A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if I wanted her to bring me back anything. Would you believe me if I told you I asked for salt? I love picking up different varieties, whether we’re traveling or I’m just visiting a new shop. Maddie grabbed me a super cute one from her trip to Paris last year, and the Magic Unicorn Salt I get locally is another favorite. What’s yours?
One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a serious case of FOMO on the daily, gets hiccups more than anyone we know and has perpetual bed head. She’s quite the unique roommate but may be exactly what our home needed. 💛
I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw th I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw that @njdotcom had picked six bagel shops at the “best in the state,” and one was reasonably local, all the sudden I needed one. I was never one to fall prey to peer pressure, but I’m very definitely a marketer’s dream. 😂 Alfa Bagels is on Route 10 in Randolph and has a good assortment of bagels, including all the usual suspects, but with a few others like rainbow, Asiago and French Toast throw in for good measure. Their bagels always seem to have a nice chew, which I appreciate and I love their sesame one. My go-to order lately is a double toasted flagel with lox spread and tomato. Their lox spread is a little ho hum, but the bagel is delish. Check them out next time you’ve got a craving (or get motivated by a local news story 😝). What’s your bagel order?
✌🏻 ✌🏻
When you really really really want to be best frie When you really really really want to be best friends. 💛
When a stressful week with deadlines ends with Nat When a stressful week with deadlines ends with National Cheese Lovers Day, how could I not partake? Tbh, I wasn’t especially hungry, and the appetizers are always the best section of any menu, so the queso blanco from El Mejicano in town wasn’t too hard a choice. It’s smoky and cheesy and I could have licked the bowl clean, but a girl’s gotta have some boundaries. Happy weekend, friends! ✨
A friend saw this placard and said it reminded her A friend saw this placard and said it reminded her of me and dropped it off in our mailbox, which really touched me. 💛 Life is too freaking short not to make conscious decisions to do more of what makes you happy, and to cut out the things that don’t. Rainbow Rowell said it best, “So, what if, instead of thinking about solving you whole life, you just think about adding additional good things. One at a time. Just let your pile of good things grow.”
The face and the daily hiccups… 😍 The face and the daily hiccups… 😍
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Press
  • Writing
  • Contact

Sweetnicks

Food and Life

The Makings of a Pinterest Party {Girls’ Night In}

April 24, 2012 · Narrative

p - feast
I fell into the habit of an annual Girls’ Night In party.  But as one of the guests leaving Saturday night said, “We should do this every month.”  Once a year might not be isn’t enough.

Last year, a group of friends converged at my house the night before I flew off to Seattle.  We made bracelets out of t-shirt material, and sent them off to an orphanage.  That was awesome.

This year, a few months ago, I decided on a Pinterest-themed party, since quite a few of my friends use the site as much as I do.  Potluck-style.  Everyone brings a few dishes, inspired by pins from Pinterest.  And I planned a craft that I also found on Pinterest.

We started pinning things to get the ideas flowing.  One friend remarked that it looked like mostly desserts and cocktails.

I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing.

But it actually ended up vastly different.

Only two desserts.

Mom Juice and bottles of wine.

p - deviled eggs
And lots and lots of deliciously savory food.

**Although the food and craft ideas originally came from Pinterest, I pointed the links below directly to the originating web site page to save you clicking through**

Crazy Feta Dip.  (I couldn’t stop eating it.  Doubled the recipe and plan to use as a spread for sandwiches and a layer for pizza this week.  Word to the wise: you have to like feta, otherwise skip)

Bacon-Wrapped Dates, studded with bleu cheese crumbles.  (I seriously hate dates, but we could not stop eating these)

Buffalo Chicken Dip. (an old-standby, and Nick was thrilled to see leftovers of it the next day)

Crockpot Honey Sesame Chicken with rice.  (awesome tummy-warming food)

A Tomato Tart.  (flavor-packed little bites of bliss)

