cheers, baby

Reader Eniola asks, "I am throwing a co-ed baby shower for a friend. Is it appropriate to serve alcohol? If so, what are the best cocktails that come in pink?"

Good question, Eniola! I have attended dry baby showers where guests have pouted into their teacups about the lack of liquor, but I also know some moms-to-be who would feel left out if guests were there for the booze rather than the booties.

In other words, there's not one answer that works for every situation. Your best bet is to ask the mom of honor and other key guests (close family and friends) in advance how they feel about having alcohol at the party. If their response is, "Bring it on!" then pop a baby bonnet on your keg and start slinging those drinks. If it's more like, "Well...I don't know," then respect their wishes and skip the hard stuff.

If opinion is more mixed, make alcohol an option for guests without having it take center stage at the party. Like, instead of a bar where guests help themselves, pour drinks in the kitchen and make non-alcoholic options as festive as the alcoholic ones. Offering a spiked and non-spiked punch, for example. Just make sure they're both clearly marked.

On to the pink drinks!

an upscale down-home Southern menu

Every now and then I get to attend crazy highbrow events that I would never have the means to throw. These events involve things like contortionists suspended from the ceiling clad in body suits that look like the exterior of disco balls or “living statues” who appear to be made of marble but are people who steal your hat while you’re not looking.

Between money and space issues, I’m never going to have entertainers hanging from the ceiling at my parties. I’ve come to terms with this.

However, recently I attended an event at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta catered by Wolfgang Puck Catering, and when I saw the upscale buffet, I thought, “Now, that’s something I could do.”

question of the week: Cinco de Mayo

Only one week until Cinco de Mayo. Around these parts (aka Los Angeles), people tend to celebrate with house parties, happy hours and dinners at Mexican restaurants, complete with chilly drinks, spicy food, Mexican music and lots of dancing.

I'm planning on playing a mix of everything from El Vez, the Mexican Elvis to Trio Los Panchos, drinking something kissed with lime, and staying within arms' reach of the chips and salsa.

It's not too late to plan your own tamale-making party or invite your friends out — we have some great new Cinco de Mayo invitations for you. Let us know what you're looking forward to and how you like to celebrate!

twiigs.com...

naughty or nice appetizers

(li'l devils)

With the Kentucky Derby just around the corner on May 3, I finally have an excuse to make those super-kitschy '60s-party staples: devils on horseback and and angels on horseback. Now, I don’t have a clue about horse racing (it involves mint juleps, right?), but it would be fun to bet on which bite of bacony goodness my guests choose first: angels or devils?

What are these intriguingly named appetizers? “Devils” are cheese-stuffed prunes wrapped in bacon. “Angels” are marinated oysters wrapped in … bacon! Trust me, it’s yummy in a retro martini-swigging, horse-betting kind of way. Guests will be making a run for the appetizer tray.

Rave reviews at 11

Looking for a fun and creative activity for your next kids' birthday party? Tired of handing out tired old bags of assorted candies and plastic toys as favors? Well, have we got news for you. Literally. (Ba dum dum.)

Read on after the jump for a TV news-themed party project/activity that’s sure to please everybody ... even that persnickity Lou Dobbs! Besides, it’s not only a lot of fun, it's a great way to give your kid’s guests an incredibly unique party favor.

cheesy does it

There are people who love cheese, and then there are people who love cheese. For those of us in the latter category, the Grilled Cheese Invitational is a full-scale cheese extravaganza where entrants craft cheese, butter and bread into works of gastronomic art. (See above my second place  "Requiem for a Cream ... Cheese Quesadilla," which was beaten by a sandwich served by girls in bikinis. Yes, I am still bitter. No, I will never ever get over it.) These days, the GCI is held in an outdoor venue with numerous stations, but once upon a time, the cheese-fest took place in someone’s L.A. loft.

Here are some tips for running your own contest — perhaps with fewer people and fewer grilled cheeses than GCI’s, but just as much fun.

• Announce categories on your Evite invitation. Traditional, alternative and sweet categories are good places to start.

• Supply the butter, the stove and the cookware — tell competitors to bring their own bread and cheese.

• Assign an order for grill use by grillers, with competitors grouped according to category.

