Popcorn machine rentals are now available from ASAP Tent and Party Rentals.
After years of being asked we now offer rentals of this product. The machine rents for $95.00 and all the supplies can be ordered separately.
Watch the video for easy operating instructions.
by Robert Vidra of Simply Elegant in Edmonton
Any successful office party will include food and drink which is at the heart of any event. Most often the most difficult part of organizing and planning an event is deciding what to serve. Event planning for a successful party means deciding whether to have a cocktail party with appetizers, a full sit down dinner or a buffet that could also include setting up individual stations for larger events.
The time of day scheduled for a party or event will dictate the service type and food quantities. Don’t forget that your colleagues’ expectations will also impact this aspect of event planning. However, the biggest factor dictating the catering style you choose will be the budget you have to work with. If you decide to have your event on the work premises keep in mind the space will inform the service style. A formal sit down meal needs tables and chairs. Can your budget handle this style? Service staff will be required if you decide on this option.
Planning for a buffet style event means you will need tables to accommodate catering equipment. Space for a carving station is required if your party planning choices include a traditional roast beef or turkey. A cocktail style party with appetizers being served: use either presentation tables or wait staff to serve guests. An area for preparation will be needed for both of these party styles. The office kitchen can be a good resource in this case.
If you have to get the most out of a smaller budget, opt for the caterer to drop off your menu choices and then all you’ll need is a table to set up the presentation.
Here are a few more tips to help you plan the perfect office party that will have everyone talking about it – in the most positive way — for months to come!
- Food etiquette for your office. You know your workplace. Use that knowledge when planning any event. If you have an office full of women plan on having “pretty” food and something chocolate will be a sure hit. Perhaps yours is a construction business. Be certain to fill the gap with delicious home style portions..
- Be sensitive to the ethnic and religious requirements of the staff within your workplace.
- Quantity: How much is required depends on the number of people attending and the time of day your function is taking place. Luncheons usually require less than evening functions.
Appetizers for a cocktail party:
- Light: 3-5 pieces per person – Medium: 5-8 pieces per person – Full meal: 8-15 pieces per person – Dinner for cocktail parties: 15-20 pieces
- Renting China, Glassware and Cutlery will make any party planners life much easier and is eco-friendly. You should be able to rent them from your caterer. If you want disposable, choose a caterer that has eco-friendly items available. Have the order delivered the day before to ensure you are ready for the set up the day of the event. If you are missing items, early delivery gives you time to make wrongs into rights.
- Double up. Count on your guests leaving their glasses, plates and cutlery where ever they may wander. You will need twice the amount the number of guests you are planning on.
- Service. If you are not planning on hiring serving staff for your event a buffet is your most economical choice. Stack plates at the beginning of the buffet. Ensure guests won’t have to perform a balancing act while serving themselves by placing cutlery and napkins at the end of the buffet.
- To ensure that all your guests won’t have to wait in a crowd around one buffet table, think about setting up several. Naturally this depends on the space available to you and also be certain there are plenty napkins, plates and cutlery at each.
- The wow factor. If you have the budget go with butler service and provide your staff with an elegant experience that says they are the best.
Following these few simple food event planning steps will ensure you being the event planner your office needs for any party or event to be a success.
Food sets the mood. Great catering creates great party and event moments-and great catering is what Simply Elegant catering does. We understand how food can shape any party, event or meeting. Our chefs stand behind every bite to match you and your company’s style and budget. Simply Elegant works with you to make sure your catering works for you and your event — not against you.
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Sep 18
Paramount Patio Heater
Propane patio heaters can be economical to operate. Depending on the heat output level you set, a standard propane tank can provide 10-12 hours of heat.
Propane-powered “mushroom” or “umbrella” heaters (so called because of their shape) are the best choice for heating large areas. They radiate warming rays from the top cylinder and provide a comfort zone of 12 – 20 feet in diameter. The propane tank is hidden in the bottom of the unit. It’s a good idea to put these units away when not in use as they can be sensitive to the elements. Smaller tabletop units are also available.
Although electric heat is usually the most expensive, there are a few electric heaters designed specifically for outdoor use. Be sure that any heater that is left outside is rated as such.
With the wide selection of outdoor heating devices available, you’re sure to find one that right’s for you. So heat up the night – and go right on enjoying your outdoor space.
Infrared or radiant heaters are said to be 100% efficient as they do not heat space but the object being pointed at.
Typical installations for outdoor heat requests at ASAP Tent and Party Rentals generally fall into two types. A press conference or presentation or evening parties that spill out to the deck or back patio.
