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

Appetizers For FREE!

Team-building is a philosophy of job design in which employees are viewed as members of interdependent teams instead of as individual workers.

PartyCharlie's philosophy is to create an event that will be nothing less than a smashing success!

We can plan FUN Team Building Events for your company!

From causal to elegant, we can design any theme, and handle all the details!

We will handle all the logistics!

Just plan your event with PartyCharlie, and we will design a custom menu for you, which will include; appetizers for FREE!

That’s right we will throw in the appetizers for FREE!
This offer will expire April 30, 2012

You want Snow? PartyCharlie can make it SNOW!

You want Bumping Cars? PartyCharlie can bring it in!

You want a Time Tunnel? PartyCharlie can make it HAPPEN!

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

30 Ways toGet Your Guests Involved - Part Three

This month's party tips are taken from my book...

“Party Planning Secrets: The Ultimate Guide To A Successful Party.”

Chapter 32 - Guests - Getting Them Involved, pages, 180, & 181

30 Ways toGet Your Guests Involved - Part Three


21. Host an “Olympic games” party. Set up your own prize-filled version of the Olympics, with games like flag football, horseshoes, three-legged race, egg toss, and water polo if you have a pool.

22. Organize a scavenger hunt. Provide lists to each of your guests and then allow them to form two-person teams. You can make it an elegant affair by providing champagne and asking the guests to dress in formal attire.

23. Hire a magician. A magician can be entertaining as well as a great medium for getting guests involved.

24. Hire a caricaturist. This is a way of involving your guests and treating them to a gift at the same time. They’ll have fun comparing pictures.

25. Hire a masseuse. Neck and shoulder massages can be amazing stress relievers for a party that follows a hard day at work. And the more comfortable and happy your guests are, the more likely they will be to want to get to know one another.

26. Hold an interactive cooking party. Have your guests bring an apron and their favorite food, and everyone can help one another prepare a dish. You supply the wine!

27. Have a name game. As your guests arrive at the party, tape the name of a famous person on everyone’s back. As guests mingle, they can ask for clues about their famous person. When a guest announces the name on their back, they win a prize.

28. Encourage conversation. Place Trivial Pursuit cards in bowls where guests will see them. Encourage your guests to read the questions to one another to start conversations.

29. Break the ice. All those who wish to learn the names of the new friends get into the circle. Start by going clockwise, with each guest announcing his or her first and last name. Now the first person must try to name all the guests. If he or she misses, the next person takes over. You would be surprised how quickly this happens. And it gets funny!

30. Promote curiosity. Assign someone to walk around with a box with a gift in it. Give clues about what’s in the box, but don’t make it easy. Guests are not allowed to ask questions. Give a new clue every minute. Ask people to write their guess on a small piece of paper. If there is a tie, flip a coin!

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

I'm happy to announce that I will be involved in next years events for Global Alliance for Transformational Entertainment. GATE is the pioneering and leading organization shepherding the emerging and rapidly expanding Transformational Entertainment and Media genre and worldwide movement.

Dates for next years events:

Friday February 1, 2013, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM – GATE Transformational Story Conference

Friday February 1, 2013, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM – GATE Transformational Film and Media Festival Premiere

Saturday February 2, 2013, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM – GATE Transformational Film and Media Festival

Saturday February 2, 2013, 6:30 PM – 11:00 PM – GATE 3 (including the GATE Imaginal Awards)

Presenter / Performer / Film / Media submissions begin - March 2012

Guidelines will post on GATE website, www.gatecommunity.org

Submissions close - August 2012

Selection process – August and September 2012

Event Programs Announced - October 2012

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