Monday, April 30, 2012

How to Throw a Kentucky Derby Party - Eats

Try these tasty Kentucky Derby party foods on the day of the big horse race.  Just like the thoroughbreds, your party guests will love nibbling on peeled baby carrots.  Serve them with a light lunch of Derby Dogs, finger sandwiches and glasses of mock mint julep, lemonade or Mint Chocolate Chip Floats.

Kentucky Derby Dogs - To make these treats you will need one package of cold crescent roll dough and one package of cheese hot dogs.  Unroll the dough from the package.  Cut each dough triangle and each hot dog in half.  Roll one hot dog half in each piece of dough.  Then bake on a cookie sheet for approximately 20 minutes.

Finger Sandwiches - For Derby Day serve petite, crustless cucumber sandwiches that consist of thinly sliced cucumbers, cream cheese and mayo -  feel free to add to the cucumbers or substitute for them thinly sliced Kentucky ham.

Mint Julep Mocktails - Combine 1 cup of lemon-lime soda, 1 can of frozen lemonade concentrate, 1/4 cup of creme de menthe (make sure you get the non-alcoholic mix).  Swirl all these ingredients in the blender, adding ice if desired.  Add some fresh sprigs of mint to garnish.

In lieu of the mocktails, you can serve Lemonade with mint sprig garnish or make Mint Ice Cream Floats.  For each float, place a few small scoops of mint chocolate chip ice cream in a tall glass.  Gently pour in lemon-lime soda (regular or diet).  Note of caution, when putting a straw in a float, carefully slide the straw down the side of the glass to prevent bubbly eruptions.

How to Throw a Kentucky Derby Party - Treats

No derby party would be complete without the Mane Attraction - a Horse Cake!  Click here for complete directions.  Don't forget to serve your cake  with Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream!

How to Throw a Kentucky Derby Party - Favors

Party guests will love to take home a selection of pony stickers (Make a Horse Stickers, IN-9/833, $3.00/dozen - Oriental Trading Company), miniature ponies (sold at many craft stores or dollar stores), horse bouncing balls (IN-12/2515, $10.50/dozen - Oriental Trading Company), horseshoe magnets (IN-12/2023, $6.25/dozen - Oriental Trading Company) and miniature golden trophies (IN-42/2714, $21.00/24 ponies - Oriental Trading Company) in their goody bags.

Spring Parties

Need an idea for your child's upcoming birthday party?  Try one of these party plans for all those Spring Birthdays:

Butterfly Bash

Lil' Slugger Fest

Tropical Luau

Tea Party

Polka Dot Bonanza

Tie-Dyed Mania

Enjoy!  I hope each and every party will be a magical event!

Friday, April 27, 2012

How to Throw a Safari Party!

Have your kids gone ape over the new Disney movie Chimpanzee?  If so, your son or daughter may want to throw a Safari party for his or her next birthday!  Check out Kids' Parties with Flair's How to Throw a Sensational Safari Party here.

How to Throw a Pirate Party

With the premiere of the movie - The Pirates! Band of Misfits -  starring Hugh Grant and Salma Hayek, the young pirates in your life will want to have a Pirate Party!

Check out the Kids' Parties with Flair's How to Throw a Pirate Birthday Party Plan here.

National Princess Week

Julie Andrews, in collaboration with Target and The Walt Disney Company, has introduced the first annual National Princess Week this April - children across the world are invited to celebrate the sparkle and wonder of every princess.

Target stores will feature themed Princess merchandise at their Target store locations and on-line.  Disney is releasing a 10th Anniversary two movie collection of the modern-day fairy tale The Princess Diaries and the Princess Diaries 2:  Royal Engagement.  At Target you will also find Julie Andrews' The Very Fairy Princess:  Here Comes the Flower Girl co-authored with her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton.

So, how are you celebrating the first annual National Princess Week?  By marking your first anniversary with an actual prince?  No! Oh, right, that's the Duchess of Cambridge.  The rest of us will have to settle for a Princess Tea Party.  If children are to be included in your festivities, you might want to check out the Kids' Parties with Flair Princess Tea.  For added fun try making the handmade tiara pictured above.  You will find the directions from a Martha Stewart Show segment here.