How to Have a Fairytale 1920s-Themed Great Gatsby Party!

My beautiful, art deco themed 30th birthday cake. 

The day I have been waiting for is FINALLY here!!! After two years waiting for one of my favorite books of all time to come to life in a new movie version, THE GREAT GATSBY is in theaters! There's something amazingly romantic and tragic about F.Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby that stole my heart at a young age. Since I don't want to spoil anything for those who haven't read the book or seen the movie, I will stop myself from talking too much about the plot.   

All I will say is that I could not think of a better person to play Jay Gatsby in this version than my favorite actor, Leonardo DiCaprio. (I think Carey Mulligan will be a great Daisy too!)

Robert Redford as the original Jay Gatsby.

Timeless love - Robert Redford and Mia Farrow.

Jay Gatsby is notorious for his lavish parties in Long Island, NY. Basically, no one does a party like Jay Gatsby. So when I hit the big 3-0 last October and my family generously wanted to throw me a birthday party, I decided to have a 1920s themed party to "say goodbye to my roaring 20s." Naturally, I had to incorporate aspects of the Great Gatsby era to coincide with the movie coming out.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan. This photo takes me back to the days where I swooned over Leo and Claire Danes in Romeo and Juliet. <3 nbsp="">

My favorite television show, Boardwalk Empire, was also airing its third season on HBO at the time so I decided to incorporate elements from that show as well. For those who aren't familiar with Boardwalk Empire or the Great Gatsby, both are set during Prohibition. I tried to take these elements and really create a special atmosphere for my birthday party. If you want to have any kind of 1920s party, please see my tips below for some easy and affordable ideas.

That's me standing in front of the massive Boardwalk Empire sign at Caesar's Palace in  Atlantic City for the  Season Two premiere. 

1.  CREATE THE PERFECT SPEAKEASY ATMOSPHERE. What better place to have a party than a bar with a speakeasy kinda feel? I chose Ash by El Humidor for my party because it is a cigar bar and the perfect setting for a 1920s style gangster/flapper party. (In Pennsylvania, unlike in NYC, you can serve food and alcohol in cigar bars.)  Ash is nestled underneath an Italian restaurant, Buca del Vino, and has that perfect old school, classic smoky and romantic feel. The staff at Ash was so kind and accommodating. We were floored by the absolutely brilliant and amazing job that Tom Sobieski did in decorating the place. When we talked in, we were beyond excited and really felt like we were in an ideal 1920s type atmosphere. THANK YOU TOM!!!! Which brings me to my second point ...

2. ADD SOME FESTIVE DECORATIONS TO GO WITH THE THEME. We had a banner made and I ordered some decorations from Shindigz. I love flowers and really wanted to create and elegant feel, yet wanted something affordable for my centerpieces.  My cousin Susan, another Boardwalk Empire fan, suggested I go with red carnations since Nucky Thompson from Boardwalk Empire is famous for wearing them in his suit lapel. I also added some black and white flapper-like feathers to the vase. (Black, white and red were very popular colors.) Carmen's in Exeter did a wonderful job! 

Nucky Thompson and his red carnation - the inspiration behind my red carnation centerpieces. 

To showcase my favorite scenes from the Great Gatsby and Boardwalk Empire, I purchased simple black and white frames from Michael's and printed the photos I wanted right from Google Images. We also typed up and framed several favorite quotes from the Great Gatsby to put around the place (the bar, the restrooms, etc.).

3. CREATE A NOSTALGIC MOOD WITH MUSIC. Jazz, ragtime and broadway musicals were popular in the1920s. This was an area of dance halls and the popular phonograph (the horn shaped record player!) Boardwalk Empire fans may remember when Lucy danced to her phonograph in Season 2.  Though we were over prepared with our own music for the party, Ash had a wonderful sound system with the perfect 1920s themed music. If you're having a party and looking for a good 1920s soundtrack, try the 1920s Radio Network (it streams for free) to set your mood or create a 1920s playlist on Pandora.

Deviled Eggs, fruit and vegetable platter on the buffet table. 

3. PLAN THE PERFECT MENU. This is the best part. Chef Joe Ginthner Jr. from Ash/Buca del Vino took the time to sit with us and listen to my crazy ideas about how I really wanted to have food from the 1920s. Together, we created a menu to thrill all of my 1920s desires within a budget. After doing some research, I was thrilled to learn that Italian food was uber-popular in the 1920s. I printed out this tidbit of information and placed it in a frame close to the food. I'm not sure if anyone noticed it or read it, but the information was there for food historians like myself.

