It’s A Women’s World

Thinking of throwing a girls party? “Girls party” usually refers to girls between 13 and 18 years old just getting together to hang with their friends. Grown women have “Ladies Night Out”.  Keep in mind, no boys are wanted or allowed. Most girls party ideas include giggling, talking about boys, applying makeup to one another, watching romantic comedies and other such boy repellent girls party ideas.  Like Cyndi Lauper says, “Girls just wanna have fun”.  That’s what a party should be, fun with your girl friends.

A successful party begins with planning. You’ll want to consider several things as you develop each of your girls party ideas. You’ll want to choose a theme for your party and develop your party atmosphere in line with your theme. Make a shopping list of food and beverages, and lists for party store items, decorations and if you like, party favors. You need an itinerary of group activities to provide entertainment. Think about music as well. Don’t forget your invitations. Give some thought to a gracious end to your party.

A party theme can mark an event, such as a birthday or Cinco de Mayo. The theme may simply set the mood or general ambiance. For example, a tropical theme might suit a summer pool party. One thoughtful girls party idea is gearing the theme to a guest of honor, such as the birthday girl.  Other theme types may require a little more imagination, but is well worth the thought. “There’s Always Someone Who Can Do It All” can be a competition theme, using funny or weird things people can do with a prize for the winner. Try “We’re All Models Inside”. Get some old clothes or have each girl bring clothes they’d like to model. Set up a runway. Each girl will remember the night she was a model.

Choose decorations to suit your theme. Streamers, clusters of balloons, candles or luminarias are just a few ideas. Party stores offer more decorating possibilities than you could use in a year. Pick out your music beforehand and invite your guests to bring any they’d like to share.  Important - you better include a space for dancing.  “Our Talents” is a fun party activity. Find out and recruit each guest’s talents. Ask each girl to come prepared to share it with the rest.  The reverse is “Talent I Lack”. In this one, each girl performs what she does worst. Laughter and smiles is what you want.

When planing your menu, consider treating them to chocolates and hors d’oeuvres, tiny sandwiches on toothpicks.  Have plenty of soda and chips on hand. Make a funny cake and write the name of each guest on it.  Consider guests with restricted diets.

For a dose of class, send a nice invitation. Be open to other girls party ideas. Get enough rest before the party so you’ll be an exuberant hostess. The whole point is enjoying  the company of other girls, enjoying being a girl.

Belgian chocolate is unique in the world of chocolates and the standard of excellence against which all other chocolate candies are compared. Belgian chocolate products are unsurpassed in both the quality of ingredients used and methods of manufacturing. Almost all of these gourmet treats are still made by hand in small family owned shops.  The chocolate industry is an integral part of the Belgian culture, with an average of 15 pounds consumed each year by every person in Belgium.

A Swiss man named Jean Neuhaus is widely regarded as the “father” of Belgian chocolate making. In 1857, he emigrated to Belgium with his family, setting up his chocolate shop in Brussels.  This successful family business was handed down by generations, and Jean’s grandson, also named Jean became the creator of the first filled, bite-sized chocolate confection, which he named the praline.  It is not the almond paste confection we know in the U.S. These filled confections were so complex in flavor, few other chocolate makers of his day could replicate his unique creations.  Jean’s inventive wife created the ballotin, a special type of box used to hold the candies. Belgian chocolates are still sold in the ballotin today.

Belgian colonialaztion of the Congo in the late 1800s brought the fine African cocoa to Belgium’s chocolatiers, contributing substantially to the quality and boosting the popularity of Belgian chocolate.  Today, there are many Belgian chocolate praline makers, including the famous Godiva, Leonidas and of course, Neuhaus.  Another technique which distinguishes Belgian chocolate making is the tempering process. While other chocolate makers obtain their chocolate as a solid, most Belgian companies receive their chocolate in heated trucks, fresh from the tempering process and still in liquid form. Because the chocolate does not require a second heating, much more of the fragrances are retained, making the finished product more complex and rich in flavor.

When the European Union, in 2000, ruled that as much as 5% of the cocoa butter found in chocolate could be replaced by other vegetable fats and still be labeled chocolate. Belgian chocolatiers went wild over over this scandalous resolution. Shortly thereafter, Belgium’s Ministry of Economic Affairs created a special designation, AMBAO, to distinguish their chocolate from these inferior wannabes.

A visitor to Belgium can become well educated on the Belgian chocolate production methods by visiting the  Musée du Cacao et du Chocolat in Brussels. With over 2,000 chocolate shops in the country, a visit to a few of these are a must for your itinerary. Just as vintners sponsor wine tastings, Belgian chocolate shops have chocolate tastings. If a trip to Belgium is not in your near future, just get on the net to find some of these renowned chocolate treasures.