05Mar / 2015

Beer Tasting Party {Gluten Free}

A very dear friend of mine had an epic move recently. Leaving behind a life in Chicago that she had cultivated for years to turn the chapter on new adventures. She has taken a huge step boldly and courageously and is such an inspiration to me. She set off in style because, of course, she is fabulous. I was lucky enough to get to see her around the holidays in the city she had called home for years and where many a high tea, oysters and martinis, and memories were made together. I was sad not to be able to see her off, to throw her a goodbye celebration, to help her pack, or just to be there, as moving is one of the big stressors in life. Psychologists say it’s only rivaled by death; shocking! I found my mind drifting to thoughts of her constantly, worried about her drive over snowy roads, thinking about how her felines would adjust and of course, missing her all the while. I wanted to do something she would enjoy and having recently turned to a gluten free lifestyle, I started thinking of recipes I could do to honor her. Then it came to me. Gluten Free Beer Tasting. Perfection. She is a fantastic hostess and I thought what a wonderful way to celebrate new adventure and make new friends by throwing a brassy beer bash that even those with sensitivities to gluten could enjoy. So, from almost 2,500 miles away I threw a beer tasting party in her honor.

What I love about a tasting party is it gets people talking. No one pulls out their phones, or talks about work, people are talking about the experience, the flavors; the tastes. It’s a great way to mingle together different groups of people and a fantastic way to spend an afternoon if I do say so myself. You don’t need much to make it happen; a few small glasses, a few bottles of brews and an open palate! I did a blind tasting at my party. I feel that this makes people more adventurous, you may think you don’t like IPAs but are you really giving the beer a chance if you already have that opinion set? Blind tastings make us a little more open to trying things that we may already think we either like or don’t like. I used votive candle holders for my tasting cups. I found them to be the perfect size and priced even more perfectly! I grabbed a few mini chalkboards and whipped up a little tasting template you can download here if you don’t want to make your own. I choose 2 gluten free beers and 2 ciders for the people opting out of gluten and 4 beers of varying styles for the gluten indulgers. I began with a lighter beer, like a pilsner, then a red ale, an IPA, and a stout. If you need help picking out beers, someone on staff at the grocery store is sure to prove valuable and if you can’t find anyone, take a leap of faith! After all it’s just a taste!

I used old paper bags, cutting them to wrap around each label and numbered each 1-4 to correspond with the numbers I chalked up on the little boards. Then set out your snacks in little bowls and get to tasting and talking. Give your guests a little score card or note book so they can write up notes and when you reveal the beer they can be sure to write down their favorites to purchase later. I have included my template below for you to use at your Beer Tasting Party.

Beer tasting party

Perfect place setting - Beer tasting party

The Menu

Blue Cheese with Cayenne Pepper Honey

Gluten Free Pretzels

Balsamic Candied Nut Mix

Salt and Pepper Popcorn

Balsamic Candied Nut Mix - Beer tasting party

Balsamic Candied Nuts

Preheat your oven to 350 and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper
Crack one egg in a mixing bowl and whisk
Add two tablespoon sugar and 1 tablespoon aged balsamic and 1 teaspoon salt to egg
Mix in 2 cups nuts (I used a mixture of cashews, pecans, and almonds)
Spread onto parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes
Let cool and break up any large clumps of nuts and serve – store in an air tight container

Blue cheese and cyan honey

Salt and Pepper Popcorn

Pop ¼ cup popcorn melt ¼ cup of butter and toss to coat
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cayenne Honey

Mix 2 tablespoon honey with ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Beer Tasting Card

beer tasting party

Gluten Free Snacks - Beer tasting party

To friends and beer,

Marcella Rose

Beer tasting party

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31Dec / 2014

New Year’s Crown {DIY}

It’s the eve of a new year and I am full of hope and thought. It’s as if this is the beginning of spring, planting in our selves. Thoughts and ideas being pushed underground, dreams that we hope will come true, goals that we want to blossom and prune to perfection in the coming year. Where will this year take you? What unknowns are in store, what paths with you follow and where will they lead? What adventures will you have; what trials will you face? Questions swirl in my mind as I prep for a night of fun to ring it all in. December 31^st seems to be the one day of the year where living at once in the past, present and future is not only expected but encouraged. It’s a night of new beginnings when we can reflect on the past, plan our future, and party in the present, a magical day indeed.

Last year I did a guest blog featuring The New Years Wish Jar for My Crafty Spot and I am so excited to sit down with a glass of bubbly and open all of these little scrolls and take stock of the year. I am sure I will re-roll a few of these and throw them back in the wishing jar, some I may toss aside replaced by more appropriate wishes. Some I will celebrate victoriously, for it has been a grand and special year indeed. Through the ups and downs we are, after all, still here readying ourselves to welcome another year with an open mind and loving heart. Check out my New Years Wish Jar here!

