Martie Party on the Road: Food and Entertaining Shows in Atlanta and Palm Beach!

Yippee! We're taking the Martie Party on the road for the Metropolitan Food and Entertaining Shows in Palm Beach March 28 & 29 and then on to Atlanta April 18 & 19. We're in for two days chock full of food, recipes and entertaining tips from lots of big names--- there will be a celebrity theatre and cooking stage, a kid's area, beer, wine and spirits tasting area, tasting and entertaining workshops and a huge expo where you can find everything you might ever need for cooking at home.    

And best of all, we're in some pretty good company! We'll be there with some of my favorite celebs from the Food Network.Paula Deen, Bobby Flay and those barbecuing Neelys from Memphis will be in Palm Beach. My ultimate favorite, Tyler Florence will be on board for Atlanta as will that crazy, funny Guy Fieri--- the guy from Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. If you find yourself in either one of these cities, please stop in for my workshop on entertaining secrets from the pros. You can buy tickets online.

OK, all of you in Palm Beach--- Break away from the polo long enough to come over to the Americraft Expo Center at 11:30 am or 4 pm on Saturday or 4:00 pm on Sunday. All you Birmingham folks--- get up a road trip to Atlanta! Hope to see you all there!

Valentine's Day Treats for Kids: Sugar Cookie Lollipops

I got a couple of requests for ideas for children's Valentine's party treats this week--- not candy and not cupcakes. I was momentarily stumped!

These lollipop cookies are the perfect solution--- and if you use refrigerated sugar cookie dough, they're not only easy, they're inexpensive and fast, too. I think the entire project cost me $20 but that was only because I bought a special $9 cookie-pop pan. (yes, there is such a thing) I did some with the fancy pan and some without and they turned out just as good without the pan. Kids love to personalize things so let them decorate their own cookie pop with icing, sprinkles and small candies. The decorating part is easier for the kids if you ice the cookies first. Let the icing dry overnight for best results.

Get a piece of Styrofoam to display the cookies and your party treats also become pretty party decorations. Here's a picture from my iPhone for the how-to. If you think this took a long time, it didn't-- I baked and iced 12 big sugar cookies in less than an hour. BTW- the small cookie lollipops are just Oreo Cakesters in strawberry--- for the stick, I used those funny Poky biscuit sticks in strawberry creme.

Tips to Keep Your Party Costs Low

I was just reviewing my schedule for February and realized that we have four big celebrations happening next month. Here's the lineup:

Gumbo and muffulettas feed a crowd for Mardi GrasSuper Bowl- February 1

Valentine's Day- February 14

Academy Awards- February 22

Mardi Gras- February 24

Most of us NEED a little fun and some good news right now so pick your party theme and call your friends! It's more important than ever to come up with inexpensive ideas for entertaining so you don't have to forego the festivities just because money is tight. Here are some tips for keeping party costs low:

1. Don't hesitate to ask everyone to bring something to help with the expense--- it is perfectly OK and most are happy to help. Guests can bring beverages if they don't cook.

2. Use what you have to cut decorating expense. For example, I am digging out some red holiday ornaments to use for Valentine's decorations and gold garland and candles for a Mardi Gras party.

3. Serving a signature cocktail rather than having an open bar looks festive and will save some dollars. You should be able to squeeze 20+ drinks (depending on recipe and serving size) from one large bottle of vodka.

4. Instead of lavish decorations, take a page from the party professional's playbook. Caterers and party designers use food and beverages as decorations whenever possible. For example, set up a row or tray of glasses on the bar and fill them with a colored signature cocktail. Light the glasses by using a tiny LED light--- it will make the color pop.

Need more party ideas? My Mardi Gras party is up--- check out the slideshow. V-day and Oscar party ideas coming soon!

