The GayWeddingGear.com Blog

April 24, 2010

Fruit Gift Baskets, what you can do with them

Filed under: food,Wedding Gift — Tags: , , , , , , — rollerbladerdc @ 12:22 am
Northwest Gourmet Fruit Basket Northwest Gourmet Fruit Basket – $ 159.95
A deluxe smorgasbord of premium fruit and gourmet delights, our NorthwestGourmet is a succulent, swanky gift indeed.

- Royal Comice Pears
- Italian Golden Bosc Pears
- Columbia D’Anjou Pears
- Seckel Pears
- Ruby Red Apples
- Royal Fuji Apples
- Navel Oranges
- Pacific Northwest
Smoked Salmon
- Garlic Cheddar Cheese
- Honey Wheat Crackers
- Dried Fruit Assortment
- Marionberry Preserves
- Chocolate Covered
Bing Cherries
- Chocolate Toffee Almonds
- Seattle Chocolate Truffle Mints
Fruit selections may vary by season.

net wt: 21 lbs 13 oz

So I’m on my diet and going crazy about not being able to eat things that I like, but then again no one said getting ready for beach season was an easy thing.  I’m also going to a couple parties where my ex’s will be there and I am certainly not going to let them up show me with being in shape while I am most certainly not.

Anyways, I went to the store and bought a ton of fruit to snack on and what I also learned is that even though you have fruit it doesn’t mean you are actually going to eat it.  Yup, the minute you start drinking the fruit goes out the door and the pizza and real food starts to come back in.  The problem though is that you don’t actually end up using the fruit so it ends up going bad and in honor of earth day the other day and not wasting food or fruit, I wanted to share a couple ideas of what you can do with your fruit, with fruit gift baskets and fruit gifts, especially from Harry and David or my new favorite fruit gift company, The Fruit Company.

So the first thing you can do with a fruit gift is the obvious, throw it out and change it in for chocolate…j/k.  But what you can do is go to the store and buy chocolate chips, or milk and dark chocolate chips as well as white chocolate chips and then get a double boiler to melt them down in.

One you have the chocolate melting in your double boiler or even two pots, you can look for how to make a double boiler on other sites and then what you do is slice the fruit into circles, slices, wedges or however you can eat it best and start dipping it in the chocolate.  Lay the chocolate dipped fruit on a cookie sheet covered in wax paper and then drizzle the lighter colors or darker colors of chocolate over the fruit slices and now you have chocolate dipped fruit to eat which in my opinion is a lot more fabulous than plain fruit after this diet.

Fruit Martinis.

Ok, so the issue with cocktails and then binge eating when you get drunk is a big one for many of us.  What I do instead of having to binge eat not, and to use up the fruit gift basket is to incorporate the fruit into my drinks.

I don’t do the ghetto pour vodka in a watermelon or over fruit salad thing but what I do do is make large circular slices of pears and mix it with absolute pear vodka and soda water for a lower calorie cocktail with a delicious fruit slice.  Not only does it help to keep me feeling full, but it also tastes amazing.  I also include pear slices in my lemon drop martinis and love apples in my chocolate martinis.  Bananas go great with Irish cream martinis and drinks and especially well with Kahlua based drinks.  Fruit and cocktails go hand in hand and for me help to keep me full so I don’t end up over eating when I am done drinking.

Fruit gift baskets are amazing gifts, but the fruit can also become a pain in the ass, especially if you don’t want to eat it all or waste it.  You can use these ideas to make your fruit more fun to eat, but also incorporate it into fun things like martinis so that you not only use it so you don’t have to waste it and feel guilty, but also help to keep yourself from over eating at night helping you to save calories as well.  If you have more fruit ideas for fruit gift baskets, feel free to leave them in the comments section below.

If you want to order or send someone a fruit gift basket, then click this link and visit the fruit company for amazing deals on fabulous fruit gift baskets.

