Shark Week!

Shark Week (at the end of July) is such a popular week on Discovery Channel, and I knew it would make a fun theme for a monthly dinner.  I had a lot of fun carving sharks out of food and coming up with ideas for this party.

Invite:  I stuck to the basics with the invitation. I stayed away from actual sharks as I didn't want a scary "real-looking" shark on it or a cartoon one.  Blues, white, and red was the color scheme I went with for this party and invitation.

Decorations:  The table was simple with a blue plastic tablecloth, an easy centerpiece, and handmade scrapbook paper decor.

For the centerpiece, I purchased a net from Michaels.  (FYI - the net was $7 (pre-coupon) for that little piece!)  My kids already had the shark puppet that I put around a candle.  The fins are just two pieces of grey felt sewn together and set over an empty vase.

The placecards I made with my Cricut.  I found a shark silhouette image and added each girl's name to the center.  I welded two of the sharks together and then put a scrap of red paper in between them before gluing.

I love my shark bookmarks that I used for my napkins. I made them a bit larger than I normally would for a bookmark so that they would be big enough to fit a red napkin in the mouth.

I really like how they turned out.

I made wine labels to play with the theme.  The Great WHITE shark for my white wine, and the hammerhead shark "Drink Red and Get Hammered" for the red.

I made some silly wine charms playing off names of types of sharks -- nurse shark, pool shark, loan shark, etc.

My daughter helped me make this simple shark banner. I cut the pieces with my Cricut and my daughter glued them onto the twine.

Menu:  We started with a green salad with yummy toppings - grilled corn, tomato, and bacon.  I cut sharp white cheddar cheese into shark fins.  I used the end of a mustache cookie cutter to cut them out instead of trying to do it by hand.

For the main dish, we had chicken, pesto, and roasted red pepper sandwiches.  I had a shark cookie cutter made by a local cake shop which I used to cut sourdough bread into sharks. Then we added slices of deli chicken meat that we cut with the shark cookie cutter as well so it would keep the look of the shark. Then we just added the other ingredients and grilled them on the stove.

I carved a shark head out of a watermelon which was fun.  It took a bit of time, but it came out cute and wasn't too difficult.

I also carved a cucumber into a shark for my "shark infested" veggies.  I served yellow squash, carrots, and asparagus that I cooked in the oven.

For dessert, I made white cake cupcakes with shark fins on top and a strawberry glaze inserted into the middle.  When guests bit into the cupcake, the strawberry glaze was a fun little surprise.  I didn't get a photo of the inside of my cupcakes, but this is a photo from Cupcakes and Cashmere, where I saw the idea. The shark fins on the top are just cardstock I attached to a toothpick.  I stuck them in right before serving, so that they did not get greasy from the frosting.

Favor:  I love these favors!  I made them using a template I found online and then just cut them out using my Cricut. Then I just had to fold the box and glue all the pieces to it.  They do take a bit of time to make, but luckily I only had to make 8 of them.  I put a celephane bag inside with goldfish crackers for each guest.  Cute huh?!

I hope you enjoyed reading about this party as much as I enjoyed planning it.  Thanks for reading...you're "Jawsome"!

Goodbye Cali, Hello Texas

One of my good friends and monthly dinner girls was moving to Texas this month with her family. We are so sad to see them go!  To send her off with well wishes, I decided to theme our dinner around her move to Texas.  We'll miss her, but we're crossing our fingers her work will be having her travel back to Cali often (preferably the first Monday of each month so she can attend our monthly dinners)!

Invite:  I designed the invite with reds and blues and a little southern flair.  The party colors were going to match the Texas flag, so that's why I chose these.

Entry Decor:  As a parting gift for Michelle, I made this welcome mat for her new house.  I looked up some tutorials for how to do it, and it didn't seem too difficult, so I gave it a try.  I started with the outline around the sides using blue painter's tape to tape off the area.  Then I used black house paint that I already had from our Ho Ho Home Depot monthly dinner and a paint brush to put the paint on.  The tape did not stick well to this uneven surface, so I was nervous it would bleed, but it didn't!! Just go slowly and carefully.  I did 3 coats.

For the letters, I used my Cricut to make stencils and measured carefully where to place them on the mat so that it was spaced properly.  This took the most time. Then I used the brush to paint on again.

I love how this turned out. I can't wait to make a mat for our front door someday in all my free time!

