A Sasha Party

Sesame Street Party for a Grownup

noreply@blogger.com (The Sasha) — Sat, 31 Jan 2015 00:53:00 +0000

Cookie Monster mini cupcakes. Never has the phrase om nom nom been creepier.

Last month one of my favorite people in the world turned 30. We agreed that there was only one reasonable theme to set the tone for this important milestone of adulthood:

Sesame Street!

And I was ~~willing~~ ridiculously excited to help out with the food. Especially because there were two things I had been seeing on party blogs and Pinterest for ages and wanting to try for myself, Cookie Monster cupcakes and character food platters.

There are a lot of Cookie Monster cupcake how-to's out there, but after also finding quite a few Pinterest Fail posts about these cupcakes, I decided to watch a tutorial video (this one) to um, not fail. I then adapted for mini cupcakes by using a mini spatula and a smaller frosting tip, Chips Ahoy mini cookies (which were happily a perfect size!) and candy eyes. You could also use white m&ms or similar, and use dots of chocolate for the pupils.

Grover and Oscar the Grouch, who is understandably less sweet.

The food platters were a team effort. Grover is made of blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries on an oval platter. The eyes are yogurt dip and blackberries. Oscar is broccoli and olives with onion dip on a round platter. The trick to getting Oscar to look good was to remove almost the whole stem from the broccoli florets, more than I normally would for dipping. For the eyebrows, you can use a lighter colored olive, or, if you don't have those, do what I did and use the insides of the olives to make them lighter than the mouth. The eyebrows are key. I already had small dipping bowls, which made this a lot easier. If you don't, getting those small paper cups and cutting them short would work.

For the rest of the theme stuff, she had Sesame Street goodies for guests including rings and party hats, Sesame Street paper goods for tablecloths, napkins, plates, cups, etc. For entertainment, we had Sesame Street episodes and specials. She also had a party banner.

The poster is always there, and she already had the stuffed animals. It was an easy theme choice, ok?

Highlight Reels

noreply@blogger.com (The Sasha) — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 22:43:00 +0000

As the new year begins, a lot of people are starting, and then quickly giving up on resolutions. And part of the problem is we are, as the Internet likes to warn against, comparing our behind the scenes footage to other people's highlight reels.

So my message for 2015 is that if I say not to do some ridiculous mistake on here, it's probably because I've made that mistake. Ok, I've probably made it more than once. I got here by making a lot of errors, and I'll probably make many more. And I bet the same is true of pretty much every other blogger you read.

And your glamorous party blogger will be spending New Year's Eve on the couch eating delivery and getting over a cold.

Party Guest Etiquette: When to Arrive

noreply@blogger.com (The Sasha) — Sat, 29 Nov 2014 20:01:00 +0000

When should you show up for a party? I recently read an article claiming it is always bad to be late, and while I agree about business interactions, I think parties are a bit more nuanced.

Michael Scott shows up when the hostess is still in her robe for a work party in season 3 of the Office

As shown so well by Michael Scott, showing up early to a party can be just as awkward or more than showing up late. Emily Post says never to arrive early, but be close to on time. I am not one to disagree with Emily Post, but I feel it is nuanced based on party.

So, here's a handy guide for when you are unsure.

When to Show Up for Parties:

A Sit Down Dinner Party: Or any other sit down meal. Show up at, or within a few minutes of the start time. A few minutes early may be ok, depending on relationship with hosts. Someone is serving a meal, timing is involved. If you are late you hold everything up and food can get cold. That's rude to everyone.

A Dinner Reservation: Or a brunch, or any other meal. Show up 5-10 minutes early. (If you are the host aim for 15 minutes early). You want the whole group to be there for the start time and to have found each other. At some places you can lose the reservation if not everyone is there within a few minutes of the start time. And at many, nobody can sit until everyone is there. So by running late you make everyone stand around. Not nice.

Train Station Pick-Ups: This is probably a city phenomenon. If you are attending a party where you take the train out somewhere and then get picked up at the train station, try very very hard to be on the recommended train. I just missed a train recently The next one was an hour and a half later. In a party situation this means the host needs to leave to come get you, the straggler, an hour and a half into the party. Or if it's a long drive from party locale to train station, everyone attending has to sit around at the train station waiting for you.

Everything Else: For all other types of parties, including meals that aren't sit-down meals, don't show up early. It is actively inconsiderate, because it doesn't consider the host(s) who planned to have that as getting ready time and are now trying to entertain while doing finishing touches, which can often involve attire touches or taking out trash. Unless you are the kind of friend who has been there when they are getting dressed before and vice versa, don't show up before the start time. I default to not showing up early unless expressly asked to.

And for non meal parties, don't show up within 10 minutes after the start time if you can help it. Give people that buffer to finish getting ready.

You want to show up after the cream puffs are out, but before they are gone.
(Golden Age of Hollywood Party)

...I once showed up for a party with some friends and upon realizing we were slightly early, insisted on circling the block until after the start time to give the hosts a chance to finish setting up, I think to the annoyance of the people I was with.

Of course, there is a certain amount of late that is still rude, but that's a much more complex algorithm. You need to take into account length of gathering, closeness of friendship, social conventions of your group, etc. but as long as you have over an hour until the party officially ends you should be fine. And if it's more than 45 minutes after the start time, it's nice to let the host(s) know you will be late.

As with most etiquette issues, timeliness is a question of making other people as comfortable as possible.

