Tips For Setting Up a Successful Party Table Spread

Greetings from snowy Wisconsin! We are currently being buried in snow here, so what else is there to do but blog?

This weekend we hosted a graduation party for my little sister who just completed her cosmetology license program at Regency Beauty Institute. With that in mind, I thought I'd share a few tips on creating a pleasing food spread at your next gathering!

Because we were hosting the party at my house, we had to be fairly creative with anything "decorative."  After all, this isn't some grand banquet hall, it's my dining room! And that means we have to clean up the mess! This is why it's best to simple make the functional pieces pretty.

I picked up these perfect black and white striped napkins at Walmart, along with the paper straws to match. As far as colors go, I used a lot of what I had on hand. I happened to have black, white and pink tissue paper, so I made a simple garland and used that as the jumping off point. Don't go crazy with too many colors and overwhelm yourself, but you definitely don't need to be matchy-matchy with everything.

I attached extra tassels to some pink chopsticks just for fun, and used wine glasses in varying sizes to keep the height of objects varied. You want your eye to move around the table! Flat spaces are boring!

The fabric tablecloth over the buffet table has hints of teal and gold to tie the party decor and my wall color together. Make the party match your house!

Let your food make a statement. The color and arrangements of the food you serve can be just as beautiful as any decoration you could buy, and you get to eat it! A tiered stand isn't just for dessert. It displays this selection of fruit beautifully.

Offer a variety of food choices. Meat, cheese and veggie trays are just important as chips, candy and snacks. Not everyone wants to eat junk all the time, and if you are having small children at your party, parents will appreciate being able to incorporate some healthy items on their child's plate besides just treats. I always make my own cheese trays, it's more cost effective and I can control the quality of the food I'm setting out.

Group your condiments together. Extras and fixin's become beautiful when placed on a gold charger.

We chose to offer a sandwich bar as well as snacks. Guests can build their own with choices of several meats, cheeses and spreads. Keep the food spread over several tables. It allows for better traffic flow.

 
Use your pretty pieces. Now is the time! This gold ice bucket is beautiful and funtional, and when else will I have an excuse to use it?

I hope you were able to take away a few ideas for your next gathering! Remember to keep it simple. The company is what really counts!
Xoxo,
Natasha

French Macarons

 

Mmmm.. the sinfully sweet French Macaron! Perfect for tea parties and sweet tooths! Often recognized as the hardest cookie to make. To that I say, pah! We can do it!!

 

I love making these for special occassions. They are a workout to make, especially if you are poor like me and have no KitchenAid stand mixer {sob}, but after much study and trial and error, I have come up with a fairly fool-proof plan to make these adorable little treats!

 

 

 

 

You will need:

 

3 egg whites, room temperature

1/4 cup of white sugar

2 cups of confectioner's sugar

1 cup of almond flour

A pinch of salt

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Food coloring of choice

 

 

Now, I am not an excellent food-blogger yet so I have no step-by-step photos. I know... this seems pointless. But trust me. You can do it!! And when I make these again for my sister's graduation next month, I will remember to take those darned in-between photos!

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. If you did not set your eggs out ahead of time, you can place them in a bowl of warm water for 5 to 10 minutes to bring them up to room temperature. Once that's done, seperate the three egg whites into a mixing bowl and beat until foamy.

 

Next add salt, cream of tartat and white sugar. Beat 10 to 15 minutes until shiny and stiff peak forms.

 

To check for a "stiff peak" you simply run your beater around the batter a few times and lift straight up. Flip it upside down so the batter is pointing at the ceiling. If the point of your batter flops over, it's not stiff!

 

Once you've achieved a stiff peak, add in food coloring. My tip you be to add more than you think you need because the color will dull upon baking.

 

In a seperate bowl, sift almond flour and and confectioner's sugar. Discard the lumps. If you do not have a sifter, run your almond flour and confectioner's sugar through a food processor thouroughly.

 

Fold the flour/sugar mixture into the egg white batter. For me, it's usually about 80 turns.

 

Hello, biceps!

 

Transfer your batter to a a pastry bag and pipe out one inch rounds onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

 

Pro-tip: Amazon sells some amazing little products that can help you with the sizing of your rounds. Or if you're like me, you can wing it and match up the sizes later.

 

Now you need to pick up your baking sheet and slam it down on the counter a few times. This will release any air bubbles inside the batter.

 

Now... LEAVE IT ALONE!! yep, you heard me. DON'T TOUCH IT. Let it sit for 20 minutes or so before putting it into the oven. The edges need to stiffen before baking.

 

Once the sides are nice and stiff to the touch, pop them in for 20 minutes, but keep an eye on them for the last five minutes or so. You don't want them turning brown.

 

They will be very delicate so be careful! Sandwhich them with whatever filling you like! I prefer just a simple buttercream.

 



 

Want a macaron?

 

Oui.

Caprese Salad Skewers

Let's start simple, shall we? One of my favorite party appetizers is an easy-peasy little Italian salad. It's is beautiful, fragrant, delicious and healthy!

 

 

You will need:

1 package of cherry tomatos

Fresh basil leaves

Fresh mozzarella balls

Party skewers

 

 

 

This is a good recipe to get your kids involved in because you can make an assembly line of the ingredients and have a few little helpers to build them!

 

Cut all of your cherry tomatos in half. Grab a skewer and start stacking!

 

The order I prefer is:

 

Cherry tomato half, flat side down

Mozzarella ball

Basil leaf

Cherry tomato half, flat side down

 

Resist the urge to want to place the flat sides of your cut tomatos in towards each other. You want the flat sides down so that the top with look pretty, and so it can stand up. Presentation is everything!

 

You can definitely make these little babies ahead of time, but I would not make them too far in advance. You do not want to end up with yucky tomatos and soggy basil leaves. I would say no earlier than the night before a party.

 

 

Enjoy!