I had friends coming to dinner with their three boys in tow. As a kid, it can be a bore being dragged to adult dinner parties. So I took a cue from the Nora Ephron playbook and decided we would play with our food. I created a Build Your Own Taco Bar!
It was a weeknight, so the dinner needn’t be fussy. The mother and children are vegetarian, so I served alternative proteins and and kicked the veggies up a notch with chipotle-spiced eggplant and Southwestern-style summer squash. I laid all the toppings out, and we had a great time building unique tacos – no two were the same!
This greeting lets the kids know it’s not all about the grown-ups!The drinks let grown-ups know it’s not all about the kids!I get to rock my fabulous Mexican folk art runners!For extra long tables, be sure to place fixings to both ends of the table. Less passing, more eating!
A sweet end to the meal: Carol’s homemade pound cake
Birthdays are meant to be celebratory, but tacky party ideas for these poor people are mocking, suggesting that death is just around the corner.
When my mother turned 60, we opted instead for an upbeat 50’s-themed party, which would be reminiscent of her childhood and a much simpler time. People are still talking about it, and it even inspired other family members to do the same!
How to do it…
1) Make it a costume party! It will set a great atmosphere, and lots of laughs when friends see one another!
2) Vinyl records make great decorations for the walls, dangling from the ceiling on strings and as a centerpiece. Speaking of centerpieces, it’s easy to make a mock milkshake with glasses, shredded paper and striped straws! Glass soda bottles look great too – extra credit if you score vintage ones!
3) I say this for every event, but have a themed cocktail. We named ours the “Beauty School Dropout.” And since it’s a sock hop, wholesome root beer floats and milkshakes really hit the spot!
4) The birthday cake is a perfect opportunity to reinforce the theme. We used a lot of vinyl records, so one went right onto the cake!
5) To keep things lively during our meal, we had karaoke. But that’s only because we hired a special DJ who had a trick up this sleeve….6) HE WAS ALSO AN ELVIS IMPERSONATOR!!! I now truly believe that one should not throw a sock hop without an Elvis impersonator. It just takes things to a whole other level.
7) We used vintage candy as party favors, and it brought back old memories to everyone, from baby boomers to millennials! Using the language of the time, we told guests we hoped they had a “swell time,” added a poodle graphic and tied it up with a bow!
The party hosts enjoying the fruits of their laborThe birthday girl being serenaded
Embassies from around the world dot the landscape in Washington, D.C. and the streets are filled with reckless foreign diplomats. You can spot their special license plates, which allow them to drive like maniacs since they’re granted immunity. D.C. was a true mixing bowl, where the Italians weren’t the Jersey Shore type, but the type who spoke Italian and made their own limoncello.
My childhood in the Washington suburbs was multi-cultural, but not in that forced, PC way that makes everyone nervous. My school featured students from France to India, Vietnam to Ireland. To celebrate this mash-up, Beech Tree Elementary hosted International Dinners, where families cooked food from their native country to share. Stations would be set up with homemade flags, dollops of food were shared and adventurous eaters would mill about.
The event brought families together in an organic way. It inspired me to host an International Dinner Party of my own!
Chocolate from around the world
How to do it:
1) The hardest part? Cooking food from around the world. The most fun part? Cooking food from around the world!
The spread featured homemade duck pate and Korean kimchi and rice with seaweed!
2) Make signs for all the foods – it will encourage guests to try somehing unfamiliar. A charming accent? Label everything on airmail envelopes!
3) Feature beer and wine from around the world!
4) Ask guests to arrive dressed in native garb – clothing from their country. Many of my friends didn’t have such clothes, but they improvised. My friend Tess wore a custom dress she had made in Vietnam. A man of French descent wore a fake moustache and an English friend wore tartan and wellies! But hands down, the best costume went to Kim Burke-Connors, who celebrated her Russian roots with a babushka scarf, a basket of potatoes, a bottle of vodka and austerity!
5) Buy a basket and fill it with international foods such as Italian pasta, German mustard and soy sauce. One guest will get to go home with this prize. How do you determine the winner? World trivia, based on geograhy, customs and food! At our party, competition was tight, with a lot of tension between the last two finalists.
6) Give guests a small parting gift, such as Swiss chocolate or a small bottle of Irish whiskey. Guests will love being treated to a night around the world without leaving town. Enjoy!
International dessert bar, with sugared mangoes from the Phillippines, Scottish shortbread, American s’mores and much more!A deviled egg bar is a fun represention of the USA – Nora Ephron used to say that people love to play with their food!
The Sewards of Richmond, Virginia decided to make their one year-old’s birthday party exactly as it should be – a party for the parents! They survived a year of sleep deprivation among other atrocities, and it was time to let loose.
Our hosts, Jake and Kristin Seward, left.
The invitations could not have come at a better time; many in their circle were itching with cabin fever, as the snowy weather kept them home-bound with their even more listless children.
