Drink Festival

champagne and pink bridesmaid dresses

If you are wishing for a destination Paris wedding, but cannot afford a luxury getaway do not fret, why not create a Paris themed wedding close to home? A themed wedding can be just as marvelous and it will be fun to find the right finishing touches as you plan your wedding. Before planning your Parisian wedding, you must first think what type of Paris inspired wedding you would like. Are you a French Victorian bride? A Retro-vintage bride or a modern city of lights bride? Once you decide what era you want to focus on the planning will be much easier. Here are a few tips to bring Paris to your wedding doorstep.

Attire: France is known for its fashion forward attire, so if you are planning a Parisian wedding, you must dress the part. Depending on your wedding style, this could be a fashionable in vogue wedding dress or something vintage and lacy. Your groom can be fitted in a classy tuxedo for the era you are looking to achieve.

Invitations and Save the Dates: Think French inspired patterns such as Damask, Toile or Fleur de Lis designs. Muted colors such as ivory, mocha, and latte, and pale colors such as soft pink or light tiffany blue also work well when paired with the traditional bridal colors of white and black.

Decorations: Try to find miniature Eiffel Towers for centerpieces, or have a lighted Eiffel Tower ice sculpture. Remember, Paris is known as the city of lights – placement of mood lighting or miniature lights around the reception location will enhance the mood of the evening. Feathers are also very Parisian and are a 2008 wedding trend. You can incorporate feathers in your centerpieces and décor quite easily. You can also follow the pattern from your wedding invitations into your reception décor. Instead of table numbers you can mark the tables by names of wines, cheese, or cities in France.

Food and Drink: The cocktail hour can be quite fun. Start by serving hors d’oeuvres such as mini quiches, canapés, crudités with dip, and baguettes with tapenade. You may even want to have a crepe or a wine and cheese station. For dinner serve traditional French recipes. Champagne and wine should be served as both are French inspired. You can also create a signature French drink.

Cakes and Dessert: Follow the theme from your wedding invitation to your wedding cake (Damask, Toile or Fleur de Lis designs). Also consider serving petit fours – miniature desserts such as cakes, cookies, baked meringues, macaroons, and puff pastries.

Wedding Favors: Miniature petit fours served in pretty take home boxes can serve as a midnight snack for your guests and also double as wedding favors. You can also find a large selection of damask inspired designs in mint tins, beverage packs, chocolate bars at upscale wedding favor retailers.

Erica Tevis is the owner of Little Things Wedding Favors. Visit them on the web and check out their large supply of wedding favors, themed favors, invitations, and wedding accessories. They carry a supply of Paris themed wedding favors and accessories including Damask and Parisian designs for your wedding.

Bridesmaid Strapless Formal Dress #23708 $179.99 …

Bridesmaid Spaghetti Straps Formal Dress #2408 $234.99 …

Strapless Cocktail Party Junior Prom Dress #2620 $189.99 …

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wine with ham and turkey

Cooking a casserole is one of the fastest and simplest ways to serve a mouthwatering dinner. If you’re thinking what to make for a dinner party or social gathering I think that 1 of these excellent recipes would be perfect for such an occasion.

Below is a list of recipes for you to try:

Tuna Noodle Casserole – Made with fresh tuna, noodles, red onions, cream of mushroom soup, and mild cheddar cheese.

Green Bean Casserole – Made with long green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and fried white onions.

Breakfast Casserole – Made with sausage, eggs, bread, and milk(Could also be called the fry up casserole….great for hangovers.

Hamburger Casserole – Made with top quality ground beef, cherry tomatoes, mild cheese, mushrooms, and noodles.

Potato Casserole – Made with potatoes, medium cheddar cheese, sour cream, and green onions.

Chicken Rice Casserole – Made with 2 whole chicken fillets, cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, and long grain rice.

Spaghetti Casserole – Made with spaghetti, turkey breast, green bell peppers, mushroom soup, and cheddar cheese.

Zucchini Casserole – Made with zucchini, American cheese, green bell peppers, and crushed crackers.

Taco Casserole – Made with hamburgers, red kidney beans, red lettuce, cherry tomatoes, corn chips, and taco sauce.

Corn Casserole – Made with creamed corn, butter, sour cream, eggs, and corn muffin mix.

