Photos:  Amy Atlas

Planning a casual event?  Anchor the bar with hamburgers and hotdogs and display idea cards around the table detailing creative ways to compile a mouthwatering burger or hotdog.  Want the main course more substantial?  Throw steaks on the grill for a classic meat and potatoes!

Full post on Somewhere Splendid.  Images from Tinywater Photography.

Quote insert from startupquote.com.

Hey guys!

TIPS ON PLANNING A MAN-SHOWER…

Step 1: Subtract all things that the guests consider fru-fru… no pastel colors, no cutesy motifs.  Think outside the box like a tall, six layer, square cake or a simple yet dramatic chocolate or charcoal color scheme… tailor each selection to your guest of honor’s personality!

Step 2: Find a rustic venue… mountainous scape, ballpark, track or field, etcetera.  For this shower, we chose a restaurant that had exposed wood beams, floor-to-ceiling rock fireplace, bare wood tables and an overall woodsy outdoors mystique to set the tone.

Step 3: Plan a hearty menu.  No finger sandwiches here!  Serve steaks and hamburgers and prime rib subs with fries and onion rings.  Prefer having the event outside?  Think about a design your own burger bar to get all the self-proclaimed great chefs around the grill.

Step 4: Add memorable touches.  A hand-rolled cigar station, a scotch tasting, or other clever interactions serve as replacement for the traditional games segment.  Include an insert in the invitation with a general theme for the gift ideas and reassure them that they are to choose the gift… don’t make the theme too specific as you want to leave room for their imagination.  It is hilarious what the guys decide to buy per their interpretation of the theme… and the attempts at gift wrapping are priceless!

Step 5: Give them something tangible by which to remember it.  For favors, we had beer mugs custom designed and hand-painted with the slogans “Man’s Pacifer” and “Real Men Change Diapers!”  We placed a glass at each place setting and as soon as the guests arrived, they ventured to the bar to get their favor filled!  No worries that this favor will sit on a shelf… it was in use even before they got home!

Cake photos from Harriott Grace.  Man-Shower photos from Kidd Photography.

This mini-tablescape is designed for a baby shower but what about oversized mugs and large gourmet marshmallows for a most memorable night cap or as an opening toast for a ladies’-night-in slumber party?!  Hot chocolate never tasted and looked so good!

Photo from The Ticket Kitchen showcasing a baby shower.

Photos from Sunday-Suppers.

This White Bean Shitake Soup is perfect for the occasion (satisfying yet leaves plenty of room for movie snacks!) and the team at Sunday Suppers has put it over the top with an herb olive oil drizzle. Add crusty sourdough bread, nestle into the sofa, click the play button and enjoy!

White Bean + Shitake Soup with Herb Oil

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 small white onion diced
2 large cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 box of organic chicken stock.
Equal parts water
1 parmesan rind
2 cans of white beans drained and rinsed
5 to 7 Shiitake mushrooms sliced very thinly
Salt + pepper to taste
mint
parsley
basil
meyer lemon

Sauté the garlic + onion in a stock pot with olive oil over a medium heat until the onion is translucent and fragrant. and the beans and sauté for a few minutes adding salt + pepper to taste. Add the broth, water + rind and raise heat slightly, allowing the soup to simmer for 20 minutes. For the last five minutes add the sliced shiitakes. Once you remove the soup from the heat, remove the rind before serving.

To make the oil combine equal parts mint, parsley + basil in a food processor while drizzling in olive oil + a teaspoon of fresh meyer lemon juice. Chop until oil is thin enough to drizzle, but thick with herb bits. Drizzle oil over soup just before serving.

Photo and recipe from Sunday-Suppers.