January 11, 2010

Bachelorette Party Drinks Valentines Day Drinks

Jones Soda Pick a Case

Ok, If you haven’t noticed I am overly obsessed with Bachelorette Parties lately because I am heading to Vegas in a Couple weeks for a friend’s bachelorette party.  Not only do Bachelorette parties become more fun when they are a friend’s bachelorette party, but when you get to celebrate it in a city like Las Vegas, you are definitely going to have a fabulous and amazing time!

Anyways, not only do I get to go to Vegas and get to go to a Bachelorette Party in Vegas, but right after we get to celebrate one of the biggest engagement holidays and single grrl and guy holidays Valentines Day so I figured, why not create a few drinks that work for both Valentines Day and for Bachelorette Parties and since I love Jones Soda, why not incorporate Jones Sodas in so we can also have alcoholic and non Alcoholic cocktails for everyone celebrating Valentine’s Day (whether they are with friends or a lover) and for everyone at the Bachelorette Party.

Ok, so when I was looking through the different Jones sodas and thinking about the holiday and events that I am creating drinks for, I thought about what all do they have in common and what can I do to tie them all together and also find colors that match the different types of drinks and occassions.

The things that I came up with and think about when I think Valentines, engagements and Bachelorette Parties are Red and Pink and White, Chocolate, Strawberries, Sex, Romance and Rings.  Because of these and all of the fun flavors from Jones Soda, I had a ton of fun creating and designing a couple of drinks for Bachelorette Parties, Valentines Day and all use Jones Soda.

Ok, this first drink is the Chocolate Creme Martini.

The first thing to do, I always use the zero calories diet Jones Soda, is to take a Martini glass and drop a hershey’s kiss into the bottom of it.  Next, pour in some dark creme chocolate liquor over the Hershey’s Kiss, the Hershey’s kiss is a surprise for the drinker, then mis Jones Cream Soda with Stoli Vanilla Liquor and shake it in a Martini Shaker.  Next pour the Vodka and Cream Soda mixture against the side of the glass so it layers nicely with the chocolate below and you have one of the most amaizng and delicious looking drinks for chocolate lovers and they are perfect for weddings, bachelorette parties and Valentines….You can also hide an Engagament ring instead of the chocolate hershey’s kiss.

The next drink is either the Chocolate Raspberry Martini or Chocolate Strawberry Martini.  Use whichever soda flavor and berry in the drink depening on your taste.  This one can be served with or without the alcohol.

First take your Martini Glass and chill it.  Then take a bottle with a point on the top to give you a thin line when you squeeze out liquid and load it with chocolate sauce.  Now, make long ovals and swirls around the Martini glass with the chocolate and then put it back in the freezer if you can.  Now take a martini shaker mix in cosmo mix or if you have a really good and thick strawberry or raspberry juice use that instead of the cosmo mix.  Take either Raspeberry or Strawberry Stoli Vodka and then shake with ice in your Drink Shaker.  Then take the cup with the chocolate out of the freezer and pour in the mixture.  Then take a raspberry and drop it in the bottom of the drink or take a long stirrer and put a raspeberry on the top of it and let it sit over the rim of the glass.  If you did strawberries then take a strawberry and put a slice up the middle to the middle of the berry.  Then slide the berry over the rim of the glass and let it be the garnish, you can even pour a little chocolate or dip it in chocolate after you slice it to further make it a chocolate covered strawberry.

The toast.

Take any of the clear or white Jones Sodas and just mix it with a Rose or a White or Yellow Champagne.  Then just drop in your ring and propose or if it is a Bachelorette party, drop a penis lollipop or something a bit more bachelorette in since they already have a ring lol.

Anyways, I love mixing Jones Sodas with different drink mixes, especially with margarita and frozen drink mixes because it not only matches the sweetness of the mixes but it also adds a really fun bubbly taste and texture to the drinks,,,however sometimes the soda isn’t strong enough to overpower the mix and keep it sparkling so you may want to add champagne as well to the mix so it stays bubbling.