New Year's Crown {DIY}

To help you ring in the fun, I have a simple craft you can make this very moment. All you need is paper, tape, and scissors…oh and a little glitter if you like some sparkle. These crowns are sure to make you feel like royalty when the clock strikes midnight.

New Year's Crown {DIY}

You will need:

Paper
Tape
Glitter
Glue
Scissors

How to:

Cut out a long piece of paper, measuring and cutting to fit your head
Tape the ends together to make a circle (only needing to last the night, tape is quick and perfect)
Decorate with glitter
Wear and party hearty

New Year's Crown {DIY}

Happy New Year Readers!

Marcella Rose

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30Oct / 2014

Vintage Halloween Bash

All Hallowe’en

When the world is wrapped in slumber

And the moon is sailing high,

If you peep between the curtains

You’ll see witches riding by

It was this poem, printed on a sweet vintage style Halloween card from my mother that inspired my Vintage Halloween Bash. I grabbed my witches hat and broom to fly back in time bringing some old school charm and whimsy to the evening. I wanted this party to feel classic so Matthew bought me a fantastic book on vintage Halloween traditions and games and we wove them into the evening, creating a magical night. You set the tone with the invitation of course, so I mailed out vintage inspired cards with a hand written invitation inside. We played vintage fortune telling games, had food with the flare of days gone by, and partied into the evening.

We kept it classic in an orange and black palate. I spent the month of October crafting away, draping dip-dyed tulle around and placing crows and owls on the fence to keep a vigilant watch. I crafted hand-painted paper bags into a Cemetery Luminary and modge-podged tissue paper into floating ghosts with led lights tied inside to glow into the evening. We must have cut out a million bats; hanging them in flocks around the house and from the chandeliers casting eerie shadows on the walls. Pumpkins with holes drilled through them were stuffed with lights and glowed away on the porch. You can’t have a vintage Halloween without a Scarecrow so we propped up an old one that was gifted to me from my Grandma to make sure the crows stayed on the fence.

Here is the full breakdown of everything good.

Games:

Donuts on a String

Bobbing For Apples

Costume Contest

Guess how many Candy Corn

Chestnut Tree Fortune Telling

Décor:

Paper Bats

Bouquets of Flowers Infested with Bugs

A Paper Bag Luminary Cemetery

Tissue Paper Glowing Ghosts

Cobwebs and Tulle

Pumpkin Lanterns

DIY Halloween Candles

Pumpkin Diorama

Savory:

Black (olive tapenade) & orange (roasted pepper) Crostini

Deviled eggs with chili peppers and poppy seeds

Blue cheese plate with rosemary and olive “bugs”

Prosciutto wrapped asparagus

Trick or Treat Stew – with elk, yams and parsnips

Brussel Spout Salad with pistachios and bacon

Sweet:

Two-tiered marshmallow cobweb cake

Maple Glazed Bars

Carmel Apples

Popcorn balls

When black cats prowl

& Pumpkins gleam

May luck be with you on Halloween!

Marcella Rose

29Oct / 2014

Spider Covered Tablecloth {DIY}

Spider Covered Table Cloth

A BIG black spider lived in a hole;
A terrible spider was he:
As big as your hand, and with hairy legs,
And a mouth as red as could be.

The beetles and flies at the sight of him fled,
And even the birds were afraid.
He had two great nippers, and eight wicked eyes;
How he ran ! and what leaps he made
I and all who lived in the garden knew
That terrible spider’s lair,
And told their little ones, under their breath:
‘ 0 never, 0 never go there! ‘

Those who were naughty and disobeyed,
By their mothers would not have been known,
For the spider had sucked their juicy parts—
Sucked them as dry as a bone.

By A. Vine Hall

Spider Covered Table Cloth

I have spiders on the brain, spinning webs throughout my thoughts. Ideas buzz and stick in the gossamer threads as eight legs turn them over and over coating them with white filaments until they have become a reality then the spider sits and waits until the next idea comes flying by. Spiders; they are the embodiment of Halloween, dark, dangerous, frightening and simply perfect for our annual Halloween party theme. I have been toiling away; craft after craft, recipe after recipe. I perfect and make lists, checking-off each spectacularly arachnid-ish “to-do” with joy and delight for the upcoming soirée. I lack expendable income to simply go out and buy much of anything for parties so mostly things are crafted as imaginatively as possible with reused house-hold items and elevated paper crafts. This Spider Tablecloth craft is one of my favorites; it was really cheap and has a fantastic impact. I was even able to repurpose a stained, totally ready to trash, tablecloth, so I did it on a dime!

