When it comes to a wedding cocktail hour, a party h'orderve or a fun tapas menu you can't go wrong with the classic mini crab cake. When I put together a menu for an event I always like to include a seafood option, and these mini crab cakes are one of my favorite go-to options. Growing up in Virginia I have tried a wide variety of crab cake recipes, but always tired of having the crab made with more breading and not enough crab. So to solve that problem I came up with my own recipe:
Ingredients
- 12 oz crabmeat
- 1 oz fresh bread crumbs
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/2 tsp prepared mustard
- 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp salt
- pinch of white pepper
- 2 tsp chopped parsley
- butter, for sauteing
- lemon wedges
Preparation
1. Pick over the crabmeat to remove any bits of shell.
2. Mix together the remaining ingredients, except the butter and lemon wedges. Fold in the crabmeat.
3. Form the crab cakes by hand into the desired size you want. (Note: The mixture can sometimes be hard to handle since it has very little bread filler. If desired, add more bread crumbs to make a firmer mixture.)
4. Saute the crab cakes in the butter until browned on both sides and cooked through. This will only take a few minutes on each side.
5. When done cooking remove cakes from the pan and set them on a few paper towels to remove excess butter.
6. Serve on a platter with a sprinkling of parsley or a spritz of lemon. Enjoy!
*An alternative way to cook these is to bake in the oven or to bread and deep-fry.
Every time I have fixed these everyone loved them. These require almost no prep time and just take a few minutes to cook. So next time you plan a menu for an event try these delicious crab cakes out. You won't be sorry and your guests will want to know your recipe. It will be up to you whether you share your secret recipe!
What is your favorite go-to item when planning a party menu?
xoxo
Megan
As we are holding onto the last few weeks of summer before school start back up I put together another great summertime themed party that you can enjoy no matter if you are at the beach or at your house. This surfing party has lots of great ideas that you can use for a birthday party or at any fun time during the summer. this surf party idea was found at Kara's Party Ideas. I just love her site!! To start you can't go wrong with any summer party theme. This surfboards create the perfect backdrop for your table or you could even use them as your tables. If you don't have your own surfboard you can cut out the basic shape from plywood and then paint them however you want. After the party they could them be reused as a headboard for a bed or be made into a fun summertime themed bar. (I vote for the second option!)
To further decorate your surf themed party use bright colored paper lanterns. You can hang these from trees, umbrellas, or display them on all the tables around your party setting. If you can't find colored ones buy white ones and spray paint them. As a tablecloth you can use a fishing net. Even if all you can find is a basic white net that is ok because netting is incredibly easy to dye or be spray painted.
Once you are done with the decor you can't forget about the food. There are so many fun surfing inspired foods from sugar cookie surfboards, flip flop nutter butters, and shark themed cupcakes. And you can't forget about drinks. Again, go with the bright, fun colors when picking out your refreshments. To keep with the bright color theme get your straws, cups, utensils, and napkins in a variety of bright corresponding colors.
Would you catch a wave to this surfing party? Have ideas for a great party theme? Let me know in the comments section below or by emailing me at [email protected] and your idea could be next week's party theme! Surfs Up!
xoxo
Megan
Happy Wednesday! This weekend I will be in my second wedding of the summer for another one of my best friends. As like many of the weddings that I have worked and seen pictures of this spring and summer her main color is navy. It seems like more and more people are choosing navy as one of their wedding colors as just about every color goes so well with it. I have seen navy paired with every shade of pink, green, gold and silver the most.
For today's post I chose the navy and silver combination, as that is the color combination for this weekend's wedding. When it comes to choosing a shade like silver or gold for a wedding color it is really important to think about if you want the true metallic color or if you want a more muted shade. Today I have put together a number of ideas that you can use to create the navy and silver wedding of your dreams!