Disagree? Think I'm being a jerk? Let me know!

How to Make a great Facebook Invite, Updated

noreply@blogger.com (The Sasha) — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 17:00:00 +0000

According to my stats, the main way people end up here (besides me asking them too, of course) is by looking for advice on creating a Facebook invite.

Event photo for pi day party. I used the digits of pi and PhotoShop.

I still stand by my almost everything in my original post on how to make a Facebook invite standout.

However, the internet is an ever-moving target, and there are two big changes I'd like to make to what I said before.

Facebook Invite Advice: Addenda

1. Don't just do Facebook.
This may seem like odd advice about a Facebook invite, or out of place. But as people leave or ignore Facebook because of privacy concerns, or just being overwhelmed by content, it's something to keep in mind. I have an email list I keep of people I know don't use Facebook or don't check it enough to see an invite. I learned this lesson the hard way, by realizing a good friend had missed several invitations....whoops. Learn from me, people. If some people never respond, try an email.

The nice thing is you can basically copy and paste your Facebook invite including date and time into an email, and just format it up a bit.

And one did for a Goth costume/dressup gathering. It's busy but shrinks down well.

2. Make an awesome scalable banner for your invite
When I first wrote about Facebook invites, back in the day, when we used to kick it old school, events only had square images. But now the invites have banners, and we have to up our game. Frustratingly, unlike with profiles, you don't get a separate square icon for the event and a banner, so you have to make a banner that looks good at full size and looks good shrunk down in a sidebar.

But because Facebook is so busy, you also want it to be eye catching and fun. While simple. Also, for reference, the banners/event photos are 851 pixels wide and 315 pixels tall.

My solution has been to use simple banners that have either big text or no text. Above is the image I used last year for Pi(e) Day on 3/14, and here it is in the small event page preview:

Censored to protect the innocent.

Mostly, have fun with it.

Kosher for Passover / Gluten Free Marshmallow Pops

noreply@blogger.com (The Sasha) — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 17:32:00 +0000

It's Passover again, the hardest time of year for blog checking. I mean, an important time for gathering with family, rejoicing in our freedom, and keeping in mind those who suffer.

But also, 8 days without bread...cake...cookies...

Kosher for Passover desserts can get a bad rap. Yes, many are gross, but as I've posted before, they don't have to be. The great thing about Kosher for Passover desserts is they are often great gluten free treats, and can multitask like that.

Yours could be much prettier and more professional looking, I bet!

One of my favorites for seeming festive is a chocolate covered marshmallow pop. They are harder than they should be, but tasty and colorful and fun.

Passover Marshmallow Pops
aka Gluten Free Marshmallow Pops
(all ingredients should be marked as Kosher for Passover for this to be kosher, and gluten free for gluten free, so assume that each one is noted as such)
16 marshmallows
1 cup semi sweet chocolate
1/4 teaspoon vegetable oil
rainbow sprinkles
popsicle sticks

You may want to start by brushing excess powder off the outside of your marshmallows.
Melt your chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave and add a small amount of vegetable oil for gloss and ease of dipping.
Stick marshmallows on popsicle sticks, then wrap sticks in foil
Dip each marshmallow into the chocolate and then spin to cover. you may want to use a clean finger or spare marshmallow to spread chocolate more evenly.
Push sticks of covered marshmallows into a foam block. If you are keeping passover you probably have an empty egg carton or two around--they work great. Make sure to leave space between.
After they are partially set, sprinkle generously with rainbow sprinkles.

Keep these in the fridge until dessert, then remove foil from sticks and serve. They are good cold or at just below room temperature, and get messy when too warm.

Enjoy!

Samoa Cake Party

noreply@blogger.com (The Sasha) — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 19:55:00 +0000

It's Girl Scout cookie season! You won't see any Girl Scout cookie knockoff recipes here, as I am a huge fan of the organization and will give them tons of money in exchange for their delicious cookies.

I will, however, make delicious Girl Scout cookie themed food & drinks with my super amazing friend Jeremy.

Samoa cocktail and cake.

I'm a Thin Mints person, but that doesn't stop me from loving Samoas. In the debate of which Girl Scout cookie is best (always an important one) my main vote is the one in front of me.

For a good Samoa party for the over 21 crowd, in addition to cookies, I recommend cake, cocktails, and for those of us with spelling issues, Samosas, and those of us bad at pronunciation, Qunioa (Kee-know-uh?)--or at least thats what we had.

For the cocktail:

Samoa Cocktail Recipe (adapted from Tipsy Bartender)

2 oz. Chocolate Liquor

2 oz. Coconut Rum

1 oz. Amaretto

Drop of Chocolate Syrup

Optional Milk

Melted Chocolate and Toasted Coconut for garnish

Dip rims of glasses into melted chocolate and then lightly toasted coconut. Let set.

Put a drop of chocolate in the bottom of each glass, then shake and pour remaining ingredients.

For the cake, I recommend this amazing and delicious recipe from Betsylife.

Enjoy! (We did)

How to Make Decorative Signs for Parties

noreply@blogger.com (The Sasha) — Fri, 15 Nov 2013 00:01:00 +0000

Keep calm, it's easy to make party signs

I got a comment asking about signs for parties, and have been working on addressing it.

There are two main ways I do this--using graphics programs (PhotoShop or InDesign really) and by hand. The by hand stuff I mostly leave to talented people like Phil or Stella but sometimes make something much less awesome than they make.

