Summer Entertaining: Host a Pirate Party with Island Decorations, Food and Drinks!

Ahoy maties.... Are you looking for a fun party theme? An island-inspired pirate party is the perfect way to kick off summer- or end it, for that matter! Use these ideas for a end of school party, a high school graduation, a backyard movie night party complete with a screening of Pirates of the Caribbean, a birthday party, a Luau---it's even perfect for your next supper club or a bridal shower! Tweak the decorations and the food to fit your crowd. I got the idea from a dear friend, Terri Merren, who lives in the Cayman Islands. Terri sent me her cookbook and explained that the Cayman Islands hosts a "pirate week" celebration each year. Her picture below inspired my pirate party theme. Thank you Terri!  

 

HERE'S THE PIRATE PARTY WE SHOWCASED DURING THE METROPOLITAN COOKING & ENTERTAINING SHOW IN ATLANTA!

PIRATE PARTY MENU

Signature Cocktail: GOOMBAY SMASH

I knew I wanted to use my Goombay Smash recipe as the signature cocktail for this party theme because it is a favorite drink in the islands. Since it has rum and pineapple, I decided to use those elements as a consistent theme throughout my menu and for decorations. To cut costs, eliminate the brandy and use Grand Marnier or whatever orange liqueur you have instead.  

MARTIE'S MOJITO MELON BOATS

Use honeydew or cantaloupe as your melon. I prefer cantaloupe. The marinade is exactly what you'd find in a mojito.... rum, mint, and lime.

For the marinade, mix a cup of rum, the juice of one lime, and 1/2 cup finely chopped mint leaves for each melon. I don't use spiced rum for this recipe. If the melon isn't very sweet, I will add about 1/2 cup simple syrup that I have infused with mint to my marinade or a little drizzle of honey.

Cut your melon into "boats" and use a toothpick to poke small holes in the top of each slice. Fill the holes with the rum mixture and let it marinate in the refrigerator or cooler for an hour or more before guests arrive. Plate and insert your "pirate sails" or other nautical decoration. I used scrap paper and some pirate stickers from Oriental Trading Company and a wooden skewer to make the sails.

CARIBBEAN-SPICED SHRIMP with PINEAPPLE SALSA

I love this recipe from my great friends at MyRecipes.com and it's perfect for this party theme. I thought it would make it on skewers to make serving easier. The shrimp cook so quickly, it's an easy make-ahead dish. Make the salsa in advance and bring it all to room temp before serving. This recipe calls for a lot of spices but you don't have to use all of them.

BAYLEY'S WEST INDIES SALAD

Another great recipe from MyRecipes.com, also perfect for an island themed party. I make it ahead and store individual servings in jars (a mason jar works great) kept on ice in the cooler until party time. I like to add plantain chips as a garnish just before guests arrive.

PIRATE PARTY DECORATIONS

The decorations are so simple. You can get a lot of what you need from my friends at ORIENTAL TRADING COMPANY. I made some of the decorations---- like the pineapple tree and the sails for my melon boats and filled in the rest with supplies from OTC. The pineapple tree only took about 30 minutes to make- start to finish. The sails were about 15 minutes. Use pirate hats, swords, coins, treasure chests, etc to fill in the rest. Here are the instructions for our fantastic pineapple tree:

You need a stable base--- a heavy piece of wood works. I told the guy at Lowe's what I wanted to do and he pointed me to the plumbing supplies for a flange and a short piece of pipe that screwed together. I attached it to the wood with Velcro but you can screw it down or glue it. Next, twist the top off the pineapples and cut the top and bottom to make them level. Cut out the inner core of each pineapple. I used an apple corer to do this, but a long, thin knife will also work. Stack the pineapples on top of each other to form the trunk of your tree. Add some foliage (you can even take cuttings from your own plants) by sticking the stems into the cut pineapple. Add a flag if you want to like we did. You can also use the pineapples to serve your shrimp skewers by inserting them into the pineapple! Everyone loved this idea! 

Get party decorations from Oriental Trading Company. You can get a huge box of pirate party booty and supplies for very little money. Check out the awesome pirate hats; you can double duty them by turning them into table decorations and serving bowls like we did for our Pirates of the Caribbean candy bar! Special shout out to all of our friends from the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show in Atlanta for having so much fun with us at our pirate party!    

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Martie's Menu: Mother's Day Breakfast in Bed

We had a blast with everyone at the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show this weekend! Here's the menu for one of our presentations: Mother's Day Breakfast in Bed! This is the perfect menu for kids or you guys out there because you can cook as little or as much as you like. It's mostly about the presentation and as they say; it's the thought that counts!

MARTIE'S MOTHER'S DAY BREAKFAST IN BED MENU

Belgian Waffle Kabobs with Orange Chantilly Cream

Maple Orange Oven Bacon

Smiling Grapefruit Brulee

Blood Orange Double Bubble

THE RECIPES

Belgian Waffle Kabobs

This dish gives the typical Belgian waffle a snazzy new style! Make waffles according to package directions. It's okay to use frozen or packaged waffles if you don't want to cook. These are delicious even if you use Eggo waffles! Cut the waffles into quarters and slide them onto a skewer, alternating with strawberries. Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving. Serve with real maple syrup and my special Orange Chantilly Cream. 

Orange Chantilly Cream

1 cup whipping cream

1 tablespoon Confectioner's sugar 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon Grand Marnier (or orange extract)

Beat the whipping cream at high speed until it starts to foam. Carefully add sugar; turn down the speed on your mixer first because the powdered sugar will fly if you don't! Continue beating until soft peaks form. Fold in vanilla and Grand Marnier. Add a little orange zest if you like.

