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The first Saturday in May is the Kentucky Derby. Celebrate with a Kentucky Derby party! Make yours casual, or have your guests dress up like those attending the derby.
Or…for a different invitation, how about printing them on paper, rolling them up, tying with a ribbon and tying on a tiny horse figurine purchased at the dollar store?
Muddle mint leaves, powdered sugar, and water in a glass. Fill the glass with crushed ice and add bourbon. Top with more ice and garnish with a mint sprig.
It is my understanding that “Derby Pie” is trademarked. There are quite a number of variations, some using pecans, others walnuts, I will let you search out the recipe that suits your tastes and talents!
Encourage guests to wear hats, give a prize for best Derby hat!
Serve mint juleps, the traditional drink of the Derby.
Use red roses in your decorating, The Kentucky Derby is known as The Run for the Roses.
NBC Derby coverage begins at 4:00pm with The Kentucky Derby Red Carpet coverage, and continues with the race at 5:00 and additional coverage until 7:00. Have all of your televisions sets tuned in.
Serve traditional Kentucky foods to keep with the theme.
Make rosettes like winners typically get, to decorate the backs of guests’ chairs.
Have a horseshoe-shaped cake decorated with red frosting roses.
Put numbers 1 – 20 on pieces of paper and put them in a silver bowl. Have each guest pick one one, that is the horse they will root for during the race. The winner receives a small prize.
Use a large horse head sculpture, or little toy horses set on your serving tables.
Use astroturf for your tablecloth on your serving tables.
Bring out all the best china and silver, celebrate this one-hundred and thirty-eight year old tradition!
Kentuckians are thankful that Miss Jennie Carter Benedict created her Benedictine spread back around the turn of the century for her catering business. Use this cream cheese and cucumber spread for finger sandwiches, or as a dip for vegetables and on crackers.
Benedictine Recipe
1 large cucumber
8 ounces of cream cheese, softened
2 Tablespoons finely grated onion
Dash of Tabasco sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 drop of green food coloring
Peel, grate and drain the cucumber
Combine with remaining ingredients in food processor
Serve as is as a sandwich or canape spread
Thin with sour cream to make a dip for vegetables.
Place the nuts in a jar, pour the bourbon over the nuts, seal the jar and allow the nuts to soak overnight.
Mix the butter and sugar; fold in the soaked chopped nuts. Form into 3/4″ balls and refrigerate overnight.
Line a tray with waxed paper. Melt the chocolate, roll the balls in the melted chocolate to coat, arrange in a single layer and store in the refrigerator until serving.
If you are still looking for some great ideas to add to your Saint Patrick’s day festivities, here are a few more ideas I wanted to share. The incredibly talented Preston Bailey created this amazing Saint Patrick’s Day table setting in 2011.  This is an elegant and creative way to express the feel of the day….
I love my modern high-rise condominium. I have not yet, however really gotten into how to decorate it for the holidays. Traditional is so easy, modern, not so much. Â Last year I went all glitzy, bright colors. Â You can see it here, but I have to tell you, when I looked at the pictures, I…
I have make plenty of arrangements with pumpkins, and made arrangements in artificial pumpkins, and on top of pumpkins, but I had never done the traditional using a pumpkin for a vase. Selecting a pumpkin for a pumpkin centerpiece: You will want to select a pumpkin that is wider than it is tall for a…
Carve a Jack O’Lantern with a Template How to carve a pumpkin for Halloween using a template: Decide before you pick out your pumpkin what design you would like to carve. Â Deciding upon the design ahead of time will help you pick out the best pumpkin for your chosen design. Choose a pumpkin with as…
For a dinner party, only linen napkins will do. Â Don’t skimp and use paper napkins, that immediately turns an elegant dinner into a tacky affair. Â I prefer simple white napkins, however, make sure that they are not going to leave lint on any guests’ black clothing. Â You may want to keep a few black napkins…
Well I’m not planning on having any derby parties anytime soon, but I’ll definitely have to steal a few of these ideas for my daughter’s horse themed birthday party 🙂
Well I’m not planning on having any derby parties anytime soon, but I’ll definitely have to steal a few of these ideas for my daughter’s horse themed birthday party 🙂
Hi Brittany! I am glad you came up with some great ideas from my post!