Step 1: Get Inspired

For either one, I start with some internet searches for inspiration. Pinterest is great for this, as is Google image search. Sometimes we already have a specific, or very specific, idea in mind, and sometimes we just kind of make things up.

I recently hosted a Dirty Dancing viewing. For sign inspiration there, I searched for Dirty Dancing parties (did you know you can have Dirty Dancing themed bachelorette parties? And Kate Middleton had one? These are Important Life Facts!) and found two great inspiration images:

Inspiration from the defunct Mary Moneymaker on Etsy and 8Ball.co.uk

Step 2: Make It Better

However, while these were great, they weren't quite great enough. For the first sign, while I liked the concept,I wanted something a bit truer to the original Keep Calm and Carry on sign. The second one's big issue is that it was a t-shirt. Perhaps a more dedicated host would have made or purchased "Welcome to Kellerman's" shirts for all the guests. But then how could they adorably dress up in 80's interpretation of 60's style? Really, I was just being considerate. I decided two signs were plenty since it was a viewing party and we'd be watching the tv (or ahem, a laptop when my DVD playing device freaked out.) For more signs, you can repeat a couple over in different locations or adjust them to the location (for example, a giant glittery cocktail above the bar).

Kellerman's sign in the movie as they drive by

Step 3: Draft

Depending on what works for you, in PhotoShop, InDesign, MS Paint, or on a piece of paper if that's your thing, map out what you want to do. At this stage I realized that in order to get an accurate interpretation of the Welcome to Kellerman's sign, I should use a screen capture from the movie. Unfortunately, it is not shown that large in the movie. This is a good time to figure out if your plans are outside your skill set, or just far too ambitious.

Step 4: Make It and Use It

This really depends on what you are comfort level is with different techniques. As mentioned, I am more comfortable making graphics on a computer. If yours is hand crafting and painting elaborate designs, go for it. If it is just downloading images off the internet and printing them, do that--just make sure you aren't using ones for sale or making a profit off the party if the designer doesn't allow that. In this case, feel free to use either of my final images for any parties you want. Clicking on the download link should take you to a paper size downloadable PDF. I would love to hear about your use if you do.

And the final images. For the first, I reinterpreted the original Keep Calm sign with a silhouette of the iconic leap, and made the last part more Dirty Dancing than calm propaganda:

Keep Calm and Carry a Watermelon (download here)

For the second, I spent a ridiculous amount of time in PhotoShop copying the screenshot with tracing, angle adjustments, and some creativity:

Kellerman's Mountain House--Max Kellerman Welcomes You (download here)

Hopefully they worked okay. And remember, nobody puts baby in the corner.

Other People's Parties (You Down with OPP?)

noreply@blogger.com (The Sasha) — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 22:03:00 +0000

So, I get invited to some pretty amazing parties--that's just a small sampling, and I have a great scotch tasting party to tell you about sometime soon.

Me at someone else's party. More on this below.

But sometimes, my friends go to amazing parties and I am not invited. This is because, it turns out, sometimes my friends have other friends I don't even know. And they let a little thing like having no idea who I am stop them from inviting me to their parties.

[side note: In all seriousness I am very understanding of not being invited to every party ever, even those hosted by people I know. To paraphrase a brilliant friend, hearts are big, spaces and budgets often are not.]

But I love hearing about these parties anyway!

And I thought other people might to. So if anyone wants to do a guest post OR be interviewed by me about an awesome party they went to, please let me know.

Sometimes I get invited to the party even though I don't really know the host. One time I got invited to a Halloween/birthday party as a guest of a guest, basically because it was Muppet themed. My friend and I went as Bunsen and Beaker and I won a prize for best Beaker at the party. (There were 3 of us). It was an amazing party, and I did eventually become good friends with the host. But not that night, because I dealt with feeling awkward by talking in character for the first half of the party, so pretty much entirely in meeps. Yup, I am so cool. You wish you were me.

The photo is me as Beaker. Photo by VermilionInk, who I also wasn't friends with yet! Hair expert Ali of Tag Sale Style made my uncooperative hair stand up with most of a bottle of hairspray, an entire bottle of orange hair spray, and 1 million bobby pins.

Getting Inspired--Where to Find Theme Party Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (The Sasha) — Thu, 24 Oct 2013 20:14:00 +0000

One of the questions I most frequently get asked (about parties, not in general) is where I get my party inspiration. (In general I get asked "how are you?" the most. It's usually rhetorical.) I have tried to share some of thought process with inspiration spotting posts, but the real point of those posts is that inspiration is everywhere. Find something cool, and by cool I mean something you like, then find a way to incorporate it into the party.

Death Star lantern via Pinterest and HWTM

Often times, the thing that inspires me will not even end up being the central theme. For example, I threw a fancy cocktail party because I wanted a cocktail party to show off my bar. The inspiration for the Clue party came over a year ago, when my former roommates moved into an apartment with a very large number of rooms--I thought it would be perfect for the rooms of a Clue board.

Maybe you have a new pair of amazing go go boots. Throw a swinging 60s party. Maybe you saw a Death Star hanging lantern tutorial on Pinterest. Throw a Star Wars party. Maybe you have too much gin leftover from a twenties party. Throw a James Bond party with shaken martinis. The trick is to use the party as an excuse for something you want to do anyway, or center it around something you are already excited about.

