The most creative ways to display cupcakes

On an old ladder

Line the ladder with coloured fabric and stack the a cupcakes along each rung for guests to take their pick

Cupcake Hunt

Have a Cupcake Hunt! You can give your guests clues or let them fend for themselves. This is obviously better done inside the house to avoid ant covered cupcakes, otherwise don’t hide them until just before the game.

Line the hallway

When it’s nearing the end of your party, have someone line the cupcakes along the hallway to the door. Guests can take one on the way out. Just make sure the pets are locked up!

Staircase

Similar to the one above, put a cupcake (or a couple) on each stair for guests to take on the way out.

Car Windscreens

Pretty ridiculous but have someone pop out towards the end of the party and put a cupcake or two on each guest’s car. Then hope it doesn’t rain for more reasons than one!

In a chest of drawers

Label each drawer with a different flavour and let your guests pick their favorite

On a bookshelf or dresser

Display on a bookshelf - make it a feature

Spin the bottle/Cupcake Roulette

Design your own

For kids parties, sit them at a table and let them decorate their own cupcakes, keeps them occupied for a while.

#cupcakes #decorating #saltoftheearthcatering
www.saltoftheearthcatering.com.au

How to make a fabulous feature out of your clothes line at a party

We all have one and you can’t exactly unbolt it from the wall or lift it out of the ground when you decide to have a party at home.

Here are some great ideas on how to make a fabulous feature out of your clothesline for a party.

Photo Display

Peg your favourite or relevant photos to it, we catered for a wedding who perfected this method. See photo below

Name Tags

If you are seating guests peg their names in alphabetical order with their table number included so that everyone knows where they are going

Lolly Bags

For kids parties, peg the lolly bags to the line as an incentive for being great guests and they receive it on their way out!

Piñata

Tie a  Piñata to it and let your guests swing away

Clothesline Roulette

This is specifically for the hills hoist owners, peg numbers (names or categories) around the line, let the guests place their bets, stand in position and swing the line.

Truth or Dare

Peg the words truth or dare around the line and let the guests swing to find out what their fate is.

Garage/Clothes Sale

Hang your clothes on the line with price tags and let customers take their pick

Tent/Cubby House

Separate the kids from the adults with their own “Special” area!

Bar

Set the bar up underneath and hang some decorations from it with some bunting or signage indicating “BAR” for the guests easy access

Hang Plants or Lanterns

Hang plants, lanterns, bunting, wind chimes, fairy lights or paper pom poms from them, or plant a climbing vine at the post and let it work its way up and around the lines.

The NEW Wishing Well

Instruct Guests to peg their cards to the clothesline, decorate with coloured fabric and flowers.

Sprinkle flower petals underneath to make it prettier!

Weather proof

If you are stretched for space, cover the clothesline with a tarp to protect your guests from unwanted rain, hail or shine!

Music

Stick the DJ under it and hang some glow sticks etc from it.

Theme Parties
Have a hat party and hang them from the line for guests to pick one 
Make a tent for a fortune teller, tarot reader, make it into a haunted house

Baby Showers/Hen's Parties
Have the guests pin their advice on it 

#saltoftheearthcatering  #clotheslines #decorating #parties #wishingwell #pinata
www.saltoftheearthcatering.com.au

Monday's Money Saving Recipe

So this weekend the left over’s in my fridge are some Lamb fillets, Goats Cheese, Rocket, Bacon, Sour Cream and Potatoes….hmmmm

Things that come to mind are Lamb fillet stuffed with goat’s cheese and rocket, possibly wrapped in bacon but maybe too indulgent for a Monday, with mash or roast potatoes….

Slow cooked lamb & goat’s cheese ravioli with a bacon, sour cream and rocket sauce….

Lamb & Bacon Pie or Lamb & Bacon Casserole….

As much as I would love a nice warm casserole in this freezing weather, I must consider my fiancé who hates casseroles, so I’ll drop that option. A Pie is an easy option but I feel like more of a challenge so think I’ll take the pasta option. Actually I can never say no to pasta especially homemade Ravioli!

So here’s my plan for tonight. (Serves 2 hungry people)

Place Lamb fillets and beef stock in roasting pan. Use enough liquid to just reach the top of the lamb.

Place in the oven on 150’c for 2 hours. Top up liquid if needed throughout cooking process.

Meanwhile put, 1 cup of plain flour, 1 egg and a pinch of salt in a bowl, mix and knead to form a nice pasta dough.

Wrap with plastic film and place in fridge for an hour.

