Create a Chocoholic Party
Looking for some fun party ideas? How about a chocoholic party? New research is touting the benefits of dark chocolate and in fact, our ancestors knew about many of the benefits for many years. Hosting a Chocoholic party is easy and your guests will enjoy the unique idea.
First Things First - The Menu
This is not supposed to be a fancy, sit-down meal. Instead go with the flow of a chocolate fountain as your centerpiece. You can purchase small chocolate fountains at most of the big box stores and don't feel limited to the pre-packaged chocolate bits that are supposedly designed to be used with these machines. Read the directions that come with your machine and you will almost always find that you can use any type of chocolate, even white chocolate. Just add a little good quality oil to help it flow easily.
Serve an assortment of fruit, candies and marshmallows, and even cookies and pretzels or wavy potato chips for dipping. I love to lay out a large selection of sectioned oranges, grapefruit, and other bite sized fruit for my guests. But one word of advice. Set your table up so it can be accessed from both sides. This will help to relieve the traffic jam around the chocolate fountain. You could also offer small plastic cups or bowls to allow your guests to take their goodies back to a table or other areas where they can form small groups and keep the talk going.
But just as a buffet has a main meal and dessert, you should not forget to add an assortment chocolate deserts. Chocolate cakes, pastries and a pile of different kinds of chocolates for nibblers. Be sure to have plenty on hand as you can use them for games or prizes during the gathering.
Don't be enticed into buying a load of expensive gourmet chocolates as your favorites from the grocery store will undoubtedly please most people.
Yes, chocolate and wine are a great pairing bud do some research on wines that would go well with chocolates. Talk to your local wine merchant for some good suggestions, and of course, don't forget the milk and coffee. How about Hot Cocoa?
Setting the Stage
You may wish to consider using your best linens. If you have chocolate designed-linens, that would be great but if not you can easily design your own using stamps, fabric paint, browns of course, and an inexpensive length of cloth.!
Set up several tables for your guests, one for eating and the other for the chocolate fountain and chocolate and wine tasting. You may also want to set up some chocolate grazing stations around the house or yard or display desserts for later.
Decorate using tones of chocolate, from tan to bark brown. Love fruit with chocolate then consider some splashes of fruity colors such as raspberry, orange, or apple green.
Plan for fun
While just indulging in eating pounds of chocolate may be enough for many, you may want to plan some games. Here are a few ideas.
1. Who is the worst chocoholic? Give a prize to the one who eats the most chocolate.
2. Paint by Chocolate - Use milk, white, and dark chocolate to paint a pre-made pizza crust. Decorate with fresh fruit. Who's yummy creation receives the most votes?.
Now that I have you thinking about chocolate, get to work. A Chocoholic Party is a great alternative to the traditional get-together.
NOTE: Scientific studies now indicate that a little chocolate a day is GOOD FOR YOU. so, Eat your chocolate...it is a Health Food! Enjoy.
At http://mealtime.us/ you can download free cookbooks and find lots of recipes. Check it out and don't miss the links to all the other cookbooks. Great for gifts. Happy Mealtime.