Enchilada Casserole – Made with ground beef, cream of chicken soup, chilies, mild cheese, and flour tortillas.

Squash Casserole – Made with zucchini, cheese, carrots, sour cream, cream of mushroom soup, and herb stuffing.

Spinach Casserole – Made with fresh spinach, full fat milk, white onions, cheese, and brown rice.

Eggplant Casserole – Made with eggplant, red onions, bread crumbs, and Parmesan cheese.

French Toast Casserole – Made with bread, raisins, eggs, cinnamon, and vanilla.

King Ranch Casserole – Made with cream of chicken soup, plum tomatoes, Monterey Jack cheese, chicken fillets, and sour cream.

Pizza Casserole – Made with hamburger, red and white onions, egg noodles, mozzarella cheese, button mushrooms, herbs and spices, and tomato sauce.

Turkey Broccoli Casserole – Mde with turkey breast, broccoli, white onions, green peppers, rice, and mature cheddar cheese.

Shrimp Casserole – Made with shrimp, rice, Worcestershire sauce, and buttered bread crumbs.

Mexican Casserole – Made with chicken fillets, sour cream, green chilies, spices, and Monterey Jack cheese.

Check out more of the same content as well as the best bar equipment click on the links below

Barstool – We have information on the best bar stool for each and every bar style.

Bar supply – Bar supplies & bar equipment online. Your entire bar supplies, beer supplies, & wine supplies online.

Jello Shots – Make that party come to life with a jello shot!

brandy milk punch recipe

Your guests will scoop this delicious appetizer up in a hurry.

2 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese, softened

1 (12 oz.) bottle chili sauce

1 (6 oz.) pkg. Canadian bacon, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 small green pepper, chopped

3/4 cup shredded part skim milk mozzarella cheese

3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Corn chips

Directions

Spread the cream cheese onto an ungreased 12-inch pizza pan. Spread chili sauce on top. Sprinkle on the Canadian bacon, onion, green pepper and cheese. Serve with chips.

Makes 14 to 16 servings.

=> Christmas Party Recipes: Shrimp Lover Squares

Shrimp lovers will appreciate these tasty seafood appetizers.

1 (8 oz.) tube refrigerated crescent rolls

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon dill weed

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup seafood cocktail sauce

24 cooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 cup green pepper, chopped

1/3 cup onion, chopped

1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a greased 13×9x2-inch baking dish, unroll the crescent dough into one long rectangle. Seal the seams and perforations. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely.

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, dill and salt until smooth. Spread over the crust. Top with seafood sauce, shrimp, green pepper, onion and cheese.

Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Cut into squares.

Makes 24 appetizers.

=> Christmas Party Recipes: Crispy Onion Wings

These crispy onion treats will really take flight!

2-1/2 pounds uncooked chicken wing sections or wingettes

2-1/2 cups potato chips, crushed

1 can French fried onions, crushed

1/2 cup cornmeal

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon onion salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon paprika

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line a 15×10x1-inch baking pan with foil and grease; set aside.

In a large resealable bag, combine the potato chips, onions, cornmeal and seasonings; mix well.

Dip chicken wings into eggs.

Place chicken wings inside bag, a few at a time. Shake to coat wings completely. Press the crumb mixture into chicken.

Place wings inside of prepared pan. Drizzle with butter. Bake, uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes or until the chicken juices run clear and the coating is crisp.

Makes 24 wings.

=> Christmas Party Recipes: Asparagus Beef Roll Ups

Two winning flavor sensations paired together to make appetizer heaven.

1-1/2 cups water

36 fresh asparagus spears, trimmed

1 (8 oz.) carton spreadable chive and onion cream cheese

3 to 5 tablespoons prepared horseradish

2 (5 oz.) pkgs. thinly sliced roast beef

Directions

In a large skillet, bring water to a boil. Add in the asparagus; cover and boil for 2 to 3 minutes or until crisp tender. Drain and immediately place asparagus in ice water. Drain and pat dry.

In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese and horseradish.

Pat beef slices dry with paper towels.

Spread each slice with a thin layer of cream cheese mixture. Top with an asparagus spear. Roll up tightly. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 36 appetizers.

=> Christmas Party Recipes: Eggnog Punch

This rich and creamy punch has a surprising delicate flavor.