The first place I always go to when looking at color palettes is The Perfect Palette. They offer hundreds of color combination ideas and is a great place to get started when it comes to choosing the color combination you want to use for your wedding. Here is a great compilation of one of their navy wedding inspirations. Click here for more navy ideas from The Perfect Palette. My favorite place to incorporate color into the wedding is through the arrangement of the reception tables. With different table cloth and napkin options, chargers, centerpieces, silverware and chairs you can integrate your colors seamlessly. Here are some of my favorite tablescapes using the navy and silver color palette. | | This wedding incorporated their colors by using the navy tablecloth with silver chairs at each of the tables. They also created menus using navy paper and used all silver silverware. This table setting was found at Elizabeth Anne Designs. | I love the use of chargers in the table setting as it creates a wonderful look and also is an easy way to add your second color to your reception tables without over doing it. This table setting is from Rhodes Studios. And of course when it comes to a wedding you can't forget about the cake. These days cake decorators can create just about any cake design using the colors that you choose for your wedding. I love the classic and simplicity look when it comes to the cake, and this use of navy and silver ribbon on the cake is just that. It incorporates the colors without over powering the cake, giving it that elegant wedding cake look. This cake was created by For The Love of Cake. What do you think of this navy and silver color palette? Have a color palette that you are considering or want more ideas on? Leave a comment below on what color combinations you would like to see. For more wedding colors and theme inspiration you can visit my Pinterest page @PreppyPlanner.
xoxo
Megan
p.s.~ Today is the 100th Birthday of the legendary cook and planner of all things wonderful Mrs. Julia Child! You can go here to learn more about this wonderful woman. Bon Appetit!
When it comes to events, especially weddings, there is usually a time during the evening that a few of the guests will offer up toasts to the honorees. You can probably go onto YouTube right now and find the worst of the worst when it comes to toasts with a person getting stage fright, being too drunk or turning the toast into a roast. A toast is supposed to be a recognition and congratulations of the honorees, not a horror moment.This past June I had to give a toast for my best friend Emily's wedding. To make sure that I didn't mess up during the speech I found some great tips on how to deliver a successful toast. Here are my top ten do's and don'ts that if you follow should result in you giving a successful toast!Don'ts1. Read off your notes. For those using note cards for their toast it is important that you are not standing there reading directly off the cards. If you rehearse your speech beforehand you should know enough of what you want to say without directly reading the card. Your honoree will want to see your face and your toast will come off more genuine if you make eye contact with the guests. 2. Carry on for hours. You want to keep your toast short, sweet and meaningful. Talking for a few minutes is acceptable when giving a toast, but anything longer than 5 minutes is unacceptable when toasting. You want the honoree and the guests to stay engaged, not fall asleep.3. Get too drunk. The biggest blunder when it comes to toasting is that those speaking have one too many drinks prior to speaking. I understand some people might have stage fright and drinking might relax them but still to just one or two drinks so that you don't slur or turn the toast into a disaster moment.
4. Share an embarrassing moment. Giving a toast is not the time to start a roast of the honoree by bringing up any embarrassing moments from the honoree's past. If you have any doubts about a certain memory it is best to just not include it at all.
5. Worry about perfection. Getting worked up about giving a toast can lead you to start sweating, forgetting what you want to say or causing you to want to drink to much. Stay relaxed about the toast and remember that not too many people remember what you say, so you don't have to worry about making your speech perfect.
Do's
1. Practice and Prepare. Make sure that you write out your toast or bullet points of what you want to say during your toast and then practice. This will allow you to know what you want to say and to make sure that you keep your speech slow, practice your enunciation and allow you to time yourself. The more you practice the more comfortable you will be when it is your turn to give the toast.
2. Share a fond memory of you and the honoree. Sharing a moment that you shared with one or all of the honorees is a great way to engage everyone during your toast. The toast is a time to tell the honoree how much they mean to you and this is a great way to do so.
3. Include humor. Including a simple joke or humorous moment during your speech is also another way to engage your guests. Just make sure it doesn't include anything dirty, any ex's or anything that you wouldn't want grandma to know about.
4. Background Research. In certain situations there can be different rules when it comes to toasting. Some religions, cultures and military events have certain protocols when it comes to giving toasts. It is always a great idea to ask the honorees about this so that no one is offended by accent or expecting you to do something that you were unaware of.5. Have fun. This should not be a stressful thing. Even if you have stage fright or think you are the worst public speaker in the world just remember that the honoree asked you to give the toast. At the very least you can keep it short and sweet by just saying how much the honoree means to you and wishing them luck in their new marriage/adventure/etc.
