Alright, it seems like I start off every post with "It's been a long time since my last post..." so let's just assume that and get to the good stuff! :)

HUBBY HOTNESS' BIRTHDAY!

We sure are a lucky family to have him! SO BLESSED! So we went to the Texas Renaissance Festival (one of my FAVORITES!) earlier this month, and there was someone dressed up like the Wild Thing. HH's mother used to call him that growing up, so I had to have a picture.

I used this theme for the invites and cake for his special day.

For dinner I made my empanadas. Not original, but HH LOVES them! Some of you asked for the recipe. Check out the link, and let me know how it goes. (Ellice-no tequila in mine! hahaha)

MAX Cake! :)
For inspiration I used a combination of ideas from Party Perfect and Armelle. Thank you!

It was a fun evening. Love you HH!

OSCARS!

So one of my ALL TIME favorite parties to throw is my annual Oscar Gathering. I did this for a few years in a row before I had children and took a bit of a sabbatical- a SIX year sabbatical to be exact. I was going to start again this year and even had most of my invites out, but life throws you some curve balls and it was not meant to be. Here is what I had planned for Sunday:

Invitations: I used Avatar as my inspiration this year. It was nominated for:

Best Art Direction -- Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg and Kim Sinclair
Best Cinematography --Mauro Fiore
Best Director -- James Cameron
Best Film Editing -- Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
Best Original Score -- James Horner
Best Picture
Best Sound Editing -- Christopher Boyle and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
Best Sound Mixing -- Christopher Boyles, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
Best Visual Effects -- Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham, Andrew R. Jones

I found some cute little plants that were kind of willowy looking like the Tree of Souls in the movie and spray painted them with white marking spray (the kind used for football fields.)

Then I wrapped the pots in a yarn I found at Wal-mart that was fuzzy and has those hyper colors of purple, fuchsia, blues & greens.

Then I created this cover on card stock, sprayed it with glitter body paint, and attached the actual invite behind it.


Red Carpet Entrance:


I've actually never done this before, so I was excited to do it-albeit on a much smaller scale. Next year! Here's the tutorial I was using at Celebrations.com.

Paparazzi Booth:

So CUTE! Found on 2000dollarwedding.com.

Games: Everyone has to pick a celebrity and write that celebrity's initials on a gold star they receive. They also get 5 safety pins. Then you go around and ask people questions to try and guess who their celebrity is. If you get it right, the celebrity owner gives you a safety pin. Whoever has the most pins at the end wins a prize. I was going to be:

Sigourney Weaver.
I LOVE the Aliens movies, and she was fun in Avatar.

We also were going to have "poison-dipped" arrows (paintballs) for a bit of an Avatar show.


Children's Games/Crafts/Decor: Princess & the Frog - Hide & Go Frog Seek - Hide a bunch of frogs & let the kids go for it.

Princess & the Frog is nominated for:

Best Animated Feature	Ron Clements and John Musker
Best Original Song	Randy Newman ("Almost There")
	Randy Newman ("Down in New Orleans")

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - decorate pretzel wands. Harry's nominated for Best Cinematography.



Up - Have helium balloons tied to small doll houses (that the my girls have in their toy collection).
Up is nominated for: Best Picture (Awesome!) & Best Animated Feature.


Ballots & prizes: I was in the process of creating a nominees video that we would loop through during the pre-awards show. Here's The Young Victoria. I really enjoyed this film! It's nominated for:

• Best Art Direction
• Best Costume Design
• Best Makeup

Here's the link to the official ballot page: http://oscar.go.com/media/2010/pdf/OSCAR_BALLOT.pdf

For prizes I've always had the same thing, and I think people like it. Gift cards to the movies, gift cards to Blockbuster & gift cards to Barnes & Nobles. (All movies start with a story.)

Food: We always do a potluck. I give everyone a fun theme when I create the invites, and this year it was "What Wolfgang would create for the Governor's Ball." YUMMY! But as you can see the main course is deceivingly simple, so I was going to do a crock pot version. (Which is nice for me when I'm the hostess and don't want to worry about food during the actual party.) I was also going to buy some chocolate truffles.

Last but not least: FAVORS! I found these on Bakerella.com. She is incredible!


I was so excited about these that I think I'm still going to make them and give them out to those invited.

Well, that's it! Fun to plan. Will be fun to execute next year. Feel free to use any of these ideas for yourselves!

Hollywood HoustonW

NICOLAI'S BIRTHDAY!

Last week was Hubby Hotness' Birthday!

