Forget the Beer! Cocktail Ideas for Your Super Bowl Party!

The Super Bowl has become one of the biggest game days of the year. No matter if you like football or not or are a fan of either team, there is something captivating about this big event and it's a great excuse for a fantastic party.

Pittsburgh Steelers fans can cheer for their team with this cocktail that fit the team image perfectly.

A Black & Gold is a super easy cocktail that makes a dramatic statement, both in taste and look. It features Blavod Vodka, which is black, and Goldschlager, that luxury cinammon liqueur with the gold flake floating around inside. The result is a beautiful, black and gold cocktail with the flavor of cinnamon.

Ingredients:
2 oz Blavod vodka
1 oz Goldschlager

Preparation:

1. Pour the Blavod into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
2. Shake well.
3. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
4. Top with Goldschlager.

The Arizona Cardinals fans can cheer on their team with the Cardinal Cocktail. This cocktail is simply a Kir made with red wine. This is a simple way to dress up a less desirable red wine that you don't find your favorite but you couldn't bear to see go to waste. The creme de cassis also adds some delicious sweetness to a Merlot or Pinot Noir that you may find a bit too dry for your taste at the time. One thing is for certain, for wine lovers a bottle of cassis is a fantastic and easy way to spice up the average glass of vino.

Ingredients:
1 oz creme de cassis
red wine

Preparation:

1. Pour the creme de cassis into a wine glass filled with ice.
2. Fill with red wine.

Pound Cake: The Ultimate Comfort Food!

My Nanny used to make the best pound cake in the whole world. It was so rich and creamy.She explained to me that it was called a poundcake because it used a pound of butter and a pound of sugar. This was what made it so rich. I still remember the aroma in the kitchen *deep breath* was sooooooo wonderfully buttery! I am a pound cake junkie! I love all kinds, Lemon, Chocolate, Coconut and my favorite Sour Cream..yum.

You can only imagine how excited I was to find these cute Pound Cake Petit Fours at Nonnie Waller's Traditional Southern. These cute Petit Fours are perfect for weddings, corporate events, promotions or fabulous parties. Nonnie's favors can be custom designed with scrumptious silk ribbons, the finest in patterned papers, jewels and seasonal fresh flowers only a few of the many dazzeling options to deck your dessert and make your event memorable.

Wedding Wreck Wednesday!!!

How to Pick, Decorate, and Find the Perfect Wedding Arch

Thinking of using a wedding arch? You're not alone — for many brides, they serve as an indispensable grace note when it comes to getting married in a garden or park, in a spacious backyard or by the sea.

A beautiful moment of the wedding ceremony is the point in which the bride and groom express their lifetime commitment to each other. Many couples choose to verbalize their expressions of love beneath the traditional wedding arches. However, though traditions favor an arch, do know that there are countless ways to decorate this symbol of the gateway to a couple’s marital bliss.

Types of Wedding Arches

• Fall Wedding Arch: Decorate with apples, leaves, chrysanthemums, cattails. Colors: Forest green, burgundy, rust, cranberry.
• Winter Wedding Arch: poinsettias, pinecones, fir branches, white lights (candle-shaped lights if you can find them), ornaments. Colors: Similar to that of the fall shades. Don't go overboard with red and green, but do add in ornaments wherever you can!
• Square Tube Arch: A very practical design with straight lines.
• Gothic Wedding Arch: In order to attain the Gothic look, use a very dark arch substructure (ideally dark wood if manageable). Adorn the archway with simple white linens, and no other embellishments. Hang a kissing ball from the center peak.
• The Hawaiian Arch: Fashion a square-shaped archway out of bamboo poles. Ornament the corners and base with hawaiian blooms such as: anthuriums, heliconias, tropical foliage, and dendrobium orchid sprays.
• The Human Arch: Perhaps the most moving possibility for a just-married ceremony finale. Have family members and closest friends assemble into two lines, facing each other. As they raise their arms to create a tunnel of arches symbolizing their protection and love, the bride and groom pass underneath. Each guest could bring one small memento to hold in the air as they create the arch of arms, thus enhancing the meaning and beauty of the moment.

Do not overlook the beauty of any arch. It is particularly attractive in photographs as a natural frame for the subjects of any portrait. Wedding arches can be custom-made and tailored to complete the themes of your wedding.

