ADULT birthday party - Advice from good Hostesses

I am throwing my husband his first ever birthday party/BBQ. He will be 31 next month and I want to know if you have any "show stopping" recipes (ones that will make the guests say WOW based on first impression well as taste) and party ideas for adults - no kiddies allowed.

I am going for a look that says "Martha Stewart did this" while still being fun and functional. There will be alcohol too, so any mixed drink ideas are very welcome.

Pictures are welcome too if you have any neat ideas that you have used in the past or if you can direct me to a website that has decorating ideas and fun recipes.

I am thinking along the lines of a Luau theme, but the food does not have to follow a theme. Just want it to look like "ta-da!" and taste great too.

Any other suggestions to make the day fun and smooth, please let me know.

Come on ya'll. I know you know how to party.  

This drink is AMAZING. They serve it at Outback and I don't drink anything else. Its a fruity daquiari type drink, but its MUCH BETTER. You could serve it in pretty glasses, with the little umbrella!

• 8ounces frozen sliced peaches
• 1/2cup Bacardi Fuzzy Navel mix
• 1/2cup ice
• 1/2cup champagne
• 3fluid ounces water
• 1 1/2fluid ounces peach schnapps
• 1 1/2fluid ounces vodka
• 1tablespoon sugar

Directions


Combine all ingredients in a blender.
Blend on high speed for approx. 30 seconds or until ice is completely crushed and the drink is smooth.
Serve immediately.

if you do a Luau theme marinate chicken breast in terriaki sauce, cut it into chunks and put it on rods with pinneapple and grill it on the grill, i will have to look for the recipe but it is obviously pretty basic, it is sooo good!

Quoting MommyRust:“ This drink is AMAZING. They serve it at Outback and I don't drink anything else. Its a fruity daquiari ... [snip!] ... Blend on high speed for approx. 30 seconds or until ice is completely crushed and the drink is smooth. Serve immediately.”

that sounds amazing lol just had to tell ya  

Quoting Rollie Pollie Ollie:“ that sounds amazing lol just had to tell ya  ”

It is! I'm not a big drinker, but I love those! Sometimes, I make them non-alcoholic for the kids. They are sooooooo good!

alot of work but I bet you could make them super cute!!



Another interesting and easy to make Luau party decoration to make is the Paper Mache Palm Tree. You can make several of these to stand up on the tables as they are only about a foot or so high. Collect several of the cardboard tubes at the center of grocery store paper towel rolls. These will serve as the support for the wet newspaper. Mix up a paste of flour and water and shred into strips lots of old newspaper. You will also need some paint, twist ties and green construction paper or even real leaves.
Wet down and strategically place clumps of newspaper around the base of one of the paper towel tubes. This will help hold up the tree and give it a more tree-like form. Slowly build up layers of wet newspaper around the tube so that it looks like the trunk of a palm tree. Try twisting or narrowing in the top of the tube so that it appears the tree is getting smaller towards the top. Let dry.
Cut out your green construction paper in the shape of palm leaves and glue a twist tie along the center of each leaf. You’ll need a bunch of them. Once the paper mache is dry glue the leaves to the top of the trunk. For cocoanuts try making small wet newspaper balls and letting them dry, paint them brown and glue them to the top of the palm tree. Paint the trunk an appropriate palm tree color. These make great little table centerpieces.

Keep them coming back.

Jello Shots!
one box-
-2 cups of boiling water, mix in jello mix till it disolves
-2 cups of cold water
-1 1/2 cups of alcohol, I reccomend FRIS vodka, very strong but you cant taste it,  
one box makes about 75 jello shots, so use different flavors  

Other than that, BBQ   homemade mashed potatos or potato salad, deviled eggs sprinked with paprika and season all YUM!!! Rice, beans, tortillas, OH IM SOOOOO HUNGRY! lol

You should set up some sort of buffet and decorate it to the 9's.... Its really easy to make food look AWESOME... ( I work in catering )....

Quoting Alli [Haydens Mommy]:“ You should set up some sort of buffet and decorate it to the 9's.... Its really easy to make food look AWESOME... ( I work in catering )....”

I don't really like this, but I was thinking along the lines of the greenery/flowers

we use beads... You could use sand.... Get TIKI torches

Do you have a party supply store in your area???


p.s. you can tell me to stop whenever, I loooove this kinda stuff!

MommyRust: This drink sounds wonderfully delicious! I can also use your idea for the virgin recipe for the non-drinkers. This is definitely on the list. Thanks!

Rollie Pollie Ollie: Great idea about the chicken. By potting it on skewers we can also feel many folk with just a few chicken breasts. Great idea. Thanks!

Alli Haydens Mommy: These will look fantastic around the deck and on the patio tables. Not too muck work either. Sort of like what I do to make the piniats for the kids. And thanks for the link too! And, no, please don't stop. I love your ideas so far.

Pink Pnutbutter Cup: Jello shots rock! You can hide a lot of alcohol in those babies!

Quoting Uppity Negro:“ MommyRust: This drink sounds wonderfully delicious! I can also use your idea for the virgin recipe for ... [snip!] ... stop. I love your ideas so far. Pink Pnutbutter Cup: Jello shots rock! You can hide a lot of alcohol in those babies! ”

lol  

Set up like "seating areas" Maybe make a little fire-pit to make it more tropical!??

You could probably come up with a make-shift bar type of thing for people to gather around too....

Food seperate

Try to make it in a circle, we're always told to avoid "dead zones" hahaha verizon kinda stole the thunder on that one, but you understand. Think of conversation, and where people might get stuck standing there awkward.

booz booz booz. Get some of those umbrellas from walmart ( ours had um )....

If you have a tree in your backyard you should hang lights from them, or even from the house, to the fence etc. kinda like a closeline.... The most simple thing can spruce something up!!!

Omg have fun, i'm jealous1

Google "pink panty droppers" mmmm!!

Quoting Alli [Haydens Mommy]:“ Set up like "seating areas" Maybe make a little fire-pit to make it more tropical!?? You could probably ... [snip!] ... to the fence etc. kinda like a closeline.... The most simple thing can spruce something up!!! Omg have fun, i'm jealous1”

Oohhhh! Great ideas! I am copying these to a microsoft word document so I can make a list. Thanks so much. I especially like the idea about decorating the trees. That will make things look really festive. Sorry to sound greedy, but please keep your ideas coming if you have more. I'm really loving them.