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Home / Make it Pretty / Holidays & Celebrations / Evening Event: Impromptu Party

Evening Event: Impromptu Party

Friday, September 9, 2011


Ever since I was a kid, I loved the idea of throwing a party on the spur of the moment. No obligation hanging over the head, just a last minute get-together when the mood strikes. When we’re going to show an outdoor movie, waiting until the last minute to extend invites helps ensure the weather is going to be just right.


I always try to have a tray of fresh vegetables for any party I throw. Most people I know don’t eat them often enough, but if they are handy, they will chomp on them. See our video on making Veggie Platters to Wow Your Guests for ideas on how to turn a store-bought vegetable tray and a few extras into something lovely.


One of the tricks is to cut some vegetables in a different way. I sliced the Persian cucumbers on a diagonal and gave the yellow squash a waffle cut.


Have you seen the small soda cans? They are a great size. I like to start them chilling at least a couple of hours in advance with ice and a little water. Michael runs the adult beverage department. I’m the soda lady.


One of the things we were celebrating was the incredible brisket Michael had cooked on his Big Green Egg. To go with it, some simple cooked shrimp on ice in the color-changing LED light bowl, our Confetti Cabbage Slaw, the selection of raw vegetables, and two layered cakes with strawberries and whipped cream — one sugar-free and one full strength.


Once it started getting dark, the LED lights in the bowl and ice bin really looked great!


I threw some of my LED color-changing lite cubes into the ice bin, chopped up the meat into bite-sized pieces, and prepared for the platters to get emptied quickly.


Can you tell which of the cakes is sugar-free? Even I can’t tell and I don’t remember, but the one without sugar got eaten first, which I found interesting.


A can of compressed air and a lint-free cloth got the projector and receiver ready to roll.


Kenji came over to help with the set-up. Hard to imagine that weird mess of plastic becomes an amazing big screen in minutes, but it does.


Steve was ready to get the show on the road!


Have you seen the Animusic DVDs? Very cool animation and sound. They really show off your system and they’re amazing for people of all ages to watch.


What a cute movie — Morning Glory with Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton.


Part way through the party. Meat — gone. Sugar-free cake, annihilated. Still some munchables of other types. By the end of the evening, nothing was left but the smiles and happy memories.

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