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Hello Everyone!

It’s that time again for our annual fundraiser for The Wright House Wellness Center known as CulinART produced by ISES Austin.  This year our award winning event will be held at Hyatt Regency Austin downtown on Thursday, March 11th from 6pm to 11pm.  Please click on the link below to learn the details and even see a video of last year’s stunning event!

CulinART 2010 Press Release

There are still tickets available but advance registration closes on Monday, 3/8 so get ‘em quick! 

Here are the Chairs of this year’s awesome planning committee and I would like to send out a heart-felt thank you to all of them and their committee volunteers.

Event Co-Chairs:                                                                                                                                                     Bryan Azar, ILIOS Lighting/Michelle Bromley, Allison’s Events

Food & Beverage Chair - Vanessa Tobias, The County Line and Cannoli Joe’s  

Decor Chair - Diane Lyerly, Premiere Party Central 

Sponsorship Chair - Damon Holditch, CSEP, Marquee Event Group

Auction Chair - Heather Carroll, 6ixth Sense Events

Marketing & Communications Chair - Amy Thompson, Angel Springs Event Center 

Registration Chair - Stacey Hoyt, Stacey Hoyt Events

Entertainment Chair - Lera Derrick, LED Events

Documentation Chair - Ron Parks, Ron Parks Photography

Volunteer Coordinator - Dondra Gayle Wilson

We are now offering our workshop “Planning Like A Pro” one-on-one!  

Because we will be doing single sessions, the catered lunch or dinner will not be offered so take $25 off the fee making the cost a VERY affordable $275.  The valuable piles of information and documentation that you will receive is what we usually save for our “Day-of” and Classic Package clients who pay anywhere from $1,200 to $3,000.  The coupons and discounts that you will receive from our Preferred Vendors will total more than the cost of the class.  Take it from Nancy and I who have been in the industry for a combined total of 43 years, it is better to be prepared from the beginning for all of the little details that will encompass you and your life during the planning process.

 Click here for details: Workshop Flyer 

 Just call Michelle at (512) 267-4544 to schedule a session that works for both calendars. 

Open House:      The Ranch House at Teravista

Date:                    TUESDAY, June 30^th

Time:                    6:00p.m. to 8:00p.m.

Address:             4307 Teravista Club Drive

 Contact Phone:     (512) 633-7632 

This new venue is unique and full of hill country charm! Be among the first in the Austin area to utilize this enchanting location for your wedding ceremony and reception or rehearsal dinner. Come check out the panoramic view from our back porch while enjoying complimentary beer and wine.

 Grooms!  Receive a free round of golf (Mon-Thurs) for attending. 

Brides!   Any bride attending the event who books their wedding with us by August 31, 2009 can choose to receive $250 off the facility rental fee, a free champagne toast for up to 100 guests OR a round of golf for 4. 

Please RSVP to Michelle Bromley at michelle@allisonsevents.com                 

Vendors Attending Include:
Allison Events – Raffle prize: 50% off your wedding planning package of choice.  Value $750-$2500
Gino’s Italian Restaurant
Fantasy Cakes
Bella Bloom
Classical Guitar by Emin Navarro
Make Up by Amanda
Eric Hegwer Photograhpy
The Moving Images CompanyCen-Tex Party RentalSilver & Stone Realty Executives

When I owned my catering company, one of the most requested appetizer items was my fresh Corn Relish Dip.  Even now when I’m given the opportunity to design the menu as an event planner, I use this recipe when it fits the celebration style.  Most of the time I served it with Tortilla Chips, but its just as good with sliced French Bread and crackers or fresh raw vegetables.  This is the prefect recipe for any party.  Make sure you use only the freshest ingredients because that will effect the final outcome. 

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Imagine deep blue skies, gentle waves rocking you to sleep every night, gourmet food at every meal, interesting locations and beautiful ports of call.  A luxury cruise ship is one of the most fun and exciting locations for your wedding or celebration of any kind.  There is nothing more fun than a cruise so think how memorable a wedding ceremony and reception would be ship board.  Shipboard celebrations allow you to combine your event or wedding and reception with the option of having your family and friends joining you on vacation or on your honeymoon, if you want them to!  There are many packages available in hundreds of beautiful ports of call.  You choose a destination that is perfect for you and your guests.  Cruise ship events take place while the ship is in port so you can decide to have your wedding on-board the ship or at a romantic land location.  The choices are endless, a world-renowned white sand beach, an Italian Villa, a yacht, or in the ships chapel, its up to your imagination.  I believe that you pick an event professional to design your event to fit your individual needs and make your wedding day or special event the best day of your life, then sit back and relax!

