Does anyone know how......

[chessie]

Does anyone know how to make those giant colorful tissue paper flowers? They are reminiscent of some sort of flower that is grown in Mexico. I know they used to have them at Kings Dominion and probably the Mexican pavilion at Epcot.

My Mom's birthday dinner is coming up this Sunday and she requested tacos. Being the theme person that I am, I am going with the whole Mexican thing.

It's a bit too late to order anything so I have been looking for things locally but having little luck. I wanted to get some maracas and sombreros. Not one for each guest but enough that could be passed around. I have Mexican music that I'll have playing.

I would welcome any other ideas or suggestions. There are only 11 of us altogether with only 2 of them being children.

Chessie

 

[Spinning]

That sounds like fun! They are easy to make. All you do is fold lots of layers of tissue paper into a fan, you know accordina style. Then tie in in the middle and start pulling the layers apart. You can add shorter pieces in the mix to add fullness and also can cut the edges with fancy sissors to give it a nice edge!

 

[mommie2angels]

Hey Chessie, what about making a small flower for each of your female guests to wear in their hair.

 

[yummy72]

Chessie-

Those flowers are easy to make! Spinning's directions were perfect. Last September DD wanted a "luau" birthday party (needless to say the only flowers I could find for our patio were mums and fall flowers) so we made those to decorate in bright colors. This year on the 4th of July, we made red/white/blue ones in all sizes and I must say they were much cheaper than regular flowers....

It's great to have you back on the board.

(((HUGS)))

Candi

 

[chessie]

Thanks ladies,

I knew I could count on you. I am having a fun time planning this dinner party. This is my first entertaining since I lost my son. It's just family so there isn't any pressure. It is giving me something to concentrate on.

I made the color scheme red yellow and blue. For some reason that reminds me of Mexico. I had red and blue party things left over from other occasions and all I had to add to the mix was the yellow.

I haven't done any really creative cake decorating in quite a few years. I'm going to try to make red, yellow and blue ruffles around the sides of the cake.

I made a large pot of chili and browned and seasoned the taco meat yesterday. They are waiting in the freezer.

I can't think of an easy desert that says Mexico so I am just going to let the cake be the desert. I thought I would also have a water melon.

 

[mommie2angels]

What about making fried ice cream for dessert? We love to have that. You can make it ahead of time and just fry them when you get ready to eat them. Very quick and lots of fun! We make them smaller than it calls for since it's rich with the honey. Everyone has there own little fried ice cream. It would be especially good with the cake. Here is a recipe.

DeepFriedCream w/cornflakes
1 qt
1/2 Tsp
1/2 Cup
1 Cup
Oil
1/4 Cup
4
-
Vanilla Ice Cream
Ground Cinnamon
Sugar
Cornflakes Crumbs
for Deep Fryer
Honey
Maraschino Cherries
Whipped Cream
Let the ice cream stand at room temperature for about 5 minutes to soften slightly. Combine the cinnamon, sugar, and cornflake crumbs in a shallow pan. Using an ice-cream scoop, make four balls of ice cream. Roll these balls in the crumb mixture to cover completely. Wrap in a piece of aluminum foil and freeze five hours. Heat oil to 450° in a deep pan. As soon as it comes to heat, uncover the ice cream balls and deep fry them very briefly, about 2 seconds. Drain momentarily and place in dessert dishes. Top each ball with 1 tbs. honey, a little whipped cream, and a maraschino cherry. Serve immediately.