Girls Night Out

Why not venture out for a girls night out next Tuesday at AYZA Wine & Chocolate Bar. Instead of making your own treats for national chocolate day, sip on a chocolate martini outside New York’s trendiest area with your closest friends.

To make a reservation go to find a table and type the code (Girls’ Night Out) in a Special Requests’ Box to receive a complimentary Chocolate Shot and a Belgian Chocolate Covered Strawberry too. What a way to celebrate! Have fun girls!



SOURCE http://www.caterbid.com/rhonasilver/

Thanksgiving Eve Cocktail Party

Not in the mood to venture outside for Thanksgiving Eve? Why not hold a cocktail party at home? Invite 10 of your closest friends and you will be sure to have the perfect Thanksgiving Eve.

Serve 5 to 10 different appetizers including sugar coated pecans, party pinwheels, stuffed olives, a smoked salmon platter, and even chips and dip. Stock up your bar with red wine and bourbon or even create your own signature cocktail like apple pie shooters or an autumn kiss.

Apple Pie Shooters

Ingredients:

2     shots     Apple Juice        
1     dash     Cinnamon        
1     can     Cream        
1     shot     Vodka        

Mix together the apple juice, cinnamon, whipped cream, and vodka and top it with a bit of mint leaves. Shots everyone?

For more Thanksgiving Eve Cocktail Party Ideas go to www.evite.com to host your perfect Thanksgiving Eve event.




SOURCE http://www.caterbid.com/rhonasilver/

National Guacamole Day

Although this green slimy dip is often associated with summertime fiestas and long bon fires by the beach, there’s no reason why we still cant celebrate this day under the snow. If your tongue is a bit tired of the traditional Mexican guac, why not spice it up with Rosa Mexicano’s Guacamole en Molcajete. Made with Hass avocados and jalapeno peppers, you will be sure to jump in your seat feeling hot hot hot under the cold winter breeze.

Ingredient:

Paste
1 tablespoon onions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon jalapeno peppers, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cilantro, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 ripe Hass avocado
3 tablespoons onions, chopped
1 teaspoon seeded, finely chopped jalapeno pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped tomato, discard juice and seeds
salt, to taste

Directions:

In a bowl, using the back of a wooden spoon, thoroughly mash the paste ingredients (using salt as an abrasive).
Holding the avocado in the cup of your hand, split the avocado in half lengthwise and remove the seed.
Slice the avocado lengthwise in approximately 1/8″ strips; then slice across (do not cut through the avocado skin), forming a grid.
Scoop the avocado out of the skin with a spoon. Repeat with other half of avocado.
Add the avocado to the paste and thoroughly mix together. Be sure to mix the ingredients rather than mash them; this leaves the guacamole chunky and somewhat firm, not mushy.
Add the rest of the ingredients and fold them together gently.
Add jalapeno chiles and salt to taste.
Serve with fresh corn tortillas and/or chips.





SOURCE http://www.caterbid.com/rhonasilver/

Top Three Fiestas in Manhattan

Yearning to venture out of your apartment for five o’clock happy hour and 2 dollar tequila shots? We have your top three Mexican restaurants in Manhattan to celebrate National guacamole day at.

Working in midtown Manhattan? Stop by the Burrito Box in hells kitchen for a Mexican lime soda and barbeque chicken taco. The manager of the Burrito Box states their guacamole is the most popular dish of the day every day. Beer, football, and guacamole?

If your a bit tired of going to happy hour in your black suit and flats, take an hour to throw on your Jimmy Choo’s and Equipment red dress and head over to Rosa Mexicano on 61st Columbus Circle. Try their enchiladas de Jaiba with sautéed jumbo lump crab meat and habanero chile. You will be sure to wake up in the middle of the night salivating of visions of last nights fiesta.

Feeling like you need a vacation? Why not celebrate spring break Cabo a little bit early at Harrah’s Casino and Resort in Atlantic City Beach, New Jersey. Dos Caminos will be serving their signature guacamole with fresh seasonal vegetables and chicharrones paired with spicy autumn margaritas and fall fruit sangria!sweetened concentrate, why not the lime?) Some frost the rim of the glass with sugar or even a dash of orange bitters. Add the chocolate stirrers and there you’ll have it!



