The snow is melting and winter is finally parting its way….or at least it’s supposed to be.  But as we all know a little too well, winter sometimes has a hard time saying goodbye.  Most of us are  hurrying her out the door so we can greet a more appealing friend,  Spring. Although the cold dark days of winter can get dull and old, there are some perks that we may actually begin to miss once the season has long passed. I've decided that before we welcome the Spring flowers, we should celebrate one last winter party and take in all of her coziness while it’s still here.   The Cozy Perks: SATISFYING TREATS + RELAXING AMBIANCE + ROMANTIC VIBE + CUDDLY ATMOSPHERE = the perfect ingredients for an intimate  Moroccan style hot cocoa (or hot chocolate -I’ll be interchanging those..just a warning) party!   The Decor:

• Get as many decorative pillows as possible and surround the floor and walls with them. Also, place floor cushions around the table to allow people to sit.
• Scatter many candles of assorted colors and sizes all over the room, and place tea-lights on the table.  Turn out the lights and fire up those candles!
• Lay down an abundance of colorful, textured, and patterned blankets all over the floor. You can even hang a few on the wall as backdrops!

      The Table:

• Set up a low square table about a foot and a half high, or just the right height to sit around it on the floor comfortably.  (You can even use a big box and cover it!)
• Spread a tablecloth over the table and set each side or corner of the table with a place setting.
• In the middle of the table, place some small plastic dessert bowls and fill them up with different hot chocolate toppings so everyone can customize their cozy drink to their own taste!
• Put 2 plastic plates in the middle of the table to serve the French Toast Kebabs and Chocolate Covered Spoons on.
• Use the following products to achieve the same look as the table above.

  The Products:

Black MINI Asian Soup Spoon	Royal Blue Polyester Tablecloth	9.75" White Square Waves Section Plates	Square Waves Black Plastic Dessert Bowls

Platinum Clear Plastic Coffee Mug	Clear Heavy Plastic Spoons	Platinum Rectangle White Dinner Plates	Taipei Cocktail Napkins

  The Food:

• Various flavors of hot cocoa for people to choose from: Mint, White Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, Salted Caramel, Chai, Raspberry
• Toppings: Whipped Cream, Chocolate Syrup, Marshmallows, Cinnamon Sticks,  Crushed Peppermint Candy, Chocolate Hazelnut Pirouettes, Bailey (for spiking!)

 

• French Toast Kebabs (See the recipe HERE!)

 

• Hot Chocolate Spoons to stir into your hot cocoa (See the tutorial HERE!)

 

 

• And any other food that satisfies your taste buds

 

 

    The Activities :

• Have everyone create their own Chocolate Covered Spoons at the party! (Or you can prepare and wrap them yourself and give them out as favors!)
• Setup a projector, turn the lights out, and watch some old home videos of your family/friends/guests; or some old-time, favorite classics!

Don't forget to check out the 2 other blog posts that are necessary in order to complete this cozy winter fest!:  The  'French Toast Kebab' recipe and the 'Hot Chocolate Spoons Tutorial'.   xoxo, Martina