Winter Wonderland Open House

This New Year's Day we are having an open house for our neighbors and we are going ridiculously simple and taking a party idea from one of our favorite industry publications, BizBash. In this month's recap of the most memorable parties, the pub featured and event hosted by Metropolitan Home that featured an all white dessert bar.

On the bar: snowflake-shaped sugar cookies alternating with white candy (we'll buy it in bulk with white-chocolate covered pretzels at Sunflower Market), elevated trays of brownies covered in white chocolate, and buttercream topped cupcakes. We'll serve this all with Gruet and White Chocolate Martinis.

Add one white linen tablecloth, anchor each end of the table with a simple blown glass candelabra, and serve on all white serving dishes with visually interesting square appetizer plates. Place everything on the buffet at varying heights, and you have one stunning and simple open house.

While this party is a crowd pleaser, we do recommend hosting this particular event after normal meal hours or at least supplementing with a cheese platter or other protein-laden snacks so that your guests don't leave in a sugar coma!

Cozy New Year's Eve Dinner for Two

Every few years we take a break and sit one out for New Year's Eve. This year we are forgoing the big New Year's Eve festivities in favor of a cozy, low key dinner for two. But dinner for two doesn't have to mean a boring night in, sitting in front of the TV watching the ball drop.

Instead, we'll set the table for two and open the dining room windows so that we can see the lights of the city and catch some of the fireworks display.

To make dinner feel really special, we've also paired each course with some of our favorite wines and picked some great music so that we feel like we've been transported to one of the hippest hotel bars in the world.

On the menu:

BITE

Appetizer/Salad
Bacon Wrapped Dates
Mache with Simple French Vinaigrette

Main
Pan Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Rosemary & Garlic
Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Dessert
Thomas Keller's Chocolate Bouchons

SIP

Appetizer/Salad
Miner Vineyards Chardonnay 2006
We'll pair our first course with a buttery chardonnay from Oregon.

Main
Mollydooker Shiraz McClaren Vale Carnival of Love 2007
We'll enjoy our beef tenderloin with this bold and berry Shiraz. Ranked #9 in Wine Spectator's list of the top 10 wines in the world, this wine is a decadent choice for a special occasion.

Dessert
Banfi Rosa Regale Brachetto 2005
Changing up the champagne tradition slightly, we'll pair our chocolately dessert with this sweet, red sparkling wine.

LISTEN
Hotel Costes vol. 11
New Year's Eve is time for something bar-inspired and Hotel Costes Vol 11 is the 2008 installment in this trend-setting compilation series by French DJ Stephane Pompougnac of the famed Hotel Costes.

Festive Holiday Party Drinks

The holidays are a great time to try out new and festive drinks and one of our favorites is the Kir Royale. Easily prepared with champagne and a touch of creme de cassis, this black-currant flavored drink is always a hit with our guests.

Ingredients:
5 fl. oz. chilled Champagne or sparkling wine
2 tsp. crème de cassis
1 lemon twist for garnish

Directions:
Pour the Champagne and crème de cassis into a Champagne flute and stir briefly. Garnish with the lemon twist. Serves 1.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma, The Bar Guide.

Eco-Chic Placemats

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and if your calendar is anything like ours, it is quickly filling with holiday parties and get-togethers with friends and family. Never one to show up to a fete empty handed, we've found some great hostess gifts to get you through the holidays.

Our latest fave? These amazing Eako placemats and coasters made from decommissioned London Fire Brigade fire hose. Not only are they environmentally friendly, non-slip and heat resistant, but they look great as well! We can't wait to see the reaction when we wrap these up for the holidays.

A Party Fit for Marie Antoinette

The latest issue of Vogue has a review of a new "magical" restaurant in NYC called Sweetie Pie and the pictures have inspired us to host an over-the-top tea and sweets party for our best girlfriends.

On the menu:

The Drinks
Assorted teas from with delicate silk tea bags from Tea Forte. We'll serve the tea using my grandmother's silver tea service with a mix and match collection of English bone china. The tea packaging is so beautiful it can be incorporated right into our decor.

For those who feel like an afternoon cocktail we'll serve Kir Royales - an easy to make drink with one part creme de cassis and five parts champagne - just gently pour the champagne on top of the creme de cassis.

The Eats
Macarons from Paulette, their small round cakes are the next best thing to the original macaroons from La Duree in Paris.

A variety of tiny cakes, mini pastries, petit fours, and chocolate dipped strawberries from Gateaux Bakery in Denver, all served on a tea cart like Sweetie Pie.

And finally, we'll get some to-go orders of the to-die-for cinnamon and powdered sugar donuts from Beatrice & Woodsley on South Broadway and serve them with Marie Belle hot chocolate.

Yum! We can hardly wait for the weekend.

The Pumpkin

With fall drawing near, why not take advantage of the season's best gustatory delights? They don't have to be gluttonous either! Take for instance the pumpkin...

As a child I remember the family trip to the local pumpkin patch to pick out the perfect pumpkin. Before we dove in to carve a ghoulish masterpiece, we first feasted on the delicious pumpkin seeds. Which brings me to a fabulously fun child-friendly- and adult-friendly for that matter- seasonal party idea. Invite your friends over for a carving party. But first, dish up some delicious bites including this recipe from Real Simple Magazine.


Seeds from 2 medium pumpkins
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin

Heat oven to 300° F. Remove the seeds from the pumpkins. Discard the pulp.

Spread the seeds (no need to rinse them) evenly on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until dried, about 1 hour.

Toss the seeds, olive oil, celery salt, and cumin in a large skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat, until the seeds are lightly toasted, about 3 minutes.


Yield: Makes 8 servings

Delicious Elderflower

Lately, come cocktail hour, we've been obsessively ordering drinks made with St. Germain. This elderflower liqueur comes in a gorgeous bottle and its delicate floral flavor is fantastic. Try it in a glass of champagne or in the cocktails here.

The St. Germain Cocktail
Ingredients
  2 shot(s) Sauvignon Blanc wine
  2 shot(s) St. Germain liqueur

  Club soda or champagne
Pour wine and then St. Germain into ice-filled collins glass. Top off with soda water (or champagne). Garnish with half an orange slice.

Saint Germain Sidecar
Ingredients
  1½ shot(s) Rémy Martin cognac
  1½ shot(s) St. Germain liqueur
  1 shot(s) Freshly squeezed lemon juice
Shake all ingredients with ice and fine strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with a lemon zest twist.

Enjoy!

(Recipes courtesy of Slashfood)

Meet BashBox, Your Instant Party Planner

BashBox is the brainchild of three fun-loving friends and former coworkers in the publishing industry. Having designed and hosted countless magazine parties on shoestring budgets, we decided to make our skills work for us.

As twenty and thirty-something's there are endless life occasions to celebrate. From weddings and babies, to kids' birthdays and plain old Friday nights - we find no greater pleasure in life than spending our precious free time in the company of family and friends and making the most of every occasion.

Along the way we've also learned that entertaining doesn't have to be an elaborate production. It can be easy, inexpensive, and most importantly, fun. Let this blog be your guide to find inspiration in your own surroundings. Carve time out of your busy lives to enjoy the company of those who mean the most to you. Seize the opportunity to celebrate everyday occasions in fun, festive, and simple ways. We'll show you how!