Vintage Bumble Bee Birthday

What's cuter than the idea of a vintage inspired bumble bee party? A vintage bumble bee party for an adorable 1 yr old that's what! A few weeks ago we teamed up with Stephanie from Exquisite Events Services to create a swoon worthy party for friends and family to celebrate Ishaan's 1st birthday. Enjoy these lovely photos!

 
 The dessert table featured deconstructed apple crumbles, chocolate covered honeycomb, pecan tassies, bumble bee cake pops and mini pumpkin whoopie pies!

 The savory buffet was filled with bruschetta, butternut squash soup shooters, curry chicken stuffed dates, and artisan cheeses with fresh bread from our chef.

 To top off the bumble bee theme we even had a honey tasting station!

A very Happy Birthday for this little boy!

Catering and Desserts - Colette's Events
Photography - LSB Photography
Decor, Favors and Planning - Exquisite Event Specialists
Cake -Provided by Client

The Late Night Snack

It's Wedding Wednesday again our favorite day of the week! Actually any day we get to focus on food and parties is our favorite day of the week. A great wedding trend that we love is surprising your guests with a midnight snack during your reception. After dinner and cake guests will have danced themselves hungry again so serving a snack is a great pick me up to keep the party going. It also serves a purpose of soaking up some of that alcohol before the last dance.

The Holiday Feasting Table

We've seen our share of elongated kings tables in the wedding world but it's definitely a pleasant surprise to find this trend popping up in the corporate world. This Holiday season Corporate parties will be sporting these elongated tables for their employees to feast together a la Tiny Tim in Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol". Feasting Tables create a more familial setting where all of your guests can truly enjoy the meal together!

How do you like them apples?

It's fall which means it's also the ideal time for apples! And though we can't quite make it to every apple festival (and we really wish we could) we're still satisfying our craving for apples here at the shop.

Fall Harvest

 "Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly." - M.K. Fisher 

We tend to take for granted the experience of sharing food with our loved ones. So why not slow down and enjoy a classic dinner party at home, it's a simple party that doesn't  require to much planning beyond the menu. With food as the focus, this kind of party is all about the experience of eating and making a meal important. 

It's Our 20th Anniversary!!!

Colette's events is very proud to announce that we have been serving orange county for 20 years now!

And what better way to celebrate then by throwing a party for all of our friends and family!

Here's just some of the great photos caught by Jeremy of Lucero Photography.

 

Winter Weddings

  Even though it's just beginning to feel like fall, we're daydreaming about winter weddings...

Image via Ruffled Blog

Winter weddings hold a sort of nostalgia as we dream of snow capped mountains and hot apple cider only to peel our legs off of the leather couch in disappointment. But fortunately through the magic of the internet we can look at  winter wedding and start planning for the season ahead! So here's some of that beautiful winter wedding inspiration...

The Cocktail Party

The Cocktail party is much more then cocktails it's a prime time for eating delicious food presented in unexpected ways. And It's a great way to host an event where the intentions are to have your guests mingle and meet, whether it be a wedding, fundraiser or just a fun party at home.

 

The most important meal of the day

    Your mother always told you that breakfast was the most important meal of the day. And while we don't always agree with our mothers, we do think she might have been on to something.
There are many ways to celebrate, but there's nothing quite like a casual brunch.  Brunch offers a laid-back way for friends and family to gather and eat in a way they don't normally get to.
When planning a brunch, there are two things to keep in mind. First, you have to serve the quintessential  breakfast dishes—think biscuits, pancakes, eggs, and potatoes.  Second, it has to be something you can put together without a big mess. In other words, it can't be too complicated. When entertaining at home it's best to prepare everything you can ahead of time.

But don't be afraid to get creative brunch offers a lot of possibilities to be just as amazing as a traditional dinner event. 

Consider having these french toast dippers tray passed at your event, potato pancakes topped with smoked salmon, some bite sized quiches, or mini doughnuts served over shots of espresso

There are a lot of fun options with breakfast that aren't quite right during the rest of the day.
 Add a Mimosa bar to your event, which can double as a juice station for those who aren't quite ready to drink in the morning. When working with a small budget that doesn't allow multiple entrees try focusing on the details to make everything more festive than an ordinary breakfast, like offering different flavored cream cheeses or syrups to your guests.

The morning is also a great opportunity to play with vibrant colors and flowers. We love this morning table scape from Martha Stewart complete with a morning crossword puzzle.

For menus from us check out the great breakfasts were offering at The Meridian Club, cause let's face it no one actually wants to cook a feast first thing in the morning!

Brunch Menu - Breakfast Menu

Mac n' Cheese

If you've ever been to an event where Colette's was catering and happened to have the privilege of sampling (possibly by stealing it off of the children's meal) some of our delicious macaroni & cheese, than you too are probably suffering from a mild addiction. We've seen adult men ask if it's possible to have a kids plate rather then their intended "adult" dinner. So in response to this overwhelming love of Colette's famous mac n' cheese we're devoting this blog post to just that!