You will need:

Tablecloth

Iron – no steam

Scissors

Template – I used one from the queen of everything Martha Stewart

Iron-on transfer paper

To do

Print out templates onto iron on paper

Cut around edges of images leaving 1/8 of an inch of transfer paper

Using the no steam setting on the iron place over images for 10-20 seconds

Once image is cool enough to touch gently remove the paper to reveal the image

Arach– tastic!

Marcella

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23Oct / 2014

Mad Scientist Halloween Bash!

It’s pretty obvious that I adore Halloween. This year I want to give you readers a few of the parties I have thrown or catered in the past. I hope you enjoy and that it inspires some party throwing of your own.

I have some pretty amazing friends in this quaint town of Ashland, none better or more fabulous than Paul and Amara. They are the type of people who are always down for a few cocktails and a game of Cards Against Humanity or a fancy night out. They have been my guinea pigs on many an occasion for blog posts and I simply adore them both. Paul, an amazing audio book narrator, has superb taste in glassware. There is not higher compliment from Paul than getting something poured (usually aged for at least 10 years) into one of his fantastic glasses; absolute heaven. Amara, a copywriter for Harry and David, seems to always be on trend; rocking the coolest jewelry or a fantastic blouse or (my favorite) her neon Christmas décor, complete with blazing white Christmas tree, I mean what could be more awesome? I love everything she styles and everything she does. I find her haute-ness to be particularly amazing since this quaint little town is frozen in either the year 1901 or 1971; it’s weird but true. Now that you have the back story, you will understand how perfectly ecstatic I was when asked to co-host a Halloween Party with them. They thought of the most fantastic theme (no surprise), Mad Scientist!

Mad Scientist Party

This party was AMAZING. Sadly my pictures are not, this was before I had the fantastic camera I now use and the lighting was low and spooky. I hope you my avid readers will forgive the spotty shots, but the ideas and execution can still be seen, I hope. Paul and Amara outfitted their home with sheets of plastic covering almost every space and converted a spare room into a photo booth “kill room” where you could be wrapped up a la Dexter and have portraits taken of killing or being killed. They even had a friend dress as Dexter himself to stand in the shots! Let me just say, there are some pretty epic shots of me as Mary Poppins going on a killing spree. They completed the look with beakers and jars filled with colored water and dry ice. They even stuffed sweet looking stuffed animals into mason jars with glow sticks and yellow water to give the whole place a formaldehyde feel. One word: GENIUS.

This party theme is killer for a Halloween Bash but could be just as fun without the spook for a kid’s party or cocktail party!

I took care of the food, getting extremely creative with the theme. The menu included:

Savory

Sterile Crudité – all white veggies served in a shiny metal pan
Surplus monkey legs – my mom’s famous rosemary marsala drummettes with the bones exposed
Penicillium roqueforti (blue cheese) with Salami and Crackers served in petri dishes
Lobotomized Brain – made with shrimp and a spicy lemon horseradish gelatin

Sweet

Coagulated Candy Corn – made with red food coloring
Blood Slide Lollypops
Periodic Cookie Table of Elements – Each element hand piped onto a square cookie frosted white and arranged in order

Libations

Ta-KILL-Ya – Served with lime and salt
Redrum Punch – Spiced rum with blood orange juice
Nuclear Reactor Cocktail – Midori, homemade sweet and sour, vodka
Glass Cleaner with Ammonium D – Crème de Violet, bitters, and sparkling wine

Mad Scientist Party

It’s a mad mad world!

Marcella Rose

Mary Poppins Killing Dexter – photo credit to Paul Garcia

Mary and Bert – photo credit to Amara Waterman

09Oct / 2014

Autumn Cocktail Party

The days are getting cooler. The leaves are turning and starting to fall. The Harvest is here and it calls out to me. It calls me out, it calls me out of my silly working life, it calls me out of my mundane tasks and it calls again and again. It calls me out…outside, “stop being silly”, it says in its cadence, “close that computer and come play in the fallen leaves, in the pumpkin patches, in the cool autumn evenings.”

The trees let the sun’s light dance in their leaves. Spinning, twirling, whirling around before the tree slowly lets them go, dropping to the ground. They blaze in so many shades of red, yellow, orange you can hardly count them all.

The fruit is bursting with ripeness, the buds and blooms of spring and summer seem a distant memory, replaced by heavy, ripe, plump fruit emerging, and the garden grows, it grows and grows. Tomatoes start to shine bright in banners of red and yellow hues, the peaches drop from their stems, heavy-swollen with juicy goodness.