Wow, I had a great response from my readers about appetizers from my post yesterday.  One of my comments was a question: As a party planner what menu item would you recommend if you needed to serve lamb to a special guest?  My answer to that is that there are many, many lamb recipes that are wonderful but my favorite one is Skewered Lamb with Red Onion Cilantro Salsa.  This is a summery tapas dish that ideal for any occasion but especially good for an outdoor event.  These skewers are grilled but if you don’t have access to a grill then they can be broiled instead.  The accompanying salsa is simple but full of robust flavor to compliment the Lamb.  This is an easy appetizer that will be a huge hit with any guest.

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I love appetizers.  Appetizers by their very definition mean small portions.  I love their little size, shapes and variety and more than anything I love the ease of picking one up and popping it into my mouth.  Hors d’Oeuvres can be as simple as bean dip with tortilla chips or a grilled bite of chicken breast with peanut sauce or as elaborate as Butter Marinated Main Lobster Brochettes.  When planning appetizers for your special event or wedding menu choose hors d’Oeuvres that are well-suited to the theme and style of your party.  Guacamole is a natural choice for a Tex-Mex party, Stuffed Clams or Jambalaya Crostinis would be perfect for a festive New Orleans theme , while Citrus Infused Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes work well for a Seafood Cookout.   Your choice of appetizers should set the tone for the occasion.  Select recipes that are appropriate to your guests tastes and that work well in combination to one another, both in terms of flavor, texture and appearance as well as demands on your time in preparation.  When planning your event menu plan for a variety and you can rest assured that your guests will enjoy each and every morsel.  The possibilities are endless.

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The Holiday Season is moving right along.  I’m really not prepared, are you?  I made myself decorate the Christmas Tree yesterday and I so relieved that I got that chore out of the way.  It really shouldn’t be such an effort but I think with all the media hype out there about the joyful season and all that jazz, it puts us all under pressure.  I’m trying to keep my head screwed on straight, keep all my parties, clients and family taken care of and still be in the holiday mood.  Its tough, isn’t it! I just placed my order for our traditional yule log and I feel better about that at least.  My next project will be to create an appetizer menu and get all of those tasty treats ready and handy in my freezer for those unplanned guests that drop by this time of year.  I love being able to bake, serve and impress with handy appetizers.  I always want to have a supply of Pino Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc on hand as well, nothing says welcome as much as good food and good drink.   Pour yourself a couple of glasses and you’ll survive the holidays in good shape!

Happy Thanksgiving!  Today is such a special holiday.  I love having the aroma of turkey baking in the oven, pumpkin pie baked and ready to slice  Cranberry Champagne Cocktail in hand.  I’ll have a large family group gathered around my dining room table and I always want to impress them with some of the special touches and beautiful details that I automatically supply for my clients.  I always have a holiday Floral arrangement, good food and delicious desserts.  This year I plan to cook something a little different than my usual turkey.  This year I will serve Citrus Herb Baked Turkey and it’s so good I want to share my recipe with you.  Click on “More” below and enjoy!!

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Next week begins the long line of family and friend that show up on my door step around the holidays.   I love, love, love having everyone and I’m thankful that they feel so welcome at my house.  I have some Holiday Goodies that I love to cook myself and then there are things that I buy because they are so good I couldn’t make them any better myself.  That is always the true test for me, if I can’t cook it and make it better, then I buy it.  I have never been one that bakes the most beautiful cakes, yes they may taste good, but they just are not pretty and I like to serve beautiful desserts.  I have a favorite source for buying Yule Logs for the holidays so I don’t even try to bake cakes.  My favorite dessert that I can make and make well is Pecan Cheesecake Pie.  This easy recipe always comes out perfect and it is beautiful and delicious.  Try it, its a gift from Allison’s Events  and it is perfect for any holiday dessert.

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