You can also jot down party ideas when they strike you. Then the next time a party occasion rolls around, you can see that hey, you were thinking of throwing a howl at the moon party because you saw a great mooncake recipe.

Or, um, you can come to my blog and do ideas I've already done. That works too. I won't even tell on you. (Although I would love to hear about them).

Getting Ready for a Theme Party (Part 2 of 2)

noreply@blogger.com (The Sasha) — Fri, 18 Oct 2013 19:44:00 +0000

The other part of party prep—getting the actual things for the party ready. (To see part 1, how I get my home ready, click here). This has come up in conversation a few times recently, and I realized I had never actually blogged about it.

As you may have gathered, I like having plans for my parties. So I have, over time, adopted a three part system for getting things done for parties.

How to prep for a theme party

1. Things which absolutely have to be done for the party to happen.

This includes things like inviting people, having a space for people to be for the party, and if it is a dinner party having at least one entrée, or if it is a cocktail party at least one drink (type of drink. Not just one drink. Unless it's an "I had a bad day" cocktail party for one.) To me this also includes the base level of cleaning of the room the party will be in.

2. Things which really should be done for the party to be a good party/have a theme.

This includes things like more than one type of food, the base elements of the theme (like room signs for at least one room for the Clue party), a playlist (unless it is a dance party, in which case this goes under #1), thorough cleaning. Okay, really the cleaning is going to go into categories based on how messy your place is normally, if it is at your place, and how much you worry about how clean it is when people come over. Or just follow my overly elaborate cleaning plan (see above). Signature drinks often go in this category.

3. Things which would be nice if they happen

Cute food signs often go in this category, as well as pretty food arranging, extra décor, a fancy dip which takes a bit of time. I don't think I have ever done all the things in this category, but I get a variable amount done. I often put food signs here because people can always ask, and because by stage 3 the food should be done so I know what foods there will be.

A lot of these things, as you can seem, shift categories based on what kind of party it is. The trick is to divide the tasks up beforehand, so that you aren't wasting time making cute foods and then realize you forgot to hang up the thematic birthday banner (this may have happened to me before). Prioritize what you care about, but think about your guests first. Don't do something from 3 before 1. And of course, anything you can do a bit ahead, even weeks ahead, go for it.

How to Get Ready for a Party (Part 1 of 2)

noreply@blogger.com (The Sasha) — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 17:33:00 +0000

xkcd.com, which is wrong about liberal arts but right about mess

I really like systems for things and organization. This is usually more the kind of thing that comes up with work than play, but as you've probably figured out by the very existence of this blog, I like systems for parties too. One I've been working on for a while is how to get my home ready for a party (which is a different system then my system for prepping party elements, which I will explain next time). I get stressed out if certain tasks are not done when people arrive, so I have started trying to do as many of those as possible long before people arrive, even days before.

First, figure out at least 3 days you can devote a minimum of an hour to getting your place ready. The basic idea is to start with the big and maybe unnecessary projects. For example, those shelves you've been meaning to hang, that big stack of mail to go through, deep cleaning under your bed, or whatever it is for you. Don't try to do these things the day of the party, because you'll often find yourself with dust on the floor, stacks of mail around you, or everything from your bedroom in the living room as the first guest arrives early. That can be stressful and awkward. If you don't have time to do it until the day of, maybe wait until next time. The shelves can wait, you can stack the papers neatly out if the way, and nobody who looks under your bed during a party is someone whose opinion you need to worry about.

Next, handle the cleaning projects that might take a while. If you have a big backlog of laundry or dishes, do them in advance, even though more will stack up before the party. That way you will have only a small amount of dishes to do before the party or an amount of laundry that can be neat in a hamper (and if you are self-conscious and have an open hamper, throw a towel on top). If you have no hamper or laundry bag and don't want your clothing on the floor, go buy a hamper. Again, you don't want to be folding laundry with a pile of underwear in front of you when people arrive. And dishes can just take a while.

The next part varies a lot on if you live with people, have a professional cleaner, etc, but I have been trying to do any serious cleaning in advance, like, scrubbing the stove, cleaning the toilet, and so on. This is ideally the day before the party. If you are making food that can be made a day or so in advance, I would cook then clean.

Finally, the day of the party, I tidy up and put anything away that’s gotten out, wipe things down quickly that got slightly dirty, make the bed, things like that. I also, because I am unreasonable, tend to put away things like my toothbrush so that the sink area is mostly clear, and in the kitchen the dish soap if I think I won’t need it. I like to make these spaces look like guest spaces, especially since my kitchen and living room share a space. You may not be concerned that people will, heaven forbid, know you brush your teeth, but maybe you have an equivalent.

Here’s a sample timeline for a Saturday given my schedule, standards of neatness, living situation, and lack of cleaner.

Party Prep Timeline for Cleaning

* Tuesday: Make sure laundry is all put away, dishwasher is emptied and ready for dirty dishes, and random projects. There were a few things that didn’t find places since we moved, so I found places for most of them.

* Thursday: Clean bathroom and kitchen, Roomba.

* Friday: After food prep, wipe down kitchen, clean any random things about, hide things like stack of papers that needs filing. Because I totally will not get all that filed before the party.

* Saturday: Vacuum to remove allergens, make bed, hide toothbrush like a totally normal person, wipe things down. Take out trash and recycling.

