As I wrapped up the layout and picture choices for our wedding album with the photographer this week I realized it has been a while since I blogged about wedding stuff.

Wedding blogs turned me onto all sorts of fun little items which make for adorable details at a wedding … or a bridal shower, baby shower or any kind of party really.  One of my biggest must haves for my wedding was purple barbor shop paper straws.

I Googled purple paper straws for weeks and … NOTHING.  I could find gray, pink, red, blue and other colors, but no puprle.  Then I got my Dad to look online.  As always he worked his magic and WALAH …

Check ‘em out:

Photo Credit – ThePartyFairy 2012

They are totally affordable at $21 for 150 straws. I purchased 150 straws with a guest attendance of ~100 people (PLANNING TIP).  The straws were well received by the guests and people were asking for the “fun straws” in whatever drink they were ordering. YAY!

Here’s a couple of my favorite pictures of barbor shop straws:

Photo Credit: Korie Lynn Photography (left) & Guest Picture (right)

Photo Credit: Guest Photo

And for my absolute favorite purple straw picture …

Photo Credit: Sara without an H

Oh my I love that picture!  I’m dying to buy more straws maybe in pink or yellow, but first I need to find a party to help plan and/or host.  Anyone hosting a baby shower or have a bridal shower coming up?  This little detail would be fabulous!

Happy Planning!

Share

It’s Super Bowl Sunday PEOPLE!  WOOT WOO! Annnnddd it’s also Rebecca’s very first time guest blogging for Life’s Tidbits. 

This picture was taken at FedEx field when the Pats played the Redskins during preseason in 2009.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Patriots are back in the game, hoping for a different outcome than 4 years ago  and awaiting the championship trophy. From Brady to Welker to Gronk to Wilfork, the Pats should be unstoppable! While I’ve been a Patriots fan my entire life and have been to some very exciting games, the one thing that stays constant for each Super Bowl (and every other football Sunday) is the munchies.

From the pregame show through the trophy ceremony there is a non-stop spread of food and drinks – or as my siblings and I labeled it – The “Ultimate” Snack.

While it can be any combination of snack foods, I prefer all finger foods. This is the most convenient way to eat on your lap in front of the television and not miss a minute of the game or commercials. The foods have been changed over the years, but the staples are cheese, pesto, hummus, French onion dip, guacamole, nuts, carrots and many more. Don’t forget the chips and crackers to get these delicious snacks from the coffee table to your mouth.

Cheese

You can never go wrong with cheese, but we like a good mix. After all, you are eating for hours, so moods and cravings can change. The variety can be by animal: cow, sheep, and goat or by texture: hard, soft. Some of my favorites are Pecorino, Gouda and my new obsession Boursin.

Hummus

Use the Hummus recipe from the blog last week!

Guacamole

Avocados are a relatively new addition to the spread. While they have been around forever, we did not truly discover their potential until a few years ago. They are so versatile and are actually good for you (in the correct quantities, of course). For game days, I like to use them as part of guacamole.

What you’ll need:
2 avocados
2 cloves of garlic
2 tbsps of lemon juice
1 tomato, chopped (optional)
Sprinkle of salt & pepper

You know the avocados are ready when they are slightly soft to the touch, but you do not want them too mushy. Cut the avocado in half and scoop out all of the green up to the skin. Smash the avocado until most of the chunks are gone. Tip: If you keep one of the pits and put it with the finished guacamole, it will delay the browning process. Use a zester or garlic press to shave the garlic and add it to the mixture. Pour in the lemon juice. If you like tomato, they add good texture to the guacamole, but they are not necessary for the great taste. Sprinkle on some salt & pepper to enhance the flavor and refrigerate until game time.

Once done, invite some friends over, sit back, relax and enjoy the game! Go Pats!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks Rebecca for contributing to Life’s Tidbits! I’m pumped for the game … see you in a couple hours :)

What are you favorite game day snacks??  We are making pig n’ a blanket, cheese/artichoke dip, buffalo chicken bites and some Guinness Stout Brownie Pretzel Bars for our super bowl party.  More on all those yummy treats later this week.

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!

Share

My friend and I go to Skewers a lot and I LOVE, love, love their lighter side menu options. I was having friends over for dinner and craving middle eastern / mediterranean food. So this dinner menu was inspired by my lovely girly dinners at Skewers. 

My dinner party menu consisted of chicken, tabbouleh, hummus, tzatziki and pita bread.  I’ve already blogged about my hummus recipe, check it out and then come back to this recipe.  

The tabbouleh is a little more time intensive then the hummus, but it is super easy to make.  So without further ado here is how I make the tabbouleh.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup bulgur
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 bunch chopped parsley
1 medium tomato diced tomatoes
1/2 medium onion chopped
2-3 tablespoons of roughly chopped mint leaves
1/2 lemon juiced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

Soak the bulgur in boiling water, cover and let it stand for about 2 hours.  Drain the excess water using a colander and then squeeze out any remaining water from bulghur using your hands or paper towel.  (I am a bad blogger and forgot to take a picture. Sorry!)

Dice the tomato and onion.  Place them in a bowl.

Chop the curley parsley and mint.

Mix the bulgur, tomatoes, onion, parsley and mint in a bowl.  Add lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and mix well.  

Your tabbouleh is complete!!

Serve immediately or chill in refrigerator for 2 hours before serving.  I prefer to have it chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes so all the flavors can develop.

Coming up next for our middle eastern inspired meal is the tzatziki sauce and then the chicken.

Happy Cooking!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Share