4 cups half and half cream, divided

6 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup sugar

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, optional

4 cups heavy whipping cream

6 to 8 cups lemon lime soda, chilled

1 quart vanilla ice cream

1/2 cup maraschino cherries, chopped

Directions

In a saucepan, combine 2 cups half and half cream, eggs and sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture reaches 160 degrees, or is thick enough to coat a metal spoon (about 9 minutes).

Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla, nutmeg and remaining half and half. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Pour into a punch bowl. Stir in whipping cream and soda. Top with scoops of ice cream and sprinkle with cherries. Serve immediately.

Makes 16 servings.

Mmmm . . . homemade bread bakes in the oven while you toss a healthy green salad with homemade dressing, and that soup sure smells good too. Get your free recipes here => [http://www.best-salad-recipes.com]

champagne in freezer

If there’s a wine lover on your gift list and you don’t know your zinfandel from your pinot noir, you may be stumped for present ideas. Fortunately, wine drinking has become so popular that there are many types of gifts available to help someone enjoy their favorite spirit. Use this list to help inspire you on your quest to find the perfect gift for your favorite oenophile.

A case of wine

A wine lover will obviously love the gift of a case of wine. Do a little investigating and find out what type they prefer. Locate a similar vintage from a small winery, or develop your own case with different specialty wines.

A rabbit corkscrew

Every wine lover needs to open bottles of wine easily and quickly. A Rabbit Corkscrew will help them do just that. This uniquely designed corkscrew is based on ergonomic principles. It was first released in 2001 and has been a favorite of the food and wine community since then. It can open any bottle of wine in three seconds with no strain.

Wine racks

Even if your gift recipient already has a wine rack, most wine lovers could use another. Look for a classic design and, if your gift budget is large, look for a free standing case. The wine rack should be made of quality materials since they are supporting glass bottles. Depending on the décor of the gift recipient, you can choose something to fit their tastes.

A wine chiller

White wine and champagne need to be served chilled. You can give your wine loving friend a tool to get these wines chilled fast. A wine chiller is stored in the freezer and it can chill any bottle within five minutes. Its reusable and totally mess free. This gift allows your favorite wine aficionado to serve their white wines or champagne quickly.

Wine glasses

Wine lovers can never have too many wine glasses. If you’re wine illiterate you might not know that there are different glasses for different types of wines. Look for hand blown lead crystal glasses. They come in a variety of shapes for various wine types. Get your wine lover glasses for something a bit out of the ordinary.

Wine books

With the growth of the oenophile culture has come the growth of books on wine. These books celebrate wine making and all wine related topics. The Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil is a comprehensive reference book on all things wine related. The author will expose your gift recipient to wines they’ve never heard of and make them see old favorites in new ways. Another good choice is The Little Black Journal of Wine: A Wine Lover’s Record Keeper. This book starts out with an introduction to wine tasting and follows with dozens of blank pages where your gift recipient can takes notes on their wine tasting excursions.

No matter what gift you give your wine lover, they’ll be sure to appreciate the time you took in thinking of their favorite interest.

Jamie Jefferson writes for Momscape.com, where you can see lots of unique Gifts for Wine Lovers and get the latest wine coupons and discounts.

beer bottle caps

Seasonal advertising can help you increase your bottom line by appealing to people’s sense of timeliness. By tailoring your advertising and promotional campaigns to the weather and the season, you’re aligning your company in the same time frame as your customers, and referencing what’s currently happening in their lives. If you’re giving out t-shirts in the middle of winter, people are far less likely to be impressed with your offerings. Instead, think seasonal when you’re designing your advertising promotions and choose season-appropriate promotional items.

Winter promotions call for special promotional items that take the season into account. There are a number of ways to reference the winter season in the promotional items that you choose. You might, for instance, choose wintry artwork on all purpose promotional items like mugs or desktop items. You might choose to give out items that have a connection to the season, or make life easier in that season. Some of the hottest promotional items for winter advertising are listed below.

Ice scrapers

An icy or frosted windscreen is no fun way to start your day. You can be sure that your customers hate it every bit as much as you do. Promotional ice scrapers are ideal winter giveaways for auto dealers, service stations, petrol stations, convenience stores and many other types of businesses. If your customers drive, chances are that they’ll appreciate an ice scraper – and think of your company every time they use it to get a good start to their morning commute.

