How Much?

You're having a party and you're making your shopping list.  You have everything for the menu figured out and now it's on to the bar.  You don't want to over buy and you certainly don't want to under buy - how do you figure out how much wine, beer, and liquor to buy?

The Evite Drink Calculator. 

A note of caution - don't use this calculator for your wedding or other large parties.  Ask your caterer or bartender for advice.

Sweet Creepy Treat

Perfect sweet snack.  Perfect for Halloween or any of the holiday or celebration.

Maple Cinnamon Spider Web Fritters

Ingredients

Vegetable oil, for frying

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon fine salt

3/4 cup milk

1 large egg

1 tablespoon maple syrup, plus 1/4 cup for brushing

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Jelly spiders, orange or black nonpareils, for garnish, optional

Directions

Pour enough oil in a large skillet so it's about 1 inch deep. Heat oil over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers between 280 to 300 degree F.

Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center; add the milk, egg, and 1 tablespoon maple syrup. Whisk the dry and wet ingredients together until smooth.

Transfer batter into a large size pastry bag with a # 3 or 4 open tip. Carefully squeeze batter in a circular pattern and then back and forth into the oil, to make a free form spider web-like design, about 3 to 4 inches in diameter. Cook until bottoms are golden, about 2 minutes. Using tongs or slotted spoon, turn fritters over and cook until golden on other side, about 1 minute more. Transfer the fritters to paper towels to drain briefly. Brush lightly with maple syrup and dust with confectioners' sugar. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve warm or at room temperature alone or with the garnishes.

image and recipe from Food Network

Halloween Party Tips

The folks at the Food Network shared these great tips for a great Halloween Party.

1. Keep it devilishly simple

Make the celebration short — the same length you would for a birthday party (about an hour and a half for tots under 6, about two hours for those between 7 and 12). This allows enough time for a costume parade, a few activities and some nibbles. Holiday-themed invitations, silly decorations and easy party games are the key to memorable and fun festivities.

2. Send out invitations at least two weeks in advance of the party

Your local party store or invitation web sites offer Halloween invites, or, better yet, you can make easy cards at home. Those handy with scissors can trace and cut out a spider or web (think of the fold-and-cut process used for paper snowflakes) — or a simple witch hat or pumpkin "carved" from construction paper.

3. Don't make it too scary

While it's great fun to transform your home or other location into a haunted house to set the mood, keep in mind the age of the littlest party guests. While black lights and eerie music can be amusing for elementary-age kids, it can frighten impressionable preschoolers. And you'll be sure to hear from parents whose children wake them in the middle of the night with nightmares.

4. Have fun with decorations

There are fabulous party decorations available that work with all ages — from creepy cobwebs and smiling bats to carved jack-o-lanterns, broomsticks, and friendly skeletons — that can be purchased from local party stores or five-and-dimes. You can also set your kids to work by taping butcher paper to the walls and letting them decorate their own haunted houses or graveyard scenes, complete with flying ghosts, red devils and witches.

5. Transform your kitchen into a laboratory 

Rubber fingers swimming in tomato sauce, crumbled chocolate cake topped with gummy worms or eyeball deviled eggs are a few ways to create a spooky setting. Rubber bugs, pieces of fur or other objects with a distinctive feel work well in shoeboxes or drawers. Instruct guests to speculate the ghoulish item inside and award prizes for guesses that are right on the money.

6. Keep everyone busy

Have handy crafts and games for younger guests, and try filling a vat with fruit and let older kids bob for apples. Purchase little pumpkins at the local farm, pass out magic markers and have a face-drawing contest. Play a game of Halloween character charades or pin the tail on the devil. Try to "catch" white skeleton heads — white balloons with faces drawn on in magic marker — with nets. Divide the kids into teams and enjoy a "mummy wrap" contest. Put plastic spider rings around the house for a great take-home favor.

7. Prepare a selection of spooky treats

Don't let all the little werewolves go home hungry. Please their picky palates with a Halloween-themed meal instead! From Pumpkin Ravioli to Polenta Fingers and 'Blood Red' Tomato Sauce.  To make the day extra fun for your kids, have them help you whip everything up.

Scroll down below the article for more recipes.

Partying at Home?

When planning a party at home you have a few options for the food.

The easiest option is to hire a caterer. The caterer will bring and prepare the food, handle staff, take care of the rentals, and clean up at the end of the night.

If you're budget doesn't allow for a caterer, but you can't imagine preparing all of the food yourself, you have another option.  Many larger caterers have a "To-Go" option.  You order the food ahead of time and either pick it up or have it delivered to the party location.

Like the idea of the food, but still can't image dealing with the service part?  Hire a few wait staff to handle the food presentation and clean up.

And, of course, you can always handle everything yourself!

Stock Up

The Food Network has a great list on the elements of a perfectly stocked bar.  Check the list for your next celebration.

How to Stock a Bar
For Spicy and Savory Drinks
Tomato Juice
Horseradish
Hot Sauce
Worcestershire Sauce


For Sweet and Sour Drinks
Sour Mix
Grenadine
Sugar (granulated, brown, cane)
Syrup


Fruit Juices
Orange Juice
Lime Juice
Lemon Juice
Cranberry Juice
Pineapple Juice


Sodas
Seltzer
Club Soda
Tonic
Cola/Lemon/Lime/Ginger ale


Garnishes
Lemon, Lime, Orange Slices
Maraschino Cherries
Olives
Celery
Fresh herbs such as mint or basil
Salts
Pepper


Bitters
Angostura
Peychaud's
Orange bitters


Tools of the Trade
Cocktail Shaker
Blender
Bottle Opener