Hosting a New Years Party to Ring In 2010?!
Here some easy but great ideas for your New Years Celebration!
Gotta start with the food . . .
You know we have to talk about the food first! For a party of this type, an appetizer/finger food type buffet is the best way to go. But that doesn’t mean you can’t serve heartier foods that will stick with your guests for the duration of the evening.
Some ideas for food:
Small sandwiches served on dinner rolls (BBQ; hamburger sliders, pork tenderloin, etc.) chicken fingers, sweet and sour meatballs; sausage balls, bite size crab cakes. Oh, and I just found a great recipe for homemade salsa (great recipe from Paula Deen). Serve salsa and chips. And it’s easy.
Also, when you are hosting a party, you never know quite how much to prepare. A good rule of thumb is count on about 10 appetizer bites per person. And depending on the number of guests, anywhere from 3 – 6 different appetizer choices.
Fun ideas for presentation: make toothpick flags for your appetizers. Cut a small strip of paper in triangular shape, write “2010” on it, wrap it around the toothpick and glue it on.
Of course, you can’t talk about New Years without the drinks. Everyone thinks champagne. But if you not so inclined, let me suggest serving something like Sparkling Grape Juice then add a little orange juice or cranberry juice to make it festive. Add some grapes or cranberries to the bottom of glasses.
You all might find this interesting – in many Mediterranean and Latin American countries, they eat 12 grapes at midnight to ensure good luck for each month of the coming year. So put some grapes out for your guests and share this tradition.
A fun thing to do with your glasses: get those adhesive numbers that are used for scrapbooking projects, and put those on your glasses. You could put either “2010” or “10, 9, 8, etc.” (counting down) on them.
Decor that is functional, easy and fabulous!
For your table, arrange some colorful noisemakers and/or party hats on top of a pretty cake stand, piece of pottery or crystal bowl; or use some pretty glasses and have them coming out of the top of them.
You know, there are a lot of superstitions linked to our New Year’s celebrations. Supposedly, noise makers are not only a way to celebrate the hope of what a new year has to offer but they also serve to scare away the devil. So, I say it can’t hurt.
Another fun way to decorate is with clocks. Everyone is watching the clock on New Year’s eve, so put them on your tables, on your mantle, any focal point in your room.
Confetti – that always seems to be a part of New Year’s celebrations. So why not make some meaningful confetti. What do I mean by that? Scan or copy some photos of your family and friends who will be attending your party and then cut them into “puzzle like” pieces. Sprinkle them on your tables and then have everyone put them back together during the evening.
Take aways for Guests!
You know I like little “take aways” to send my guests home with . . . and I love food gifts. One idea: put a gourmet cookie in a one of the white paper CD envelopes and write a personal note of good wishes for the new year. Or put some black-eyed peas on a mason jars with a recipe attached.
Let’s talk about some New Years Day traditions
**Speaking of black-eyed peas, you know us Southerners have to have our ham, black-eyed peas and collard greens for good luck on New Year’s Day! Now most of us know that we eat the peas and greens as symbols of humility and hopes of financial good fortune. But you might not know this – some say the reason we eat pork, instead of poultry or beef: poultry scratches backward, cows stand still but the pig eats their food moving forward. Therefore, those who dine on pork will move forward in the new year!
Now, I found a soup recipe I’m going to try. It’s called “Ham and Black-eyed Pea Soup with Collard Greens.” That covers all the bases, doesn’t it? Oh and you could attach this soup recipe to your takeaway gift of black-eyed peas.
*** Okay, I’ve got one more interesting tip will ensure good fortune in 2010 for all of the ladies:
When you are going to your New Year’s party, get yourself a new outfit! (I verified this folklore on Snopes!) If a girl wears a new outfit on January 1st, she will supposedly have good fortune throughout the year. If you wear red, you double your luck. (I’m not making this up – I’m just reporting the facts!).
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Bill and Joel Show on Friday, Dec. 18, 2009 - Recipes
Everyday is a gift from God - unwrap it and enjoy it!
