Alea's Wedding and Party Tips (Planning, recipes, tips)

[judyb57]

aleastorm is one of our great members. She caters a lot of weddings and has lots of advice for those of you that are thinking of tying the knot. She is great at doing these things on a budget. Watch below and she will be posting her tips and tricks and hopefully some great recipes as time allows.

If you have any questions about planning a reception or anything, please feel free to ask her advice. She would love to help!

[Aleastorm]

aww my sweet miss judy,let me start off by thanking you and all the streak ladies for the honor of helping others.i will help out with somethings i have learned and heard on weddings for shoestring budgets.my friend was just telling me about a friend of hers that just got married.they live in texas and the couple had only3,000 to work with.they had 200 people coming .here is the wedding they had.they got married in a church,that was the only place the bride wore her wedding dress which she got the dress at the second hand store for 50.00 but it was said to be beautiful.the new bride and groom wanted a recep that was down home type.so they had a pig roast with kaurt on the side roasted potatoes,bakedbeans,macroni salad,tossed salad,cake,coffee,cookies and beer.they also had square dancing, line dancing , poka playing band.everyone came dressed casual and my friend said that this wedding was such a hit that 2 other girls that were planning to tie the knot were going to do the same thing.not only did this couple save a ton of money but they had enough money for a great honeymoon and the down payment on a house.by the way the recep party was held in there families very large back yard.huds alea

[CareyG]

What a great idea this is!! Thanks so much Alea for offering your help and suggestions for couples on a tight budget!

[Aleastorm]

this is a wedding favor i think you will like.we did this for a young lady about 3 years ago. you can get this blank cards that play music pick you favorite song.we got the heart will go on by celine d.then we have a friend who is really good on computer.he did the pictures of the bride and groom so we could put on front of card and he did there names and wedding date in gold on the computer for under there picture.the inside of the card was already printed with thank you for attending our wedding.bride and groom signed there names and put it in the env. they came out really nice and it was nice cause when you opened the card you heard there favorite song.these were the wedding favorite they wanted to give there guest.it was not expes but it had alot of class and was very different from regular wedding favors.hugs alea

[Aleastorm]

here's a very different kind of bride shower,for the month of october we had a scary theme going on for those that like different kinds of shower parties.we had a toga party with roman gladiator male strippers,we had a vamprie party with the male strippers being the human sacrific for the ladies.we had monster ball where everyone dressed up as favorite monster.the ladies that get married in oct love these types of bridal showers.

[Aleastorm]

holiday party games,we have a ticket drawing for money we save all year long guests buy tickets 3 for a dollar.we always see who needs the money like if someone in family or friends are having a hard time making ends meet then we rig it so that they win the money.there are only 3 of us that know this.but most friends or family will not ask for help so this way they dont have to and they get to keep there respect and we get to give and help someone who needs it.our pot gets as high as 1,000 dollars.you can also have bingo games for prizes and gift cards.i swear my friends and family just come for the games lol.we always have a blast everyone wins something and they always have a great time.just thought you all might like to have something fun to do with friends and family after the holiday dinner is over.hug's alea

[Aleastorm]

a homemade wedding gifts(1)i got a crystal cake holder 3 styra foam circles small ,med,and large.got lots of very shiny white cloth and glued it to each one of the circles.got white and blue ruffled trim add that around each bottom of circles,then i add some fake pink roses with little green leaves on them.after 24 hours i glues the now three layer wedding cake to the crystal cake holder and it did look just like a real wedding cake.at the very top i added a bride and groom.i had a small gold plate made with the name of bride and groom and the date of there wedding day i glued this to the bottom of the cakes large layer.they loved it and still have it where everyone can see it.anyone can make this.i think all people have a creative side to them.hug's alea

[Aleastorm]

goodmorning all,hope you all are having a great day.we have added a new type of party for kids,we call it tale u,this is such a fun party .we have teenage girls dress up as cinderella,sleeping beauty,snow white,ect you get the idea.anyway we just did this type of party a few weeks ago.since then we have gotton 3 more request for this party so we now added it to our list of partys.you can do this too if you have a young child with a birthdaycoming up who loves tale books and tale people and animals.you will be a hit with your child and i bet other moms will be asking you all about it.hug's alea

[CareyG]

Those are some really great ideas Alea!

[cas1944]

Alea,is there anyway you could possibly get some pics to show us. All your ideas sound awesome! Reading your descriptions makes me want to see some of these.