WHAT DID THE AVERAGE AMERICAN EAT IN THE 1920’s?

With the passing of the World War I, America settled down to begin an era of onrushing prosperity. Prohibition, with its tremendous impact on the eating habits of the country, had a great deal to do with the introduction of Italian food to the masses. The Italians opened up speakeasies by the thousand, with Mama doing the cooking and Papa making the wine in the basement. The food was not quite the same as the food the Italians had eaten in the Old Country because Sicilian cooking was traditionally based on austerity. By contrast, America was rich, and a protein rich country – allowing for more than just pasta. Italian immigrants were happy to add these symbols of wealth to their cooking. Meatballs, rich meat sauces, veal cutlets cooked with Parmesan or with lemon, clams stuffed with buttered herbed crumbs, shrimp with wine and garlic, and mozzarella in huge chunks to be eaten as appetizers were all foods of abundance, developed by Italian-Americans.

In addition to speakeasy dining, many people entertained elegantly at home, holding extravagant cocktail parties where they could enjoy their homemade wine and bootleg liquor.  They served savory snacks such as salted nuts, deviled eggs, passed canapés, shrimp or mushroom toasts, lobster and crabmeat, tea sandwiches, fancy salads, and chafing-dish recipes. The introduction of refrigerators (for those who could afford electricity) enabled longer storage of perishable foods, so fruits and vegetables also became widely popular.

Deviled eggs were big in the 1920s.

Chicken Pommery Bites - a Buca Del Vino specialty.

Italian antipasto. 

Seared Lamb Chops with mint jelly.

Mini foccacia breads. 

Mushrooms with crab imperial. 

Filet mignon risotto over tostada. 

4. THE CAKE: It's not a real party or birthday celebration without cake. I loved, loved, loved my cake!!! I obsessively pin cakes on Pinterest and knew I wanted something eye catching.  I pinned some ideas and designed my own cake with cake-queen Francesca Campisano Burke, who executed my ideas to perfection. My cake was not only beautiful, but delicious - even with the fondant that I insisted on having!  I had two different flavors - chocolate with chocolate mousse and vanilla with raspberry. I really loved this cake and will remember it for the rest of my life. :-) 

5. DRESS THE PART.Costume attire was optional and encouraged - so I instructed my guests to come as a flapper, gangster, big band player, silent movie character. Many of them did, even one of my spirited and wonderful BFFs who was pregnant at the time - and we had the BEST time!  I ordered my costume from Unique Vintage and was very happy with it, though there were others that I REALLY loved - but they were on back-order  (Order WAY ahead of time, especially now because these costumes are in demand!)

My sister and I in our 1920s attire.

6. LASTLY, TREAT YOUR GUESTS TO A FAVOR.  I always like to give some kind of a token of the party away as a remembrance. For 1920s themed favors, I decided to make little candy bags. I put this little sign next to the candy bags to explain why they were getting candy bars. I packaged the bars in clear bags with a beautiful black and white ribbon I found at Michael's.  I also had strings of party beads that looked like pearls to adorn my guests when they arrived at the party. I purchased these online at Shindigz. 

Champagne punch, strings of pearls for my guests, and 1920s themed candy bar treat bags.

1920’s candy BAR CRAZE

When Prohibition went into effect on January 16, 1920, it increased the production of soft drinks, put hundreds of restaurants and hotels out of business and spurred the growth of tea rooms and cafeterias. It also destroyed the last vestiges of fine dining in the United States.

Hotels tried to reclaim some of their lost wine and spirit profits by selling candy and soda pop. Thus, began the candy bar craze.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (1922 ) • Twizzlers (1929) Mounds (1922)  Milk Duds (1926) • Milky Way (1923)  

Heath Bar (1928) • Butterfinger (1923) • Babe Ruth (1923)

There was no better way to celebrate the end of my 20s with a 1920s themed party!

Enjoy!

Fairytale Spring Green Risotto with Garlic Shrimp

It's finally here - kind of, I think - SPRING!!! In honor of this special first day of one of nature's most delicate and welcomed seasons, here's a recipe for Spring Green Risotto.  I love risotto, but it's pretty heavy so I decided to add some healthy greens to fool my brain into thinking I was having a balanced meal.  I also used lemon juice and basil to lighten it up.  The main star of this dish that you don't see very often is kale. Kale was one of the most popular leafy greens up until the Middle Ages.  It has been a pretty trendy vegetable as of late, mostly because of it's superfood properties.  It is rich in anti-oxidants and vitamin K, and is thought to prevent cancer and lower cholesterol.  I used a large bag of curly kale that was pre-cut from Wegmans  (my favorite grocery store!!!) to make things easier. The flat kind would work as well for this recipe (and maybe even better).  I also used Wegman's Arborio Rice and purchased a bag of frozen shrimp there for $10 or less.