During the party I do sweeps for trash periodically, (I also check if anything needs refilling, like the chips). Hopefully food last until the end of the party, or towards the end, when I clear and rinse dishes quickly. I always try to restore the apartment to its pre-party state as much as possible before going to bed, so that I don’t have to deal with it the next day, especially if anyone is staying over, and so if anyone I live with gets up before me they are greeted by a home cleaner than usual and in its rightful order. It’s also a good time to eat leftover foods because, that’s an important cleaning job.

So there you have it, more than you ever needed to know.

Clue Party

noreply@blogger.com (The Sasha) — Wed, 07 Aug 2013 16:54:00 +0000

This past weekend I helped host a Clue party with my former roommates. Now that the last combination of us are going to stop living together in September, we may need a new name for the four of us. Or maybe we can just keep calling each other roommates (including the two of us who never actually lived together). The four of us have teamed up really well in the past, as with the masquerade party, so we were determined to throw a party together.

The Conservatory. Sign by Phil.

With me long distance, one person travelling, one person doing residency on a night shift, and one person prepping for comps there was not a lot of time available to get together before the party. We did our theme picking, invite designing, menu, and prop planning remotely and left our drinks expert entirely in charge of the drinks.

Drink recipe cards in the style of Clue cards by David Berliner

I contributed by helping brainstorming menu and making food signs and made actual food with the amazing Christina when I arrived. Christina managed to make the eggs blue on the outside! I also got to help a bit with the room signs, but real credit for those goes to Phil.

Black and White cookies, Plum Relish, Peacock deviled eggs shown. We also had Red Herrings (aka Swedish Fish)

It was definitely a team effort (including extra help from David's wonderful girlfriend Kate), and we got a lot of compliments, so I feel pretty good about the results. One of the best parts was instead of having one photobooth we created room scene spots in each room of the party where characters could pose with weapons (or each other) in true Clue fashion.

Mrs. White with the rope in the Lounge. Photo by David Berliner

How to Save on Paper Goods (and Stay Green)

noreply@blogger.com (The Sasha) — Thu, 01 Aug 2013 16:00:00 +0000

Almost every time you throw a party, you find yourself buying more disposable paper goods. Ok, so, every time *I* throw a party, *I* do. While paper goods can be a great way to enhance a theme with patterns or colors, they can also add up in cost, and are not so environmentally friendly. They also add to your cleanup when they get left about during the party.

Here are a few ways I have been trying to stay clean, green, and cheap with paper goods for parties.

The Three Rs of Paper Goods (borrowed from recycling)

1. Reduce: The classic and most important way to be green, and also the most budget friendly. By serving individually and bite-sized foods, you avoid the need to buy forks, spoons, and knives. Instead of a quiche, try mini quiche. Instead of a cake, cupcakes. Almost any party food can be turned bite-sized. For bite size cupcakes, skip the cupcake papers, and maybe add a bit of food coloring or sprinkles to the cupcake for fun looks without the waste. If all your foods are small and easily eaten finger foods, you can also skip plates and just have napkins do double duty.

2. Repurpose: There is no reason you can't just use a regular plate instead of a disposable party tray. Use food arrangement to make it look festive. Put some grapes on your regular cutting board along with a few cheeses and knives and it's a cheese tray. Take that basket you got for Easter, line it with a (cloth) napkin, and fill it with food. In my household we order a lot of delivery, and only a few places let you opt out of the plasticware. I've been trying to use real utensils instead and saving that plasticware for the parties that DO require utensils.

3. Re-use: Nobody is going to remember that those green napkins you are using for your cocktail party on your green colored bar are the same green napkins you had with pink and blue at a Powerpuff Girls Party a year ago, to use a completely hypothetical example. Keep leftovers for future parties. And if you throw parties regularly, you may want to buy some non-disposable serving dishes to use again and again, like my pitchers and cakes stands I use all the time. Try for neutrals of these, and then use garnishes or frills to help them match the theme.

These little tricks can help your wallet and the planet, especially if you, ahem, throw multiple parties a year. Like some weird people do.

How to stock a bar for a cocktail party (cheaply)

noreply@blogger.com (The Sasha) — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:39:00 +0000

Photo by Ali of Tag Sale Style

This past weekend I had a cocktail party, and wanted to have a fairly open bar. I decided to make a pre-mixed pitcher of a mocktail and a cocktail for those who wanted a drink made for them, and then have a nice variety of alcohol and mixers. I went to my trusted internet for guidance on what to get to ensure a good mix and enough supplies.

Now, I tend to be an over-buyer. And yet, I was blown away by how much the internet wanted me to buy for a 5 hour party with about 25 people. Short answer: way too much. Go ahead and search if you want. Then disregard that.

I decided to buy way less than what they said, on the theory that, hey, there's a bodega with soda and juice two blocks away and I could always run there or send someone there. The only thing I ran out of was Ginger Ale, and I had too much Coke (as in an entire unopened two liter bottle, plus most of another bottle.) I also should have gotten some beer. Your mileage, of course, may vary. If you know your friends like a specific type of booze, mixer, or mix drink plan accordingly. I know, for example, that the same friends who don't drink straight alcohol and might not want to mix their own drinks are the ones who like fruity, non-bitter drinks. I made a punch accordingly.

All that said, and with adjustments per social group, here's what I recommend stocking your bar with for a 25 person cocktail party for 4 or 5 hours. It's a lot less than the rest of the internet says, and I'd love to hear what your adjustments would be to optimize this list going forward.

