pink punch (T's favorite)

This is the punch bowl that I inherited from my friend's family (story here). 

And the beautiful glasses. 

First, I added half of a quart (a pint) of raspberry sherbet. Sometimes I just run warm water over the bottom and put the whole thing in, but this time I decided not to be lazy. 

The punch gets mixed together better this way.

I poured in about a cup to a cup and a half of lemonade, made with powdered mix. You could also dump in lemonade mix first, stir it into soft drink to dissolve, then add sherbet. It's actually tastier that way, in my opinion. 

I poured in half of a two liter (one liter) of Sierra Mist. I chose this brand because my SIL steers clear of high fructose corn syrup.

I added my ice ring.

Then, I placed frozen, sliced limes and frozen cranberries in the bowl for more decoration. 

A pretty pink punch! We served this punch at our cookie exchanges and at my new year's eve get together.

I am certainly not the first person to make this very simple punch, but I threw it together when I had these ingredients on hand, and my SIL liked it so much that I've made it again and again.

Pink Punch

2/3 cup lemonade mix + water

2 liters Sierra Mist

1 quart raspberry sherbet

Scoop out half of the sherbet into a punch bowl. Pour in half of the prepared lemonade and half of the bottle of Sierra Mist. Stir. Garnish with frozen fruit. Refresh the punch bowl as needed with the remaining ingredients. 

This recipe is a starting point for all kinds of variations. What are your favorite types of punch? Punch ingredients?

how to make an ice ring

I really enjoy making punch for parties and showers, and my favorite special touch is the ice ring. Not only does the ice ring keep the punch cold without watering it down, but it also dresses up the punch. 

I got this beautiful punch bowl and cups from my best friend; it belonged to her grandmother, and her mom was going to get rid of it because neither Lindsay nor her mom had room for it. I stopped that pretty quickly, "don't give it away; give it to me!!!" I love punch and punch bowls and have not inherited one; the other punch bowl I have used my mom bought at Goodwill because I was so sad that I didn't have one for our first annual cookie exchange. 

I usually use slices of lighter colored fruit, like lemons and limes, and a smaller, contrasting color fruit, like cranberries. I have also used pineapple slices and cherries quite a few times. 

Of course, consider the colors and flavors in the punch you are making, but I don't find that the fruit I put in changes the flavor much, except if you have leftover punch and drink it the next day. 

 

These Tupperware gelatin mold containers (new and similar) are great for making ice rings because they have lids and are lightweight. Mine is a hand me down from my grandmother. Bundt pans work just as well if you have plenty of flat freezer space and are not having to carry the ice ring with you somewhere.

After placing the fruit in the mold, I pour in lemonade. I filled these just enough to hold the fruit together without making the fruit float. You could also use water, which shows off the fruit better, but I wanted to use a flavor that was in my punch.

I have used ice rings a couple of weeks after making them and a couple of hours after making them. Why not make it easy on yourself and have your ice rings prepped well in advance? 

I run hot water over the bottom of the pan to loosen the ice ring, making sure to keep a hand ready to catch it when it slides out. 

The ice ring is ready to be gently placed in the punch. I usually make the punch in the bowl then add in the ice ring. Although it's easy to drop it in and splash out the punch this way, it's difficult to stir up the ingredients once the ice ring is in. I also added frozen lime slices and cranberries to make it prettier. 

I will post the recipe for this punch tomorrow.

Which fruits do you think are the prettiest for decorating punch?

Charlotte Christmas party

I went to Charlotte this weekend to visit my friends and to attend their Christmas party. It was wonderful to spend time with Lindsay and Tom! I enjoyed seeing their/our old friends again and meeting their new friends.  

They put a lot of time into planning the party and preparing all of the food. Everything was great!

I used a special mold to make a Christmas ice ring. Can you see the Christmas tree on the top?

I was happy to see this button tree that I made them last year on display. Their real tree was beautiful, too!

Do you host or do you have a friend who hosts a Christmas party each year? What are your December traditions?

learning to host a baby shower

I had an opportunity recently to host a shower with and learn from the best.  My life long friend is having a baby boy, due in about a month, and the church ladies threw her a classic shower.  I am so excited to have another baby boy soon!

Moon and Lola Stanford earrings // BCBG dress // Pappagallo hand me down shoes from mom

A corsage for the honoree is a detail often overlooked by my generation.

People at my church definitely know how to throw a beautiful shower and shower someone with gifts!  The nursery will be full and ready for baby B when he is born.

Have you ever hosted a baby shower?  What are your favorite shower details to include?

E's bridal shower

This weekend I got to help with a bridal shower for my friend Elizabeth, who is getting married next month.  E's family friend hosted the shower at her beautiful home and arranged gorgeous flowers.  We used a mix of the hostess's and E's mother's silver.  It was a lovely shower and a breeze to host (from my perspective, anyway ;).  E's sister did a great job coordinating so that people got food and drink and E's gift opening went smoothly.  

I have helped my mom with countless showers over the years, and all that I've learned has definitely been put to use in the last few years.  My contributions to this shower were the fruit, vegetables, and punch.  I made a homemade ranch dip that was delicious - check out this pin for the recipe.  My dad's friend's herb garden supplied fresh chives that really made the dip.  I also pinned the punch recipe here.  

I love this detail of having the invitation framed at the shower, especially because this one was so perfect for E.  

I didn't get a picture with all of the food; here the table is missing E's mom's and grandmother's ham biscuits, which were delicious.  

Yes, that's an ice ring below.  Punch needs to be cold but can't be watered down with ice.  Plus, it's another opportunity to decorate!  Pretty shapes and colorful fruit are musts.  My mom laughed at me when I made ice rings, oh, two weeks before the shower, but the day approached quickly!

While I was mostly concerned about food and drink, the gifts were a huge success also!  

Did I mention how fantastic the flowers were?!

What are your tips for hosting a bridal shower?  You can find my shower ideas pin board here.