Our response to our customers is to have a combination of the two styles of heaters, one heating from above and one from below. In practical usage this provides the best results.
MH42T Tank Top
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Perhaps the advent of grilling season and the unusually mild weather across the mid-Atlantic, mid-West and Northeastern states has had a greater effect on how those of us who are lucky enough to live in these regions feel about life and how we fit into the grand order of things than even the combined effects of the demise of the King of Cosmetic Surgery and the fallout from the implosion of legal and illegal Ponzi schemes coupled with the denouement of thousands of bone-headed and toothless investments by idiots and psychopaths.
Of course, I’m not seriously suggesting that the death of a pop star even comes close to being as serious as the freezing up of the credit market and the staggering loss of income, savings and jobs that we have seen over the last couple of years. But I’m not so sure that there is anything that has affected the quality of my life on a daily basis than the advent of this fine summer.
For starters, my kitchen garden is going gang busters. I’m harvesting a second crop of radishes; the peas I put in the ground in May are a fountain of pods; a couple of handfuls of Yukon Gold potatoes left over from an early spring planting at the farm that I put in at the beginning of July have all pushed up leaves. If this mild weather holds fast, I might even be able to plant another crop of lettuce this month.
The mild weather it has allowed my family to dine outside most nights thereby reducing the amount of time we have to spend cleaning the kitchen and dining room. Never mind that dining on the deck, dappled in sunshine and caressed by a cool evening breeze is an unalloyed joy. There is no getting away from the fact that the mess that results from cooking on a grill — even a charcoal grill — pales in comparison to aftermath of a meal cooked indoors. Of course, cooking outside presents some unique challenges.
For starters there are unrealistic expectations presented by some dishes that are traditionally cooked on a grill. Take those skewers of alternating chunks of vegetables and meat referred to as shish kebab for example. Most recipes for shish kebab tell you to put chunks of raw vegetables and perhaps marinated beef or lamb on skewer and grill them. There is simply no way that one can cook raw meat and vegetables at the same temperature for the same amount of time and have them all be perfectly cooked. To make a dish like this work one has to separate the vegetables according to how long each takes to cook and make separate skewers of meat. Another option is to par cook the densest vegetables before threading them onto the skewers with the meat.
Grilled vegetables by themselves are great but also require careful treatment. Many vegetables are too watery to slap on a grill and not expect them to stick and turn to mush. Dry out watery vegetables like mushrooms, squash, tomatoes and eggplant before you grill them by cutting them and removing the pulp (tomatoes) or sprinkling them with coarse salt, to pull out some of the water via osmosis. Also always oil vegetables to keep them from sticking and to make sure that they develop nice grill marks (the oil drives up the surface temperature).
Then breathe easy in the summer air and take solace in knowing that for we cooks, respite from the wilderness of national and world affairs is, as always, that zone between the garden, the fire and the table.
May 19
| Setting the Scene |
| A perfect holiday table starts with a properly set table. |
| Plates Begin setting the table by placing the dinner plates one in front of each seat. Plates can be placed on a charger (a larger decorative plate), a placemat, or directly on a tablecloth. Napkins Forks Knives Spoons Bread or Salad Plates Glasses Cups and Saucers Other |
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Tips for Planning Portion Sizes When You as the Party Host Must be Your Own Caterer and Chef
Whether hosting a small cocktail party for eight or an elaborate feast for 50, the host or hostess who cannot afford the luxury of hiring a professional caterer is immediately faced with three key questions: What should I serve? How much do I need to prepare? And how do I figure portion sizes? There are methods to calculate portion sizes, but before picking up that recipe book and planning a menu, there are several considerations that one must address.
Whether hosting a small cocktail party for eight or an elaborate feast for 50, the host or hostess who cannot afford the luxury of hiring a professional caterer is immediately faced with three key questions: What should I serve? How much do I need to prepare? And how do I figure portion sizes?
If you try to calculate food portions based on what you might receive at a restaurant, in particular when we live in an era of ‘super size’ meals, you may be inclined to purchase and prepare more food than you need. This contributes to a waste of time management, food and financial resources. If you purchase and prepare too little food, obviously you’re going to run out, leaving you and your guests with a terrible experience.
“One thing that immediately comes to mind is an episode on the hit television program, ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show,’ where Mary throws a small dinner party and her boss Lou Grant, played by Ed Asner, takes two portions and is forced to put one back because Mary will run out of food,” said Greg Jenkins, partner of Bravo Productions, an award-winning, full-service event planning and production company specializing in staging corporate functions nationwide. “Mary is obviously embarrassed by the incident. And while this makes for great comedy, I still cringe when I think this scenario actually happens in real life.”
