat fryer or an electric skillet. Fry the balls of ice cream for about 15 seconds or until the crumb mixture is browned lightly. Allow to drain for a few seconds on some paper towels. Serve right away. Makes six servings.

Having a party for Cinco de Mayo is the perfect time to try out some new Mexican food dishes. Look for Cinco de Mayo food recipe to try out so you can enjoy this wonderful Mexican holiday with friends and family.

MexicanDessertRecipes.net The Sweet Side of Mexican Food

Cinco de Mayo commemorates a very special day in Mexican history and whether you are Mexican or not, you can still enjoy the celebration on the fifth of May. You will find that this holiday is full of delicious foods, great games, and plenty of fun. If you are planning to have a party to celebrate this holiday, you will definitely want to have plenty of food. As you are planning out your menu, do not forget to plan some desserts for the party as well. Here is a look at some authentic Mexican desserts that you may want to serve when you throw your own Cinco de Mayo party this year.

One great dessert idea is to make your own Mexican cinnamon chips. This combines together the fun of something crunchy with a sweet taste. You can easily make these chips to serve up on your dessert table. They taste great alone or you can serve them with a tasty sweet dip of your choice as well. Guests are sure to stop and grab some of these delicious sweet chips during the party.

One classic Mexican dessert is flan. If you want to serve desserts that are authentic, flan is definitely a great choice. Flan is a bit like custard and it is very sweet, creamy, and tasty. Slivered almonds can be added to flan if you want a nice crunch or you can go with a simple basic flan to serve with a nice sauce over the top. Do not forget about churros either. They can be fried and covered with some cinnamon sugar. Keep them simple or consider filling them with various types of fruit fillings for extra flavor.

Easy Almond Flan Recipe

This dessert is a classic and provides a sweet creamy dish that is great for a Cinco de Mayo party or just as a dessert with any Mexican style meal.

What You’ll Need

• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• ½ cup of brown sugar
• 1 cup of slivered almonds, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of water
• 1 10.5 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk

How to Make It

In a saucepan, combine the water and the sugar. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar has caramelized. In a cake pan, pour the sugar mixture and make sure the bottom of the pan is covered.

Take the rest of the ingredients and blend together for 20 seconds at high speed. Pour the ingredients over the sugar mixture. Cover the cake pan and place into a pan that is larger. Add enough water to the larger pan so you have hot water two inches up the smaller cake pan. Bake for an hour at 350 degrees.

Take the cake pan out of the water and uncover it. Let it cook for about 35 minutes. Use a large serving dish and place it upside down on the cake pan. Flip the pan to allow flan to come out on the serving dish. Loosen gently. Serve flan or refrigerate it for later.

Desserts are always a great addition to any Cinco de Mayo party. Enjoy looking for great Mexican food that you can eat any day of the week and find tasty Cinco de Mayo recipes that you can add to your menu to make your party a success.

MexicanDessertRecipes.net The Sweet Side of Mexican Food

Holding an open house or cocktail style party can be a lot of fun. However, you want to make sure your guests are well fed and that everything is designed to make it a comfortable and relaxing event. The last thing you want is to have your guests trying to juggle their food or accidentally spilling a drink because they are not able to balance everything. To make things easier when holding these types of parties, here are a few dos and don’ts that every hostess should follow for a wonderful party that guests will enjoy.

DO NOT serve any foods that have to be cut up. It is tough to hold a plate and to try to cut food at the same time. Avoid large vegetables, baked potatoes, or big pieces of meat.

DO NOT use flimsy plates. You need to ensure you go with sturdy plates. Adding too much food to a flimsy plate could lead to a big spill, so ensure that the plates you use will support plenty of food to avoid disaster.

DO NOT serve up round foods. There is nothing like trying to spear round foods with a fork when balancing the plate with your other hand. Olives, meatballs, and grapes can easily go flying off a plate, which is embarrassing although a bit funny. To avoid this problem, avoid round foods unless you serve them on toothpicks so they do not roll around.

DO NOT offer foods that require more than one hand to eat them. Remember, guests will be holding their plate in most cases, so ensure the foods you serve can be eaten with one hand. Corn on the cob, ribs, and wings are all bad choices because it is nearly impossible to eat these foods with only one hand.

DO offer plenty of napkins. Have a nice stock of napkins out for your guests. When you have open houses or cocktail style parties without tables, they are holding their plate, which means it is more likely there will be a spill. Plenty of napkins can definitely help.

DO provide plenty of seating. While many people will choose to be on their feet mingling with the other guests, some people that are older, those with medical conditions, and pregnant women may not be able to stand the whole time. Just make sure you have enough seats for those who do need to sit.

DO serve up foods that are easy to eat. Bit size foods are perfect for this type of a party. Putting meats and cheeses on toothpicks is a great idea. Having other foods, like appetizers, that are bit size can make it easier for guests to eat as well.

DO ensure that you have plenty of food and drinks for the amount of people that you invite. You do not want to be embarrassed by running out of food or drinks. Plan ahead of time for the number of guests you invite and it is a good idea to plan to have extra food and drinks on hand to ensure you will not run out.

DO consider creating small stations. Have hot food in one area, cold foods in another area, and drinks at another station, and have stations for desserts and appetizers. This helps to avoid having everyone crowded around one location.

Holding a cocktail party or open house becomes easier with a few great tips. When you are holding these types of parties, do not forget to have some quick easy appetizers to serve. You can find great easy party appetizers to make so your party is a big hit.