I adopted this risotto recipe from a great book I purchased called The Italian Slow Cooker by Michele Scicolone. I also made lamb chops from this book. See Fairytale Slow-Cooker Lamb Shanks with White Beans. I still don't really understand the whole slow cooker obsession and would rather use my dutch oven any day, but I admit it was a great tool to braise meats.  I was surprised there's a slow cooker recipe for risotto, but beware that this is not necessarily a pot that you should leave alone all day.  It only takes about 2 hours total to make this - with about an hour in the slow cooker. I strongly recommend checking it and stirring the rice thoroughly so it cooks evenly.

Alternatively, if you don't want to use a slow cooker, just toast the rice in a large heavy bottomed skillet and begin to add the broth in batches, continuously stirring until it is absorbed by the rice.

Wishing you a peaceful and healthy Happy Spring!

Fairytale Spring Green Risotto with Garlic Shrimp

(Serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

For the risotto: 
1/2 stuck of butter or margarine
1 onion, chopped
3 cups Arborio rice
3 cups kale, chopped into bite sized pieces
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup basil, chopped
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
Juice from 1 lemon
Salt and pepper

For the shrimp:
2 tablespoons of butter or margarine
1 tablespoon of olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 bag of peeled shrimp (tails on or off, it doesn't matter)

Directions: 
Melt the butter with olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until golden and soft for about ten minutes. Add the rice and stir, toasting for about 2 minutes.

Add the onion and rice to the slow cooker. Add the chicken broth. Cook for 40 minutes on high.

Meanwhile, melt the butter and olive oil in a large skillet. Add the minced garlic for about a minute, until fragrant. Add the shrimp and cook for a few minutes until pink. Set aside and cover with foil.

Back to the crock-pot - stir the rice well and add the kale and cook for 30 more minutes, or until rice is tender. Add the parsley, basil, lemon juice and cheese. Serve in a bowl and top with garlic shrimp.

Important: do not leave this in the warm slow cooker for a long time or the rice will become sticky - see below. (I did this while I was eating my first serving and ruined the whole thing!)

Be careful not overcook the risotto! 

Enjoy! :-) 

Fairytale Green Drinks!

St. Patrick's Day is on the way, and the color green seems to be EVERYWHERE, including in your glass - and I'm not talking about Shamrock Shakes or Midori Sours! The green drink trend has arrived and is here to stay, and for good reason - these beverages are tasty and good for you. 

A friend recently asked me for some recipes because even her nutritionist suggested that she start drinking green drinks. I have been a long time aficionado of the green smoothie. Admittedly, I didn't know anything about green drinks until I saw a photo collage in Us Weekly of beautiful and youthful celebrities all holding them and I thought - hmm, maybe I should try that! (And who can forget when Sheree tried to get Kim Zolciak to drink a kale shake on the Real Housewives of Atlanta?) 

I like to think my skin is going to glow like Reese Witherspoon's or my hair is going to shine like Kim Kardashian's when I am drinking my kale concoctions. Plus, green drinks are a wonderful way to incorporate vegetables into your diet. How else can you possible eat five servings a day? Or is it six now? I can't keep up ...

The first green drink recipe is from Daphne Oz, who I had the pleasure of interviewing last year. See Fairytale Feasts from Daphne Oz. She actually tweeted this recipe to me and I've been enjoying it ever since. 

I've also included a recipe from Jackie Warner, fitness trainer and Bravo reality television star. I love Jackie's wholesome, non-judgmental approach to health and fitness. Reading her books doesn't make me feel like someone is scolding me for being overweight or degrading me for not having the willpower to make the right decisions. The other green drink recipes are my own inventions that I made with things I had around the house. I promise, they're all tasty.

Daphne Oz's Fairytale Green Juice

(Serves 1-2)

Ingredients:
1 handful of spinach
1 handful of kale
1 stalk celery
1 apple, cored and peeled
Juice of a half lemon
1 tsp grated fresh ginger

Directions:
Add all of the ingredients to a blender. Pulse until chopped and well blended. Serve.

Jackie Warner's Pre-Workout Protein Shake

(Serves 1)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup frozen mixed berries
1/2 cup frozen spinach
1 tablespoon of all-natural peanut butter
1 scoop vanilla whey protein isolate powder
1/4 cup dry oats
Water to taste

Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients in a blender. Add water until you reach your desired consistency.