Many thanks to Bill, Joel and Anna for having me on today! It was so fun! Here are two of the recipes I mentioned. Enjoy!
Sante Fe Soup
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 pkg. Ranch dressing mix
1 can stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 can tomatoes and chiles (Rotel), undrained
1 can Ranch style beans, undrained
1 can pinto beans, undrained
1 can black beans, undrained
1 can hominy (white or yellow), undrained
1 can whole kernel corn, undrained
1. Saute ground meat and onion until beef is brown and onion is limp and transparent. Drain mixture.
2. Sprinkle dry seasoning mixes over the meat mixture and stir in to absorb remaining grease.
3. Add all canned ingredients, do not drain any liquids!
4. Heat together until flavors are blended, the longer the better!
Cowboy Cookies
1 stick butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. soda
2 cups flour
2 cups quick rolled oats
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped nuts
Beat sugars, butter, eggs and vanilla together until smooth. Add salt and baking powder, soda and flour; mix well. Stir in rolled oats, chips, coconut and nuts.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes.
Many thanks to Bill, Joel and Anna for having me on today! It was so fun! Here are two of the recipes I mentioned. Enjoy!
Sante Fe Soup
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 pkg. Ranch dressing mix
1 can stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 can tomatoes and chiles (Rotel), undrained
1 can Ranch style beans, undrained
1 can pinto beans, undrained
1 can black beans, undrained
1 can hominy (white or yellow), undrained
1 can whole kernel corn, undrained
1. Saute ground meat and onion until beef is brown and onion is limp and transparent. Drain mixture.
2. Sprinkle dry seasoning mixes over the meat mixture and stir in to absorb remaining grease.
3. Add all canned ingredients, do not drain any liquids!
4. Heat together until flavors are blended, the longer the better!
Cowboy Cookies
1 stick butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. soda
2 cups flour
2 cups quick rolled oats
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped nuts
Beat sugars, butter, eggs and vanilla together until smooth. Add salt and baking powder, soda and flour; mix well. Stir in rolled oats, chips, coconut and nuts.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Josh and Laura Davis
This past weekend, we had the honor of coordinating the wedding of Josh and Laura Davis. We really enjoyed getting to know the two of them over the past year during the planning process. They got married this past Saturday (December 12) on a chilly mountain evening. The ceremony was at Mountain Presbyterian Church in Blairsville and the reception was at The Ridges Resort in Hiawassee.
We had a wonderful time spending the day with this beautiful couple, their fun wedding party, and amazing families. The amazing Ashley Blencoe captured Josh and Laura's special day behind the camera. The videographer Paul Wages was also amazing to work with! And we cannot forget the always wonderful, Felicia Kincaid of The Wedding Cake, with her delicious and beautiful cakes! We feel so blessed to be a part of this wedding and we wish Josh and Laura all of the best!
"Marry" Christmas
Okay, I'm not that smart to come up with that title. I totally stole it from the Lifetime movie D and I watched last night. And guess what it was about? A mother/daughter team who are wedding planners! How cool is that? I loved it but I love sappy Lifetime Christmas movies. And weddings. And, speaking of weddings, (how's that for a bad transition), our wedding this weekend were beautiful and fabulous.
In Hiawassee, we were in for a full day and night of wedding festivities with this fabulous young couple. You know, this is a major perk of our job - getting to meet the coolest people whom we otherwise wouldn’t have met. These two are just precious and their wedding was, well, perfection.
Funny story about this wedding, though. All day things had gone like clockwork with only a few very minor hiccups which honestly, isn’t unusual. It is not uncommon for something to go a little off track but not this one, not a hitch (no pun intended!) . . . until the exit. The plan was for the couple to exit through a hallway and out into the parking lot where their guests would line the walls waving streamers with jingle bells attached over head as they walked right onto a horse-drawn carriage that would take them off into the moonlight. Perfect plan. Okay, so everyone is in place - guests, photographer, videographer - here we go. As soon as they get to the carriage . . . the. horse. bolts! Runs like the wind. We all stood there stunned not knowing whether to laugh or cry. So we all look at the bride (who you always look to for your emotional que if you know what I mean) and she cracks up! Whew! So, in a few minutes, after the horse with carriage and driver in tow has taken a few laps around the parking lot, the bride and groom successfully make their exit! These pictures are before and after the run for the roses!