Also, if you click the banner to the left in this post, you’ll be taken to the Jones Soda website where you can put together your own cases of Jones Soda so you can pick out the sodas you want and not have to worry about wasting sodas, or getting flavors you don’t want or need.

November 7, 2009

Hot Chocolate Wedding Favors. Hot Chocolate for Weddings.

Ok, I love this for a winter wedding.  I think it is not only one of the cutest ideas on earth for a wedding favor, but you can also leave one on each persons plate for during dinner so that they can each have a cup of hot chocolate while they are waiting for their meal or while they are having dessert or even while they are taking a break from dancing during your reception.  I found these customized hot chocolate packets for wedding favors with cute snowmen and other winter characters on them and had to share the customized packets of hot chocolate with you all.
Not only do I think that personalized hot chocolate packets make a perfect wedding favor, but they are also completely practical and everyone loves hot chocolate in the winter, well everyone that loves chocolate, and if you go to a winter wedding and find hot chocolate waiting for you at your tables after freezing going into your wedding reception, you will definitely be grateful and your other other guests will be greatful that they get to have a great treat and a warm drink to warm them up so they can enjoy your wedding and not continue to be uncomfortable from being cold or the cold walk into your winter wedding.
I love personalized hot chocolate wedding favors and think that they will be a huge hit at every winter wedding and if you combine them with the tea infusers and tea wedding favors from my other post, use the search feature to find them, then you have everyone covered and have some amazing and really cool wedding favors for your wedding guests and they will love how you thought of them and that they may have been cold at your winter wedding and they’ll love their hot chocolate and their tea even more.  I love giving away personalized hot chocolate wedding favors and think that your wedding guests will love it too.   You can buy customized hot chocolate packets by clicking this link and visiting American Bridal where you can buy customized hot chocolate packets online.

October 28, 2009

Jones Soda Mixed Drinks – Bachelorette Party Ideas

ok, so I am loving jones soda for cocktails still and instead of buying coke for mixers for my drinks at home, I have completely gone back to mixing my drinks with jones soda.  I have even got my friends to start doing the same.  My best friend only drinks stoli with sprite zero and now he is loving the jones lemon lime soda with his stoli or even grey goose and I am still lovin mixing the sugar free zero calorie cream soda with liquor for my drinks.  Anyways, I was looking through their regular flavors which are available year round and was thinking it could be fun to make up a couple of jones soda alcoholic drinks and jones soda cocktails for bachelorette parties and really you can use them for any occasion.  Since I love vodka most of these will be vodka based jones soda cocktails, but you can easily switch it would with rum for mojitos if you are using the soda water, etc….  Sooo anyways, here are some jones soda cocktail recipes for your bachelorette party and if you click the image or link to the product, you’ll be able to buy the flavors on sale and even customize the bottles of jones soda for your bachelorette party =0).

Jones GABA – Fuji Apple (12 Pack) – $ 32.00
Jones GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) increases the production of alpha brain waves, known to enhance focus + clarity. At the same time, the amino acid decreases beta brain waves, which are linked to nervousness and scattered thoughts. In other words, Jones GABA relaxes your brain, puts you “in the zone” and allows you to perform at your peek.

Ok, you can call this the DD, Designated Dyke Driver, this was named by my lesbian friend, no offense meant by it.  Mix it with an actual soda or serve it straight up if someone has to drive so they have the clarity to keep you all under control while you are drunk on jones soda and alcohol.

Jones Pure Cane Soda – Crema De Pina (12 Pack) – $ 18.99
Try the new Jones Soda Refresco de Cana Pura. Kick back with a cool bottle of Pineapple Creme.

This one is called always the brides maid never the bride.  the bridesmaids have to deal with the bitching bride all wedding long so why not make her a fruity and tropical bachelorette party cocktail with jones crema de pina and this fabulous cocktail recipe.