EasyAppetizerRecipes.net – You Make the Appetizers, We Help You Make Them Delicious

Sometimes hosting a huge dinner party can be a bit costly. It can also take up a lot of your time. Of course, instead of having a big dinner party, another simpler option is to go with a drinks, appetizers, and desserts party. This is a great option to go with during the summer months when most people do not want to eat as much heavy food because of the heat. Holding this type of a party makes it a lot easier and cheaper for you to host and you can easily build a well balanced menu that everyone will enjoy.

If you are going to throw a drinks, appetizers, and desserts party, you will want to first make sure you let everyone know that it is this type of a party. Send out invitations that let guests know that only drinks, appetizers, and desserts will be served. This way they know ahead of time so they can plan accordingly.

With this type of a party, it is a good idea to go with food choices that are easily portable. Remember that you will not all be sitting around a table, so the foods you need should be easy for guests to eat. Finger foods work well. Consider going with deserts and appetizers that come in bite sizes so they can easily be put on a plate and eaten without having to worry about cutting anything.

To make this party work, it is often a good idea to have several different station buffets for your guests to visit. It is a good idea to have a drink station with a variety of different drinks they can choose from or ones they can mix up themselves. Another station should be set up for your appetizers. Last, you can have a dessert station. This way people can visit the stations at different times and you do not have people waiting in line behind only one buffet area.

A drinks, appetizers, and desserts party is especially a good idea for larger gatherings. If you are having an open house or another type of large gathering, this offers you with an easy way to serve many people without a problem.

Cheesy Crab Mushrooms Appetizer

When you are throwing this type of a party, having plenty of bite size appetizers is a great idea. Here is an easy recipe that adds cheese and crab to tasty mushrooms. This is sure to please a crowd. In fact, you may want to double this recipe.

What You Need:

• 2 cups of cream cheese
• 20-30 large bite size mushrooms
• ¼ teaspoon of white pepper
• 8 ounces of cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 can of crab meat, flaked
• 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce

How to Make It:

In a steamer basket, allow mushrooms to stem for about 6 minutes. They should be tender when done. While steaming the mushrooms, set out cream cheese to soften. When it is soft, mix it together with the white pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and the crab meat.

Take the mushrooms out of the steamer and put the cream cheese mixture inside of the mushrooms. Use up all the mixture. Take a cookie sheet and cover it with foil. Put the mushrooms on the sheet and then sprinkle with the cheddar cheese. Bake for about 10 minutes at 350 or until the cheese is melted and browned.

Having a party with appetizers and desserts can be a lot of fun. Look for more easy party appetizers that can be made for this type of a party or find holiday appetizers if you are throwing a party around the holidays.

EasyAppetizerRecipes.net – You Make the Appetizers, We Help You Make Them Delicious

If you enjoy hosting parties for friends and family yet you are tired of the same old party, it may be time to try something different. One fun idea is to have a Greek themed dinner party that will thrill your guests. You can use the wonderful flavored cuisine from Greece and you can also incorporate some great Greek themed decorations as well. To help you plan the perfect Greek dinner party, here are some ideas for decorations, music, and the food.

Decorating for the Party

First, you will want to plan the decorations for your Greek dinner party. The colors of the Greek flag is a great place to start. The colors are white and blue, so use these colors as the basis for your decorating. Consider going with table runners that are blue and white. You can also add some beautiful votive holders, painting them to be gold with beautiful white candles. You may even want to use the blue and white colors for your napkins and the dishes that you use for the party.

The Music

Of course, you do not want to forget the music when you are planning a wonderful Greek themed party. The music will help to set the mood and will transport your guests away. Go with traditional Greek music. Just make sure you do not play it too loud. The music should be in the background so it can be enjoyed without overpowering the guest’s ability to chat among themselves.

The Food

One of the most exciting parts of this Greek themed party is going to be the food. You will want to go with traditional dishes that everyone will enjoy. Some of the popular foods that you will want to consider using include eggplant, honey, seafood, lemon, lamb, and of course plenty of olive oil. For the main course, you may want to try a dish of savory lamb. On the side, a nice Greek orzo and shrimp salad is a great dish that you can easily prepare ahead of time. Do not forget about creating some appetizers too. You can create a Meze platter, which is part of the culture in Greece. These platters can include various tasty morsels for guests to enjoy before dinner, such as stuffed grape leaves, olives, hummus dip, pita wedges, and even eggplant dip.

Eggplant Dip with Veggies and Crusty Bread

A great addition to any Meze platter is Eggplant dip. This can be served up with crusty bread or even some tasty veggies to make a great appetizer for your Greek themed dinner party.

What You Need:

• ½ cup of olive oil
• 1 large eggplant
• 4 teaspoons of wine vinegar
• Sea salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced

How to Make It:

Use a fork to pierce your eggplant. Then char the eggplant on the grill until it is soft and black. Allow to drain and cool on a rack, placing paper towels under the eggplant.

Once you are able to handle the eggplant, you need to peel it. Then put the rest of the eggplant in a bowl and mash it up. Stir in the vinegar and oil very slowly until the mix is blended well. Then, stir the pepper, salt, and garlic into the mix. Chill and then serve with crusty bread or some nice veggies. Parsley and black olives make a great garnish. Makes about 1.5 cups of dip.

EasyAppetizerRecipes.net – You Make the Appetizers, We Help You Make Them Delicious