party food

Favorite Party Ideas This Week

1. Caitlin Freeman’s new book of dessert recipes based on iconic works of modern art.
2. A floral Mother’s Day monogram by Parcel Post.
3. The prettiest balloon bouquet captured by Nat the Fat Rat‘s Instagram.
4. Popcorn cupcakes that almost look too pretty to eat (via Ucreate Parties.)
5. Martha Stewart‘s awesome bubble paper.

Clip-on Picnic Utensils

Picnic season is upon us! Here is a clever little packaging trick when you are hosting an event outdoors.  Just glue a small clothespin to a wooden fork (or any utensil) and clip it to your picnic lunch. It is cute and functional. (How awesome would it be to pair these with a DIY S’Mores Kit on a camping trip?!)

Click through for photos and details!

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A Churro con Chocolat Party

Sponsored by Ghirardelli Intense Dark Chocolate . Create your escape here .

When we were in Spain last year we managed to eat churros con chocolat in just about every city and town we visited. My jeans were fitting tighter by the end of the trip but I was in heaven. I loved them so much that in Madrid we even stopped to buy a Churro Maker so we could try to make them at home. I had forgotten about it until I was reorganizing my kitchen and I found it again! Turns out they sell Churro Makers on Amazon so there is no need to head to Spain to get one (unless you want to!) Ps: my friend Andrea says she just makes them with a pastry bag and a giant frosting tip. I am planning on having a Churros con Chocolat party soon but it was fun to put together this treat with my team.  Have you ever made Churros with Chocolate? It was surprisingly easy. See below for the churro and and the dark chocolate recipe.

Find the churro recipe right here and the dipping sauce is here:

Thick Dark Chocolate Dipping Sauce

• 1 3.5 oz Ghiradelli Dark chocolate bar
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup half and half

Break chocolate into small pieces and place in a bowl. Heat half and half in microwave or on stovetop until steaming.

Starting with 1/4 cup, pour hot half and half over chocolate. Let stand for a minute or two to allow chocolate to soften. Whisk with a fork until chocolate is incorporated and smooth.  Add additional half and half a little at a time to reach thick consistency.

Serve warm with churros.

Photography by Paul Ferney for Oh Happy Day
Art Direction by Jordan Ferney
Recipes by Andrea Pimental
Coordinated by Stacy Wichelhaus
Crafting by Caitlin Barker
Assisted by Harper Casimiro

Styled Eats: How to Perfectly Frost a Scallop Cake

This post is sponsored by Nestlé® Toll House® Morsels, the perfect special ingredient for all of your family’s favorite treats!

Today is the second post in our “how to frost a cake” series. I asked pastry chef Hope Waggoner to us some tricks on how to frost a scallop cake. When I was a little girl I was always planning parties (even then!) and I remember my mom helping me bake miniature cakes for a tea party. This little girly cake would fit in perfect at a tea party or shower. Before frosting the scallops the cake needs to have it’s crumb coat and have set in the fridge. (Follow steps 1-4 on this post.) I like that you don’t need anything fancy to make this cake, just a pastry bag and a good ol’ butter knife.

Materials Needed: All you really need to frost this cake is: A large Offset Spatula for the first layer of frosting, a heavy duty pastry bag with large tip, and a knife.

Step 1: Follow steps 1-4 over here until the cake has it’s basic layer of crumb coat and has chilled. The cake should be cold and the frosting should be room temperature.
Step 2:  Fill a large pastry bag with icing and create a row of straight dots going from top to bottom.
Step 3: Gently spread each dot with a knife, cleaning the knife on a rag as necessary to make sure the scallops are even.
Step 4: Create another row of dots where the frosting ends and spread each dot with a knife. Repeat over and over until the whole cake is finished. (Pro tip: It’s easy to remove a mistake with a knife and begin a row again.)
Step 5: When the scallops end add a final row of dots to “seal” the seam for a finished look.

A special thanks to Michelle for letting us borrow her beautiful kitchen, to Hope for her expertise, and to little A for modeling.

Photos by Paul Ferney for Oh Happy Day

Veggie Boats

This post is sponsored by Hidden Valley Ranch.

These veggie boats would be great snack foods for a pirate party or even a Columbus Day Party (Nina, Pinta, and the Santa Maria!) All I know is when you turn food into little boats it is makes it a million times more adorable. This concept is pretty simple to execute and you could make it with lots of different vegetables and spreads.

Instructions: Gather veggies and spreads (here we used hummus) and some toothpicks. Hollow out vegetables and cut off the bottoms so they can lay flat. Assemble the boats with toothpicks and sail shapes as desired. And that’s it!

Concept + Photos + Styling by Alexis Birkmeyer