Cocktail Party Stock (on the cheap)

Mixers:

1 1/2 gallon/1 carton Orange Juice

1 1/2 gallon/1 bottle Cranberry Juice

2 2 liter Ginger Ale

1 2 liter Coke (or other brand cola)

2 2 liter Diet Coke (or other brand)

2 2 liter Sprite (or other brand)

2 1 liter Tonic Water

2 2 liter Seltzer (I am guessing here, I have a seltzer maker and made as needed)

Garnish:

1 lemon

2 limes

1 jar maraschino cherries

1 jar olives

mint leaves, the smallest amount you can buy

Booze:

My advice--use mostly what you have on hand, unless you own nothing. We had a bunch of random things from previous specific cocktails like Blue Curacao, Peach Schnapps, etc.

Make sure you at least one bottle of:

Gin

Vodka

Rum

Tequila

Vermouth

Whisk(e)y

Other than that, buy based on what your friends drink, if you know. And otherwise, buy based on what *you* like, so that if there are leftovers, you can enjoy them. Or if you don't drink, buy smaller amounts and know where the nearest open liquor store is and a sober person who can get there

Impromptu Party

noreply@blogger.com (The Sasha) — Fri, 10 May 2013 19:19:00 +0000

Jeremy grills while I admire the delicious squash.

I recently had a birthday, and my original plans fell through. My birthday was on a weekend and it was a gorgeous day, so I decided to invite my grilling friend Jeremy (and his roommate) over to grill, and ask my friend Emily to come since she'd been meaning to check out the hot tub while we live in a building with a hot tub. Hot tubs are amazing.

I wasn't really thinking of it as a birthday gathering. We were low on time since Jeremy has somewhere to be later in the afternoon, so we went minimal with the shopping and also bought food that was grill ready (pre marinated veggie meat, pre-cut pineapple and pound cake, and Emily marinated veggies before bringing them so they were ready to go when she arrived.)

It turned out to be a rather perfect birthday party though! My friends brought cake and cupcake and candles and we had an awesome time.

As you may have gathered, I often spend a lot of time planning parties. I put a lot of effort into prep. But I have had highly planned events go awry, and it is good to remember that all one really needs is tasty food (which can be cheap and/or pre-made!), excellent friends, and good conversation. That is what the parties are all about. And honestly you could probably pull it off without the tasty food.

Awesome Picnic Parties

noreply@blogger.com (The Sasha) — Wed, 01 May 2013 20:17:00 +0000

This weekend will be my friend Stella of The Art of Inclusion's second annual things-inside-things picnic, because nothing says delicious like food stuffed in other food, or food filled with food.

Stella knows how to throw one killer picnic party.

Here are ways Stella made her picnic last year awesome (and will make it awesome again this year.)

Deviled Eggs from last year. Egg inside Egg! Amazing!

5 ways to make a picnic awesome:

1. Pick a location carefully. Stella picked a great spot in Central Park. (Pro Tip:when planning a picnic it helps to have one of the most famous and awesome parks in the world right there.) The short walking distance meant her apartment could be a rain site, and that she could bring Guy, her incredibly cute and well-behaved dog. She also picked a spot that was a short wall from a subway entrance and easy to find. Finally, it had convenient benches so we did not need to worry about blanket quantity. (The location also had an awesome name: Nutter's Battery)

2. Make a map. Unless your picnic is in a backyard or a spot you always go to with this exact group of people, make a map of where to go and make it as clear as possible. Even if you all plan to walk over to a spot together, someone will be late. Nutter's Battery was pretty easy to find, but a map was still key to me not getting lost. I get lost really easily.

3. Have awesome picnic equipment. If you are using blankets, bring something waterproof to put under them or waterproofed ones and bring extras. Stella has an amazing assemble-able table that works perfectly for the paved space at Nutter's Battery.

4.Plan Food. Stella has people mention what they will bring. Even if not everyone plans their contribution in advance, this at least gives a general idea so people know what there is need for (more sweet, more savory, more light, more filling, more drinks...you get the idea) and the host in particular can be sure to provide balance.

5. Stop when the raccoons show up. Last year actual raccoons showed up [side note, why does my spell check know raccoon but not raccoons? Is raccoons not really the correct plural?]. But this could be metaphorical raccoons. Stop when it gets cold, dark, or otherwise not so fun to be in a park.

(For more advice on Fancy Picnics, check out this awesome posts on outdoor garlands on Apartment Therapy.)

Picnic Party Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (The Sasha) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 20:04:00 +0000

Picnic Cup for me from the wonderful Sarah Brown.

Now that it's warm again, at least briefly, it's time to think about picnic parties. Last year I went to some wonderful picnic parties, which included the ubiquitous red cups, customized, single use outdoor mini grills for grilling in parks, more watermelon sharks, filled with booze, and picnics to correspond with awesome outdoor events. There are maybe as many kinds of picnic parties as indoor parties. What are some of the best features of ones you've attended?

Next week I will post a list of helpful park picnic strategies inspired by my friend Stella, and suggestions would be great!

Boston

noreply@blogger.com (The Sasha) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 22:46:00 +0000

Boston was my home for two years and I have wonderful family, friends, family that feels like friends and friends that feel like family in the area. So far I have heard from almost all of them. I am continuing to monitor the news and their updates.

I've rescheduled this week's party post.