Since he's a pretty low-key fella, I try not to embarrass him too much. Birthday gatherings for him are usually about the food and presents. I had sent out an evite the week before. Now don't get me wrong, I love handmade, creative invitations, but I am also an ARDENT fan of the evite! They are just so perfect for really large gatherings.

 

The girls decided we had to have a steak cake for him. More on this below.

We made a weekend out of it for him:

Friday (his actual birthday): Birthday presents were awaiting him on the table (IBC Cream Soda, pepperoni sticks, a singing birthday card) when he woke up, along with a birthday banner. Also, an IOU for this:

If it were up to me I would have gotten him an IPhone, but I suppose I should let him pick out his own phone for his birthday!

Then he got breakfast made by our daughter and I. That night we went to the South Texas Maize. So fun! Here are some of their pics:

 

and my girls' favorite thing there:

This crazy bouncing pillow they bury in the ground!

Saturday, we had family & Church events, but Hubby Hotness did manage to sneak off to get that phone. A funny story about that: that night we were going to dinner at my Dad's to see my Uncle Kent. We were on our way when HH's phone rang for the first time since he bought it. He picked it up and stared at it for A LONG TIME. Finally I asked, "Why aren't you answering it?"  A quiet pause....followed by..."I don't know how."  HAHAHAHAHAH 

Sunday, we had his big party. Food, folks & fun:

EMPANADAS - you can't go wrong with these and one of HH's favorite foods.

Here's my recipe:

MEAT FILLING
-1 small onion
-5 lbs. ground beef (not lean, you need some of the juices)
-tomatoes. You can use fresh or diced (2-14 oz cans).
-6 hard boiled eggs, chopped
-green olives (5 oz/sliced)
-Cumin, salt & pepper to taste
-Empanada discos (dough circles) can be found at international stores. They come in packages of 10 or 20. Thaw them out before using them.
-Dice onion & saute w/olive oil.
-Add ground beef and slow cook on medium until browned.
-When the ground beef is almost done, add diced tomatoes, eggs & olives.
-Add seasonings.
-Cook until fully done.

ASSEMBLING
-Lay out your disco on a light dust of flour. Have a cup of water on hand. -Dip your finger in the water and wet the outer rim of the disco. Place a spoonful of meat filling in the middle. Fold the top half over the bottom and press down the edge. You can either fold over the edge on top of itself or use a fork to press the edge down. It will make a decorative edge in the process. (This probably sounds confusing. I can send you a picture if you'd like.)

EGG COATING
-Whisk one egg and brush the tops of the empanadas for color and moisture. Use more eggs if needed.

Bake at 450 for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

(makes 65-80 empanadas, depending on how much you stuff them. HALVE the recipe if you need to.)

 

FABADA - Spanish Asturian stew/soup - SO FANTASTIC! We first had this when we traveled to the Asturias in 2008. It was some of the yummiest food I'd ever had. The locals make it with blood sausage though, and I just couldn't bring myself to do that. I used the recipe from The Hungry Cyclist.  It was easy, and I'm not a great cook, so that means something.

This recipes serves four hungry cyclists...

• 500g of Asturian fabes (dry broad beans)
• 2 Asturian blood puddings/black pudding will do
• 2 or 3 threads of saffron
• 50g of ham chopped into small cubes
• 2 Asturian cooking chorizo chopped into slices 
• 200g of bacon, diced 
• a good glug of olive oil
• paprika
• salt
• parsley 

1. First you need to soak your fabes in cold water for eight hours. if you are using fresh beans you only need do this for an hour or two.

2. Drain your fabes and put in a large, shallow pot and cover with two inches of fresh water. Cook until they come to the boil making sure to skim any scum that gathers on the surface.

3. Heat your oil in a pan then add it to the pot. Add the saffron too.  Add the bacon and ham, trying to make sure that they go to the bottom, in order not to break the fabes during the cooking process. Leave them to cook for about five minutes with the lid on than skim once again.

4. Now add the chorizo and black pudding.  Boil for another five minutes still skimming any nasty scum that comes to the surface again. 

5. Now all the ingredients are in the pot you can relax.  Over a low heat with the lid on cook for about 2 or 3 hours. Have a glass of tinto and check the pot every now and then to make sure the fabes are covered with water at all times. If the sausage and black pudding poke above the surface it doesn't matter. 

6. Locals in Asturias will top up the pot with cold water, which they claim gives the beans a firmer texture. They will also shake the pot in order to avoid any sticking to the bottom. 