Table Decor:  I used a red tablecloth and cut out the state of Texas from a map I got from AAA.  Everything else I used on the centerpiece I borrowed. 

My mom had the red, white, and blue flowers.  My neighbors used to live in Texas, so I asked them if they had anything I could borrow.  They had the license plates (perfect) and the coasters!  Another friend of mine had a "Don't Mess with Texas" deck of cards, so I set some of those out on the table. 

For place cards, I used my Cricut to cut out the state of Texas large enough to fit inside my dinner plates. I added each of the guest's name and a heart for the area in Texas where our friend is moving.

Check out my napkins! They are just plain blue napkins that I set a piece of red and a piece of white cardstock on for the stripes.  The star is a party favor I helped my mom make for her last UMW meeting.  It is just two 2" white stars I cut out with my Cricut, a 1"x 4" strip of white cardstock folded into a triangle, and then I glued the stars to the front and back of the triangle.  I stuck a Hershey kiss inside the triangle for added fun.  Then set it on the napkin.

With the leftover map sections from the AAA map, I made a Texas Bound banner. Nothing fancy -- it even has the folds of the map still in it, but it worked.

Instead of wine glasses, I used mason jars to fit with the theme.  I cut out small California and Texas state silhouettes in red, white, and blue for wine charms. I tied them around the glasses with twine and added a gingham ribbon bow.

The wine bottle labels I made to match the theme as well. Nothing too elaborate, but I like the Texas-shaped wine glass and the Texas flag wine bottle.

Menu: The menus was some finger-lickin' Texas BBQ.  My husband grilled chicken and we lathered it with BBQ sauce.  He also grilled some ribs after I added a rub to them.  I used a delicious Texas-Style Dry Rib Rub.  Mixed it together and rubbed it on the ribs right before placing them on the grill.

• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

For sides, I served grilled corn on the cob and twice-baked potatoes.  The cornbread muffins were just a box mix, but they were really good as well.

Slices of watermelon added a sweetness to the meal.

For dessert, I wanted to stay simple and light, but still match the theme.  I bought frozen pie crust and cut it into stars before sprinkling it with cinnamon and sugar and popping it in the oven to bake and crisp up.  I then topped it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a strawberry, and a couple blueberries.  Simple and delicious.

Favor:  My mom always makes a homemade Chex Mix when our family travels anywhere.  I have started to do the same for my family's road trips.  For the favor, I filled mason jars with this Chex Mix, but I renamed it TEX mix.  A gingham bow and label on top, and the favor was done.

I hope you enjoyed this post!  Please comment, so can hear your favorite touches from this party!

Girl Scout Cookie Dinner Party

Have your bought your Girl Scout cookies yet this season?  Chances are, you've had a young Girl Scout come to your door or ask you at the supermarket to buy some of those yummy Girl Scout cookies.  It may have even been my daughter!  Since my house is inundated with boxes of Girl Scout cookies my daughter is selling, I thought it would be perfect theme for this month's dinner party.

Invite: I designed this invite on PhotoShop using simple images. My daughter is a Brownie currently, but most people know green as the major color of Girl Scouts, so I used green and brown as my color scheme for the dinner and invite.

Entry Decor:  Making this tower of empty Girl Scout cookie cases was so easy. I stacked them up and used a little tape to keep them in place.  I cut the Welcome letters out with my Cricut and glued them to the front.  Then just set them next to my front door.  On the actual door, I hung two hangers with my daughter's Brownie and Daisy vests and a large Caramel Delight cookie cutout I painted on poster-board.

Table Decor:  I set the table with a green tablecloth and added Girl Scout touches through the centerpieces, napkin, and place card.  I stayed fairly simple and just added some creative touches here and there.

Michaels sells ceramic pieces, and I just happened to find a cookie jar that would work perfectly as a centerpiece. I found the Cookie time image online and printed it on vellum, then stuck it to both sides of the cookie jar.  The GS symbol I printed on cardstock and taped to it the handle.  Then I just placed a brown piece of cardstock under the cookie jar and surrounded it with boxes of various GS cookies.

I love my place cards, and honestly, they were not difficult to make.  I bought the brown foam pieces from Michaels and cut them into sashes.  I got 2 sashes out of each piece.  For the badges, numbers, and patches, I found images online and printed them on cardstock.  The troop/names I just used my Cricut cutting machine.  I tried to choose badges that applied to the theme or the dinner, but any badge would be fine. (I'm just a detailed oriented person!)  The place cards made fun photo props too...