Remove lamb from oven, drain any excess liquid from pan (can save to add to sauce), let cool and then pull the lamb into shredded pieces. Mix the cooked diced bacon through the mixture.

Roll pasta into thin sheets, and lay flat on flour coated bench.

Place heaped spoonfuls of lamb mixture and a dollop of goats cheese in 5-10cm spaces along the first sheet of pasta. 

Brush edges of pasta with eggwash, or water. Place second sheet over the top of the first sheet and press down lightly with finger around each heap of mixture.

Use a cookie cutter or pasta cutter to cut each piece of ravioli. And set aside on baking paper. Sprinkle with flour if they are too sticky. Continue process until you have sufficient raviolis for two. (Depending on the size of them, I’ll probably make 5-6 each)

For the sauce, put a teaspoon of garlic, butter or oil and 2 diced rashers of bacon into a fry pan, cook till crispy (or however you like it). Add sour cream and stock juices and stir on a low heat. Season with herbs if you wish such as parsley, rosemary, thyme and salt & pepper. Add desired amount of rocket at the last minute and stir through.

Boil water on the stove, and cook raviolis for 2-3 minutes. Drain.

Add ravioli to sauce, or serve sauce on top. Voilà! 

Now to get the fiancé who thinks he’s a food critic’s critique!

#saltoftheearthcatering #cateringsydney #moneysavingtips #leftoverrecipes

www.saltoftheearthcatering.com.au 

Dress up Parties!

You either love them or hate them. I LOVE them! My partner hates (secretly loves) them! 

As a kid, my sisters and I used to dress up every weekend. Our dress up chest consisted of everything from pirate costumes, olden day peasant costumes, 80's Madonna/Kylie outfits to bridesmaid and wedding dresses. My Dad would spend most of the weekend painting our faces and making molded witch noses and the like for us. To this day we still have a dress up cupboard at mum's place, which I took the pleasure of organising into labelled bags and hangers to make it easier to find an appropriate outfit.
A dress up party can lift the mood of every guest and take the party to a whole new level of excitement!

I know a lot of people once receiving the invite and dreaded words "dress up" on it, cringe and moan and cuss, however once embraced even if it's just a hat or feather boa, the inner child comes out.

And in the end, the less effort you put into your costume the more you stand out at the party, so you're better off going the whole hog! This doesn't mean you have to go out and spend a fortune on hiring a costume, Seconds shops, Reject shops and even the humble charity shops are ideal places to find props and apparel for your themed party.
So next time you have the pleasure of being invited to a dress up party, embrace it, get creative and be young again!

 

#saltoftheearthcatering #cateringnorthshore #cateringnorthernbeaches #dressupparties #costumeparties #parties #themeparties #northshorecatering #northernbeachescatering

www.saltoftheearthcatering.com.au   

Client Testimonials

Thanks so much for catering for our little cocktail party yesterday.The food was absolutely delicious, everyone commented how lovely it was.  Thanks to Sophie too, she was a great bar person…everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, just a pity we couldn’t have stuck with Plan A, without the rain.

Kerry, Darlinghurst, April 2014 (Farewell Party for Anne Geddes)

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I wanted to thank you very much for the excellent manner in which you and your girls catered for our party on the 29^th March.
The food was excellent and we had very complimentary remarks from our guests, two of whom had operated a successful restaurant for 10 years. 
I was also impressed by the efficient manner in which you arrived, unloaded and cooked the food, then left the kitchen looking sparkling clean.
A number of people commented on how pleasant and friendly the girls were as they passed the trays around, engaging in a little conversation with the various guests.
All in all, a very successful evening – our friends enjoyed themselves, as did we!!  Thanks for your help in achieving this.  I would not hesitate to recommend you and your company and in fact have already done so.
Wishing you continued success, I will contact you again next time we have a function.

Sandra Crow, Belrose, March 2014

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I was just wanting to say thank you so much for making Saturday night such a success for us.  As you know I was already not feeling well but the way you guys came in and took over and organised everything was amazing. Angus and I had such a fabulous evening and we had so many compliments about the food and how much people had enjoyed themselves that the night could not have gone any better.  Even weather wise the rain held off for us. I found out from numerous people that it seemed to be raining all over Sydney so we were very lucky.
Could you also thank the staff for me as well as they were all fabulous as well.
Wishing you all the best for the future and the next time we need catering we will definitely be back in touch.
 