Sometimes you need a focal point, but arches just aren't firing you up. Some great-looking alternatives:

• A simple chuppah or mandap (Indian)
• A flat arbor screen, with potted arrangements on each side
• A large, low-hanging tree
• A gazebo
• A grape trellis

Whatever style you choose, your wedding arch will symbolize magic, romance, and all the possibilities of a shared and cherished union.

Turning the Oridinary into Extraodinary!

The latest trends in linens have come a long way from rented white table clothes and padded chairs. Step up your wedding décor by incorporating some great new ideas:

• Instead of plain tablecloths use dramatic fabrics like satins, organzas, damasks, embroidered or beaded fabrics, and tone-on-tone designs
• Lace table linens, particularly in metallic lace placed over a solid colour fabric are all the rage right now
• Create visual interest by using multiple table linens in different colours and textures
• Square table clothes are in and round table clothes are out, unless you incorporate the two
• Glass, metal, ceramic, and stone table tops instead of linens are the cutting edge
• Cover chairs in damask and use matching or coordinating chair sashes
• Accessorize chair covers with ribbons, bows, or flowers (real or artificial)

Top it off with some "Bling"

Wedding Cake Jewelry is the latest trend to enhance the top of your wedding cake. A wedding cake needs a topper or it’s just not a wedding cake. Whether you choose cake jewelry, monograms or a picture of the bride and groom, wedding cake jewelry adds an air of elegance. The choices are incredible. Dramatic to whimsical, sparkly or subdued, whatever your taste.

Wedding Wreck Wednesday

Snap, Krackle, Pop is pure music to our ears!

Who doesn't love a rice krispie treat? This time-honored goodie has been taken to the next level. Would you just love with a customized krispie treat all your own? These tasty treats can be personalized for a Bridal & Baby Showers, Graduation, Weddings, Birthdays, just about anything. These delicious favors can be personalized with your own message and pictures! The result looks as good as it tastes.




Source: Beaucoup

Wedding Wreck Wednesday!

2009 Cake Trends-Natured Inspired Cakes

Whether it’s marzipan, fondant or real it’s all about nature in 2009. The trend started appealing many in 2008 but is in full swing this upcoming year. Anything funky happening in mother earth’s land is happening in weddings! Also, exotic fruit and organic cake flavors will be huge. Pomegranate, blueberry, lemon along with pistachio…

Mushrooms, moss, bark, twigs, pine cones are huge along with fruits, veggies and unique plant and flower species (cactus, cabbage, etc). You can have your cake baker design something edible or have your florist decorate the cake. This trend is happening all year long!

Are you fit to Strip?

I totally over did it for the Holidays! Ham, Turkey, Dressing, Macorni and Cheese..whew..if feel my waist expanding just talking about it. While watching my favorite TV show "Snapped" on Oxygen Sunday night this infomerical for Flirty Girl Fit came on and I had to order my DVD asap!

The idea behind Flirty Girl Fitness is to make sure that you love working out so much that you'll make it a regular part of your daily routine. Not because you have to, but because you LOVE to! Flirty Girl Fitness takes the "work" out of working out and replaces it with fun! Flirty Girl Fitness is designed for all women. Regardless of size, age or fitness level, our routines are led by Flirty Girl Fitness instructors who take you through each move step by step allowing you to move at your own pace. Order yours today to unleash the Diva in you!

What's in for 09!

In 2009, the number of couples getting married will remain steady overall at about 2.2 million. If the economy begins to recover, we may see a slight increase; however, if we see more economic turmoil the number of weddings will decline in 2009 as couples wait for the economy to recover. Spending will follow the same trend, except that overall spending will be down 10% over 2008, which is already seeing a decline of 20-30%. In 2009, we estimate the average wedding cost to be between $21,000 and $25,000.

2009 Trends

Most trends in 2009 will relate to saving money with the exception of a few. We expect other money saving trends to emerge.

• Smaller weddings with fewer guests
• Destination weddings or destination type weddings closer to home
• Accent colors on dresses and cakes with the most popular being greens and blues
• Increased reliance on family and friends to help plan, pay, and provide some of the services
• Increased use of green and echo friendly products and services
• Simplified decorations, centerpieces and wedding invitations
• Increased use of online RSVP’s vs. traditional mail-in RSVPs
• Off-peak weddings; Mornings, Afternoons, Fridays, Sundays, October becomes the new June
• Buffet meals, Hors d’oeuvre, and cocktail receptions
• Cheesecakes, cupcakes and miniature cakes
• All-inclusive packages

Happy New Year!