Baked Brie Bites.  (in a word?  addicting)

p - crab-topped cucumbers
Crab-Topped Cucumber Bites (light and good)

p - garlic biscuits
Garlic Biscuits (yum)

Roasted Cauliflower Poppers.  (Love these)

Caramelized Onion Yogurt Dip.  (so good that I bought the ingredients to make it the very next day)

Deviled eggs.  (Not Pinterest, but I had a craving)

Biscoff Brownies.  (one of Nick’s favorites, made by a friend of mine.  he was stoked to see some on the kitchen counter Sunday evening)

Carrot and Zucchini Walnut Bars with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting.  (loved these, full of vegetables, only sugar in the bars is honey)

I feel like I’m forgetting a few things, but if I did, perhaps one of the party girls will chime in and remind me.

We ate.

And ate.

And ate.

And, um, drank.

And laughed until the tears rolled down our cheeks.  Or I certainly did.

We even lost power for a bit, mid-party.

We used Maxwell’s water spray bottle when girls got out of hand.

Meekly raising my hand as the first one caught in the line of fire.

All.in.good.fun.

We learned things about each other that we never knew, and have more visuals than I care to admit.  Some of my friends who hadn’t met each other learned some pretty awesome six degrees of separation connections.  We discussed everything from medical procedures and new favorite books to waxing and other random topics that will stay at my dining room table.  What gets said at Girls Night, stays at Girls Night.

Forever and ever, amen.

After we got through the first round of feasting, we cleared the table and began crafting.  I chose these nest necklaces, and they were super simple to make.  Well.  Kind of.  In theory they are, but my fingers are so not coordinated for these types of crafts.

It must be the chipped nail polish.

p - starting the nest
But that’s when you balance out everyone’s talents.  My friend, Lisa, finished mine up, and then helped me make one for Madeline.

p - my necklace

patrizia's necklace
And then promptly finished necklaces for two of my other friends as well.  And then liked the craft’s concept so much that she went out and bought supplies to make (and sell) more the next day.

She doesn’t cook.  But she’s got mad skillz in the crafting department, and hand-washed all the dishes from the night.

Those are the kind of friends people need.

Word.

Five hours later, we made plans for our next not-waiting-another-year Girls’ Night In (in June!), and the girls made mad dashes for their cars in torrential downpours.

Good times.

Always.

Tomorrow?  Eat.Live.Be.  And a new recipe.
Thursday?  March 2012 goal, show and tell.
Friday?  Details on a NYC exhibit for kids and grown-ups alike.
Saturday?  Review on a Middle Eastern restaurant.

Print Friendly, PDF & EmailPRINT

Posted In: Narrative · Tagged: Girls Night In, Pinterest

Comments

  1. patsy says

    April 24, 2012 at 9:23 pm

    What a fabulous way to spend time with girlfriends! I may have to do something like this as well… love that everyone brought things inspired by Pinterest! So much fun… and, love those necklaces!

    Reply
  2. Joanne says

    April 25, 2012 at 6:25 am

    Alright, I will SURELY be making it to the next pinterest party! No excuses. Sounds like a delicious blast. The necklaces are so pretty! I would never believe they were crafted at home.

    Reply
  3. Cathy says

    April 25, 2012 at 10:18 am

    It was a great time – still laughing here… I do believe I also got sprayed :-}

    Already seeking out recipes and maybe a “craft” for the next one!!!

    Reply
    • Cate O'Malley says

      April 25, 2012 at 12:01 pm

      Oooh, given the, um, theme of the next one, the thought of a craft intrigues me. Had an idea for food too – a different way to interpret it so we don’t end up with six cakes of the same, ahem, thing

      Reply
  4. Sarah says

    April 25, 2012 at 10:24 pm

    Sounds like a really awesome time. And the nest necklaces are beauts!

    Reply
  5. patrizia says

    April 26, 2012 at 9:20 pm

    So happy to have been a part of this!