SOURCE http://www.caterbid.com/rhonasilver/

Iranian Cuisine

Lately Iran has been getting a lot of attention in the news, it’s too bad that their cuisine has nothing to do with the spotlight. If you’re looking for a meatier flavor in your kabobs and are tired of plain rice, then perhaps you should give Iranian food a try. Here is a quick guideline of what you need to know when you go to any Mediterranean/Iranian restaurant or host a dinner of your own.

Iranian food tends to be on the heavier side so try not to order too much, furthermore there is not much portion control as this is a cuisine that is a little more traditional and a little less health conscious. For starters you can call for something cool like hummus or Mast-O-Khair, the latter is a cool yogurt based dip garnished with cucumbers and mint. If you would like something on the warmer side you can get Kashke Bademjan which is a warm eggplant paste, or Dolmeh which are wrapped up grape leaves with various types of stuffing inside.

A typical Iranian entrée is a large serving of rice with kababs. There are two basic types of kababs one is referred to as Bargh which means that it is a steak style kabob, the other is Kobideh which is a minced meat kabob. Bargh and Kobideh can be done with beef, chicken, or lamb. If you would like to try both or can’t make up your mind you can call for a combo platter which is called Soltani, this platter will have one Kobideh and Bargh Kabob both are usually of the same meat.

To add more flavor you can sprinkle some Sumak which is an Iranian seasoning. If you would like to add more flavor and a sweet tanginess to your rice you can ask the restaurant to make your rice with Zereshk, Zereshk is a small Iranian berry they are sautéed and then mixed in with the rice.  The meal is usually accompanied with a side salad which includes labneh, the Iranian cheese, and raw onions.  Use the salad, sumak and zereshk to enhance flavors with or between bites.

Since you’ve made it so far it only makes sense to get a glass of Iranian wine with your meal too, try a glass of Shiraz maybe? It was names after its birth city. Now that you have polished off your plate it is time for desert, you can finish with a traditional tea or coffee complimented perfectly by a small piece of Bakhlava. Bakhlava traces its origin as far back as 8th Century BC in Northern Mesopotamia, the pastry is composed in layers filled with different nuts and sweetened figs.

Hopefully you will try this cuisine if you have not done so already, and remember that if you would like to cater an event of any size with Iranian cuisine just create your account for free on CaterBid and someone will begin assisting you shortly.

Written by Anushka Kassim



SOURCE http://www.caterbid.com/rhonasilver/

Peaches ‘N’ Cream, if you know what I mean!

As the musical group 112 so artistically put it in their song Peaches and Cream, “Peaches and cream/ I need it cause you know that I’m a fiend.” Well you can have all the peaches and cream as you want today 112, it’s National Peaches ‘n’ Cream Day today! For all of you that love the supple, soft, sweet fruit with a dollop of cream, here is a recipe that is not only super easy but super yummy!

Peaches ‘n’ Cream is a great dish to have at just about any event and really does cater to just about any taste. You can serve Peaches ‘n’ Cream at your 4th of July BBQ or at a Baby Shower. The dish is easy to put together and you can serve it just about anywhere too, it’s even convenient enough to serve at your children’s summer pool parties.

And remember if you are throwing an event give CaterBid a chance! All you have to do is make a free account, post details pertaining to your event and then wait for bids from CaterBid approved caterers, customers usually receive bids within a 2 day period. You might be able to hold your event for even lesser than you think!

The following recipe is from www.tasteofhome.com, if you are interested in checking out the nutritional values of the dish they are posted on the website.

Ingredients

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups sliced peeled peaches (about 3 medium)

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

In a small saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla.

Place peaches in two small baking dishes. Add syrup; stir gently to coat. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until peaches are tender. Serve warm or chilled with cream. Yield: 2 servings.

Written by Anushka Kassim



SOURCE http://www.caterbid.com/rhonasilver/

Parfait Away!

