Party Ideas

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Laura's Fun Ideas

Orzo Salad
(Recipe found on www.foodtv.com)
4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups orzo pasta
1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
About 3/4 cup Red Wine Vinaigrette, recipe follows
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pour the broth into a heavy large saucepan.  Cover the pan and bring the broth to a boil over high heat.  Stir in orzo.  Cover partially and cook until the orzo is tender but still firm to the bit, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes.  Drain the orzo through a strainer.  Transfer the orzo to a large wide bowl and toss until the orzo cools slightly.  Set aside to cool completely. 
Toss the orzo with the beans, tomatoes, onion, basil, mint, and enough vinaigrette to coat.  Season the salad, to taste, with salt and pepper, and serve at room temperature.

Red Wine Vinaigrette
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender.  With the machine still running, gradually belnd in the oil.  Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with more salt and pepper if desired.

Virgin Flamingo Cocktails
4 oz. cranberry juice
2 oz. pineapple juice
1/2 oz. lemon juice
2 oz. club soda

Pour the cranberry juice, pineapple juice, and lemon juice into a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice cubes.  Shake well and strain into a highball glass.  Top with the club soda and stir well.  Garnish with a lime wedge and serve.

Fruity Lemonade
(Recipe found on www.foodtv.com)
6 tablespoons lemonade concentrate
1 teaspoon sugar-free peach gelatin powder
1/4 cup tropical punch mix
6 cups water
Ice cubes
1 lemon, sliced

In a large pitcher add all ingredients except lemon slices and ice cubes; stir.  Serve in ice-filled glasses with a straw.  Garnish each glass with a slice of lemon.



Deanna's Fun Ideas

Balsamic Broccoli Salad
4 cups fresh broccoli florets (1 medium bunch)
3/4 cup golden raisins or dried cranberries
1 small red onion, chopped
1/2 cup fat-free mayonnaise or salad dressing
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
3 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

In alarge bowl, combine broccoli, raisins, and onion.  In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, vinegar, and sugar.  Pour mayo mixture over the broccoli mixture; toss to coat.  Sprinkle with bacon.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.  Yield: 6 servings

D.I.Y Olympics
In commemoration of the Beijing Olympics this summer, why not bring some of the fun home?  A number of events and prizes can turn a dull day into an exciting afternoon full of crazy competitions.

Why not try:
- Blindfolded leapfrog
- Backwards crab walk race
- Obstacle courses
- Tug of war with a sprinkler in the middle (so the loser gets soaked!)

Award homemade gold medals to the champion and any variety of prizes to the runners up.  Light tiki torches or candles as substitutes for the Olympic torch and have a ceremony for the athletes.

Fancy Flip Flops
Looking for a cheap and useful party favor?  Why not invest in some inexpensive flip flops in an assortment of colors and sizes for your guests.  Set out sequins, feathers, beads, glue, and craft paint so they can personalize their shoes for an easy, affordable, and fun party gift.



Christianne's Fun Ideas


Caesar Coleslaw
Prepare this new take on coleslaw the day before serving, refrigerate, and allow the dressing to soak into the salad.
Caeser Dressing
1 cup low-fat mayonnaise
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Salad
8 cups shredded savoy or green cabbage (about 1 small head)
2 cups shredded carrots
4 scallions, thinly sliced
2 cups croutons

Make the dressing: in a large serving bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, garlic, anchovy paste, mustard, and pepper.
Add the cabbage, carrots, and scallions to the bowl and toss to coat.  Cover and refrigerate the salad until ready to serve,  Top with croutons.  Serves 6-8.

Rubber Duck

Race
Using only their noses, players nudge a rubber duck from one end of the pool to the other.  The first player to the end wins.  For extra fun, add floating obstacles that the players must push their ducks around.

Pinwheels
What you will need:
- Colored card stock or construction paper
- Thumbtacks or stick pins
- Pencil with new eraser
- White craft glue
- Scissors
- Sequins
- Pattern

How to make it:
1. Print the pattern onto plain white printer paper.
2. Cut the square pattern out, cutting on the solid lines.
3. Trace the square pattern onto the colored paper.  Cut out the square from the colored paper.
4. Hold the pattern on top of the colored square and cut along the dotted lines but do not cut into the center circle.
5. Use a thumbtack or stick pin to poke out the holes in every other corner of the square as indicated in the pattern.  Set the pattern piece aside.
6. Take one corner with a hole and fold it toward the center of the square.  Fold the next corner that has a hole toward the center on top of the first holed corner.  Repeat with the other 2 corners with holes until all 4 corners with holes are together. 
7. Glue the folds to each other and to the center.  Hold together until dry.
8. Push the thumbtack or pin through the center of the pinwheel and into the eraser of the pencil.  Make sure the pinwheel isn't touching the eraser or it won't spin.
9. Glue some sequins to the flaps of the pinwheel and let dry.