Many food recipes will provide you with servings, however, prior to planning your menu and determining how much food you will need to purchase and prepare, there are several considerations that you should address says Jenkins.
First, always create an informal profile of your guests. For example, are there a bunch of young, hearty eaters attending your functions, or a lady’s social club? Younger adults, teenagers and men tend to eat more than seniors and women. “And if you have hearty eaters, you may have to allocate an additional 1.5 times the amount in portions for each guest,” said Jenkins. The demographic profile should also take into consideration the type of meal preferences of your guests. Is it more of a beef eating or crudite crowd? “If given a choice between fresh jumbo shrimp or a vegetable platter as appetizers, you can imagine the shrimp will go fast,” said Jenkins. The key is to know your audience. Secondly, the time of day will play a factor in determining portion sizes. Guests are inclined to be hungry around traditional meal times such as noon and 5:00 p.m. So if you’re hosting a dinner at 6:00 p.m., you can imagine most of your guests will arrive with hearty appetites. Thirdly, the type of occasion will have an impact on the amount of food you will need to provide. Guests tend to eat more at weddings where there is a relaxed atmosphere with heavier drinking than at social luncheons where lemonade and iced tea is served. In addition, at functions where guests are continuously involved in physical activity, food consumption will be much higher and constant. Fourthly, the duration of time your function will take place is a component in determining how much food you will need to make available. The all-day picnic buffet where food platters are set on a table for self-service by your guests entices people to eat more in comparison to the 2-hour hors d’oeuvres only cocktail party, where appetizers might be tray-passed. Guests’ eyes are typically bigger than their stomachs at buffet-style meals. In that, it’s quite common for guests to take larger portions than they can actually consume. And lastly, be honest in evaluating your culinary capabilities and skills. More specifically, if you prepare a dish or two that you are not proficient in making — even some might find less than tasty — your guests will be inclined to eat more of one particular item, which again may result in you running out of food quickly.
The following tips are guidelines to help you determine food portion sizes and make your occasion as carefree as possible:
Hors d’oeuvres Only Cocktail Party — 12 Pieces per person for the first hour (8 hot; 4 cold) and 6 pieces per person every hour past the first hour.
(Example: 30 guests x 12 pieces = 360 hors d’oeuvres for the first hour needed.)
Hors d’oeuvres Before Dinner — 6 to 8 hors d’oeuvres per person for 1-hour to 1.5 hours of service. When shrimp is served, plan on 4 pieces per person for the first hour.
(Example: 30 guests x 6 pieces = 180 hors d’oeuvres for 1-hour.)
Salads and Side Dishes — 5 ounces per person if serving multiple salads and/or side dishes. If only a tossed salad or one side dish, calculate half a pound (.50) per person.
(Example: 30 guests x .30 (multiple side dishes) = 9 pounds needed.)
(Example: 30 guests x .50 (single salad/side dish) = 15 pounds needed.)
Entrees — 6 ounces per person if one entree and 4 ounces per person if two entrees, including salmon, beef and poultry.
(Example: 30 guests x .50 (one entree) = 15 pounds needed.)
(Example: 30 guests x .25 (two entrees) = 7.5 pounds needed.)
Desserts — The rule of thumb is typically 5 bites each per person. Dessert selections can vary. To simplify this calculation, round cakes usually serve 12 people and pies serve 8.
(Example: 30 guests divided by 12 servings = 2.5 or 3 cakes needed.)
(Example: 30 guests dividied by 8 servings = 3.7 or 4 pies needed.)
Tips By: Bravo Productions. Founded in 1987, Bravo Productions is headquartered in Southern California and has regional offices in Las Vegas, Washington state and Colorado.
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Jun 17
Recently the Labatt Brewery in Toronto closed and moved to London taking their free beer taps with them. You can rest easy though because Molson’s up the street has come to the rescue.
If you would like to have draft beer at your party or event it is possible to get the necessary equipment and advice at the Molson Brewery company store.
The draft beer dispensers are available at the store. There is a damage deposit on the equipment that is refundable on return. If you do not have access to the Brewery store you can contact your local beer store. Some carry this equipment and the draft beer kegs. Check by phone in advance before as all stores do not have the same range of products.
The Molson company store is located at 1 Carlingview Drive in Toronto.
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