Throwing a Teen Party

As TableTalk readers know from a previous blog post, we celebrate my daughter Francesca's birthday in March. A few weeks ago was her 16th birthday party! I am delighted day after day by the lovely young woman she is blossoming into - it feels like just yesterday my husband Mimmo and I were taking her home from the hospital.

For the tablesetting we used Kings Road Redux plates and Napoleon Flatware pieces.

For her birthday party this year we had a French-themed Murder Mystery party with a group of her closest girl friends. I prepared Coq au Vin and the girls all strutted around the house in Parisian costumes.

The birthday girl and her guests vogueing for the camera.

Throwing a party for a teen can be a challenge. But with a little planning and rules set in place, it need not be a headache! Read ahead for my tips on throwing a fabulous teen party.

1. Chaperones. Keeping an eye on everyone during a party can be a daunting task, so if the guest list is more than 10 or is co-ed, consider a second chaperone, such as your partner, an older sibling, or a party guest's mom, to help you out.
2. Theme. Discuss with your teen ahead of time if you want to have a themed party or a more casual one. I'm a big fan of themes as it sets the tone of the party and makes things like the menu and decor that much easier.
3. Guest list. Talk to your teen about whom they'd like to come and consider how many guests you can handle. Add some buffer for any surprise guests that invited attendees bring along.
4. Set a time and date. Have clear start and end times for the party. When the party is over, make sure all the guests have rides planned.
5. Invitations. Let your teen send out the invitations in whichever way they see fit. If paper invitations aren't cool, let them text or Facebook message their friends about the party - just make sure they are sticking to the approved guest list.
6. Designate party areas, such as the family room, TV room, and dining room. If there are personal spaces you want guests to avoid, be sure to mark them as private.
7. Trash and recycling. Mark large bins as trash and recycling so guests know where to put any garbage.
8. Food. Make sure you have lots of it for hungry teens! Try including some healthy snacks in there, too.
9. Privacy. Let your teen have their space, but not too much! Discuss with them ahead of time where in the house you (and your chaperone, if applicable) will be if they need you.
10. Clean up. Let your teen do the dirty work after the party is over - having an unforgettable party can be messy!

And last but not least, make sure everyone has fun!

Warmly,

www.rosannainc.com

Fourth of July Celebration Tips with Alexandra Hedin!

I'm partnering with my friend Alexandra Hedin this month for posts on celebrating Independence Day in style! Stop by her blog here to see my post on blending cultures to create your own very special 4th of July. Below you will find her stylish ideas.

The Fourth of July is by far my favorite holiday to celebrate. There is none of the pressure of the Christmas season, with just as much fun, family - and occasionally sun! I absolutely adore it. Add to that a killer color combo and I'm positively swooning. It's no wonder that every year we gather together a huge group of family and friends, fire off the cannon (yes, we have a cannon), and party through to the next morning. We've even been known to karaoke.

Creating the perfect party every year is not hard - even when we know it's for more than fifty people - because we make the most of the food ahead, make all the drinks D.I.Y., and kick off our shoes. Here's what I would make, if I were you, with recipes gathered out of my book, Entertaining at Home.

Menu

Spiced Popcorn

Herbed Goat Cheese Spread (recipe below!)

Steamed Clams and Mussels

Roasted Potato Salad

Baked Fried Chicken

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

For a cocktail, I'm making a version of an Arnold Palmer that's delightfully refreshing and very much grown up. We're calling it Mr. Palmer's Punch.

Herbed Goat Cheese Spread

8 ounces goat cheese

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon tabasco

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

1/4 cup fresh chopped dill

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Mix all ingredients together with a fork. Refrigerate at least one hour or up to one week. Serve with crackers, vegetables, or a loaf of bread!

I hope you have a fabulous holiday and celebrate the Fourth of July surrounded by people who make you smile. Don't forget, life is a party!

Alexandra Hedin is a Lifestyle and Entertaining Expert based in the Pacific Northwest. Her simple approach to making every day lovely has made her an admired contributor to magazines and television across the west coast.

In Winter 2010, Alexandra's debut book was released. Entertaining at Home features ten complete parties including menus, simple recipes, crafts, and helpful tips for hosting your own event. The beautifully photographed book includes hundreds of photos to inspire and tempt any hostess-to-be to take her next even to the next level.

Alexandra has been featured in Better Homes and Gardens magazine, Design*Sponge, and on the Seattle affiliates of CBS, ABC, and FOX. Her parties, recipes, and crafts can be found in every issue of 425 Magazine.