    Reply
  6. Lisa says

    April 26, 2012 at 11:29 pm

    Had a great time at GNI…the food was good, the people were awesome and loads of fun…our next get together may not be so G rated…but bound to be filled with laughs and good times! Maybe there will be a craft associated with it too…will have to check pinterest…lmao :)

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

Storytelling…
Through photos.
Words. And recipes.

Archives

Categories

Instagram

A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if I wanted her to bring me back anything. Would you believe me if I told you I asked for salt? I love picking up different varieties, whether we’re traveling or I’m just visiting a new shop. Maddie grabbed me a super cute one from her trip to Paris last year, and the Magic Unicorn Salt I get locally is another favorite. What’s yours?
One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a serious case of FOMO on the daily, gets hiccups more than anyone we know and has perpetual bed head. She’s quite the unique roommate but may be exactly what our home needed. 💛
I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw th I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw that @njdotcom had picked six bagel shops at the “best in the state,” and one was reasonably local, all the sudden I needed one. I was never one to fall prey to peer pressure, but I’m very definitely a marketer’s dream. 😂 Alfa Bagels is on Route 10 in Randolph and has a good assortment of bagels, including all the usual suspects, but with a few others like rainbow, Asiago and French Toast throw in for good measure. Their bagels always seem to have a nice chew, which I appreciate and I love their sesame one. My go-to order lately is a double toasted flagel with lox spread and tomato. Their lox spread is a little ho hum, but the bagel is delish. Check them out next time you’ve got a craving (or get motivated by a local news story 😝). What’s your bagel order?
✌🏻 ✌🏻

Pinterest

A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if I wanted her to bring me back anything. Would you believe me if I told you I asked for salt? I love picking up different varieties, whether we’re traveling or I’m just visiting a new shop. Maddie grabbed me a super cute one from her trip to Paris last year, and the Magic Unicorn Salt I get locally is another favorite. What’s yours?
One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a serious case of FOMO on the daily, gets hiccups more than anyone we know and has perpetual bed head. She’s quite the unique roommate but may be exactly what our home needed. 💛
I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw th I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw that @njdotcom had picked six bagel shops at the “best in the state,” and one was reasonably local, all the sudden I needed one. I was never one to fall prey to peer pressure, but I’m very definitely a marketer’s dream. 😂 Alfa Bagels is on Route 10 in Randolph and has a good assortment of bagels, including all the usual suspects, but with a few others like rainbow, Asiago and French Toast throw in for good measure. Their bagels always seem to have a nice chew, which I appreciate and I love their sesame one. My go-to order lately is a double toasted flagel with lox spread and tomato. Their lox spread is a little ho hum, but the bagel is delish. Check them out next time you’ve got a craving (or get motivated by a local news story 😝). What’s your bagel order?
✌🏻 ✌🏻
When you really really really want to be best frie When you really really really want to be best friends. 💛
When a stressful week with deadlines ends with Nat When a stressful week with deadlines ends with National Cheese Lovers Day, how could I not partake? Tbh, I wasn’t especially hungry, and the appetizers are always the best section of any menu, so the queso blanco from El Mejicano in town wasn’t too hard a choice. It’s smoky and cheesy and I could have licked the bowl clean, but a girl’s gotta have some boundaries. Happy weekend, friends! ✨
A friend saw this placard and said it reminded her A friend saw this placard and said it reminded her of me and dropped it off in our mailbox, which really touched me. 💛 Life is too freaking short not to make conscious decisions to do more of what makes you happy, and to cut out the things that don’t. Rainbow Rowell said it best, “So, what if, instead of thinking about solving you whole life, you just think about adding additional good things. One at a time. Just let your pile of good things grow.”
The face and the daily hiccups… 😍 The face and the daily hiccups… 😍

Copyright © 2023 Sweetnicks · Theme by Vicki Harrison Design