Manuela, Frenchs Forest, March 2014

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Just wanted to say THANK YOU for last night.
Food and service were amazing and all the guests commented last night and again today. Luckily my CEO Roger and his wife Carol were suitably impressed so I get to keep my job!
Thanks again and I look forward to using you again very soon.

Maria, Lavendar Bay, February 2014

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Thank you so much for saturday night. The food was delish. Everyone has had nothing but praise. Also thank you for making sure wade and I ate. It was greatly appreciated.
I’ll sing your praises to the hill tops. oxox

Liss, Hornsby, January 2014

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Dear Hannah,

It is very delayed.... but I want to say that the catering for my daughter’s birthday was done perfectly. The food was excellent and the people who were here serving were lovely and very professional.

I am very grateful and will use you again.

Kind regards,

Vanessa Sammons, Neutral Bay, October 2013

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On behalf of the Mercy Foundation, I’d like to thank you for providing the catering and wait staff for our event on Thursday evening.
The cocktail party was a great success and a wonderful opportunity for us to thank our many supporters.
You really did a fabulous job and so many people commented on the beautiful food.
Both you and your staff were delightful to work with and I really did appreciate your willingness to help ensure that the evening was a success.
I was particularly grateful to you for assisting me in packing up after the event.
Due to your help I was home (and warm) so much earlier – thank you!

Finally I’d like to wish you a very happy Christmas and a really wonderful break.

I look forward to speaking with you in the New Year.

 Warm regards,

Jane , Events Administrator, Mercy foundation, December 2013

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Just want to say a BIG THANK YOU for a job "well done" yesterday afternoon/last night for our 30th Anniversary Party.  The food was amazing and your staff went about their job in such an "unobtrusive and pleasant manner" - we were all really impressed. 
I would thoroughly recommend your company to any potential customer who may be looking for a caterer to "solve all their party problems"!!

Once again - thank you from all of us.

UNIVERSAL CANDY, Mary Fengels, (Owner) 

 November 2013

www.saltoftheearthcatering.com.au 

#saltoftheearth #goodcaterer #goodfood #gourmetcanapes #saltoftheearthcatering

#northshorecatering #northernbeachescatering

Come Dine With Me

Over the past year a group of friends and I have been doing our own "Come Dine with Me"/ "My kitchen Rules" Competition.
Rules are: Three courses for 10 people.
 


We started with a Parisian Night, with snail racing and boules for entertainment, wild rocket, pumpkin, walnut & feta salad, beef bourguignon and jaffa creme brulee.

Our second night was a Mexican Fiesta, with a donkey piñata for entertainment, mini pulled pork tacos, homemade fajittas and lemon tart.

Our night was a Halloween Party, with wine tastings and Halloween Trivia, Spicy Pumpkin soup, Squid Ink Fettucinni with Black Mussels and Prawns & Orange Souffle for dessert, plus a Halloween Candy Bar for guests to fill their paper bags and take home.

Last weekend we had a Brazilian BBQ, with caipirinhas, salt & pepper baby calamari, pichania & beef ribs with cheese balls, black beans and rice & Passionfruit Cheesecake for dessert. 

I'm so impressed with the effort everyone has gone to.

One more to go and we have already decided to start it again once we finish this one. 
We have been scoring out of 10 and the winners will get dinner paid for them at a restaurant with the whole group. 
It's been so much fun and such a great way to catch up regularly.

 #saltoftheearthcatering #mykitchenrules #comedinewithme #parties #friends

 www.saltoftheearthcatering.com.au

 

Funeral Catering

Funeral Catering

Arranging a funeral is always difficult. At Salt of the Earth Catering, we know how hard this time can be, and our professional team is on hand to provide support and help take the stress out of organising the event. Our team has experience catering for all kinds of after funeral events across Sydney’s Northern Beaches and North Shore, and our warm hospitality will help make this day a little easier for you.

We know that there is often little time to prepare for an event like this, which is why we are so flexible and happy to help you organise your funeral catering at late notice.

Funerals with Salt of the Earth Catering

Whether you are holding the event in your home, a church, or elsewhere, we take care of everything to ensure the day goes smoothly. Our compassionate and caring waitstaff can be at your event to serve food and drinks and leave your venue clean so that you can focus on celebrating the life of your loved one. Alternatively, we can discreetly deliver food so that your guests can help themselves.

Our professional team will work with you to provide guidance and choose a personalised menu that will suit your tastes, budget or dietary requirements. Or, if you’d prefer to spend your time deciding how to share your memories of your loved one, you can choose one of our sample menus.

Call Salt of the Earth Catering today on (02) 8407 9023 to begin organising your catering. 

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