Buffet Basics - Part One

Party Planning Secrets: The Ultimate Guide To A Successful Party -  Chapter 27, page. 136.

Buffet Basics - Part One

What goes on the buffet? Plates, napkins, utensils, and food. Decorating your buffet is a great idea, but make sure you have room for your essential items.

If you’re having just one main dish and a few side dishes, you may be able to use one large buffet table. However, if you’re having a lot of different types of food, consider setting up the

buffet tables as food stations throughout your venue. At one station, you might have appetizers. At another, entrees. At another, salads. At another, warm side dishes. And finally, the dessert.

Put all your cold food together — salads, chilled pastas, and so on. Similarly, put all your hot foods together.

Always serve your cold food first on the buffet. You’ll want your guests to choose their cold foods and then decide on their hot foods. This ensures their hot foods won’t get cold by the

time they walk back to their tables.

If you can dream it... PartyCharlie can create it!

 

My “Five Steps for Creating the Energy for an Outrageously Successful Party,” will provide you with all the necessary ingredients to plan and host memorable events that you and your guests will rave about. Whether you’re planning a fundraiser, grand opening, holiday party or family celebration, let my 30+ years in the party planning and catering business be your guide to hosting an outrageously successful and stress-free event. Order your book today!

 

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The Western Hoedown Party!

The PartyCharlie summer party series continues with a scorcher of a party to match the rising July heat...

The Western Hoedown Party! 

Do you have a friend that owns a farm?  Is there a barn nearby that you can rent?  No?  That's okay...  All you need is a good sized backyard, and a little imagination!

To set the mood for your Hoedown extravaganza, send creative western themed invitations to your guests.  Tell your guests to get themselves a cowboy hat, a pair of boots, and spurs and get ready to square dance the night away!

Good, stick to your ribs foods, served buffet style is ideal for this type of party.  Serve an assortment of grilled meats, beans, biscuits, and salads, served on rustic wooden trays, surrounded by bales of hay.

The line dance starts here!  Call me, PartyCharlie, and I'll have you and your guests riding into the party sunset!

If you can dream it... PartyCharlie can create it!

 

My “Five Steps for Creating the Energy for an Outrageously Successful Party,” will provide you with all the necessary ingredients to plan and host memorable events that you and your guests will rave about. Whether you’re planning a fundraiser, grand opening, holiday party or family celebration, let my 30+ years in the party planning and catering business be your guide to hosting an outrageously successful and stress-free event. Order your book today!

 

Sign Up For My FREE Monthly Newsletter: http://www.charliescola.com

Know Your Crowd

Party Planning Secrets: The Ultimate Guide To A Successful Party -  Chapter 4, pages. 26, and 27.

Know your crowd

Instead of planning your party around what you like, consider whatyour guests like. This goes for all stages of your party, such

as your theme, music, and menu.

Garlic is great, but if it’s a cocktail party and people

are talking close to each other, think twice about the amount you use.

Consider the age group of your guests. This will tell you a little bit about their eating habits. Older people tend to stay away from spicy and chewy foods, whereas younger people like trendy foods.

For a children’s party with lots of adults in attendance, provide two menus: one for the children and one for the adults.

Knowing your crowd will tell you if you should serve beer, wine, or possibly tropical blended drinks. Maybe it’s a martini crowd.

If it’s a dancing crowd, make sure to provide music

and an area for dancing.

Themes are great, but a toga party probably would

not be a great choice for an older crowd. But then

again, maybe it will. That’s the point of knowing your crowd.

Take a minute and consider the crowd. It’s that simple!

If you can dream it... PartyCharlie can create it!

My “Five Steps for Creating the Energy for an Outrageously Successful Party,” will provide you with all the necessary ingredients to plan and host memorable events that you and your guests will rave about. Whether you’re planning a fundraiser, grand opening, holiday party or family celebration, let my 30+ years in the party planning and catering business be your guide to hosting an outrageously successful and stress-free event. Order your book today!

Sign Up For My FREE Monthly Newsletter: http://www.charliescola.com

It's summer, and it's time for PartyCharlie's summer party series to kick into full gear.
 

This year PartyCharlie's summer party series will focus on the most delectable of food, fun... YEP, I'm talking barbeque! 
 

My 2012 summer series, will concentrate on unique barbeque, from around the globe.
 

This month I would like to introduce you to The Italian Barbeque Party!!!
 

Everyone loves Italian food! It is the number one food choice for restaurant patrons, around the globe.
 

When we talk about Italian barbeque, the number one component is an amazing menu!
 

To kick the party off, how about a grilled Italian, fresh mozzarella, and basil pizza!  Followed by slow, and smoked ribs, infused in a Tuscan, garlic marinade, sprinkled with, my special Oreganato  blend.
 

Dessert on a barbeque? You bet, Italian style! You will have died, and gone to heaven when you experience my Grilled Pound Cake with Espresso Chocolate Sauce!

Start your party with my Quinoa Pasta Extravaganza recipe! Check out the  video at Super Mommy... Not - a parenting website for the less than perfect parent!

Gluten free pasta was used for this recipe, but feel free to use your favorite pasta size, or shape.

If you can dream it... PartyCharlie can create it!

My “Five Steps for Creating the Energy for an Outrageously Successful Party,” will provide you with all the necessary ingredients to plan and host memorable events that you and your guests will rave about. Whether you’re planning a fundraiser, grand opening, holiday party or family celebration, let my 30+ years in the party planning and catering business be your guide to hosting an outrageously successful and stress-free event. Order your book today!Sign Up For My FREE Monthly Newsletter: http://www.charliescola.com

Prohibition Party Tips:

Everyone loves a costume party, so the Prohibition theme is a natural.  There are many places to buy costumes from the 1920's, but with a little ingenuity you can make them yourself.