Fleece winter jackets and stadium blankets

Fleece can warm up your business in a big way. Fleece jackets and stadium blankets, sweatshirts and even caps will be popular loyalty premiums for your loyalty programme, or popular sales items in your club, pub or school store. You get double benefit when your customers choose a fleece jacket with your name and logo on – first is the benefit of their business, and second the benefit of the extra advertising you get when they wear it out. Fleece jackets also make great incentive gifts for your staff and crew, and are a great way to outfit those workers who spend part of their working day out of doors.

Promotional Umbrellas

Umbrellas are even more useful in the winter than at other times of year. If you’re looking for higher end promotional items for a trade show or as thank you gifts to your loyal customers, take a look at the different ranges of promotional umbrellas available. Go on – make them even more wintry with a few snowflakes around your logo.

Knit Hats and Caps

Knit watch caps and warm hats with promotional logos and insignias are also popular winter promotional items. They’re ideal for sale as part of a fund raising campaign by your school or club, or as winter caps for your outdoor crew. No matter how you choose to use them, they’ll be advertising your business wherever they’re worn.

Keep your promotional campaigns tuned to the seasons to see the best results. Keep in mind, though, that with lag times in ordering, you should be thinking about the next season’s promotions in the middle of this season. After all, it may be coming up winter, but spring is just around the corner.

Gareth Parkin is the co-founder of Ideasbynet, the UK’s leading online promotional items and promotional products company based in the north of England. Established in 2001, he has taken the UK gift market by storm by the application of modern business thinking and the latest search engine marketing techniques. For more details visit www.ideasbynet.com

Beer Bottle Cap Catcher – Stainless Steel $15.95 Compliment your wall mounted bottle opener! Install one of these handy cap catchers underneath to keep the caps from falling to the floor. Made of stainless steel. In stock and ready to ship. Features: Made of 1mm thick stainless steel. Predrilled mounting holes. Specs: Dimensions: 3 1/2″H x 5 1/2″W x 2 1/2″D. Includes: Mounting screws….

Open Beer Here Wall Mounted Bottle Opener (SXP-OBH) $5.90 “Open Here” Bottle Opener The perfect addition to your home. This wall mounted bottle opener is fun AND functional. Made from heavy duty die-cast zinc, this classic bottle opener is just the right size to mount in your kitchen or bar. Sure to catch your guests’ attention with the bold, red words “Open Here”….

Gold Crown Bottle Caps (1 gross, 144 caps) $3.15 Approximately 144 GOLD Bottle Caps….

Amber Flip-cap Bottles, 12 Pack $25.95 No need for caps or a capper with these flip cap bottles. Re-usable gasket /cap assembly snaps firmly into position by means of a wire cam. Great for not only beer but also home made syrups and sauces. Bottles are 2 3/4″ diameter x 10″ tall with a capacity of 500ml. These bottles are sold by the 12 pack….

Beer Bottle Caps (Approx 144 / Bag) $2.95 Gold crown, unprinted, plastic lined bottle caps. 3/4 1b. per bag….

Bottle Capper – Red Baron for Homebrew $15.87 The “Red Baron” capper is a double lever, magnetic capper but is fitted with springs, giving you added leverage and smoother crimping motion….

Briess Liquid Malt Extract Golden Light for Homebrew $9.94 Very golden in color. A great base malt extract that is unhopped. This is by far our best selling malt extract. Makes an excellent beer!…

Easy-Open Bottle Opener $20.00 Place over your beer or soda bottle and just push down to remove the cap. It s easy to use. Easy Opener operates with a simple downward push. With a simple pop, your cap comes off when you remove Easy Opener. Also works with twist-off bottles. Keeps areas clean by collecting caps via a built-in magnet. Easy Opener also features a built-in magnet so there s no fear of bottle caps falling to the flo…

Silver Colored Polished Beer Bottle Caps (approximately 144 caps) $2.99 Silver bottle caps, approximately 144 caps per bag. Perfect for brewing and crafts….

Guinness Irish Beer Alcohol – Green Clover Bottle Opener Adj Irish Baseball Hat Cap $13.99 …

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