Revelers stepped in from the cold in snow boots and were welcomed by a warm glow. Candles were lit throughout the house. Stringed lights hung over tiny nooks, encouraging party-goers to indulge in adult conversation. There were stations for cocktails, wine, liqueurs and a fine whiskey awaited those in-the-know in the kitchen.
The Sewards knew the tried and true tricks of all skilled hosts. They were at ease, drinks in hand. They placed little food and drink stations around the home. This kept guests circulating and discovering treats throughout the house.
Tabletops in every room offered diversions.
My favorite station was the dessert drink station. A pot of fresh coffee sat beside bottles of Frangelico, Bailey’s Irish Cream, whipped cream and sweets. Some guests stirred in chocolate candy to make their drinks richer, while others dipped in their Biscotti. It was heaven.
Most impressive spread – the dessert cocktail bar!
Of course, no one lost sight of why we were there. Olive, their daughter who turned one, was fast asleep upstairs but celebrated in the details below. A mini olive bar stuffed with different cheeses glistened below a sign that read “Olive You” – the popular hashtag used by Olive’s mother, photographer Kristin Seward.
The Nor’Easter Champagne cocktail
Other treats were the Winter Champagne Cocktails with rosemary and orange peel. The Tuscan-inspired spread with giardiniera, crusty breads brushed with high-quality olive oil and a collection of European cheeses. But the best part was the company, with conversation that made the hours whir by in what felt like minutes.
great company
As everyone stepped into the snowy night, they didn’t feel a thing. We were toasty inside and out as we trudged through the snow under clear, starry skies.
“Having good chili isn’t enough,” remarked a competitive guest, “You have to have a gimmick – something they’ll remember your chili by.” Indeed, competition is fierce – there are around 15 varieties in the long line of simmering crock pots. Some used unexpected ingredients, such as duck or pineapple. Others had playful names like,”You Never Sausage Chili.”
A charming, autumn-inspired entryway leads guests to the backyard
The Lewis family does a chili cook-off right. There are plenty of fixings on hand to liven up any bowl, such as shredded cheese, sour cream, fresh-baked cornbread and corn chips. To keep kids occupied, there are heaping trays of chicken nuggets and a mulch-bottomed playground. For the adults, there’s an open bar stacked with small-batch moonshine and ice cold kegs of beer.
Guests come hungry and eat small samples. First-timers usually become too full to try each chili.
As guests enjoy the brisk autumn air, they huddle over bowls of spicy chili and stand around a fire, trying hard to find out which guest brought what chili. Both the cooks and the voters remain anonymous to keep it fair, and the winner takes home an actual trophy!
This annual tradition marks the beginning of the holiday season, and the Lewis family invites friends, family and neighbors alike. This coveted invite promises treats beyond chili. Mulled spice wine simmered on the stove. A deer hunter brought venison-stuffed jalapenos. Not to mention the company. Hostess Melanie Lewis can be described as Pinteresting. This mother of three knits gorgeous scarves, bakes chocolate chip cookies from scratch with her children and crafts like Martha. Brett Lewis is the CEO of Create Digital, a digital marketing company that’s ahead of their time and at least five steps ahead of most Richmond agencies.
Hosts Brett and Melanie Lewis. The hostess stays chic in a leather jacket and magenta scarf she knit herself.
As I stood on the deck, I noticed the leaves were aglow of every color and the air smelled of wood smoke. The setting sun cast an orange glow over the guests. Women hugged and men compared their “Movember” starter beards. This scene of camaraderie belied the hellish underpinnings of competition. These guests were having a blast no doubt. But they also came to win.
Playful couple Mandy Blankenship and Charlie Rhodes are to be wed at Veritas Vineyard in a matter of weeks.
Annual tee designed by Rag & BoneMe (left) with Richmond.com Editor-in-Chief Karri PeiferFashion show and appearance by designer Nanette Leporewith 103.7 PLAY’s DJ Melissa ChaseThe best desserts were provided by The JeffersonBourbon tasting by a local distillerywith Summit Media NSM Amy DeVries
Indoor parties are a mixed blessing. Unfortunately you have to tidy your home. Fortunately, your home is tidy.
Outdoor parties are a different ballgame. Hang a sign on the front door and unlock a side gate. The only part of your home that needs cleaning is the path from the back door to the nearest bathroom.
In my last post, I laid down some serious Carpe Diem on old, fleeting Autumn. So I took my own advice and threw an impromptu backyard campfire!
What you’ll need:
– A box of Hershey bars
– Graham crackers
– A bag of marshmallows
– tree sticks (thin, straight and scrubbed down under a yard hose)
– hot dogs, buns & condiments
– hot cocoa (with Kaluha or whiskey to spike it with!)
– firewood and a fire pit
– lawn chairs and blankets
Set the scene! Circle your fire pit with lawn chairs and drape cozy blankets across each one. Have all the sticks ready to go in a metal pail. Load up a nearby table with an ample “Fixin’s Bar” for the roasted weiners, and plenty of liquor to spike the cocoa. How to make hot cocoa outdoors? Fill up a thermos or two with hot water and keep some cream on ice. The marshmallows for the s’mores make a perfect topping.
