GeTogethers Blog

A Giving Party - Theme #1

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:54:40 -0800

The holidays are a great excuse to get friends and family together and no better time to give to those in need. Here's a great way to combine the spirit of the season. Make your next holiday party extra special by suggesting your guests bring an unwrapped toy, clothing or can goods which can be donated to your favorite charity.

For the kids I suggest “A Giving Party” where each child brings a gift for a little girl or boy their age to be donated to Toys For Tots. It’s a wonderful way to teach youngsters the true meaning of the holidays. Decorate a big box like a giant gift for the kids to place the treasures in or provide a large red velvety sack by the tree. Step it up a notch and have a friend or family member dress up like old Saint Nick and the kids can give their gift to Santa while they smile for a photo that captures their generosity forever. While the kids talk about the wonderful gifts they chose to give, provide holiday treats and apple cider. Have them decorate cookies or make daisy chains, ornaments and holiday cards. If you manage an appearance from Santa and take pix, have the kids make a holiday frame as a keepsake.

GeTogethers has just created a special Giving Party Holiday Invite for this giving occasion and is offering 10% off with a minimum purchase of 12. A percentage of the proceeds for the cards will be donated to Toys For Tots. What a great way to celebrate the season of giving!

Oreo Truffles - Treat #1

Sun, 8 Nov 2009 10:51:24 -0800

How can something so decadent be so easy to make? As an after dinner treat for holiday guests or as a sweet gift, lovingly prepared and placed in a decorative box or tin, these simple nibbles will be delightfully devoured by all. If you have more experience with chocolate dipping you may choose to use your favorite product. The CandiQuick Candy Covering available at Stater Bros was recommended because it eliminates the use of the double broiler which not every kitchen covets. In this recipe I chose to sprinkle a portion of the Oreo powder over the candies but feel free to get creative with other baking accessories that may capture your event best.

8 oz. brick of cream cheese
1 lb. 2 oz. package of Original Oreo Cookies
16 oz. package of Stater Bros CandiQuick Chocolate Candy Covering

Preparation:
Set cream cheese out to soften.

Using a food processor or blender grind up package of Oreo Cookies and put in a large bowl for mixing. Set aside 1/4 cup Oreo powder to sprinkle on chocolate coated balls later.

Add cream cheese to remaining ground up Oreos. Using an electric hand mixer, blend Oreos and cream cheese until thoroughly mixed into a thick pasty consistency.

Chill dough in refrigerator for 1/2 hour. Once chilled, roll pieces of dough into small balls, approximately 1 1/2” diameter, and place on a foil covered cookie sheet. Chill balls in refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Take cookie sheets of balls out of fridge. Melt CandiQuick in microwave per package instructions. Leaving the melted chocolate in the tray provided, using two spoons, take balls from the cookie sheet and drop one at a time in the melted chocolate. Cover completely with chocolate and sprinkle with Oreo powder immediately after returning ball to cookie sheet. Chocolate hardens quickly.

For best results placed in refrigerator for at least one to two hours prior to serving.

Holiday Gift Idea #1

Mon, 2 Nov 2009 10:51:01 -0800

Everyone has one of those fabulous dessert recipes that friends and family members hope that they’ll be fortunate enough to receive or at least partake of at some holiday event each year. The latest “can’t eat just one” festive treat in my family is my moms peppermint bark. A perfect combo of confectioners white and dark chocolate generously sprinkled with chips and chunks of seasonal candy canes that makes my mouth water at just the thought of having one melt on your tongue. Not only have we made it a tradition to eat them each year but my mom and I have made it a tradition to make oodles and oodles of it as gifts for; clients, colleagues, friends and neighbors. When I started GeTogethers last year I had even more fun creating the packaging to contain these sweet treasures with my latest holiday papers. If you’re looking for a sweet gift, along with establishing a nice holiday tradition, this idea really can’t be beat. Try it on your own or if the holidays are getting a little out of hand for you this year take a look on the GeTogethers Gift Ideas page where you can find these Treat Boxes all assembled and ready for personalizing.

Items Needed for DIY:
• Famed Delicious Holiday Morsels - home made or purchased
Cigar Boxes - found in numerous sizes at most craft stores
GeTogethers Holiday Papers - 5pac for $5 or 25pac for $20

Lets Get This Party Started!

Sun, 1 Nov 2009 09:54:22 -0800

Now that the spooky pumpkins, spiders and witches have moved off our front door steps and are locked away for another hallowed season, it’s time for the jollier holidays to get going. With that, I am so excited to get started on a Blog Series about Holiday Parties. I have lots of fun and festive ideas for great ways to celebrate all that the season promises to bring us this year. Hope you will stay tuned over the next couple of months as I share easy treat recipes, creative gift ideas and festive crafts and decor for some really clever holiday celebration themes. My plan is to inspire you with a unique theme, something more out of the gift box than the tradition Open House Cocktail Party, then provide you with simple solutions to pull it all off with ease.
Here’s to making this Holiday Season mean so much more.

Summer Birthday Babies

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:39:59 -0700

Enjoy, or beware, the water in my neighborhood during the Fall months. You might just find yourself celebrating a Summer Birthday, or two, or three, or four, or way more! Due to the abundance of July and August births in our hood my fellow neighbors and I have made it a tradition to have One Big Birthday Bash in July for all our Summer Birthday Babies. The kids are surprisingly happy about sharing their day and the parents are more than happy to share the responsibility and cost of a party for the entire neighborhood. Each family throws in some cash for food, decor and a gift for each birthday kiddo. Each family also contributes to a task like ordering the pizza, blowing up balloons or filling up the ice chest. This year was particularly festive for me because I was task master for the decor and choose to adorn the kids and our park with GeTogethers papers and accessories. So from the party hats and flying flags to the gift packaging embellished with a letter for each child, GeTogethers had it’s festive stamp on this Annual Birthday Bash. And thanks to Beatta Bosworth, my photographer friend, neighbor and mommy of two of our Summer Birthday Babies, the magic was sweetly captured to share with you.