Tips:
- Use plain white paper and have the kids decorate it with crayons or markers before you cut the pinwheel pattern.
- Only decorate with light-weight items, such as sequins, stickers, and glitter.  Items like buttons and jewels are too havey for the pinwheel to spin.
- If the pinwheel isn't spinning properly, try using a longer stick pin instead of a thunbtack to allow mor room between the pinwheel and the eraser.

Lemonade Pie
4 cups vanilla ice cream or lemon ice cream, softened
6 oz. can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 (9") graham cracker pie crust

In medium bowl, mix ice cream and lemonade concentrate until blended.  Immediately spoon into graham cracker crust.  Freeze at least 4 hours until firm.  Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before cutting to make for easier serving.  Yield: 8 servings

Rocky Road Sandwiches
32 graham cracker squares
1 1/2 cups canned chocolate fudge frosting
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 cup marshmallow creme
1/2 gallon chocolate ice cream, softened

Place graham crackers on a work surface.  In a small bowl, mix frosting and miniature marshmallows together gently.  Spread half of graham crackers with this frosting mixture.  Stir marshmallow creme, then spread other half of graham crackers with marshmallow creme.
Make sandwiches with the 2 varieties of coated graham crackers and the chocolate ice cream, using about 1/2 cup of ice cream for each sandwich.  Press together gently, then wrap individually in plastic wrap and freeze until firm.  Yield: 16 sandwiches



Katie's Fun Ideas


Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip
2 (8 oz.) packages of cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup Frank's Red Hot sauce
1 cup blue cheese dressing (i.e. T. Marzettis, Maries)
2 cups diced cooked chicken breast
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 dash chili powder (optional)
1 dash garlic powder (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a medium bowl, stir together cream cheese, blue cheese dressing, and cheddar cheese.  Add diced cooked chicken to mixture.  Spread mixture into a 9"x13" baking dish (optional: sprinkle extra shredded cheddar cheese on top) and bake for 30 minutes.  Serve with tortilla chips, french bread slices, or crackers.

Balloon Stomp Game
Supplies needed:
- Balloons
- String

Directions:
Let the kids blow up their own balloons and tie one to their ankle with string.  On "Go," everyone runs around trying to stomp on and bust each others balloons.  the last person with an intact balloon wins.

Relay Race
Equipment:
- 2 pairs of XL board shorts
- 2 pairs of sunglasses
- 2 straw hats
- 2 beach bags
- 2 beach chairs

Directions:
Divide into 2 teams.  Each team lines up in a row.  Place chairs a reasonable running distance away in front of each team.  The objects listed above are placed into the beach bags and located with each team.  The first runners dress in ALL of the items, run to the chair, return and take all of the items off.  The next players continue this until the entire team has had a turn.  The first team to have all their players run to the chair wins.



Kristen's Fun Ideas


Underwater Freeze Tag
Choose one person to be "It."  Everyone else swims around and tries not to be tagged by "It."  If you are tagged you must remain still with your legs open.  To become unfrozen another player must swim in between your legs.

Homemade Salsa (Not Hot)
1 can black beans, drained and washed
1 can white corn, drained
2 small-medium tomatoes, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 sweet peppers (try using orange or yellow peppers for extra color)
1 tablespoon Zesty Italian dressing

Mix all ingredients together in large bowl.  Refrigerate and serve when cold with tortilla chips.



Nate's Fun Ideas


Air Raid
Number of players needed: 6 or more
Materials needed: Big obstacles, water balloons and/or sponges

First begin by marking out a starting line and a finish line approximately 50 feet apart.  Find 5-6 obstacles that are large enough to hide behind, for example a table or wheelbarrow.  Place obstacles approximately 10 feet apart in a zig-zag pattern between the starting line and the finish line.  Assign 2 people to be the "Bombers" and give them a bucket full of water balloons or water soaked sponges.  One of the Bombers stands about halfway between the starting line and the finish line and the other Bomber stands a few feet past the finish line.  The job of the Bomber is to try to hit the runner with the water balloons or sponges while the runner runs from obstacle to obstacle without getting wet.  The halfway Bomber is allowed to try to hit the runner until the runner has passed him, then they must cease fire.  The finish line Bomber then takes over and is allowed to try to hit the runner until they reach the finish line.  For every obstacle that the runner gets to they will recieve an assigned point value.  Their total points equals their score. 