For men, a slightly oversized golf hat, matching vest, and pants, a pair of spats, or two-tone shoes, accessorized with a pocket watch on a chain.

For women, a sleeveless knee-length dress with fringe at the bottom, accessorized with an extra long peal necklace, a headband with a feather on the side, and high-heels.

Get creative with your invitations.  It's prohibition, so make sure you let your guests know the password to get into your speakeasy.  (“Swordfish" is a great password, that was first used in the 1932 Marx Brothers movie Horse Feathers)

Alcohol should not be allowed for the first thirty minutes of your party.  When the time is up, make a big, fanfare announcement, that prohibition has been repealed, and open the bar.  If you really want to get creative, have someone dressed up as a corner news-seller, complete with authentic copies of newspapers that carry the prohibition repeal headline.

Serve authentic cocktails from the period; Bee’s Knees, Colony Cocktail, Mary Pickford, New York Sour.  You can find these recipes, and more by doing a simple Google search.

And don't forget the music... You don't need to spend a dime, just head on over to The 1920's Radio Network,  They stream Big Band and Old Time Radio 24 hours a day.  http://www.whro.org/home/1920s/

If you can dream it... PartyCharlie can create it!

My “Five Steps for Creating the Energy for an Outrageously Successful Party,” will provide you with all the necessary ingredients to plan and host memorable events that you and your guests will rave about. Whether you’re planning a fundraiser, grand opening, holiday party or family celebration, let my 30+ years in the party planning and catering business be your guide to hosting an outrageously successful and stress-free event. Order your book today!Sign Up For My FREE Monthly Newsletter: http://www.charliescola.com

Prohibition Party!

This summer PartyCharlie would like to introduce his sensational new party creation, the “Prohibition Party!”

PartyCharlie will bring the roaring 20's right into your home; the look, the feel, the sound, and  genuine Moonshine!  

Original MOONSHINE ® Clear Corn Whiskey is hand-crafted from 100% estate-grown corn and distilled four times in a Prohibition-era copper pot still – in the same authentic tradition that moonshine has been made for hundreds of years. At 80 proof, our all-natural, gluten-free proprietary recipe is charcoal-filtered for the highest purity, quality and taste.  

Kick off your Prohibition Party by mixing the Original Moonshine with fresh-made strawberry lemonade, garnish with a slice of lemon and a strawberry!

Or for a sexy twist, mix the Original Moonshine with fresh made ginger lemonade. Shake and pour into a Martini glass, garnish with candied ginger! Refreshing and Sexy!

Did you know that Ginger is an aphrodisiac? Well, it is…so make a whole batch!

Fresh Made Ginger Lemonade

Here is a great recipe for twenty guests… Great for a Party!

Ingredients:

·                                 3 cups white Sugar  

·                                 4 quarts water

·                                 14 slices fresh ginger root

·                                 4 cups fresh Lemon Juice

·                                 2 lemons, sliced

Directions:

1. In an 8-quart saucepan combine sugar, water and ginger root. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

2. Stir in lemon juice. Cool 15 minutes. Remove ginger. Refrigerate lemonade at least 1 hour, or until chilled.

3. Serve over ice, and garnish with lemon slices.

Okay, so if it sounds like a lot of work, just keeps repeating to yourself….it's an aphrodisiac!

If you can dream it... PartyCharlie can create it!

My “Five Steps for Creating the Energy for an Outrageously Successful Party,” will provide you with all the necessary ingredients to plan and host memorable events that you and your guests will rave about. Whether you’re planning a fundraiser, grand opening, holiday party or family celebration, let my 30+ years in the party planning and catering business be your guide to hosting an outrageously successful and stress-free event. Order your book today!Sign Up For My FREE Monthly Newsletter: http://www.charliescola.com

Spring is here, and summer is just around the corner!

 Here's some of my favorite barbecue tips for cooking perfect, mouth watering, meats and fish on your outdoor grill:

 1. Always rub grill with oil prior to cooking to prevent sticking.

 2. Use tongs or a spatula to turn meat and fish. Never pierce with a fork, because juices can be lost.

 3. When using a gas barbecue, grill meats evenly without flare-ups by only turning on one side of the barbecue and placing the meat on the other side.

4. Baste the meat in the last quarter of barbecuing time, as sugar content causes charring, thus drying out the meat.

5. Bring meat to room temperature about an hour before barbecuing.

6. Never add salt until meat is cooked, as salt draws out the moisture, causing meat to become dry and tough.

7. When gas barbecuing, pre-heat grill on high for 5-10 minutes. Then, adjust to desired cooking temperature.

8. For a charcoal barbecue, light coals 30 minutes before barbecuing.

9. Marinades tenderize meat.  Meat can be marinated for 2 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.
 

Give PartyCharlie a call, and I'll do the grillin', while you do the chillin'!

My “Five Steps for Creating the Energy for an Outrageously Successful Party,” will provide you with all the necessary ingredients to plan and host memorable events that you and your guests will rave about. Whether you’re planning a fundraiser, grand opening, holiday party or family celebration, let my 30+ years in the party planning and catering business be your guide to hosting an outrageously successful and stress-free event. Order your book today!Sign Up For My FREE Monthly Newsletter: http://www.charliescola.com