Take one half bottle of the jones creama de pina and mix in some bacardi or bacardi citrus or malibu coconut rum.  Then add in a splash of mint leaves and you now have a tropical and refreshing pinapple based rum bachelorette party drinks which I call always the brides maid, never the bride.   This one is awesome…on a quick side note, when crushing the mint leaves, do it like you would with a mojto in the bottom of the glass and if you want, do it in the rum or before the soda and only do a little so it isn’t overpowering.

Jones Pure Cane Soda – Limon (12 Pack) – $ 18.99
Try the great new Jones Soda Refresco de Cana Pura. You will love the lime taste.

The bridezilla breath mint.  Take this lemon and lime jones soda, limon, and you are going to mix it with fresh mint leaves and a dab of lime juice.  You are then going to add in vodka or rum and you’ll be done and have the bridezilla breath mint.

First, pour a splash of lime juice into the bottom of the glass.  Then add in some mint leaves and grind them like you would a mojito.

Then take the jones limon soda and pour it into a shaker then add in the mint leaves and splash of lime juice.  Then pour in the rum or vodka, preferrably a mint infused one and if you don’t have mint infused or flavored, pour a small very small splash of creme de menthe into your vodka first, then pour it into the shaker, shake heavy and pour.  The Bridezilla Breath Mint is an awesome bachelorette party drink.

Jones Sugar Free Soda – Cream Soda (12 Pack) – $ 18.99
Sugar Free. Caffeine Free

There are soo many things to use the cream soda for.  So this one is the sweet don’t cheat brides drink for the virgin bride or bride who hasn’t slept around.

Take the cream soda, mix it with a splash of clear creme de coco for a chocolate taste and then a whole ton of vanilly vodka, stoli or absolute to make it a vanilla cake tasting drink with a chocolate twist that not only tastes great, but is as sweet as the sweet don’t cheat brides who don’t cheat on their husbands.

Jones Pure Cane Soda – Lemon Lime (12 Pack) – $ 18.99
Caffeine Free.

This one is the fruity tootie tacky wedding wear.

Take the jones lemon lime soda and mix it with either straight vodka or raspberry or another fruity and citrusy flavored vodka.  Then take a lime wedge, an orange wheel and two lemon twists and skewer the wedge and wheel with a toothpick and then skewer the lemon twists so you have a really tacky drink to match a really tacky wedding wear outfit…perfect for the bridesmaids stuck in ugly outfits for the wedding.  This one actually does taste great.

Jones Pure Cane Soda – Red Apple (12 Pack) – $ 18.99
Caffeine Free.

This one is the devil in the red dress.  Take the Jones Red Apple Soda and pour it into a shaker with apple flavored vodka.  pour the drink into a martini glass then take a caramel flavored (buttershots works) or chocolate cream (godiva works) liqoue and pour it over the back of a spoon or down the side of the martini glass and you’ll have a fun and rich and sweet but evil devil in the red dress jealous lady drink.

Jones Soda FuFu Berry With A Cause – $ 18.99
Jones Soda is taking part in a very special partnership with Athena Partners, a not-for-profit corporation found by a Seattle area cancer survivor that is committed to advancing research and education of breast cancer. This is soda has the same great taste as normal Jones Fufu Berry Soda, however the labels and caps are pink, and even more importantly a portion of the proceeds from each bottle will be donated to Athena Partners.

Ok this one is don’t pop the cherry before the big day. Take cherries the day or two days before the bachelorette party and pour them into an empty jar or cup or storage container like a ziplock bag or box, then pour in vodka or rum,,,you can even use the cherry jar, just make sure you empty out all of the liquid first.

Now, pour the jones soda into a martini glass and then drop a cherry into the middle, then if the bride or bridesmaids are drunk, line the rim of the martini glass with whipped cream and tell them before they take a sip, they have to get the cherry, not only will they have a funny whipped cream ring around their mouth, but this drink is fun, funny and fabulous.  I love the don’t pop the cherry jones soda bachelorette party drink.  Also, feel free to pour flavored vodka into this one too if you like your drinks stronger.

Anyways, I’ll give you the run down of the bottle and the flavor, then the cocktail and name in the box right after.

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