Renting Rocks

I don’t own 100 Reidel wine glasses, a really big pink tablecloth, two 11 foot market umbrellas or a large coffee urn.  Yet, I have used all of these things at parties over the years. I guess I could have borrowed these things from friends but they are pretty specialized items, so I chose to rent.

I am a big fan of renting things for parties.  It’s a great solution when you need something really specific like 100 Riedel glasses for a wine tasting and purchasing is not a great option due to either outright cost or knowing the item is going to be truly a one-use item such as the big pink table cloth I rented for a baby shower for a friend having a girl baby.  It’s surprising what you can rent and it’s really not as expensive as you might think. If you find yourself needing something special for your next party, check the rental companies in your area (in Santa Rosa I use GrapevineParty Rentals).

Ice Cream Bar Bonanza

I love to bake and my parties usually feature some sort of baked creation or perhaps homemade ice cream in the summer.  But there are occasions when I am planning  a party and I am short on time or there are too many other moving parts to that particular party and making a homemade dessert just is not going to work. My summer fall back for those situations is the ice cream bar bonanza.

I was introduced to the ice cream bar bonanza at a book club that I was in years ago.  At one of the meetings, for dessert, the hostess opened a bunch (and I mean bunch!) of ice cream bar boxes, dumped them on the table and let the group go at it.  We all felt like kids again, almost as if we were gathered around the ice cream man’s truck, money in-hand, waiting to get our favorite treat.

We recently had a barbeque and it was one of those “fall back dessert situations.” It also turned out to be one of the hottest days of the year thus far.  I got a big cooler and dumped in a bunch of ice and a big assortment of popsicles, ice cream bars, you name it! The key is to go for variety and quantity.  Go for a mix of retro (Otter Pops anyone?), favorites (for me that’s Its Its and drumsticks) and something new that you have been wanting to try.  Get more than you think you need, step back and let your guests dig in.