Then, light the fire and RELAX. This type of event is low-key and perfect for Friday nights, when people want to unwind, and not in stilettos screaming over the music during “happy hour.”
Curl up under your blanket. Tell stories by the fire. Eat marshmallows until your chin is sticky. Autumn will be gone before you know it.
Another gift from Hollywood means another viewing party! The gift I mention is the re-vamp of Arrested Development. The critically-acclaimed cult hit was canceled on-air after just three seasons, because of all the knuckle draggers who’d rather watch Honey Boo Boo and nouveaux riche housewives grappling with middle age, via a liquid diet. The liquid being primarily vodka.
But Netflix graced us with their ingenuity, creating and airing a long-awaited Season Four. Will there be a Season Five? Yes. It’s only a matter of getting all the actors together at one time. A criticism of Season Four was that all the actors were in separate scenes, with no real footage of the Bluth family all together. It’s a dynamic worth waiting for.
So prepare yourselves, darlings! Scroll down for tips on throwing the ultimate Arrested Development viewing party!
Pop-up Banana Stand at the Grove in L.A.!
It wouldn’t be complete without frozen dipped bananas and corn balls; two major references to the series. Corn balls can be made with a hush puppy recipe – but I just winged it with some corn flour, eggs, a dash of milk, and spices. No matter what, add onion powder and a dash of cayenne to keep the cornballs from being too bland.
I even created Blue Man Balls for the eternal mess Tobias Funke. Just make some good old-fashioned Rice Krispies Treats with blue food dye added to the marshmallow mix, and roll into balls instead of laying in a pan.
As with any viewing party:
– Dress up as your favorite character and ask guests to do the same. Laughter is guaranteed when every single guest walks through the door.
– Lower the lights. It discourages loud conversation so enthusiasts can enjoy the film.
– Have plenty of pillows and blankets on hand – you want guests to settle in and get cozy!
– Have a thematic gift, and use it as a prize for the fan who knew the most trivia about the film or series.
– Refresh drinks and pass around trays of food mid-program so guests needn’t take their eyes off the TV.
It’s as if Mother Nature personally condoned the union. At the Curry-Kelly wedding at Bluemont Vineyard, Washingtonians were spared the sultry August heat. It was dry and crisp. Not a mosquito in sight. And best of all, the sunset gave way to a sky so dark, guests admired the milky way, stretched across the heavens.
The wedding took place on the foothills overlooking land that Jackie Kennedy used to ride through on horseback, both as a child and during her White House years. Leesburg is Virginia’s “horse country” – but as wineries expand in the area, some refer to it as “wine country.” After all, Virginia is the fifth highest state for wine-producing.
The marriage of Gerald Curry, (an Intel professional) and Jennifer Kelly (a real estate agent), was more than a joining of husband and wife. It was a ceremony to celebrate the modern, blended family. A Brady Bunch with better hair. In addition to exchanging rings, the couple gave matching necklaces to the three daughters they have between them. Guests smiled on as three young girls shrieked with the excitement of officially becoming sisters.
The bride wore a stunning open-backed dress that broke records for the most photos taken of a bride without her face in it. Indigo and blues were woven throughout the theme, between the sashes on the flower girl dresses to the figs on the wedding cake. Even the engagement ring was blue – a nod to Princess Di’s ring handed down to Kate Middleton.
The open bar at the rustic venue was in full swing even before the outdoor ceremony began. By the time the bride sashayed down the aisle, (and sashay she did – she even did a little dance) guests hollered and cheered. It was an elegant wedding that still found a way to thumb its nose at convention.
Urban living in a coveted neighborhood has its perks. Carytown’s tag line is A Mile of Style. The Deiblers’ gorgeous rowhouse affords them a quick walk to boutiques, galleries and Virginia’s largest one-day festival – The Watermelon Festival. With over 115,000 attendees every year, Maegan and Cammeron Deibler find it the perfect time to host an annual open house for friends in the neighborhood.
watermelon cupcakes
Guests wander in throughout the day to escape the heat and enjoy a decadent spread, cool drinks and of course, good company.
watermelon jello shooters
Impeccably designed, the row house is a mix of Colonial and ultra-modern design; exposed brick and crown molding mixed with slate-colored walls and state-of-the-art appliances.
The Deiblers serve rare orange and yellow watermelon, a treasure commonly found at local farmer’s markets.
Pimento cheese sandwiches and deviled eggs are a nod to traditional Southern cuisine.
Even the lemonade must match the watermelon color scheme, as evidenced in the above vintage beverage cart, and below, on the Deibler’s welcoming front porch.
Cammeron Deibler
Next year the Deiblers will have an additional feature at their annual open house – a little bundle of joy. Congratulations to the expectant couple!
Fayeruz Regan 