Flourless Chocolate Cake for any kind of day

noreply@blogger.com (The Sasha) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 19:03:00 +0000

There have been so many Days recently! Pi Day, Match Day, St. Patrick's Day, April Fool's Day. And also religious days like Passover and Easter. Lots of reasons to throw a fantastic gathering.

Passover desserts, all gluten-free, with pretty candles. Photo by Jeremy Weinberger.

And if you do, this flourless chocolate cake could be perfect. It's Passover friendly but actually tastes delicious. It is round for Pi day. It is chocolate, to celebrate a good match for a med student or commiserate a bad one. It helps soak up the booze on St. Patrick's Day ( or you could too it with a Bailey's whipped cream..,) and it makes an excellent gluten-free option for any special occasion, again, without tasting gross.

Last year I made it for Passover, and this year the awesome Jannette made it. I'll be honest, it was awesome both times but Jannette's was probably better. And someone else making it meant I could take this process video of the really mouthwatering chcocolate:

Flourless Chocolate Cake (via Food Network)
16 oz bittersweet chocolate chips (you can weigh or estimate)
1 stick unsalted butter
9 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan.

Separate the eggs.

Melt the chocolate--you can use a double boiler, a metal bowl over water in a pot, or 30 second microwaving bursts. Stir.

Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar in a mixing bowl until light yellow in color.

Whisk a little of the chocolate mixture into the egg yolk mixture slowly, then whisk in the rest of the chocolate mixture. (This is the step show above)

Beat the egg whites in a mixing bowl with a hand mixer (or, if you are very strong, by hand) until stiff peaks form

Fold the egg whites into the chocolate yolk mixture, careful not to over-mix.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake until the cake is set, the top starts to crack and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out with moist crumbs clinging to it.

The original recipe says 20-25 minutes, but this is nowhere near right. It's more like an hour or so.

If you want, dust with confectioners sugar, and serve with whipped cream.

How to host a clothing swap party

noreply@blogger.com (The Sasha) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 16:40:00 +0000

A few years back now, some friends and I started doing clothing swaps. The first swap we did was just three of us, and was made up of a massive amount of clothing we had all gathered over years.

Shea Cat knows it's important to score some good booty. (Pirate bag at swap, photo by Lisa.)

These days my friends and I aim to have a swap every 6 months to a year to clean out and refresh our wardrobes. Some of my best clothing has come from these swaps, and they are a good motivator to reduce my wardrobe of clothing that either doesn't fit or for whatever reason I don't actually want to wear. They are also, of course, a wonderful chance to socialize.

Here are a few rules we have developed over the years:

1. No "one in one out" or points at swaps. In my experience we tend to have two categories of people, people doing a clean out and people trying to build wardrobes. The former don't want to go home with too much, and the latter might have less to bring. Of course in some instances one might be both, as when I was trading in a lot of jeans and skirts for a more work appropriate wardrobe. So just let people bring what they want and take what they want.

2. One person at a time. If you are hosting a larger swap it is often easiest to have the first few people put everything out, arranged by categories, then have one person at a time put clothing out after that to give everyone a chance to see everything.

3. Plan food. It's hard to eat while swapping, so make a plan to eat before or after and have limited snacks.

4. Plan what to do with leftovers. Know where they are being donated (you're donating them, right?) and how they will get there. Make sure the place is accepting clothing donations, that everything is on a condition to be donated, and that you have a plan to get everything there.

5. Have fun! It's a party after all.

1950s party inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (The Sasha) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 18:30:00 +0000

Apron by Carolyn West of Carolyn's Kitchen

My favorite apron, by Carolyn West (and available here) has been in storage while I moved around for a few years. I finally, finally unpacked all my stored items recently and realized this apron would be great inspiration for a colorful 1950s party. Here are a few ideas inspired by this adorable apron design:


1. Food sign from To Be Consumed. 2. Decor inspiration from Ms. Retro -- print or make cute 50's signs. 3. Bing Your Praises Dress from Mod Cloth; necessary. 4. Rory Gilmore inspiring us to go all out with a 50's housewife theme (from episode "That Damn Donna Reed") 5. Pop Art decor and cookies from Amy Atlas.

And of course, one can always follow Jannette's lead and make aspic.

What great 1950s ideas have you guys employed in your party throwing?

1000 Blank White Cards Gathering

noreply@blogger.com (The Sasha) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 19:02:00 +0000

My friends Emily (of Listing to the Side) and Chris have a tendency to host Valentine's Day gatherings that are themed and friendly to people on their own and with partners, because Chris and Emily are excellent and inclusive people. In the past I have been unable to attend these gatherings because I was out if town, had plans with the (now) husband, or both. This year I was in town and we'd done our date earlier in the week for logistical reasons so I was able to attend. The evening was focused around the game A Thousand Blank White Cards (and also pizza.)

A thousand blank white cards. Give or take. Also colored pencils and pens.

For those unfamiliar with the game, the idea is to take a large number of blank cards and hand them out. The players/participants create cards. Since Chris and Emily (especially Emily) have played quite a few times over the years, they have a large stockpile of awesome cards created for previous games. To create the deck we used 5 cards per player from that stash, 5 each player created upon arrival, and 5 blanks. These 15 cards a person were then shuffled together and hands were dealt out. More information on playing the game can be found here, but really you want to customize based on group/temperaments.

