Photo Blog & Shout Out

I wanted to share some photos from Jamie Riddlebarger and Ryan Bricker's wedding that EClaire catered and helped plan on December 12, 2009. Jamie and Ryan were married at Royal Lane Baptist Church and had their reception at the F.I.G. {Fashion Industry Gallery} in Dallas, Texas.

These amazing photographs were taken by the talented Lauren Larson. Lauren is a wedding, portrait and lifestyle photographer based in Dallas, Texas and is available for hire world-wide. Lauren left her 8-5 desk job 3 years ago to pursue her photography business full-time and has never looked back. Some of Lauren's clients include: ABC radio, Air Review, Awaken Movement, Church of the Incarnation, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Theological Seminary, Dillinger & Kovach, Ebony Magazine, Hornbuckle Photo, Lake Pointe Church, Sleeperstar, and Women's Health Alliance. Check her out at www.laurenlarsen.com

Uniting the New Year's Nation

10 Cities. 4 Timezones. 1 Outrageous Party. New York City entrepreneur Jann Yogman spends the entire year planning and preparing for one night: New Year's Eve. Utilizing cutting edge technology and various consultants in each city, Yogman pulls off a national, live-broadcast event syncing partiers in Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Portland, Scottsdale, Seattle and Toronto.

Yogman's background in television working as a production associate for Michael J. Fox's show Spin City likely inspired his passion for parties. Having earned a reputation for hosting legendary cast parties, Yogman got his first break in 1997 marketing a New Years Eve Party for Chelsea Brewing Company. He has hosted a Manhattan New Years Eve Party every year since. In 2006, Yogman decided to expand his New Years party to five cities, but he did not want to host a bunch of different parties - he wanted to host a single party even if it was to be in many different cities and time zones. This year should be the biggest yet for Yogman and his company, New Year's Nation, as he plans to host an expected 10,000 guests in 10 cities.

The Dallas party will be at the new Aloft Hotel in downtown. The sleek decor will lend well to the red-carpet, glamorous feel of the event. Along with the ambiance, music and large screens streaming the New Year's Nation Live Broadcast, guests will enjoy buffet items and passed hors d'oeuvres as well as premium drink choices. Yogman has been consulting for months with EClaire and Lynxx USA, along with other specialized firms, ironing out the countless details associated with hosting a soiree of such proportions.

Of all the New Year's parties taking place in Dallas, THIS one is the can't miss, talk of the town, party of the century, or at least of the decade. Don't miss out!! Get your ticket now! http://dallas.newyearsnation.com

A Special Client Testimonial

One of my dearest friends and clients recently asked me to share her personal testimonial on my blog. Please check out my website, www.eclairecatering.com, for more client testimonials.

"I was one of EClaire's first clients. Emily helped me plan everything, keeping budget in mind. The day before the event, I came down with a virus! Emily arranged everything, food, serving pieces, flowers.. everything! The party went on without a hitch and I had high praise from my guest including the lady I was honoring. It was beautiful and saved! Emily is amazing!!"
~ Cissy Goodson

Here are a couple of pictures from her party:

The Beauty of the Hydrangea

I was recently asked the question: what is your favorite flower? I began to ponder and realized that I could not name a clear favorite, as each flower has its own beauty and purpose. With this post and future related posts I plan to provide some background on a few of my favorite flowers as well as post some pictures of custom arrangements I have made for clients.

Native to Southern and Eastern Asia as well as North and South America, hydrangeas have been popular for centuries. Hydrangea plants produce flowers from early spring to late fall. They are unique in that they are one of the only plants that process aluminum, which is released from acidic soils and forms complexes in the flower giving them their bright color and making them so distinct, desirable and beautiful.

I try to use these versatile flowers whenever I can as they create wonderful arrangements on their own and can be used as filler flowers in larger arrangements. Check out a few of my custom floral arrangements in which I have incorporated hydrangeas:

Lobster Love

Ever find yourself craving some nice, buttery lobster but you don't want to break the bank? I have seen lobster tails for as much as $30 a piece at grocery stores, which is expensive especially when feeding a group or family. Well, go without no longer, I have found your solution: Sam's Club! I have found that the store at Park and Central always has frozen lobster tails for a great price. Just the other day I picked up two 1/2 lb lobster tails for a grand total of $22!! This was such a great buy and they tasted soo delicious. Also, tails are great to work with because they make for a very easy clean-up.

You can prepare lobster tails several different ways, but I either like to boil or grill them. See below for my favorite easy recipes for preparing delicious lobster tails.

Boiled Lobster Tails
2 frozen lobster tails
4 qts boiling water
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp lemon pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp dried parsley

Add water, spices, oil and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Drop frozen lobster tails in boiling water. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain. With a sharp knife or kitchen scissors, remove the soft shell-like covering on the underside of the tail. Drizzle melted butter over lobster meat.

Serve in shell with melted butter.

Grilled Lobster Tails
2 frozen lobster tails
5 tbsp butter
2 medium lemons
2 wooden or metal skewers

In advance: thaw frozen lobster tails by placing them in a ziploc bag in the fridge over night. If necessary, soak them in cold water to thaw before starting the recipe below.

Bring grill to medium-high heat. Run skewer through the tails for support to prevent them from curling up. Place butter in and squeeze lemon juice directly onto the shells. Place tails on the grill, top of the shell down. Grill covered for 7 minutes or until meat is opaque.

Serve with lemon wedges and melted butter.

Firefly Summer

Well, folks, the school buses are running, the temps are slowly falling off their '09 peaks and the pools will be closing so very soon. This all means one thing: sweet, sweet summer is slipping away once again.

To cling to summer for a few more precious weeks, I have been enjoying a delicious summertime cocktail: Sweet Tea Vodka. Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka is "distilled four times, infused with tea from a plantation 5 miles from the distillery and blended with real Louisiana sugar cane", according to their website. There are a number of brands claiming to make sweet tea vodka, but most of them use artificial flavoring and miss the mark.

If you're a fan of sweet tea, you will love this drink!! Be careful though, they are so delicious they can really sneak up on you! Check them out: www.fireflyvodka.com

The recipe:
1. Mix equal parts water and Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka in your favorite glass over ice
2. Add fresh lemon to taste and as garnish

A Contemporary Venue Idea

Looking for a Hot and Trendy venue? Look no further. The Fashion Industry Gallery, or F.I.G. is located downtown in the Dallas Arts District on Ross Avenue and is easily accessible from Central Expressway or I35.

The Special Venue within the F.I.G. is approximately 25,000 square feet of fashionable, contemporary space. Defining features include the exposed brick walls, concrete floors and miles of customizable track lighting. To further personalize the space, there is a large, blank slate wall that can be splashed with any color to give a more dramatic look. Also available to rent are several contemporary fixtures, such as small, white leather stools and bright orange square couches. This space dresses up perfectly for themes ranging from warehouse industrial to vintage modern with a chic, cozy feeling. It is perfectly suited for casual or formal affairs and can accommodate up to 1,200 guests.

My favorite aspect of this venue is setup. The spacious, open floor plan and attached parlor rooms allow your guests to mingle together in one space while also accommodating guests seeking some refuge from the noise. During shows these parlor rooms are used to showcase an artist's or designer's work. This venue is large enough to hold any size crowd and it is flexible enough to accommodate any type of event.



For celeb fans: the F.I.G. is where Nicole Richie hosted her book-signing party for "The Truth about Diamonds" and where Valentino hosted his famous cocktail party.

I would recommend the F.I.G. to anyone wanting to host the "perfect event". Check them out: www.fasionindustrygallery.com