7. Once the beans are tender let the fabada stand for 10 minutes so the stew thickens and then serve garnished with chopped parsley and wash down with plenty of Asturain cider. 

I love the way the Argies & Spaniards eat their salad. Simple with some olive oil & vinegar.

Here are some lovely people:

 

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICOLAI!

PS. Don't forget that cake! 

A rib eye steak. I should have gotten a shot of the inside: red velvet.

PSS. A couple of other recipes because you asked:

Tortilla chip, soy milk cornbread

WHAT?! You're asking? Well, Hubby Hotness is lactose intolerant, so I subbed the milk for regular soy, but then I realized too late (like after the craving had hit) that I had no cornmeal. Like I've stated before, I'm not a genius in the kitchen, so I Googled "cornmeal substitute," but seriously, how can you substitute CORNMEAL IN CORNBREAD? Until I saw that someone had actually used tortilla chips, smashed into the tiniest pieces. HH LOVED it! I used this recipe from Allrecipes.com.

Golden Sweet Cornbread

Prep Time:
10 Min 

Cook Time:
25 Min

Ready In:
35 Min

Original Recipe Yield 1 - 9 inch round pan

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray or lightly grease a 9 inch round cake pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder. Stir in egg, milk and vegetable oil until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Potato Peel Pie

For real! It was GOOD!   

I belong to this darling book club, started by my super, cute friend Grigg-so named for the adorable character from The Jane Austen Book Club. Check out her blog: http://lifefrosting.blogspot.com/.  Last month, we read this book, and I wasn't able to go. I repented of this great sin, and brought this last night. Here's the recipe I used from cookeatshare:

Prep time: 30 Minutes	British
Cook time: 35 Minutes	Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups raw, grated potato skins (I added some of the white part to keep the texture somewhat tender), use mashed potatoes for filling
• 1/3 cup grated onion
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 Tbs flour
• beetroot
• sour cream (optional)
• chives (optional)
• butter (optional)
• garlic (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a small pie plate. Mix grated potato peels with egg, onion and flour. 

Press the mixture into the pie plate and up the sides to form a crust. Bake crust for 20-25 minutes. While the crust is baking, cook potatoes, drain and mash. You can add your favorite mashed potato flavorings here i.e. garlic, onion, milk, butter, salt, etc. Fill crust with mashed potatoes and sprinkle with beetroot. Bake in oven at lower temperature of 375 for 10 minutes or until browned.

Whew! Sorry for the long post. Hope you enjoyed it! 

(And Ellice, how is it that I somehow became a member of the former Bunco group without you being there? That is laughable and sad at the same time!)

Starting Out with Sleeping Beauty

So the title for this blog comes from my dear friend Gail who often comments to me that I'm "all about the party." It's just a hobby, I suppose. My husband thinks it's pent up creative expression from when I used to work in the film industry. Who knows, but it's good fun, and it makes me happy when a party that's supposed to go from 4-6pm lasts until 8 because everyone is having a great time!

Princess Turning Three
So my youngest daughter just turned three. When I asked her about a month ago what kind of party she wanted she requested a mermaid party. ??!! A mermaid party in October? I know it's Texas, but even here swimming wouldn't be fun unless the pool was heated. BUT I looked into it. (I even looked into renting a hot tub!) I checked out kid swim schools, aquatic centers, even hotels, but the problem was her age group. They all either had to be potty trained or wear these special swimmers that were not the regular kinds you get at the store. What's a mother to do? Nothing, let fate take care of itself, and with that the Disney deity showered down in a timely manner: Sleeping Beauty. Now my daughter is everything Aurora, (thankfully) and here are the results:

FAIRY TALE PILLOWS

I love invitations! It's probably my favorite part of party planning, and I think it's one of the most important elements. If you have a great invite, people get excited about your gathering.

The Entrance through the thorny hedge

Too bad I didn't get a picture before the knights claimed the hedge for their armory! :)

After conquering the thorny hedge all princesses & knights collected their royal jewels & swords.

Then it was time for crafts - wands & shields - and lots of eating. I forgot to take pictures of the food, but we had food fit for a kingly feast: sausage & hot dogs on a stick w/rolls, beef stew soup bowls, apple dumplings, veggies & dip and chocolate pudding in a cone. YUM!

All along there was lots of playing.

Then it was time for cake & presents.

Needless to say everyone was tired out that evening.

Well, that's it. First post; I hope you enjoyed it. I'll add some oldies but goodies as I go along. And any of my friends out there who remember some of our past gatherings, remind me, so I can add them too!

:)
cristina