Weekend Menu

We are having some family come visit on Saturday. Whenever I am having company, I like to plan out my menu in advance. It makes things so much easier. Here is what we are having:

For dinner on Saturday night, I am going classic Americana; burgers and brats. I am going to make my mother-in-law’s famous cheesy potatoes and a classic pasta salad. As an appetizer, I am going to make homemade salsa and cheese dip. The cheese dip is another recipe I inherited from my mother-in-law, it's so easy. I use a small block of Velveeta, a can of Rotele, and a can of chopped green chili’s. I’m sure most people know about it, but just in case, I thought I would share. It's always a hit at bbq’s.

For desert, Coca-cola cake. This is one of my favorites. Here is the recipe I will be using, courtesy of Southern Living.

Then for breakfast on Sunday morning, I am planning to do a traditional breakfast casserole. Anyone have any suggestions? Please show me some comment love.

Mama Loves a Cocktail Party!

I love both going to cocktail parties and hosting them. You know what a cocktail party means . . . a new cocktail dress! In September, the man I live with (yes, that’s my husband) and I are having a cocktail party. We are having some of his work associates over.

Over the past few years I have learned that behind every great party is a great plan. Great planning has to start early. We decided to have hors d'oeuvres and obviously cocktails. I haven’t decided what kinds yet. Does anyone have any ideas? I also don’t know if I should go with a theme . . . thoughts on that?

As long as we’re on the subject of party planning, I bought this book recently. I love it! I often find that when I get a new party-planning book they recite basic etiquette, such as, you should always greet your guests at the door. Um, thanks for the tip, I never would have thought of that! This book has a lot of clever ideas and easy solutions. One idea they have is for a table protector under a tablecloth. They write about how normal table protectors are often bulky and uneven, I couldn’t agree more. They suggest using a thin fleece blanket. I plan on doing this – I just haven’t found the right blanket yet.

Red Velvet Cupcakes!

I think that I will make these for Valentine's Day . . . even if they are from a box ;-)