Maple Orange Oven Bacon

This bacon comes out so pretty, not wrinkly and shrunken like pan fried bacon! It's also easier to prepare if kids are helping in the kitchen. No hot stovetops or frying pans to worry with.  

1/2 pound quality thick cut bacon

2 tablespoons real maple syrup

1 teaspoon orange juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange bacon on a baking rack on a baking sheet. (or you can use aluminium foil to line the pan if you don't have a baking rack) Bake for 15-20 minutes or until bacon is starting to brown. Carefully remove the pan from the oven and brush with the orange syrup mixture. Bake for another 5 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and keep warm until serving time.

Smiling Grapefruit Brulee

So easy! Preheat your oven's broiler. Sprinkle grapefruit with brown sugar and place under the broiler for  3-5 minutes or until the sugar starts to turn brown. You can add a raisin smiley face if you like--- or mom's initial.

Martie's Double Bubble

Everyone loves this drink! A spin on a traditional Mimosa, this one uses sparkling Italian soda (available at Whole Foods, World Market, Target, etc) and Prosecco, which is Italian sparkling wine. You can use the flavor or color that works best with your menu. I opted for Blood Orange because it worked best with the orange theme in our menu. Get the recipe!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. And to my mom- I miss you. xo.

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Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with Martie's Pomegranate Margarita and more!

I'm packing the truck to head to Atlanta for the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show this weekend with Paula Deen, Bobby Flay, and Mario Batali... but I could not head out without posting something for one of my favorite reasons to party... Cinco de Mayo! Any reason to drink a margarita and polish of a big basket of chips and salsa works as a holiday for me!

Here are some awesome ideas for your Cinco de Mayo celebrations including my own Pomegranate Margarita recipe; try it, you will LOVE it!

Martie's PAMA Pomegranate Margarita

Just right for 1 large margarita glass/double for 2

2 ounces PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur

1 ounce good white tequila (use 100% agave)

Splash Grand Marnier orange liqueur (or sub Triple Sec if you like)

2 ounces fresh lime juice (Don't use the plastic squeeze kind)

1 Tablespoon confectioners' sugar

Splash of club soda

Coarse salt or margarita salt for rimming and a lime or orange wedge for garnish.

Rim glasses with salt--- see below.  Add ice to a cocktail shaker then add ingredients except club soda. Shake well and pour into chilled cocktail or margarita glasses. Float the garnish and the club soda on top. You can also serve this drink over ice.

To add a rim, pour coarse salt onto a small plate. Take a lime wedge and run it around the rim of the glass. Invert the glass onto the plate and turn it in the salt to make sure it sticks. 

Need more Cinco de Mayo ideas? Our friends at MyRecipes.com have tons of great recipes for your party!Check out:

Try 8 Festive Mexican Menus including this beautiful and easy Chicken Tostada Meal! 

I found a lot  more ways to toast the holiday with this collection of cocktail recipesfeatured on MyRecipes.com for Cinco de Mayo.... try the Chili Lime Beer! It will become your new favorite way to drink a beer; it's a beer with an extra kick! There is an easy last minute Sangria recipe, too.

If you are looking for a perfect recipe for dinner in a hurry, why not try these Black Bean and Chicken Chilaquiles? Pronouncing the name is half the fun of serving this delish dish! (chi-la- ke'-lees) It's hearty, simple, and everyone will love it, even the kiddos.

For more great Cinco de Mayo recipes, check out my fish tacos recipe or Alton Brown's guacamole recipe on my blog!

Join Martie at the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show May 1 & 1 with Paula Deen & Bobby Flay! Discount on tickets ends April 26th!

In case you haven't you heard, I'll be presenting at the Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show next weekend, May 1-2, with Paula Deen, Bobby Flay, and Mario Batali! 

We're doing SEVEN shows over two days! Should be a ton of fun. Discounted tickets are available until Monday, April 26th for only $17.00!  USE CODE APP10 at checkout..

There will be over 150 exhibitors!

Cooking Demonstrations by Atlanta's Best Chefs

Food & Wine Pairings Classes

Beer, Wine, & Spirits Tastings 

Gourmet Tastings plus Entertaining Workshops!

 

Get tickets at:  www.metrocooking.com

Host a Derby Day Party: Mint Julep Recipes and Easy Decorations

Big hats, red roses, pretty spring dresses, horses, Kentucky Bourbon and mint juleps. Now if those aren't reason enough to host a party, I don't know what is! The races at Keeneland are underway now and The Kentucky Derby will be run May 1 at Churchill Downs. So call your friends, dust off that huge hat and mix up some mint juleps! In fact, why wait for Derby Day? Mix some up this weekend! Go baby go!

Derby Decorations

Decorations for a Derby Day party could not be easier. Use anything silver as a container--- use whatever you have. You can even just spray paint something you already have silver if you don't have anything.... a terra cotta pot, for example. A mint julep cup makes a perfect vase. Add a few red roses and you're done! They call the Derby the "run for the roses" because the winning horse is covered with a blanket of red roses so use lots of red roses for your decorations. You can get them anywhere--- even Wal-Mart! We used 3 per container for this arrangement along with some leaves and a little moss.

Mint Juleps from MyRecipes.comMint Julep Recipes

A classic mint julep begins with good Kentucky bourbon like Maker's Mark or Four Roses. Mint is also essential, although there are some versions that use fresh basil; very different but very refreshing. Add some ice. That's really all you need. Here's my version-use mint simple syrup so you don't have to play bartender all day and you get lots more mint flavor.

Martie's Classic Mint Julep for a Crowd

These mint julep recipes below are all from our good friends at MyRecipes.com!

Stanley's Mint Julep

Fresh Basil Julep

Mint Julep Iced Tea

And my own spin on the perfect Derby Day cocktail, Pomegranate Spiked Sweet Tea!

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