There's absolutely no reason the adults can't relish in our decadent mac n' cheese at any event. There's nothing that says you cant serve macaroni and cheese at your wedding or even a conference, trust us we checked. And as macaroni and cheese grows in popularity we've come up with our own twists on this classic comfort food that dress it up for any occasion!

 One recipe we've been making for years is our delicious mac n' cheese bites, these fried balls of ooey gooey goodness (which can be made with bacon as well!) are perfect as a tray passed appetizer paired with marinara for dipping.

Presentation plays a large part in taking this kid's meal favorite to an adult's meal time dream.  For instance serving this classic in a martini glass knocks it up a decade or two. For even more fun you can try serving up a Mac n' Cheese Martini Bar, very similar to our  Mashed Potato Martini Bar.

Our chefs also love playing with all of the great flavor combos that lend itself mac n' cheese. This goes far beyond cheddar people.

With smoked gouda, roasted chicken, and peas baked in your mac n' cheese do you really need anything else in life? Or how about a three cheese mac with tomato and bread crumbs on top. It is one of those magical foods that has few limitations.

Something else we really love is individual mac n cheese, baked in ramekins for the perfect serving size. Who wouldn't want someone to place one of these gorgeous things in front of them at dinner.

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 And put those individual mac n' cheeses on a station and you might have a frenzy on your hands(don't worry our servers are used to it)!

For an even greater nostalgic treat combine our other favorite classic, the grilled cheese, with macaroni and cheese and it'll change your life!

And for your mac n' cheese eating delights check out this list of beer pairings courtesy of SeriousEats.com;

Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar: Built on an English brown ale base, this beer has an extra hazelnut kick that really sings with the nutty flavors of the cheddar and gruyere cheese.
New Glarus Fat Squirrel: Another beer with a pronounced hazelnut character, this one has a bit more bitterness and roasted flavor than the Rogue beer. The added English hops give a shout-out to the sage and clear away the sauce.
Oktoberfest/Märzen
Schell's Oktoberfest: A 2010 GABF gold medal winner, this is a beautiful example of the style. Toasty caramel malt brings out the sweetness of the sauce, while the spicy flavors of continental hops offer a tasty counterpoint.
Paulaner Oktoberfest-Märzen: The original Oktoberfest beer, Paulaner is light with a clean, dry finish. The subtle sweetness enhances the sauce, but really lets the cheese come through.
English Pale Ales
Samuel Smith's India Ale: This classic English IPA is bitter, but balanced and a great partner for cheddar cheese. The flavor-marriage with this dish creates an interesting floral offspring. It's sharp enough to cut through the creamy sauce.
Fuller's ESB: Smooth caramel malt with a balancing blast of bitterness and light, earthy hops make this a delightful mate for mac and cheese. It's another beer that pairs well with cheddar, bringing both sweet and nutty flavors to the table. 

Tell us about your favorite way to serve up mac n' cheese.
Cheers to cheesy goodness!

Summer Fun

We know, we know it's still technically spring and the year has been rushing by but we're always excited for the wedding and party season and June is just around the corner! Colette's is ready for your graduation celebrations, father's day BBQs, summer soirees and of course fabulous weddings. And in keeping with the festive mood of summer entertaining we're introducing some delicious menu items that are light and crisp for those hot summer parties.

Try our new crab and avocado salad atop a crisp watermelon medellion or chilled avocado soup shooters

Add a grilled peach and goat cheese salad with blackberries and lemon vinaigrette for a fresh taste for your menu

And fish tacos can be served up by our chefs as an entree or try them mini for a fun and unexpected appetizer that will wow your guests.

For dessert try our Cake Goddessess' newest creation; Avocado Panna cotta (clearly we've fallen head over heels with avocado)

We didn't forget about the drinks either, signature cocktails anyone?

We can't wait to serve Hibiscus Margaritas, and Apple Sage Coolers made from apple pie moonshine. yum!

Shot, shots, shots!

Even though we're well out of college we just cant get enough shots at our parties. So there not exactly the same shots from back then, but they still make for a great party. Whether tray passed or set up as a fabulous station, your favorite foods served in shot glasses are a great addition to any event your hosting.

They can be served as appetizers during cocktail hour, a late night snack towards the end of your event or consider having a "shots" party and try them all!         

  

Starting with breakfast we're serving up "shots" of  french toast and maple syrup, and shots of espresso with mini doughnuts 

 

Add a chic mimosa bar and you've got yourself a truly fabulous brunch.

For those hot summer days around the corner we're serving chilled ''shots'' of veggie crudites and dips, fresh avocado and shrimp ceviche, and cold summer soups like our spicy gazpacho, kiwi and cucumber, and strawberry basil soup shooters.

And a more literal shot option are these bloody mary shots served with bacon wrapped scallops on bamboo skewers

 

 

 For a warmer treat its another appearance from our favorites; The Grilled Cheese served with creamy tomato soup, and from  

The Potato served as a fry with ketchup.

And we didn't forget about dessert either...

 Try a deconstructed cupcake with a thin layer of ganache on the bottom it's a sweet surprise for your guests. Or try a shot of milk with a chocolate chip cookie it's the perfect pick me up.

So put away the plates because we're taking shots!

www.colettesevents.com