Posted in hosting events, tagged brunch, Christmas in July party, hosting events, hosting parties, murder mystery party, themed parties, toga party on July 2, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
In case you missed any of the posts last weekend, you should go check them out:
Have fun!!
Posted in hosting events, introductions, tagged fun parties to throw, godspell, hosting events, hosting parties, inspiration, introductions, purses, saving confetti on June 22, 2012 | 4 Comments »
Boy am I excited about what I have in store for y’all next week. I’ve decided (by all of the power invested in me) that next week is hosting cool parties week on the blog. You’ll get to read about some of the fun parties and hosting tips that I’ve done along the way. Hopefully I inspire you to throw some cool parties of your own, and inspire me to start hosting them again (sometimes life gets in the way, huh?). Next week we will be talking about:
In the meantime, I wanted to share this fun fact with you. I saw Godspell last night on Broadway. Incredible. I would tell you all to go see it, but it closes on Sunday unfortunately. Literally, incredible cast, so inspiring – GREAT voices.
Anyway, they shot confetti out into the audience at one point and I picked some up and put it in my purse (just a few pieces). When I’m digging through my purse it reminds me of the good times I had and makse me smile. I also did this with a Cirque de Soleil’s Kooza.
Posted in hosting events, hosting tips, parties, parties for large groups, tagged contest, hosting events, parties, potluck, winners on February 5, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Out of all of the topics that I’ve been considering writing about – pretty much none of them have any correlation with the Super Bowl. I’ve never found myself to be much of a sports fan, so today’s not too much different. (And no, I’m not really a commercial-watching fan either, I mainly do Disney and Nickelodeon sitcoms – which a guy at church found pretty weird this morning. Anyway.) I know that this is a strange topic, but I heard a good idea recently and I just couldn’t pass up sharing this idea with you – and I’m sure you could find a way to tie this into a Super Bowl party. At work they were having a potluck contest to see who brought the best dish to the party. The NYC office came up with an awesome idea to figure out how to vote!
Instead of having people write down their votes, the host of the event had pre-made slips of paper next to each dish of food that had the food’s name on it. So the pasta would have strips of paper that said “pasta” next to it and the salad would have strips of paper that said “salad” next to it, etc, etc. After trying each of the foods, someone can easily go back through the food-line and take the slip of paper that corresponds with their favorite food and place it into the “voting basket”. At the end of the event, the hostess just needs to count the votes and it saves the hassle of finding pens and papers and remembering the names of things and finding out how things are spelled. Sure it’s a little bit more prep work, but at least nobody has to try to read anybody else’s handwriting…
I figured I’d all humor you. This is the last time I came close to even being considered sporty. This is my high school soccer team – picture from 10/30/2004. Wow. Over seven years ago.
Anyway, today’s CUPID numbers are I-41 and U-18.
Posted in christmas, food and drink, holidays, hosting events, hosting tips, parties, parties for large groups, party ideas, tagged antipasto, antipasto quantity, hosting events, italian antipasto, parties, parties for large groups on January 5, 2012 | 2 Comments »
The final part of the Christmas Day story is the story of the Italian Antipasto (yes, I keep calling it “the Italian Antipasto”, I’m not sure what other Antipasto there is, but I like it, so roll with it, please). The Italian Antipasto that I have grown up with my entire life can easily be broken down into four categories – (1) deli cheeses, (2) deli meats, (3) pickled things, (4) other – everything needs an other category, right? One of the hardest parts about this type of meal is trying to figure out exactly how much of each item you need to make sure that nobody will leave hungry. Over the past few years my mother (there she is again) has written down the quantity of each item that is needed to serve approximately 18 people. That’s what I wanted to share with you today. Please note: This is the quantity to serve 18 people knowing that you will have a full pasta course after this – although, I have to tell you, I usually end up pretty full by the end of this course.
deli cheeses
1 lb. swiss cheese
1 lb. provolone cheese
3/4- lb. american cheese
deli meats
3/4-lb. salami
1/3-lb. pepperoni
1 lb. pepper ham
1/3-lb. prosciutto
1/2-lb. capicola
1 lb. regular ham
pickled treats
12 oz. jar roasted peppers
12 oz. jar marinated eggplant
4 oz. jar anchovies
16 oz. jar marinated mushrooms
12 oz. marinated artichoke hearts
12 oz. jar marinated asparagus
(be prepared to put some of these things back in the jar when you’re done)
other
fresh mozzarella, basil & tomato
hard boiled or deviled eggs
hot stuffed peppers
So how do you eat all of this? Well, first you need to get yourself a 12-foot island in the middle of the kitchen. Then your sister wakes up extra early to lay everything out prettily on the trays. Then you set up a buffet. My family told me I wasn’t allowed to use pictures of them on my blog, so I decided that this was a good compromise.
Now, I know I said that this was the last part of Christmas Day, but I have one more treat for you all. Can you believe you haven’t seen my Christmas cards yet? Get ready for Chrystina’s 6th Day of Christmas tomorrow, Christmas Cards unleashed.
Chrystina Noel is a lifestyle blog written by a city girl with a passion for hosting parties, designing greeting cards, and making lists. Enjoy your stay!