• Create a ballot so tasters know which sandwich is in which category. (To create a ballot, you’ll need people to commit to grilling and categories in advance.)

• Have grillers grill four sandwiches and cut them into fourths so more people get tastes.

• Require each griller to have a runner so someone can bring the sandwiches to the hungry masses while the other just keeps on grilling.

• Assign grillers numbers and make sure their numbers appear on the plate presenting their grilled cheese.

• Consider borrowing a ton of George Foreman grills if you want to have a whole bunch of grilling going on at once.

• Provide paper and pencil so attendees/judges can take “tasting notes.”

• Supply salads and vegetables so that guests’ arteries don’t revolt.

• Ventilate the place well if you don’t want your place smelling like butter and cheese the next day.

• And a word to the wise, courtesy of GCI organizer Time Walker: “Never allow somebody with a flamethrower to come into your loft and cook grilled cheeses with one.”

Earth Day mud pie recipe

Remember as a kid when your favorite thing to do was play in the dirt — digging holes, building those mud drip castles, and making mud pies? Special for Earth Day, here's a grown-up version of mud pie just in time for all those eco-friendly celebrations out there.

I know, there's nothing about eating ice cream and chocolate that will save the planet. But as you gather with your friends to brainstorm easy ways to make the world a greener, healthier place (plant a tree! reuse that water bottle!), it doesn't hurt to indulge a bit, especially if it's superyummy.

question of the week: party preferences

Did you do anything fun this weekend? Do you start your Mondays hoping someone will ask that ... or dreading it?

When I ask the question, the most enthusiastic responses usually start out with "I went to a great party." I always ask what made the party so great (yes, I'm fairly annoying), and the answers can be surprising. Sometimes it's the people, the music, the dessert, the occasion, or the stars aligning just right and making everything so magic.

Just as there's a lid for every pot, there's a lampshade for every person's head. There's not one single definition for what makes a great party — so don't stress when you're planning yours! But do tell us your favorites, and choose as many as you like.

twiigs.com...

a day at the races

You don’t have to be in Kentucky to experience Kentucky Derby excitement. Personally, I plan on throwing a party to celebrate the famous horse race under palm trees in California. Here are my tips for giving your party an authentic Derby Old South spin no matter its location.

• Mandate hat-wearing on your Evite invitation — the Derby is known for its parade of hats.

• Decorate with horse-themed décor, or go for rose décor, a more subtle nod to a race sometimes referred to as the “Run for the Roses.”

• Play bluegrass music in honor of the Bluegrass State.

• Tap a friend to act as bookie and have your friends bet as many times as they like in a winner(s)-takes-all pool.

• Serve a light lunch of Southern specialties: chicken salad sandwiches (chopped up apples and fresh tarragon will give them a fancy spin), cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches, deviled eggs and maybe even a hot batch of sausage balls. For something heartier, there’s always the Derby favorite: burgoo stew. And for dessert, opt for Derby pie (essentially pecan pie with bourbon and chocolate chips) or bourbon balls (since I’m evidently obsessed with foods in ball form).

• Stock plenty of bourbon and mint because mint juleps are extremely important.

• Turn on the TV and play that race!

a better way to get trashy

It’s not too often I come home from a party raving about the trash can. But recently, I went to a backyard bash where the hostess had set up the cutest trash station ever. It consisted of two wicker hampers with flowery labels placed on their very own table, one for food scraps and one for plates and cups. On further inspection, I realized this wasn’t just cute … it was saving the world!

Melodrama aside, the trash station is a rockin’ idea, and it comes from a company called Waste Less Living. Here’s how it works: The company drops off an Eco-Party Starter Kit (consisting of biodegradable cups, utensils, plates and napkins — as well as the cute hampers) at your party, picks up the garbage afterwards along with any half-eaten food, and then composts it all.

All of the products are made from renewable resources, and the cost is not much more than that big Earth Day evildoer, plasticware. It’s magic. Regular party people like you and I can be earth-friendly without having to wash a ton of dishes the next day totally hungover on margaritas.

Waste Less Living services only the east side of Los Angeles, but I’m sure there are other mean green party machines out there in the world. And you can easily re-create the trash station concept with your own hampers. At the very least, I hope the idea provides entertaining inspiration for Earth Day and many days beyond.