Spread the Love

I happen to be a real softy for Valentine’s Day; I love it!  Not just for my husband, but also for the love of my friends and family too.  Do something special this year for the ones you love.  It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money either and here are a few ideas.

These cookies are a fantastic gift idea for anyone special in your life.  You can order these from Sugar Mama in Palos Heights, IL  708-935-2613.  Think ahead and make sure to place your order before  Feb 6th! All cookies are $1.85 each, bagged with ribbon is an extra $.25 per cookie. 

 

   

Have a romantic night at home with you special someone.  You can cook a nice dinner for two and drink delicious wine.  After dinner snuggle up with a big cup of hot coco and homemade cookies for dessert.  All these items can be found at Crate and Barrel. 

Have fun with Valentine’s Day….I know a lot of people think it’s a cheesy holiday but it’s something to really look forward to during the cold winter months! 

What are some of your favorite Valentine’s traditions?

Cupcake Stands

Cupcakes have become a very popular dessert.  Cupcakes are super cute, trendy and perfect for any occasion.  Chicago is extremely fortunate to have so many amazing bakeries that specialize in cupcakes.  Some bakeries do not provide cupcake stands; many of my clients have asked me where they can get one or how they can make one.

Raise the Cake specializes in unique cake stands including cup cake stands.  You can even custom create one to match your personal style or event colors.  The two examples below are from www.raisethecake.com

I love the freedom to create the prefect stand for every event.  Raise the Cake has all kinds of color and pattern options; great for weddings, birthday parties, anniversary parties etc…

Many bakeries do provide cupcake stands but keep Raise the Cake in mind if you would like to design something special.  They can be simple, elegant or modern; whatever you want!

Tapas Style Party

Going out to a tapas dinner is one of my favorite things to do with friends and family.  I love being able to taste so many different foods.  There is something special about sharing and passing food…it really creates a common bond with everyone sitting at the table.  It becomes more than just dinner, it’s an experience. 

Consider serving tapas at your next event.  The guests will really enjoy all the different items to taste.   It will create a very lively environment.

   

 

Serving glasses of sangria as guests enter the party is a great way to get things started. 

Hire a Spanish guitarist to really set the tone with authentic Spanish music.

 

 

If you don’t want to create a Spanish theme you can serve a tapas style menu (small plates) but it doesn’t have to be Spanish foods.  Here are some beautiful examples of small plates that would be great at a party or wedding. 

   

If you are going to serve tapas for your event or wedding I would suggest serving 8 to 10 different items.  I would also suggest not putting more than 8 guests per table so there is enough elbow room.  Also, make sure that each platter of food that comes around has a little more servings than the amount of guests at the table (8 guests = 10 servings). 

Your guests will really enjoy the variety and creativity of the menu.  It will really bring all the guests together for a great experience.

Hosting a Holiday Party

We are right in the middle of the holiday season and we all have a lot of parties to attend.  Here are some cute ideas to make your party stand out. 

These snow flake cookies are not only pretty and festive but they make a great take away gift at the end of the night.  Give each guest a cookie wrapped in pretty paper or a cute mini brown paper bag as they are leaving the party.  They can enjoy them the next day or in the cab on the way home!

I have planned many events with adorable desserts like these hot coco and mini doughnuts.  They are perfect for a holiday party at your home because they are easy to make and they are so cute.  Guests really enjoy foods with a cute presentation. 

Here is another easy dish made unique just by serving it in individual cups.  Who doesn’t love hot macaroni and cheese?  If you don’t have small cups like these just use ramekins, small tea cups or shot glasses.  Get creative and have fun with appetizers. 

Your guests will be attending a lot of parties this season.  They may even have two in the same night.  By mixing up some fresh ideas with the old favorites you’re sure to have a successful party.  All these ideas are simple and big crowd pleasers.

Autumn Treats

Autumn weddings are a wonderful for seasonal foods like butternut squash soup, mini pecan pies, pumpkin risotto and pomegranate champagne cocktails.  When the cold weather kicks in guests are ready and excited about these rich flavors. 

Martha Stewart has featured some cute ideas to enhance your autumn theme. 

Serve caramel wafers with hot cups of coffee.  They double as a sweet treat and a coffee warmer when the guest gets up to dance.  The caramel wafer will help to keep the coffee hot and when the guest returns to the table the wafer is warm and gooey!

Instead of having large bowls of assorted nuts on cocktail tables or at the bar, serve individual paper cups of warm nuts as a passed hors d’oeuvres.  Guests will enjoy having the warm nuts on a cold night. 

Candied or caramel apples can be used in a variety of different ways.  Below they are shown as place cards but you can also serve them as party favors at the end of the night for guests to take home.  Another fun idea is to build them into the kid’s table decor.