Parfait; the delectable dairy dessert are a great addition to any sizzling summer BBQ menu, including a Fourth of July BBQ!  Parfaits are a layered treat, and can be composed of ice cream, yogurt, and whipped cream topped off with granola and fresh fruit. Cream cheese is another substitution as well, deliciously top it off with nuts and fresh fruit. The Parfait originated from France, and is pronounced ‘par-fay.’ Although the Parfait has come a long way from France and has made its mark on the rest of the world, proving itself to be a party pleaser.Plus it’s much healthier than the regular desserts such as chocolate mousse and cheesecake. The reason why I believe that the Parfait is perfect for any Independence Day gathering is because, one can create a dessert filled with our nation’s three colors. Take plain or vanilla yogurt, add strawberries and blueberries and you will achieve not only and easy to make dessert but one that is brimming with patriotic.

Lately, I’ve taken an inspiration from eating at Red Mango’s version of the modern parfait; you can put whatever you your heart desires onto the many flavors of yogurt that they carry.  Since most Red Mango locations are self served, they have stations with different flavors of yogurt, along with  many varieties of toppings as well. My personal favorite is the Madagascar Vanilla, with dark Chocolate and Peanut butter as well, with crushed granola, along with pineapple and mango. Find a Red Mango store near you, just go on www.redmangousa.com.

One can easily mimic this style at home, set out a large table with 2 types of yogurts, preferably vanilla and strawberry, and then set out toppings to accent your yogurt of choice. Place platters of fresh fruit such as diced strawberries, pineapples, blueberries, kiwi and anything else. You can also add toppings such as crumbled Oreos, coconut shavings, granola, and yogurt chips. If you feel uneasy about setting this up yourself, sign on to CaterBid and let one of our caterers take care of it for you. If you prefer to have an even wider variety feel free to include other desserts into the parfait as well, for example: pudding, cream cheese, and pound cake, go right ahead! It’s all about being as simple or as creative as you want to be! This will definitely leave a lasting impression on all your guests.

For children, serve these refreshing parfaits in red, white, and blue tea cups, for your upcoming Fourth of July Party, to bring in that fun-holiday spirit! Party City always has these colorful cups around this time, as I usually see them in the “holiday” isle while shopping for party favors and decorations. You can also top either ice cream or whipped cream onto the delicious parfait for a more chilled taste. Granola and sweet yogurt chips will also top off this flavorful dessert! You can also add a big strawberry on top as well, as it is mixed already with many strawberries. How refreshing?

To the mothers out there with children: if you would like to decorate the cups as well, put small gold stars onto the cups, and serve them chilled on a tray, ready to eat for dessert! There you go; you have a delicious strawberry parfait, just moments away from eating. If you’re still planning your upcoming Fourth Of July party, just leave it to the Cater bid team, and we will give you the best party you’ll remember of the year!

If you’d ever like to make your own strawberry parfaits if you’re catering your own party, here is the recipe along with the ingredients, of course! Here is a great recipe you can follow.

Recipe:

    · 4 ounces light cream cheese, soften
    · 1/4 cup sugar
    · 1 cup vanilla yogurt
    · 3 cups strawberries, sliced
    · 1 cup small almond cookie, roughly crushed (amaretti)
    · 1 tablespoon almonds, sliced, roastedRead more: http://www.food.com/recipe/strawberry-and-cream-cheese-parfait-289070#ixzz1yv3NJHBs

Preparation Time-Fifteen minutes
Directions:

    In a bowl, with an electric mixer, mix cream cheese and 3 tablespoon of sugar for 2 minutes or until it’s creamy. Add yogurt and mix until the mixture is homogeneous.
    Put strawberries in a large bowl. Add remaining sugar and stir delicately to coat well. Let rest for 5 minutes at room temperature (stir one time).

    In 6 parfait glasses of a capacity of 1 cup each, distribute half the mixture of cream cheese, half of strawberries and half of almond cookies. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Cover with a plastic wrap and put in the fridge for 2 hours. When ready to serve, garnish with roasted almonds.

