Art Party

My daughter Tasha is heading off to college to study graphic design. Her high school graduation party was a perfect place to showcase her own artwork as well as the artistic elements of “let it be done”. Yes, we make and bake food and desserts, but what we really enjoy is putting together the presentation and making it personal.

A welcome wreath decorated with bright colored artist tools

Some of Tasha’s artwork…

Kellee and Laura’s artwork

 

The Menu

A Take Home treat

She is ready for Concordia, Nebraska!

Bar Cookies are great for Parties!

If you are planning more than one party at a time…(we know a little about that), or planning a party that requires travel of food…(one hour away or in the mail; we know about this too!), or if you need to make food a couple of weeks before the party…(because you have too many other things to do)…a Bar Cookie is the perfect dessert! Two of our favorite recipes did double duty this past month.
The French Caramel Pecan Bars is a recipe that I cut out of a newspaper YEARS ago. It is easy to make and freezes well. The Deluxe Chocolate Marshmallow Bars is a Taste of Home recipe I found while looking for something “very chocolate”. It keeps in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks!

French Caramel Pecan Bars surrounded by Brownie Pops at Tasha’s Graduation Party



Deluxe Chocolate Marshmallow Bars featured with Mini Pies at Shelby’s graduation Party



Both are served along with Peanut Butter Cup Cookies and Frosted Brownies at Dick & Cindy’s Wedding Reception

Recipes:

French Caramel Pecan Bars

¾ cup butter, melted
1 pkg Moist Supreme French Vanilla Cake Mix
1 egg
2 ½ cups quick cooking rolled oats
1 can coconut pecan frosting
1 (12 oz) pkg (2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup chopped pecans
Heat oven to 350⁰ F. Spray a 15x10x1 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Place melted butter in large bowl. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the cake mix; set aside.
Add remaining cake mix to the butter; blend well. Add egg; mix well. Stir in oats.
Press 2/3 of cake mix mixture (about 2 ½ cups) in bottom of sprayed pan.
Place frosting in medium microwave bowl; microwave on high for 1 minute. Add reserved 3 tablespoons cake mix; stir until large lumps disappear.
Drizzle half of frosting mixture over cake mix mixture in pan; spread evenly.
Sprinkle with chocolate chips and pecans. Drizzle with remaining frosting mixture.
Crumble remaining cake mix mixture over frosting mixture.
Bake at 350⁰ F. for 25 to 30 minutes or until top is golden brown and edges are bubbly. Cool completely.
Cut into bars. Makes 48 bars.

Deluxe Chocolate Marshmallow Bars

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons baking cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional
• 4 cups miniature marshmallows
• 
  TOPPING:
• 1-1/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups crisp rice cereal

Directions

• In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
• Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in nuts if desired. Spread in a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan.
• Bake at 350° for 15-18 minutes. Sprinkle with marshmallows; bake 2-3 minutes longer. Remove to a wire rack. Using a knife dipped in water, spread the melted marshmallows evenly over top. Cool completely.
• For topping, combine the chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter in a small saucepan. Cook and stir over low heat until blended. Remove from the heat; stir in cereal. Spread over bars immediately. Chill. Yield: about 3 dozen.

Permanent Party Gear

Entertaining means coffee – and lots of it. If you’re having a party for eight, it’s a good idea to plug in two electric coffee makers (the 10-cup size) so you’ll be ready for seconds – even if it means borrowing one from your neighbor. For a bigger party, a large electric percolator urn may be a better answer. You can make up to 30 cups of coffee in some of these urns.

This great tip came straight out of the Betty Crocker Hostess Cookbook 1967 edition. Although today…we might like to be entertaining with one of these…

I would be happy with a good cup of black coffee at just about any party! It’s nice to know some things just never go out of style.

So Many Parties, So Little Time

Hostess With the Mostess is pretty much the best all around party planning site out there.

They have the cutest ideas, the best resources and they cover pretty much any kind of party you might want to throw!

Here are a couple of my favorites.

A Bright and Cheery Summer Wedding

Mostly just for this!

 
 

And I like this one a lot too!

Japanese Washi Tape

And they used that tape here too!

See what I mean? Too much cute stuff and great ideas.