Fairytale Frozen Spinach Protein Smoothie

(Serves 1-2)

Ingredients:
2 handfuls of spinach
3/4 cup of almond milk
1 scoop of vanilla whey protein isolate powder (I like Precision from Vitamin World),
1 cup of ice (optional - but makes it cold and thicker)

Directions:
Place the spinach, almond milk and protein powder in a blender and pulse until blended. Add the ice and pulse until smooth and blended. Serve.

Fairytale Spinach and Banana Smoothie

(Serves 1-2)

Ingredients:

2 handfuls of spinach

3/4 cup of almond milk
1 medium banana
3/4 cup of non-fat Greek Yogurt (like Fage Total 0%)

Directions:
Place the spinach, almond milk and banana pieces in a blender and pulse until well blended. Add the yogurt and blend. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Fairytale Feasts for Lent: Boneless Cauliflower Bites

Today is the first day of Lent - the somber Christian season of prayer, observance and repentance in preparation for the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ - and I have a confession to make: I associate Lent with food. Here's why: during Lent, you're supposed to abstain from enjoying little luxuries and pleasures. Thus, many people of faith vow to fast on different foods like sweets, potato chips, etc. during the entire six week season (even though I swear I was taught that Sunday was an exception ....). Another touchstone of the Lenten season is the practice of fasting from animal products. Though different faiths take this rule to different levels, the general rule that you cannot consume meat on Ash Wednesday, or any Friday.  

As a little girl, meatless Fridays were an excuse for eating some of my favorite foods: tuna fish salad, fried shrimp, grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches, and pizza. Born and raised in a predominantly Catholic area, Lent in Northeastern Pennsylvania goes hand in hand with Church pizza bakes, fish fries, and homemade Polish pierogies in butter and caramelized onions. There's really nothing like it.

There's nothing like a Gramercy pizza on a Friday night during Lent (and all year long).

Even on Holy Thursday, my family would take me to visit the seven churches of Pittston in honor of Jesus's walk up to Mount Calvary, I couldn't get food off of my mind. Though it was supposed to be a somber event, I was still secretly excited about visiting those churches that passed out freshly baked bread to mark the feast of the Last Supper. I could barely contain the smile on my face when I felt that fresh roll from the National Bakery in my hands at St. Mary's Assumption Church (R.I.P. St. Mary's!). So naturally, I've grown to associate Lent with food - but my heart was always in the right place, with God, to whom I am sincerely thankful for blessing me and my family with food to eat. 

In honor of Lent, I thought I'd post this easy and healthy recipe for boneless "bites." I just love boneless chicken bites, my favorite are from the Tipsy Turtle in Jenkins Township. A great alternative to boneless chicken bites and chicken wings for Lent is this meatless recipe that I saw Rachel Ray Show.  It's SUPER easy and tasty AND healthy! This is def something I will be making again and again. You can eat these on their own or in a salad, as shown below. Just eat them right after roasting, since they're better hot. 

Hot Honey Garlic Turtle Bites from the Tipsy Turtle.

Roasted cauliflower bites with blue cheese dipping sauce. 

Fairytale Cauliflower Bites and Blue Cheese Ranch Dipper

Adopted from Rachel Ray.

(Serves 2-4)

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower, cut into 1 inch florets
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• Salt
• 1/2 cup hot sauce
• 
  
• For the ranch dipper:

• 1 cup Greek-style yogurt
• Juice of 1/2 small lemon
• 3 tablespoons fresh herbs (such as dill, chives and parsley), chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely grated
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles (optional)

Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 450ºF. Place the cauliflower florets onto a nonstick baking sheet, dress with some EVOO and season with salt. Bake for 25 minutes, or until crispy and caramelized at edges. Remove from the oven, place into a large bowl and toss with the hot sauce. Serve IMMEDIATELY with Ranch Dipper alongside. (They're not as good when they're cold and soggy.)

For the Ranch Dipper:
In a small serving bowl, combine the yogurt, lemon juice, herbs and garlic; season with salt and pepper.
Fold in the blue cheese, if using. Serve alongside the for dipping, or use as dressing in a salad like the Tipsy Turtle does in the photo below.

This is one of many "Yum-o!" recipes – it's good and good for you. To find out more about Yum-o!, Rachael's nonprofit organization, visit www.yum-o.org.

Hot Honey Garlic Turtle Bite Salad from the Tipsy Turtle. 

Enjoy!