Funny story about this wedding, though. All day things had gone like clockwork with only a few very minor hiccups which honestly, isn’t unusual. It is not uncommon for something to go a little off track but not this one, not a hitch (no pun intended!) . . . until the exit. The plan was for the couple to exit through a hallway and out into the parking lot where their guests would line the walls waving streamers with jingle bells attached over head as they walked right onto a horse-drawn carriage that would take them off into the moonlight. Perfect plan. Okay, so everyone is in place - guests, photographer, videographer - here we go. As soon as they get to the carriage . . . the. horse. bolts! Runs like the wind. We all stood there stunned not knowing whether to laugh or cry. So we all look at the bride (who you always look to for your emotional que if you know what I mean) and she cracks up! Whew! So, in a few minutes, after the horse with carriage and driver in tow has taken a few laps around the parking lot, the bride and groom successfully make their exit! These pictures are before and after the run for the roses!
We have officially entered the 21st century!
After many months of discussing it, we have finally decided to start a blog and join you in the 21st century! On this blog, we intend to keep you informed as to where you can meet us (bridal shows, community events, etc.), special prices and packages we are offering, tips to help you in your wedding or event planning process, and many other exciting posts!
So, the start off the first blog… let us introduce ourselves and our business. Wonderful Events & Celebrations is a wedding and event planning company based in northeast Georgia. We have a passion for assisting you in planning your wedding, corporate event, birthday party, baby/bridal shower, rehearsal dinner, anniversary celebration, employee appreciation events, fundraisers, or any other event you can dream up! We are a mother-daughter team who love to work together and have many years of event planning experience between us.
Crevolyn is a happily married (to Darrell) and a mother of two, Emily & Garrett. She has a Masters of Business Administration from Southern Illinois University and has worked in the banking and church music industries for many years. Crevolyn has always been the unofficial party planner in all aspects of her life from church events to school functions to family baby showers. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and family, photography, teaching bible studies, scrapbooking, volunteering at the local hospital, and working on endless home projects.
Emily was born and raised in Gainesville and recently graduated with a Bachelors in Business Administration from Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville, Georgia. On April 12, 2008, Emily married the man of her dreams, Nick Williams, and they currently reside in Pendergrass, Georgia. In her free time, she enjoys traveling (especially to London), painting and decorating her house, taking trips to visit friends scattered around the southeast, exercising with her husband, and taking photos/making photo books.
Together, we make up Wonderful Events & Celebrations. We woul love to sit down, have some coffee, and discuss how we could help you with your next event or celebration!
So, the start off the first blog… let us introduce ourselves and our business. Wonderful Events & Celebrations is a wedding and event planning company based in northeast Georgia. We have a passion for assisting you in planning your wedding, corporate event, birthday party, baby/bridal shower, rehearsal dinner, anniversary celebration, employee appreciation events, fundraisers, or any other event you can dream up! We are a mother-daughter team who love to work together and have many years of event planning experience between us.
Crevolyn is a happily married (to Darrell) and a mother of two, Emily & Garrett. She has a Masters of Business Administration from Southern Illinois University and has worked in the banking and church music industries for many years. Crevolyn has always been the unofficial party planner in all aspects of her life from church events to school functions to family baby showers. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and family, photography, teaching bible studies, scrapbooking, volunteering at the local hospital, and working on endless home projects.
Emily was born and raised in Gainesville and recently graduated with a Bachelors in Business Administration from Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville, Georgia. On April 12, 2008, Emily married the man of her dreams, Nick Williams, and they currently reside in Pendergrass, Georgia. In her free time, she enjoys traveling (especially to London), painting and decorating her house, taking trips to visit friends scattered around the southeast, exercising with her husband, and taking photos/making photo books.
Together, we make up Wonderful Events & Celebrations. We woul love to sit down, have some coffee, and discuss how we could help you with your next event or celebration!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)