Written by Anushka Kassim and Alana Berg


SOURCE http://www.caterbid.com/rhonasilver/

Fun in the Sun

Since this summer is turning out to be a rather sweltering one, how about we plan a pool party? You do not need to spend much time planning, and it is easy to pull off a pragmatic pool party last minute too. Just tell your family and friends to pack their swimsuits and invite them over! If you don’t have a pool try to gather at someone else’s home, or you could even arrange an epic water fight, perfect for the young and the young at heart.

The summer sun tends to dehydrate and leave us parched, however you do not have to succumb to such a treacherous fate: Serve fruity frozen drinks and all will be well! Try to have fun and even go all out by serving these delightful drinks in sparkling martini glasses.  We suggest to use plastic ones just to avoid broken glass specially if people are running around and are in and out of the pool, such glasses can be purchased at Party City. The party store that will be able to quench all your party needs, the stores are usually always well stocked and carry everything you can think of, starting from invitations to décor. Use bright colors such as pinks, greens, and yellows to brighten your party, a refreshing change from the toned down colors that are common throughout the rest of the year. If you’re one to embrace seasonal trends try fluorescent colored glasses and cocktail umbrellas to make your  delicious frozen drink look even more ornate before it’s served.  Other types of drink toppers such as hula girls are also readily available at most places. Go to www.partycity.com to browse products as well as find a store near you.

Some of the refreshing frozen drinks you can serve are strawberry dacharis, pina coolada’s, and for the under aged audience there are always  virgin shirley temples and of course slushies! To add more fun (and maybe a little more mess, if you’re up for it) you can even have the children add their own organic food colorings to their drinks. You can even layer different colored slushies and create the effect of a rainbow, if you do choose to do this be sure to use see-through glasses and cups so that your guests and children alike can be wowed by your culinary prowess!

Some fantastic tips to take into consideration if you are throwing a pool party are using two large bright colored buckets to fill one up with ice cold drinks. Some of these drinks can be, ice cold water bottles, ice tea, soda, and fruit punch. These are aside from the frozen cocktail drinks mentioned above. The other bucket can be used for towels and goggles, for guests if they did not bring a towel with them to the party, and since we all enjoy playing under water games, specially the little ones.

If you’re going to be inviting many guests to your party, I suggest having a cocktail hour along with Hors D’oeuvres to start off the fun with. Some of the appetizers can include mini quiches, bruschetta, crab cakes as well as shrimp, served with cocktail sauce on the side. Mix and match items, do what you like best there are no rules when it comes to a casual family affair, well a few maybe. On a healthier note, some of the snacks that you can serve instead of salty potato chips or bread can be a vegetable platter with a side of dipping sauce like, an onion dip or humus. Many people enjoy eating finger foods over the summer, because your appetite tends to shrink. As for the dessert, fruit, popsicles, and ice cream are always a summer win! Fruit is very refreshing to serve over a hot summer day, pineapple, cantaloupe, watermelon, grapes, mango, honey dew, and kiwi, will taste great with a side of a sweet cream cheese dip.

Since the host/hostess of the party will usually get busy by catering their own party as tiring as it gets, have CaterBid plan your next party, while you can just relax, and enjoy this fantastic party with your guests! spend time with friends and family instead, take your time when talking to your guests. It’s your party, don’t spend it in the kitchen! When you need catering for your next party, just go onto our website, www.caterbid.com and we will plan your party right away!

Here is a recipe that we found on www.googdhousekeeping.com , I for one cannot wait to try it!

Ingredients

1/4 cup(s) cranberry juice cocktail, chilled                     

1 container(s) (8 ounces) low-fat blueberry yogurt

1/2 cup(s) frozen blueberries

Directions

In blender, combine cranberry juice, yogurt, and blueberries and blend until mixture is smooth and frothy. Pour into 1 tall glass. Total time is 5 minutes and serves 1, just about 1 1/3 glasses.

Read more: Blueberry Blast – Good Housekeeping

Written by Anushka Kassim and Alana Berg




SOURCE http://www.caterbid.com/rhonasilver/

Whats Cookin’?