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Fizzy Float
4 cups cold water
1/2 Kool-Aid sugar sweetened soft drink mix, any flavor
2 cups cold white grape juice
2 cups seltzer
1 pt. vanilla ice cream

Add water to soft drink mix in large pitcher; stir until drink mix is completely dissolved.  Stir in grape juice.  Pour 3/4 cup of the mixture into each of 8 tall glasses.  Add 1/4 cup seltzer to each glass, then top with 1/4 cup of ice cream.  Serve immediately. 

Cheese and Fruit Kabobs
1 pkg (8 oz.) Colby Jack cheese, cut into 16 cubes
16 seedless red grapes
16 small strawberries
4 kiwi, peeled and quartered
Prepared vanilla pudding
Strawberry yogurt

Arrange 1 each of the cheese cubes, grapes, strawberries, and kiwi on each of 16 wooden skewers.  Serve as dippers with bowls of pudding and yogurt.

Magical Flying Carpets
1 pkg (8 serving size) or 2 pkg. (4 serving size) of Jell-o, any flavor
1 cup water
3 cups minature marshmallows or 12 large marshmallows

Mix dry Jell-o and water in large microwavable bowl.  Microwave on high for 2 1/2 minutes; stir until Jell-o is completely dissolved.  Add marshmallows; stir.  Microwave for 2 minutes or until marshmallows are partially melted.  Stir until marshmallows are completely melted.  Pour into a 9"x13" pan sprayed with cooking spray.  Refrigerate for 1 hour or until set.  Cut into 4 1/4" x 2 1/4" rectangles.  Cut small slits on the short ends of each rectangle to form "fringe" for each "carpet."

The Question Game
Works best with at least 4 players, the more the better.
All players sit in a circle, situated so each player can easily face the person to their left and right.  Decide who will go first and whether you will go clockwise or counter-clockwise (counter-clockwise will be used as an example).  The first player faces the person to his right.  He asks that player a question.  That person does NOT answer the question, instead he asks the next player to his right a different question.  The next player asks the person after him a question, and so on.  Players must look at the person who they are asking a question off and at the person who is asking them a question. 
A player is "Out" if they do one of the following after being asked a question:
- answers the question asked
- does not immediately ask the next player a question
- laughs
- makes a statement instead of asking a question
- repeats a question that was very recently asked
There is no minimum or maximum length for questions.  When a person is "out" they are not asked any questions, nor do they ask any questions, until the game is over.  When there are only 2 people left they take turns asking each other questions until one of them is out. The last player remaining is the winner.

Grilled Orange-Fennel Sea Scallops
2 1/2 - 3 lbs. Sea Scallops
Marinade:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh or dried parsley, minced
1 heaping teaspoon crushed fennel seeds
3 cloves minced garlic
Zest of 1 large orange, grated

Stir together all marinade ingredients.  Add the scallops and coat well.  Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours, tossing occasionally.
When you are about ready, place the scallops on the grill, about 4-5 inches over medium-hot coals.  Grill until opaque, about 5 minutes, turning once halfway through the cooking time.
If your scallops are in danger of falling through the grill, consider making scallop kabobs by threading the scallops along with onions slices, zucchini slices, mushrooms, or any other vegetable you choose.
Yield: 8-12 servings



Bill's Fun Ideas


Picnic Potato and Chicken Salad
(Recipe found on www.foodtv.com)
4 Idaho potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 (6 oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breast
3 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup diced onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons mustard
1 tablespoon paprika
2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
2 sage leaves, chopped
2 heads Bibb lettuce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Place potatoes on a sheet tray, toss with oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast until golden and tender, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan cover chicken with water and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Poach until cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.  Remove from poaching liquid, let cool and cut chicken into cubes. 
In a large bowl, toss together potatoes, chicken, and bacon with the celery, onions, and garlic.  Add the mayonnaise, mustard, paprika, herbs, salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.  Mix until well combined.
Serve lettuce in Bibb lettuce cups.  Roll up and eat.
Yield: 6-8 servings

Aqua Fresca di Frutta
(Recipe found on www. foodtv.com)
1 large cantaloupe or 1/2 watermelon, seeded and diced (about 3 cups)
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar, plus more to taste
2-3 limes, juiced
Pinch of salt

Puree cantaloupe or watermelon in a food processor and pour through a fine sieve to eliminate pulp.  In a pitcher, mix strained fruit puree with water and add sugar, lime juice, and salt to taste.