This weekend is just filled with fun holidays and events going on! Yesterday was The Kentucky Derby and today is Cinco de Mayo! So get ready to celebrate today and have a little fun. You can find all my favorite party ideas for this colorful holiday below. Don't forget to let me know if you try to make those amazing pinata cookies. (They really do just amaze me at how they are made!)

What are your Cinco de Mayo plans?

xoxo
Megan

You might also like...

It is finally Derby Day!! What horse are you betting on? I think I am going to cheer for Itsmylukyday just because of the horse's name. Need some last minute Kentucky Derby party ideas? Check out the other Derby posts that I have shared with you this week below. Have fun celebrating!!

xoxo
Megan

You might also like...

There are so many traditional food and drinks when it comes to the Kentucky Derby. A common theme that I saw was the use of bourbon in just about everything. So for today’s post I have put together (almost) an entire Derby meal using this race day favorite all thanks to Southern Living. They really do have the perfect recipes for every occasion!

Bourbon-Marinated Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds pork tenderloins
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup bourbon
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup canola oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
Garnish: fresh parsley sprigs

Directions
1. Rinse tenderloins, and pat dry.
2. Combine soy sauce and next 9 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic freezer bag or shallow dish; seal or cover, and chill at least 12 hours. Remove pork from marinade, discarding marinade. Sprinkle evenly with salt.
3. Grill, covered with grill lid, over high heat (400° to 500°) 30 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 155°, turning occasionally. Remove from heat; cover with aluminum foil, and let stand 10 minutes or until thermometer registers 160°. Garnish, if desired.

Bourbon Balls
Ingredients
1 (16-ounce) package powdered sugar
1/3 cup bourbon
1/4 cup butter, softened 
50 pecan halves (about 1 1/4 cups)
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate morsels
1 tablespoon shortening

Directions
1. Stir together first 3 ingredients until blended. Cover and chill 8 hours.
2. Shape mixture into 1-inch balls. Gently press pecan halves into 2 sides of each ball. Chill 8 hours.
3. Melt chocolate and shortening in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Dip bourbon balls in chocolate, and place on wax paper.
4. Chill 1 hour or until hardened.

And for the perfect derby drink check out my post from last year on how to make the traditional Mint Juelp.

Now that you have the food and drinks covered it’s off to the races! What are you doing to celebrate the Kentucky Derby race this weekend?

xoxo
Megan

You might also like…

After you and your guests have dressed to the nines and mixed their race day cocktail everyone will be ready for some Derby day fun. The final race won’t last much longer than 2 minutes so pre-race entertainment is a must! So, for this year’s derby include some fun derby themed games for all your guests to play while waiting for the big race. After all the entertainment is what people will remember long after the party has come and gone! 

1. Place Your Bets/Game of Luck
This is a pretty easy game that every guest young and old can enjoy. You can print out betting sheets for all your guests to fill out upon arrival or you can let each guest draw a horse’s name out of a hat to cheer for during the race. The guest(s) who chose the winning horse wins a fun derby themed prize. For all your race day information you can find it here on the Kentucky Derby’s Race Wagering Page.

2. Derby Pie Contest
This game will be fun for all your bakers. Let your friends know to make their best pie to be judged on the day of the party. You can have voting ballots for all your guests to fill out while sampling the pies. (A great plus to this party game is you don’t have to worry about the desserts!) The winner can be rewarded with their very own blue ribbon.

3. Derby Horse Race Game
This one is by far my favorite and can be played many times. You can even make your own track if you can’t find the classic board game. For this game you have 6 horses, each numbered, and 6 dice. All those that are playing each are assigned a horse before the race starts and each will receive one of the dice. A turn consists of all the players rolling their die at the same time and then the horse with the corresponding number moves forward for every die that is showing its number. Ex: 352541 are rolled. The 1, 2, 3 & 4 horse each moves 1 space and the 5 horse moves 2. The first horse to cross the finish line is the winner. You can add a little betting each game to turn this game into a true track experience.

For more Derby ideas check out some of my past Derby inspired posts like Tuesday Ten: Derby Essentials, Wedding Wednesday: Run for the Roses, Everyone Loves a Derby Party and A Derby Drink. What other Derby inspired party games do you like playing?

xoxo
Megan

You might also like…

The Derby is frequently referred to as "The Run for the Roses," because a lush blanket of 564 red roses is awarded to the Kentucky Derby winner each year. The traditional started in 1896 when the winner was presented with a bouquet of white and pink roses. It was not until 1904 when the familiar red rose was adopted as the official flower of the Kentucky Derby. Today the winner receives a garland of over 400 red roses to honor the tradition of the “Run for the Roses”. So in keeping with the Derby theme this week, I have put together some great wedding ideas for your own “Run for the Roses” theme.

The great thing about roses is that they come in a variety of colors and can be used for just about everything. You can incorporate them in the traditional way with centerpieces, bouquets and boutonnieres as well as using them a bit more creatively. 

1. Icing Roses
2. Rose Ice Cubes
3. Rose Invitation Stamps
4. Rose Petal Aisle
5. Rose Petal Confetti
6. Rose Hair Accessories
7. Rose Favors

Of course you can also have your very own 400 piece rose garland made just like the one the Derby winners receive. You can find more information about the history of the Kentucky Derby “Run for the Roses” tradition on the Derby’s page. What other Derby inspired ideas would you like to incorporate into a wedding theme? 

xoxo
Megan

You might also like…