Too tired to venture to stumble inn for late night happy hour? Why not create your own dollar beer nights with one dollar Boston cream pie shots. Although we’re used to triple chocolate cakes with custard and cream filling, lets put a spin on the ol’ tradition and add a few shots of vanilla Bacardi and slices of lime. For toppings, sprinkle whipped cream on the top and your friends will be asking you, “whats cookin’?” (or maybe this time, what are you drinkin’?)

Happy National Boston Cream Pie Day!





SOURCE http://www.caterbid.com/rhonasilver/

Eating healthy and staying fit!

For many that have been watching the Olympics, does this make you want to become more fit now? For those who belong to a gym, take advantage of it, especially if you’re on a limited member ship for just the summer! Recently, I have been asking myself, what can I do to become more fit by losing weight, but by doing this in a healthy way? Along with the weight issue, I also wanted to change my exercise and eating habits, for my health as well. After changing my diet in the past few weeks, I have seen a major difference! Aside from shedding off some of the weight that I wanted to get rid of, I also feel less tired, and more energetic throughout the day, even in the mornings! As I also changed my exercise habits a lot, I am a lot less stressed than I was along with being less anxious and tense too.

The key to staying healthy is by eating a balanced diet, which I’m sure all of your doctors have said to do! Which is true, but, the key is to eat small meals a day, ranging from about 4-5 meals a day! So that way, nobody will gauge themselves at the end of the day, because they will not feel as hungry, since food will be entering into their systems throughout the entire day. Also, make sure to have a big breakfast though, as it is the most important meal of the day! If you’re a bread lover, make a sand which consisting of two whole wheat sand patties. As bread is a carbohydrate, do not have this every day, the key is moderation! Since whole wheat is a healthy substance to add to your body, how about having whole wheat pasta, along with pancakes as well? Mix it up a little! Don’t forget to drink a lot of fluids as well, especially water! As for the fitness part of staying healthy, I recommend at least a half an hour to forty minutes of cardio, 6-7 days a week. Some of the machines that can be used that are perfect for intense cardio are the treadmill, the elliptical, and the stair master.  Also, take many water breaks, since after the cardio, you’ll be working out with the weights! As for the weights, do about three to four days for the abdominals, two days for arms and legs, and one day for just cardio, to give you a little break from the weights!

As we put the fitness aside for now, who likes to eat organic foods? Basically, you are eating the most fresh and healthiest foods you can get! There are many important foods out there that can be eaten organically. Some of these foods include strawberries, rice, green and bell peppers, corn, bananas, milk, apples, and much more! To get more information on these delicious organic foods, just click and go to this link! http://www.kidsorganics.com/10%20Most%20Important%20Foods%20to%20Eat%20Organic.htm

Want to make a flavorful organic meal at home one day soon? Well here are some scrumptious soup recipes that you may never even heard of, but will love once you have them. Enjoy!

http://www.organicauthority.com/soups/5-simple-a-stunning-no-cook-chilled-soups.html




SOURCE http://www.caterbid.com/rhonasilver/

Lets Fly Away

Feeling bored at work? Dreaming of the day that you can take off and fly away? No longer do you have to wait for your free delta mileage to come in the mail. With one bite of caramel custard you can automatically drift away to Paris, London, or even Madrid. Originating in Europe, the ancient Romans experimented with binding properties of eggs in their cooking. Now in the twenty first century, we can celebrate what was once an ancient ceramic project as now a daytime delight.

Not dreaming of croissants and crepes a la mode? Try the Spanish version of caramel custard, flan. Top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and it will be certain to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Happy National Custard Day!




SOURCE http://www.caterbid.com/rhonasilver/

A Ghostly Breakfast

“To get your family ready for the Halloween spirit, I suggest releasing Casper from your walls and welcoming him to your family breakfast. Why not create miniature ghosts out of cream cheese? Add chopped carrots for Casper’s hands and capers for his eyes. There you and your family can not only celebrate Halloween early but have a fun fix to spread of your everything bagels.

Have a ghostly breakfast everyone!”




SOURCE http://www.caterbid.com/rhonasilver/