The earth is in full fall swing and calls us out to a cocktail party. I shouldn’t say no to a mother, especially this mother, Earth. So I plan a little soirée. A few friends to help me celebrate the sun and the fading of summer and the bounty it has brought to us. To praise the mother’s glory we make things fresh and bright, rich with her bounty.

The New Tomato Martini

Place two to three small tomatoes in a shaker

Add ice

A mist or splash of Vermouth

Fill with Gin or Vodka

Shake

Plop a tomato into a Martini glass rimmed with salt and pepper

Pour and find your new favorite savory cocktail

Peach Whiskey Smash

Place one to two peaches, sliced, into a pitcher

Add a handful of mint

Macerate with the handle of a wooden spoon

Fill with ice

Add 2 Parts Whiskey to 4 Parts Soda water filling pitcher – melted further dilutes

Stir

Serve with peach slices for garnish

Grown-up Lemonade

Mix the juice of 10 lemons and 10 Tablespoons sugar in a pitcher until dissolved

Fill with ice

Add 1 cup St. Germaine

½ bottle of champagne

Fill with cold water to the top

Garnish with see-though-slices of lemons

Sip, breath, enjoy for autmn is here.

Marcella Rose

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08Jul / 2013

Fourth of July Feast

This fourth of July I wanted to do something different than the traditional BBQ so we invited 8 guests to join us for a 5 course meal in our sweet little yard. I poured over cookbooks and magazines creating and recreating menus; trying to inject just the perfect amount of red, white and blue into this sit down soiree. The final menu had just enough class and brass for one enchanting evening underneath the bursting fireworks to celebrate our day of independence.

The Menu

Refreshments

Watermelon Basil Gin Coolers

Chili Popcorn

The Meal

Firecracker Crab with Three Chili Dipping Sauce

Prosciutto and Melon Purses on Field Greens with Grapefruit Vinaigrette

Beet Ravioli with Independence Corn Relish

Line Caught Wild Alaskan Halibut in a Whiskey Marinade with Dijon Potato Salad

Blueberry Hand Pies with Slow Churned Vanilla Ice Cream

I set the table simply, with white and silver, wanting the bright colors of the food to really pop, bang and BOOM! Hanging large flour sack towels on the back back of the chairs for napkins.

Upon arrival guests were greeted with Watermelon Basil Gin Coolers served in old jars and Chili Popcorn oh and of course Dr. Watson our boston terrier.

Once we all sat down we cleaned our hands with cooled lemon water soaked towels and started tearing into Firecracker Alaskan King Crab Legs dipped into a spicy Three Chili Sauce. The sauce was a play on my grandmothers recipe for crab dipping sauce; dijon, horseradish, lemon, mayo, and a dash of ketchup; I added three different chili sauces to spice it up. I served them in galvanized buckets full of ice; their legs looking like the trails of bursting light from a firecracker .

For the next course, I wrapped up melon with paper thin prosciutto tying up these little purses with a chive and serving them with some organic field greens and a dressing of olive oil, salt, pepper and artisan grapefruit vinegar that was purchased on a trip to Santa Cruz for my little sister Nathalia’s, founder and owner of Creatively Conscious, Birthday.

Next, I plated up a recipe I altered from Tom Douglas, who altered it from the great Marcella Hazen; cold beet ravioli pared with a delicious corn relish recipe from my talented photographer sister Bianca Sciotto, It was a bold choice but it was a hit! The relish paired very well with the beets and the corn gave a hint of the traditional grilled corn of the holiday.

Our main course, Fresh Line-caught Alaskan Halibut that my husband Matt and I caught ourselves on our recent trip to Homer Alaska, the “Halibut Capital of the World”. These filets are so fresh, so thick, so white… I was so excited to get creative cooking them up. I let them sit all day in a whisky marinade and then broiled them to perfection. I served the halibut on very simple, very light, red potato salad with my favorite broccoli sprouts on the side. Delish!

Finally for dessert the smallest of blueberry hand pies. I slipped them into homemade wax paper bags to bring back memories of the good ol’ days and served them with little galvanized buckets of dish-yourself, slow churned, vanilla ice cream.

The night was truly perfect, with a nice cool breeze, good friends, wonderful conversation, and a memorable, different meal that won’t fade into the fourth of July BBQ’s of years past.