[Aleastorm]

cas sweetie,some of these are by request only and i did them quite awhile ago.but i am going to make the fake wedding cake one at the end of may.i will try to get some pic's of it and a few other things.is there any one thing you want to see?let me know and i will try to get pic's of it.hug's alea

[Aleastorm]

hi gang,things are starting to pick up as the weather get warmer,but i will drop in once or twice a day .if there is something you would like to make food wise let me know or if you have a food resp that you would like to share then hook us up with it.i have a few i will post soon.hug's alea

[Aleastorm]

so sorry everyone that i have not been here i have two weddings for june so i have to step up on the work as this is may and the first wedding is on june 12.then i have about two days rest til i have to get to the next wedding.so bare with me til then i wll post some good food to make and some tips.if you have any questions please let me know.thank you all will be soon.hug's alea

[Aleastorm]

1 frying chicken, cut into frying pieces
1 1/2 cups flour
1 Pkt. (dry) Good Seasons Italian Dressing (THE 11 herbs and spices!)
1 Envelope Lipton (or other brand) Tomato Cup of Soup
2 eggs, well beaten
2/3 cup milk
Vegetable oil to cover bottom of your skillet; about 1/2 inch deep.
| 1. Combine eggs and milk. Set aside.
2. Combine flour with the Italian dressing and soup mix.
3. Dip chicken pieces in milk-egg mixture and roll them in the
flour-seasoning mixture. Repeat procedure.
4. Fry pieces over medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes, turning often.
5. Remove from fire. Drain and serve. this is the kfc original style chicken

[CareyG]

this is the kfc original style chicken

Really?? Does it really come out tasting like that Alea?

[Aleastorm]

STUFFED SHELLS

20 jumbo pasta shells 1 lg. egg 2 c. small curd cottage cheese 1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese 1 1/2 tbsp. dried parsley 1/2 tsp. dried oregano 1/4 tsp. pepper 2 c. meatless spaghetti sauce 1/2 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese Cook shells in boiling salted water until tender but firm. Drain. Beat egg in bowl stir in cottage cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, parsley, oregano and pepper. Spread spaghetti sauce over bottom of 11 x 7 inch microwave baking dish. Spoon about 2 tablespoons cottage cheese mixture into each shell. Place in baking dish. Top with remaining sauce and Parmesan cheese. Cover with vented plastic wrap. Microwave 10 to 12 minutes on high turn 3 times until bubbly. Remove wrap. Sprinkle with cheese. Let stand uncovered 7 minutes to melt cheese. Remove wrap. Sprinkle with remaining Mozzarella. Makes 8 servings

[Aleastorm]

wendy's chili
Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground beef
  
• 1 (12 ounce) can tomato paste
  
  
• 2 (29 ounce) cans tomato sauce
  
  
• 1 (29 ounce) can kidney beans, with liquid
  
  
• 1 (29 ounce) can pinto beans, with liquid
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced green chilies
• 1/4 cup diced celery
• 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 2 teaspoons cumin powder
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 cups water

Directions

2. 1
   
   Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat; drain off the fat.
3. 2
   
   Using a fork, crumble the cooked beef into pea-size pieces.
4. 3
   
   In a large pot, combine the beef plus all the remaining ingredients, and bring to a simmer over low heat.
5. 4
   
   Cook, stirring every 15 minutes, for 2 to 3 hours.

[Aleastorm]

BIG MAC SAUCE
1 c. Miracle Whip salad dressing 1/3 c. creamy French dressing 1/4 c. sweet pickle relish 1 tbsp. sugar 1/4 tsp. pepper 1 tsp. dry minced onions Blend with a fork. Refrigerate in covered containers. Make about 2 cups of sauce. Just like McDonald's.

[Aleastorm]

arby's sauce


1 cup ketchup
2 teaspoons water
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco pepper sauce


Preparation

1. Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce begins to boil, 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Remove the sauce from the heat. Cover and allow to cool.
3. Pour into a covered container for storage in your refrigerator. Keeps for a month or two.
Makes 1 cup.


Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/arbys-sauce-1203786#ixzz0oCbRqve5

[Aleastorm]

PEPPERONI DIP

1/2 lb sliced pepperoni 2 8oz pkgs cream cheese 2 cans condensed Cream of Celery Soup Cut pepperoni into quarters; add cream cheese and celery soup (do not dilute). Put in Crock-Pot on low and cook for at least 4 hours, stirring often as it begins to boil. It's done when the cream cheese turns orange from the pepperoni. Serve with plain nacho chips. Can also be prepared on the stove-top, but you have to stir it constantly to keep from burning