Make a Bloody Mary Bar for Your Next Game Day Party

Bloody Mary Bar

Part salad bar, part drink bar, the Bloody Mary bar is becoming a popular interactive addition to parties and restaurant bars everywhere. Since everyone has their own idea of the perfect Bloody Mary, each drink can be individually crafted to get the seasoning just right. It's not only fun but efficient to let guests mix up their own custom blend. Each region of the country has local add-ins and flavorings but one thing is consistent; everyone thinks their version is the best. As a Southerner, I would lose my membership card if I didn’t know how to make a good Bloody Mary. Southerners like a Bloody Mary to be spicy, heavy on the horseradish and loaded with fresh vegetables —a garden in a glass. To set up your own Bloody Mary bar, a cleared kitchen counter works well. You’ll need to keep your veggies chilled so put them in glasses, place in a low container or bowl and fill around the glasses with ice.

Use large glasses for serving since it will be packed with veggies and mix-ins until the flavor is just right. Long teaspoons are best to mix up the goodies—a plastic stirrer just won’t cut it. Have lots of wipes or towels on hand for spills and don’t use a white tablecloth for this one.

BLOODY MARY BAR SHOPPING LIST

VODKA:  Use your favorite vodka. Sometimes I use Absolut Peppar and rim glasses with a pepper and sea salt mixture before adding liquids and mix-ins.

MIX: Get one or two types of bottled mix or good organic tomato juice for the base

Major Peter’s (recommended)

Tabasco

Tomato Juice

FLAVOR AND SPICE

Lea & Perrin Worcestershire

Celery salt

Old Bay Seasoning (look at the fish counter if you can’t find it with the seasonings)

Cocktail Sauce

HEAT

Tabasco Original

Louisiana Hot Sauce

Tabasco Green

Fresh ground pepper

Red pepper flakes

Fresh ground horseradish

CONDIMENTS

Celery stalks

Lemon wedges

Lime slices

Olives

Pickled okra

String beans

Cocktail onions

Cherry tomatoes

Pickled asparagus

SWIMMERS

Shrimp

Raw oysters

Clam juice

Share your favorite Bloody Mary recipe by commenting below.

Update on Friday, January 23, 2009 at 12:48PM by Martie Duncan

This is a perfect for a Super Bowl party--- so we're rerunning it!

Super Bowl Party Ideas

Football season is almost over and for some of us, that is reason enough to celebrate! Super Bowl 2009 happens February 1st--- less than two weeks away--- so why not forget the bad weather and the bad news by getting a few friends together to watch the big game? This is always one party that both guys and girls look forward to and it can easily be done on the cheap. Beer and bar food is filling and inexpensive, too. Here's one idea for a fun yet frugal Super Bowl party:

Souper Bowl: Nothing is better on a cold day than a hot bowl of homemade soup and a grilled cheese sandwich and both are pretty inexpensive to make for a big crowd. Turn a simple soup night into a sport by asking guests to compete in your first annual Souper Bowl. Guests bring their favorite soup recipe and compete for prizes--- ask each what they plan to bring so you don't end up with 4 pots of chicken noodle. Set up the buffet wtih bowls or mugs, spoons, and lots of garnishes like crackers, chopped scallions, grated cheese and a variety of hot sauces. Don't have a favorite soup recipe? Try one of these from my favorite celebrity chefs--- Giada's Lentil Soup, Emeril's Creamy Potato Leek Soup, Barefoot Contessa's Chicken Chili or Tyler Florence's Mexican Tortilla Chicken Soup. 

Instead of standing over the stove grilling sandwiches, try these mini sandwiches. They're always a hit and easy to make with a tray of party rolls. Here's how: remove the whole tray of rolls. Slice them in half. Put the bottom back into the tray. Spread your favorite condiment on the top and bottom--- I like spicy brown mustard. Add ham, cheese, or your favorite sandwich combination. Replace the top and dot a little butter all over it. Wrap the entire tray in foil. Heat in a 350 oven for 15 minutes.

Souper Bowl not macho enough for your group? Have a chili cook-off instead--- almost every guy has his own secret chili recipe. Prizes can be everything from soup ladles to bottles of boutique hot sauce. More Super Bowl party ideas to come----!