19Apr / 2013

Marcella Rose’s top 5 hostess gifts

I am frequently asked what I bring as host/hostess gifts. Let me tell you, I love to answer this question! I enjoy nothing more than preparing a little something special for a host or hostess. Here are my current absolute favorite gifts to bear for every type of host and every type of party:

1. For the host that you are just getting to know:

– Williams Sonoma have these seasonal Essential Oils Deluxe Hand Soap & Lotion Gift Sets. They are so luxurious! This gift is a little something that will last months; it will bring a smile to your face and delight senses. It turns the simple act of washing your hands into a spa-like experience. Not to mention, it’s something every home needs and having a back up is nothing short of genius!

2. For the quirky host who’s kitchen is her favorite room in the house:

-Oh Anthropolgie, how I love thee! You can walk into any of their stores and anything you pick out will be amazing. My current favorite are these adorable little fruit baskets that are full of even more adorable dish towels. I like to pair these with the dining room measuring spoons that are as much art as they are function.

3. For the classy modern host:

-This is a great gift for either host or hostess! Bringing a bottle of bubbly or vino is a sure way to please at a dinner party. Bringing something extra special with two modern flutes for the hosts to have a quiet romantic moment to celebrate after the party or for that much needed mimosa in the morning is practically perfect in every way! I love the modern style of Crate and Barrel’s Edge Sparkling Wine Glasses.

4. For the host that loves to host:

– Ask any one that loves to host and they will tell you that a cheese board is one of the best gifts to give and receive and there is no such thing as having too many serving plates or boards. This is one of my absolute favorites since you can actually write on the board and cheeses really pop against the dark background the slate gives.

5. For the host that loves to cook:

– There are so many amazing cookbooks and new ones come out every single day! My current favorite to give is by a fellow blogger Smitten Kitchen. It’s so innovative and fun and the recipes are to die for! I like to wrap this gift in a pretty silk bow and tie one of these stunning heart shaped wooden spoons on top with the bow. Simply wonderful and a gift that is sure to please for months after the party is long over.

I hope these favorites of mine with get your creativity flowing to create some truly perfect hostess and host gifts for the next party you attend!

Love, love, love

Marcella Rose

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10Apr / 2013

Matt’s Meatball Shop Birthday Party

My husband and I recently moved from New York to Ashland and it’s been so wonderful to have a house instead of a closet to celebrate and host in. So, I was extremely excited to throw my first big party at our home for my husband Matt’s birthday.

The first thing I do when throwing any event, be it a wedding or a simple dinner party, is to decide on a theme. A theme gives your party a body, so to speak, and whenever you have to make a difficult choice you can go back to the theme for guidance. It pulls your event together and gives it shape and cohesion while making decisions so much easier.

For Matt’s party we looked to one of his favorite restaurants in New York’s Lower Eastside: The Meatball Shop. If you’ve never been, it’s this great restaurant that took New York eaters and hipsters everywhere by storm. Their menu is simple, meatballs and homemade ice cream sandwiches, so my menu played out like this:

Hand-squeezed lemonade

Beer

Make-your-own meatball sandwich with marinara, mozzarella and parmesan

Three-meat antipasto board

Fresh handmade pickles

Spicy bow-tie pasta salad

Superfood salad with dreamy poppyseed dressing

Homemade ice cream cookie sandwiches;

– Double dutch cookies with mint ice cream

– Ranch girl cookies with chocolate peanut butter ice cream

– Chocolate chip cookies with vanilla ice cream

For the decorations I used twine and old grocery paper bags to create recycled decorations.

I measured the locations first and then created paper bag pennant banners to swing across the yard and blow in the breeze.

On the house I placed larger pennant banners to spell out Happy Birthday as well as cut-outs from paper bags for the menu.

I always like to create, even in the smallest of places, seating areas for people to settle and chat and create memories. With a few bistro tables, some lounge chairs, a couple smaller end tables, and using a few of my mismatch vintage tablecloths, created some lovely seating areas dotted around the yard.

On our porch I set up a rocking chair, lounge couch and my record player with a few carefully selected vinyls to set the mood of the party.

To give it that real finished look I added some small bouquets and my constellation cans on the tables and set up a game area.

That way people could feel free to play a few yard games or decorate the walkway with sidewalk chalk.

There was plenty to eat and lots of fun had by all! Happy Birthday Matt!

Love, love, love,

Marcella Rose

A special shout out to my dear friend Amanda who helped in the kitchen and at the craft table!

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Tag Archives: party

Beer Tasting Party {Gluten Free}

New Year’s Crown {DIY}

Vintage Halloween Bash

Spider Covered Tablecloth {DIY}

Mad Scientist Halloween Bash!

Autumn Cocktail Party

Fourth of July Feast

Marcella Rose’s top 5 hostess gifts

Matt’s Meatball Shop Birthday Party

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