Alexandra grew up in the bustling kitchen of a home economics teacher helping to feed a large extended family for holidays and regular weekends together. She still spends her free time cooking in her Seattle kitchen for her husband and three young children.

Find Alexandra online at www.alexandrahedin.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AlexandraHedin, and follow her on Twitter @alexandrahedin.

Throw a Child's Springtime Birthday Party

This month we're partnering with Pizzazzerie, a wonderful entertaining website and blog focused on various party ideas, DIY holiday and party decor projects, recipes, and wedding advice. Head over to read more tips about children's parties and some amazing ideas for throwing your own soiree for your favorite little ones! Check out the article here.

My older daughter Alessandra’s birthday is in May, and my younger daughter, Francesca, has a birthday that falls right after Christmas. Because the holidays are such a hectic time, I always throw Francesca’s birthday party in March. Although it’s still officially winter, I try to put a spring twist to the theme to transform the environment into a fun, colorful, light celebration that contrasts with the lavish decorations and extravagant mood of the winter holidays.

A few years ago for Francesca’s twelfth birthday, I re-created a party from my own childhood. I chose color combinations that were popular in the 60’s, and we made posters and decorations reflective of the era. Vases of hot pink gerbera daisies filled the house, trays piled high with homemade cupcakes graced the table, and in the background played the music from Across the Universe. Her guests even played vintage Barbie, a board game from my childhood. I also invited the mothers of Francesca’s friends over for a pre-party glass of Champagne. I served homemade stove-top popcorn along with pizza and a variety of organic “junk food.” We watched Francesca and her friends on what was probably the last year of their official “girlhood” and sang Francesca “Happy Birthday.” Then the girls headed downstairs with sleeping bags in tow, ready to enjoy their first independent sleepover.

Rosanna’s Tips on Planning a Child’s Party

Over the past twenty years that I’ve thrown birthday parties for my daughters, I’ve learned some important lessons for how to make a birthday party successful.

1. Pick a theme. We chose the 1960’s because we love the colors and design elements of the era. It’s often easier to come up with fun foods, decorating ideas, and party activities when you have a framework in which to brainstorm.
2. Design a fun invitation on the computer or craft handmade invitations that define the party. Let people know that this is an event to look forward to!
3. Play a variety of age appropriate games; the most popular at my daughter’s twelfth birthday party was the vintage Barbie game, and we also rented movies like Big, Mamma Mia!, The Parent Trap, and Grease.
4. Provide food that’s easy to deal with and at least somewhat healthy. To accomplish these goals, I ordered pizza from a restaurant that uses fresh, local ingredients, and I made my own cupcakes from a good boxed mix that had no preservatives or additives. I made big bowls of homemade popcorn and served fun snacks like Smart Puffs and Hava Corn Chips form San Francisco (another throwback from the theme era), and for an indulgent treat, I set out bowls of colorful M&Ms.
5. Set up a space that takes into account the interests of your child and his or her friends. For the sleepover in our basement, I piled up lots of blankets and set out big puffy floor pillows and beanbag chairs for easy movie viewing and late-night chats.

Sleepover Chocolate Chip Pancakes

These pancakes are the perfect breakfast for a pre-teen sleepover party. They are homemade and deliciously decadent served with pure Vermont maple syrup. After a long night of chatting and girl talk, this breakfast is the perfect food to accompany the last bit of silliness and joking before everyone heads home. To offset the rich, high-carbohydrate breakfast, I serve tall glasses of ice-cold organic 2 percent milk (then leave the girls to enjoy the meal on their own). Use several skillets so guests are not left waiting for their breakfasts.

MAKES 8 (6-INCH) (15 CM) PANCAKES

1 cup (142 g) all-purpose flour

¼ cup (49 g) sugar

1 teaspoon (6 g) fine sea salt

1 teaspoon (6 g) baking powder

1 cup (250 ml) whole milk

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract

3 tablespoons (42 g) butter, melted

Canola oil

1 (10-ounce) (284 g) bag semisweet chocolate chips (you want to add about 7 or 8 chips per pancake)

Real Vermont maple syrup, for serving

Mix the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder together in a large mixing bowl and set aside. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, vanilla, and butter. Gently pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold to just combine.

Brush a large, heavy skillet (or several skillets) with oil, then place over medium-high heat. Using a ¼-cup (12 ml) measuring cup, scoop the batter into the skillet to form 6-inch (15 cm) pancakes. Cook until small bubbles appear on the top of the pancake, then sprinkle with chocolate chips. Flip the pancake to cook the other side until lightly browned or golden, about 4 minutes per side, or until the top is bubbling and the bottom has solidified. Serve hot, with syrup.

Have fun!

With love,

www.rosannainc.com