Dis Card was really amusing to me. Some people like puns, sometimes. Card by Scott of textuality.org

Because of the holiday, there were several affection themed cards, most of which involved complimenting other players. There were also quite a few dancing themed cards. The nature of the game varies wildly depending on the group--some groups aim for something strongly resembling a game with rules and mechanics. Some create a game resembling truth or dare. This group tends towards a mix of absurdist and performance cards. The brilliance of the game is that it adapts to suit the people involved. It's a great party activity for any holiday or time of year as well.

Good Times indeed. Name a song card by Clio (whose tumblr is here)

Chris and Emily did a fantastic job hosting not just by organizing but also by providing many colors of pens, pencils, and markers in two mugs so everyone had easy access, pizza, and drinks. These are all things I highly recommend to anyone wanting to host a good game of A Thousand Blank White Cards. They also have really fun and clever and wonderful friends, which makes any gathering better.

Have you ever played 1,000 Blank White Cards? If so, what were some memorable cards?

Hot Chocolate Party

noreply@blogger.com (The Sasha) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 19:17:00 +0000

I love winter. Even lately, with the freezing temperatures, lack of daylight, and icy winds. I find it is easier to bundle up further and add more blankets than deal with extreme heat, at least for me. And I love sweaters and snow and icicles and fires and hot chocolate. Which is why I am very glad that my friend Jeremy, whose birthday is in January, has decided to celebrate his birthday with ice skating and hot chocolate. He's done it two years in a row now, which makes it a tradition?

Jeremy with the hot chocolate

I skip the ice skating part not because of a fear of the cold so much as a lack of coordination that could prove deadly to myself or others when ice and skating blades are involved. Unfortunately this year the ice skating was cancelled for everyone due to hockey AND nobody warned me so I did not bring my Cutting Edge DVD.

Fortunately the hot chocolate was STILL ON. woo! Hot chocolate. There was also very delicious hummingbird cake. And vegetarian chili with fixings, cookies, and chips and dip. An ideal winter spread. Jeremy opted for hummingbird cake on the theory that it would be a nice balance to the rich chocolaty beverage and he was very correct.

Jeremy's cake

He used a Mexican Hot Chocolate recipe adapted from Rachel Ray

Jeremy's Delicious Mexican Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

1 gallon whole milk
4 cups water
1 and a half pounds semi-sweet chocolate chips
half a pound milk chocolate chips
8 tablespoons sugar
8 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoon chile powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine all the ingredients in a large pot a over medium heat, whisking constantly, until hot but not boiling. According to Jeremy, it took at least 45 minutes of whisking to get everything up to temperature. He reccomends making it in batches of no more than half a gallon for parties for ease, which he did not do this time.
Whether you love or hate winter I think just about all of us can agree that a hot chocolate party is a good idea.

Be Our Guest--How to dress for a theme

noreply@blogger.com (The Sasha) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 15:22:00 +0000

Photo on right of me as Beanie Baby by Emily, with bonus Popple ears(?)

So Jannette was an amazing host for her Out of Time party, but she also had amazing guests who really embraced the theme. There was a hanging chad costume, the aforementioned Popple, and Jannette's own costume was EPIC--the Pretty in Pink dress.

Part of throwing a good party is having guests embrace the theme. When you see a room full of people dressed as forgotten pop culture, movie stars, or 1920s guys and dolls it tells at least as much of the story as food, music, or decor does. In a way people are the greatest decor. Not to objectify you all, but basically I see you as objects. Seriously though, you can't have a party without any guests, and if the guests are on theme then the party is.

So as a guest, do what you can. Plan ahead, find something fun for you to wear that goes along at least a bit, maybe borrow something. I also keep a stash of costume parts (including cat ears and a tail, which I used to build my Beanie Baby costume)

As a host, my friend and frequent co-host Phil and I have developed a system of having extra costume available, from a stash of boas and hats to a mask making station at the party.

My friend Emily the ever-prepared grows her hair up to a year in advance for costumes. I once shaved half my head to be Delirium from Sandman. Please feel free to share and suggest awesome costume things you have done.

Out of Time Costume Party

noreply@blogger.com (The Sasha) — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 15:27:00 +0000

As I mentioned in my hurricane post, my awesome friend Jannette (of the Superbowl party) planned a Halloween party based on asynchronousness which was delayed due to Sandy. On the bright side, the brilliant part of asynchronous Halloween parties is they work even BETTER if it isn't even Halloween. So at a point in time that was not at all Halloween she threw her cleverly titled "Out of Time" party.

Bobbing for apples, cheese and olive appetizers

She suggested people dress as cultural references that were no longer relevant. I almost went as Pat Benatar because I have the right hair but decided that while nobody dresses like her anymore, her music is still entirely topical. Love is a Battlefield is a timeless message. So I decided, rather last minute, to dress as a Beanie Baby. There was also someone dressed as a Popple! And the board game Headache, so we had an excellent anachronistic toy store thing going on.

The snacks, done retro and right. Classic punch with ice ring, crudites with Hustle Cat!

The party featured a playlist of yesterday's hits, largely forgotten one-hit wonders, outdated snacks and candies, and a genuine 90s high school yearbook. There was also a goodie bag! With a mix CD! (I once wrote a paper based on the art of making a good mix CD in college, citing Nick Hornby among others. You wish you were me.)

Also, more parties for adults should have goodie bags! Friends, take note!

(
This is the ENTIRE Out of Time album. Thank you internet)