I printed the GS symbol to glue to the front of brown napkins just to add another touch of the theme.

The wine charms were simple.  I printed out photos of each variety of Girl Scout cookie and tied them onto the stems of the glasses.

I made my wine labels on PhotoShop.  There's several websites online that pair wines with Girl Scout cookies.  Chardonnay is said to go well with Shortbread/Trefoil cookies, so I designed one label with that.  For my red wine, I just found a funny badge that had wine and cookies -- the ladies and I definitely earned this patch tonight!

Menu:  I wanted to use Girl Scout cookies in all aspects of my menu.  This proved to be rather difficult, but I included them somehow in most of them.  I started with an Asian Sesame Salad to which I added cut up Lemonades.  The dressing was delicious, and I enjoyed it on my salads at work for several days after the party.  The salad itself was romaine lettuce, mandarin oranges, wonton strips, sliced almonds, and cilantro.  You can add chicken, but I already had chicken in my main dish, so I did not.  Here's the recipe for the dressing:

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

2 whole cloves garlic, smashed

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1/4 cup canola oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds 

Place the rice vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat and allow it to just come to a gentle boil, add the sugar and garlic cloves and let the sugar dissolve.  Remove the rice vinegar mixture from the stove and discard the cloves.  Put the rice vinegar mixture in a mason jar and add the sesame oil, canola oil, soy sauce and sesame seeds.  Allow the mixture to come to room temperature.  Screw on the lid and give it a good shake until the dressing mixes together.

For the main dish, I served Do-Si-Dos Peanut Thai Chicken.  I didn't really have a recipe for this. I just brushed teriyaki glaze on chicken breasts and put them in the oven.  I added a Thai Peanut sauce the last 10 or so minutes.  After the chicken was tender and ready, I pulled them out, added a little more peanut sauce to the top and then sprinkled crushed up Girl Scout Do-Si-Dos to the top.  I think I used about 8 cookies that I had crushed with a rolling pin.

These Sesame Peanut Butter Noodles are amazing!  LOVED THEM!  I didn't actually use the Girl Scout Peanut Butter Patties in this recipe, but I did use peanut butter.   You can add whatever veggies you want. I chose to add strips of red pepper, edamame, and shredded carrots.

6 oz. of your favorite Asian noodles (I used ramen)

2 tbsp. sesame oil

1 1/2 tbsp. peanut butter

2 tbsp. honey

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1 1/2 tbsp. rice vinegar

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp. grated fresh ginger root

Cook and drain the noodles according to the package directions.  In a medium bowl, add the sesame oil, peanut butter, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, and ginger.  Whisk until well combined (it should be smooth).  Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss to coat. Add sesame seeds and cilantro as a garnish as desired.

Any Girl Scout cookie lends itself to an amazing dessert, but I chose to use Thin Mints.  I found a recipe for Thin Mint Cheesecake bars that I thought wouldn't be too heavy.  Delicious...

34 thin mints (or a generic store brand)

1/3 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup sugar

16 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 egg (at room temperature)

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-3 drops of green food coloring

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line an 8x8 baking pan with nonstick foil.  Add thin mint cookies, sugar, and butter to a food processor or blender and pulse until blended.  Press mixture evenly into the bottom of your pan.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.

For the cheesecake layer, whisk together the egg and sugar until light and foamy.  Add cream cheese, vanilla extract, and food coloring and mix until smooth.  Pour mixture over crust.  Return to oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until cheesecake layer is set.  Allow pan to cool on wire rack for 10-15 minutes, then transfer to fridge to finish cooling completely.  Cut into bars, drizzle with chocolate syrup, and add a dollop of whip cream and half a thin mint.

Favor:  The Thanks-A-Lot cookies make an easy favor to thank guests for coming.  I made favor bags/boxes out of Girl Scout cookie boxes just cutting them with scissors.

I added a tag that said "Thanks-A-Lot" for coming tonight.

Inside the box, I had a favor bag with 2 Thanks-A-Lot cookies and I made chocolate suckers in the Brownie symbol.

This was a super cute theme, and would be fun to do aspects of this party for an end of the year girl scout event.  We even used the Welcome cookie boxes for the Girl Scout meeting following this dinner.  Comment below to let me know your thoughts.  Thanks for reading.