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appetizer or dessert to serve at a spa party? I am stuck in a rut! It's the same tired old fruit tray, veggie and cookie tray. Drinks I have covered. There is a punch that is a 4 seasons punch with a different color for each season. Spring is green!


Would love to hear some new recipes or ideas! Party is Friday and I need to plan.


Thanks!!

Depending on the party---I've done chocolate fondue, with strawberries and bannas......One of my hostesses did make your own banna split last summer with homemade icecream.......looked like some work, but boy yummmy!!!! I've also done cheese and crackers and offered wine or sparkling grape juice. With the margarita party I did salsa, avocado dip and chips. i generally like to keep it simple. The very first one I did was short bread cookies and Lemonade.

I like to keep it simple too! But this is my Mother's Day Spa and I want them to feel pampered with the food too.smileys/smiley2.gif


Nothing too outrageous, but a nice selection!


I was thinking chocolate dipped strawberries because that says Mother's Day for some reason!

Absolutely-----chocolate anything says it for this mom!!!!

I was listening in on a teleconference for my unit. Laura Norton (I
think that was her name?) was the speaker. She said she tells her
hostesses to serve very little such as lemon water and maybe cookies.
She said the reasoning behind this was after the spa, the ladies would
gather around the food and it would cut into potential sales.



I haven't noticed the food making that much difference in my sales at
parties, but it is some food for thought. Being new at this I kind of
welcome the diversion while I am writing up orders!



Angie

I always tell my hosts to keep it simple. But when it is a special party at my house, all bets are off! I throw 2 special ones a year: Mother's Day and Hostess Appreciation in the fall.


Since Mother's Day is a mystery hostess, the ordering will be done right away to see who the winner is. Then we are going to play the auction game. After that the food!


I am thinking of abbreviating the spa a little bit, but not sure. All of my guests have never attended a spa party before. That should be a lot of fun! So far, I have 6 attending out of 25. Hopefully, I will get a few more.


So I want the food to be special too!

That sounds like a lot of fun!! Wish I could be a fly on the wall to observe!



Angie

I should videotape it. I did that when I was with a different party plan. It is interesting to play it back. Of course, I am a big critic and will pick out the flaws.

My favorite, if you like seafood, is a shrimp sort of dip thing (not sure what to call it lol). Here is the recipe:

2 lbs. cooked, peeled, and deveined shrimp (I use the medium size ones)
1 cup mayo
1/4 cup salad oil
3 heaping tbs chili sauce
1 tsp. celery seed
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion (I use red onoin for this) chopped fine
1 stalk of celery with leaves, chopped
2 strings dill, chopped
Combine all ingredients and marinate over night.

Everyone I ever serve this for loves it. I am going to print up a bunch of the recipe because someone always asks for it at parties..Yummy!

Shawn

PS I made a margarita pie on Friday for my sister's Cinco de Mayo party and it was delicious!

Well it may only be 8 AMCentral Tuesday morning, but I want shrimp for breakfast! Sounds absolutely yummy Shawn!


What is in your Margarita pie? All of the recipes I have seen in my cookbooks have tequila in them.

Yes, this recipe calls for tequla, too. It actually has tequila and Triple Sec in it (a citrus liquer). Two tablespoons of each. I let everyone know ahead of time and I haven't made it at a Spa yet, but if you don't want the tequila in there, I don't think it will be missed at all. It would be just more of a lime pie, which still fits in with the Margarita theme. If you still want the recipe, let me know!

Shawn

I am going to do punch with strawberry shortcake and whipped cream and maybe nuts and mints!

Yum Kimberly! It's a great time of year for strawberrries..I love them! I also like Vicki's idea for chocolate covered strawberries. I haven't decided on the menu yet for mine, but both of those sound like great ideas. I have had one request for the shrimp so I will probably include that. I love parties! Hannah, my severn-year-old, is already planning her birthday party for this year. It's in December! Hmmm...I wonder where she gets it.....? smileys/smiley2.gif

Shawn

How about some spinach or artichoke dip inside hollowed out bread? Costco has some really good frozen eclairs, too. The strawberry short cake is a wonderful idea, too! It sounds yummy!


For drinks, I always serve ice water with sliced cucumbers. It has a really clean, "spa" taste to it. I also serve raspberry tea or lemonade. Vicki, the spring punch sounds good. Will you email me that recipe?


I gotta go shopping for my Mother's Day Spa (on Saturday afternoon) tomorrow, too!

I will send that recipe along! It is 4 different ones in one that is what I love about it so much. One punch for each season or event.


Look for the recipe tomorrow! I forgot to bring the book upstairs again.

Jennifer, I just experimented this weekend with a new hot spinach and artichoke dip recipe I found on the Knorr vegetable soup mix box. I always make the regular spinach dip, but I particulariy like this one because it's hot. Very good recipe too!

Shawn

Here's a few I like:<?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Open Faced Cucumber Sandwiches:

1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon of dill weed
1 teaspoon chopped chives
8 slices of white bread
1 seedless cucumber

Directions:

Combine the cream cheese, garlic salt, chives and dill in a bowl. Mix well. Cover and chill 1 hour.

Cut the cucumber into rounds. Set aside.



Using a biscuit cutter or the top of a glass, cut the middle out of each slice of bread. Top each slice with some of the cream cheese mixture, then a slice of cucumber. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.


Raspberry Almond Tart

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
Ingredients
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (from a 17 1/4-ounce package), thawed
1 egg, beaten to blend
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons amaretto liqueur
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted and coarsely crumbled
2 (6-ounce) baskets fresh raspberries
Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut a 3/4-inch wide strip off each side of the pastry and reserve. Roll out the pastry sheet on a lightly floured work surface to a 10-inch square. Brush the edges of the square with the egg. Working with 1 strip at a time, stand the strips along the edges of the pastry square and crimp where they meet. You want to create a shallow box, where the pastry square is the base and the 4 strips are the walls. Overlap the strips at the corners, stretching them if necessary to complete the walls of the box. Brush the border with the egg. Pierce the center of the pastry all over with fork. Bake until the pastry is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool completely.

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream until soft peaks. With the mixer still running, gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks. Add the liqueur and beat until just well blended; be careful not to overmix or the whipped cream will turn into a buttery consistency and start to separate. Using a large spatula, fold in the nuts. Spoon
the cream mixture into the prepared pastry crust. Arrange the berries over the cream. Sift the cocoa powder over and serve.

You can use any fruit that's in season (orange segments, berries, plums, bananas, grapes). Blueberries make a good substitute for the raspberries, and sliced peaches or nectarines are delicious as well.

Hope that helps!

Megan,


Raspberries and Amaretto are my two favorites! That tart sounds fabulous!


Thanks for sharing everyone. This is a lot of fun!

www.spaindex.com/CUISINE/CUISINE.htm