During my speech I kept it under 2 minutes, shared a found memory of the bride and I when we were growing up, a funny moment about her high school uniform and then congratulated her and her new husband on their new life they were starting together. Have you had to give a toast before? What tips would you give someone that has to give a toast for the first time at an event? You can share your toasting do's and don'ts in the comment section below.
xoxo Megan
The end of a vacation is always sad, but on the bright side my family celebrated my dad's birthday! A party can be fun when celebrating, but when it comes to birthday's whatever the birthday boy or girl wants is what goes in our household. We decided to make the birthday celebrations last longer than one day so last week we took him shopping for his birthday present while at the beach and celebrated in the way he likes best, relaxing on the beach. Once we got home from the beach on Saturday we went out to dinner to celebrate and then headed home for birthday cake and our birthday cards since he already had his present. Here are some pictures of the birthday celebrations over the past week:
| | Picking out the birthday present in OBX at Nags Head Hammocks. You have to sit in every single one of them to find the perfect hammock! Surprisingly not all hammocks are comfortable as I found out during this trip. | | Celebrating with cake, cards and balloons! For the tailgating guy that my dad is I couldn't resist on getting him this World's First Tailgate Party card. He always outdoes himself when it comes to putting on the ultimate tailgate party during football season. | |  Did you catch the closing ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympics last night? If so who was your favorite performer? If not you can catch up on all the musical performances online at NBC Olympics.
Between the beach vacation and the Olympics these past two weeks have just flown by for me. This week I will be getting ready for the wedding of two of my best friend's, and I can't wait! Check back next Monday for pictures from all the wedding festivities that are to come!
xoxo
Megan
When I think beach drinks I think Corona. These cupcakes are the perfect combination to satisfy any sweet tooth while also combining that corona taste. I found this great recipe from Lauren Conrad's blog back in May and could not wait to share it with you guys! Here are the instructions on how to make these yummy treats.
Ingredients for Cupcakes:
- 3/4 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1-3/4 cup sugar
- 2-1/2 cup flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp lime zest
- 1 cup Corona beer
- 1/4 cup milk
- lime wedges
Ingredients for Frosting:
- 12 oz cream cheese, cold
- 6 tbsp butter, room temperature
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 tsp lime zest
- 4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line 24 muffin tins with cupcake liners.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
3. In a seperate bowl beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).
4. Add eggs to the butter and sugar, beating after each then add the vanilla and zest.
5. Combine milk and beer and alternatively add this mixture and the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture with the mixture on low speed, starting and ending with the flour.
6. Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 18 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean. (I like to use a tooth pick to test when I am baking.)
7. When cupcakes are done, remove from the oven, poke holes in the tops of the cupcakes with toothpicks and brush some beer on while still warm.
8. To make the frosting first cream together the cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy (about 2-3 minutes).
9. Add the citrus juice, zest and gradually add the powdered sugar until combined. Beat until smooth (about 2 minutes).
10. Load frosting in a piping bag and pipe cupcake tops once cooled.
11. For extra decoration you can top the cupcakes with extra lime zest and a lime wedge and serve with a nice cold Corona.
Are you going to try this beach drink inspired cupcake? What drink inspired cupcake would you like me to feature t next month? You can leave your suggestion below or by emailing me at [email protected]. Have fun enjoying these hapy hour cupcakes!
xoxo
Megan
Hanging out on the beach and soaking up the sun for the past two weeks has really inspired me when putting together this week's beach themed posts. Today I have some great beach party ideas to share with you.  If this beach party is a planned event you can find some very creative ways to design and make your invitations. With a beach theme you can use shells and other beah items to decorate your invitations like the ones I shared about yesterday for the wedding invitations. You can also take those shells and turn your invitation into a treasure message in a bottle invitiation. This message in a bottle invitations that I found by Bridella are an easy DIY craft. To make these you print your invitation onto your paper like normal, roll it up, add trinkets to your bottle along with your invitation, cork it and its ready to mail. You can get as creative as you want when it comes to making these which is a great thing I love about DIY invitations.
Once the invitations are complete a beach party isn't complete without some great decorations and food. An easy way to decorate your tables is to take grass skirts and make them into table skirts. This is an easy decoration idea and gets your tables beach party worthy. If you are out at the beach keeping your decorations to a minimum can be a wise thing to do as you never know what the weather is going to be like.
However, to keep your party festive you can get really creative with your food choices. Here are a few of my favorites to have at a beach themed party.  And you can't have a beach party without s festive beach drink. I found this "ocean water" drink from the blog of Little Chief Honeybee. Of course you can always just stick with the traditional cooler of beer, but this was too fun to leave out. To make this all you need is 1 bottle of Bacardi Limon, a 2 Liter of 7up and a few drops of blue food coloring. Mix it all together, add a few slices of lemon and you have a great beach drink. You could even add a few swedish fish to the mix if you want to give it a true ocean look. And of course you can't have a beach party without some beach tunes. Check out Tuesday's post of a great beach party mix. And of course you can always keep the beach party simple by just packing up a cooler with your favorite beverage, grabbing your beach bag and a few of your best friends.
What kind of beach party would you plan?
xoxo
Megan
For a beach lover, like myself, a beach wedding is something that many people dream of having. As a bride and groom you have to be really flexible if you have your beach wedding outside as you can never plan what the weather will be. However, you can still create a truly inspiring beach themed wedding indoors by using sand, shells and soft colors to give you that beach feel. For this week's wedding Wednesday I have put together a great beach themed wedding that you can host on the beach or where ever your venue may be.
With a beach theme being a popular one, you can find a great selection of save-the-dates and invitations with a beach inspiration. An easy way to show that beach inspirations but still keeping the invitation classic is by using a single shell, sand dollar or starfish accent to accompany the invitation. If you plan early enough you can also order stamps with a beach theme. These invitations are by The Green Kangaroo. You can take that same shell, starfish or sand dollar you use on your invitation and incorporate it into your place cards, table numbers and aisle decorations. Incorporating the shells as the place cards can also serve as a creative favor that your guests can take home with theme. You can find the sand dollars place cards on the blog Wedding Moo and the starfish place cards on Project Wedding. Even if your ceremony does not take place on the beach you can create beach themed decorations to hang down the aisle at your church. A simple DIY table numbers craft with small shells like the one below from Style Me Pretty is also a great way to incorporate your beach theme into your big day. During the ceremony the bride and groom can incorporate a knot ceremony where they tie a fisherman's knot which is the strongest knot. It is a great symbol and is an adorable ceremony to include as the rope will actually break before the knot can come undone and as the pressure builds the knot just gets stronger. (awe!) And of course your can't forget about a beach themed cake. White chocolate shells and brown sugar sand can transform a basic wedding cake into a fantastic beach theme. This one was found on The Knot. How would you incorporate a beach theme into your big day? I love the beach themed wedding cake with all the edible elements. You can find all of these beach themed inspirations and more on my Pinterest page @PreppyPlanner.
xoxo
Megan
I love creating mixes for different occassions and going down to the beach is the perfect time to create one. The group my family goes with loves listening to music while we are sitting on the beach and when we are hanging out in the evening. Depending on who's ipod gets plugged into the speaker we end up listening to just about anything. Today I have put together a great mix of ten of my favorite beach songs that you can listen to on your next trip (or if you just want a mix to get you in the beach mood).
1. Surfin' USA by the Beach Boys - A classic summer favorite that will get anyone into the summer mood 2. Cheeseburger in Paradise by Jimmy Buffett - For all those parrot heads out there 3. Hey Soul Sister by Train - A nice and relaxing song that will get you in the summertime mood 4. So Good by B.o.B. - This song just puts you in a fun party mood 5. Island in the Sun by Weezer - Just grab a drink and be ready for the sun 6. Summertime by New Kids on the Block - Yes this is from a boy band, but still a fun summet time song 7. Good Life by Kanye West - I love listening to this on the beach 8. Summer in the City by The Lovin' Spoonful - The name even gets me in the summertime mood 9. Hot in Herre by Nelly - With 100+ degree weather this could not be a better fit 10. Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles - Nice finish to this summertime playlist I love music that gets me in a summer/beach mood. What song would you add to your beach mix?
xoxo
Megan
This past week my family and I have been down in the Outer Banks at the beach. I have been coming down to the same place in the OBX for over 20 years with my family and friends. The only thing we plan while we are at the beach is 2 weeks of doing nothing. In preparation for the vacation I picked up a handful of new books, packed my bathing suits and strapped our paddleboard to the roof. When it comes to relaxing and having fun at the beach you can't get much better than this! Here are some pictures from the past week at the beach.
Enjoying my time out on the beach using a great koozie created by the amazing staff at Free Agents Marketing for an annual golf tournament my dad plays in. You can't go wrong with a custom created koozie! The family enjoyed our annual trip to the Nags Head Fishing Pier for some dinner and our yearly stroll down the pier. Found a great new restaurant in OBX called I Got Your Crabs. The staff is amazing and I had a wonderful dinner of OBX blue crabs. It was so good that my family has already been twice!! Do you have a favorite vacation spot? Any beach for me is the perfect vacation spot in my book! This week I have some great beach themed posts that you will not want to miss.
xoxo
Megan
To keep up with all things from The Preppy Planner sign-up for the daily emial by going to the "Follow Me" page. You can follow me on Twitter @PreppyPlanner and on Pinterest @PreppyPlanner as well. Have a wonderful day!!
|
RSS Feed