Dinner Party Inspiration - Pink Ribbon Fare
Pink Ribbon Fare. This week is a special Dinner Party Inspiration post.
October is almost here and being Australia's Breast Cancer Awareness month, it's one that means a lot to me.
Me, mum and my sister, Erin on Christmas Eve 2007. This was our
last Christmas before mum was diagnosed with Inflammatory Breast Cancer early in 2008.
I watched an aggressive form of breast cancer take my mum from us in 2010, after a 2 year battle. When she passed away my mum was 52, full of life, drive and love. She was and is my inspiration for Tipple & Fodder.
It took away years of our lives together, travel dreams she had for herself and my dad, time she'd planned to spend together with us all and our future families, and our little family as we knew it. It changed the way we see life, sometimes for the better, and has altered us for ever.
Little me and mum
We live with her loss each and every day. That is now our reality and if I can play a small part in helping another woman or man and their family from the same fate, then I'm there.
In a heartbeat.
There are special days dedicated to specific types of awareness over October. October the 13th is Australia’s National Secondary Breast Cancer Awareness Day aimed at supporting people battling secondary cancer, and their families. The 26th of October is Pink Ribbon Day. A day for all of us to show our support for the thousands of women who have been diagnosed, are battling, have survived and have lost fights against breast and gynaecological cancers. Keep your eyes peeled for a wide range of events throughout the month in your local area.
The entire month of October is dedicated to the same fight though and you can hold a small or large gathering at any time, while fundraising to support research for fighting and raising awareness of breast and gynaecological cancers. With so many organisations around Australia, and the world, working hard to fund ongoing research aimed at finding a cure, or as near to a cure as we can, we have a wide range of choice for linking our own events to one of the many fundraising opportunities at our fingertips.
This week's inspiration has been developed with a Pink Ribbon event in mind. Throw a dinner party for your nearest girlfriends, friends or family and donate to your chosen organisation. I couldn't think of a better way to support such a wonderful cause than being surrounded by people who mean to most to you. The amount of the donation doesn't matter as much as coming together for a purpose to raise awareness aimed at saving lives.
The Girl's Night In (Pink Ribbon) is a great fundraising link you could have for your dinner party. You could also simply throw your own party and donate to the National Breast Cancer Foundation or the Breast Cancer Network Australia through a range of the donation options and events.
Being such a special inspiration post, I'd love us all to share our special Pink Ribbon Fare parties together. Please tag me in any posts on Instagram here with #dinnerpartyinspiration_tippleandfodder, #PinkRibbonFare_tippleandfodder and tag photos with @tippleandfodder. The same can easily be done on Facebook by sharing your photos to my page here.
With the Pink Ribbon Fare Dinner Party Inspiration I really want you all to have fun creating something with a special and meaningful purpose, but most importantly of all; create something beautiful to spend time surrounded by people your love.
There is nothing in life more precious than that.
The Inspiration
Tablescape and Space
Think pink. It's that simple!
Make it beautiful and make the pink sing, without having it screaming at your guests!
Whether you choose to create your space inside or outside, use plain base colours and accentuate with pinks through use of ribbons, lace, flowers, candles, napkins and glass. Use your brown paper or burlap runner alongside a mix of whites and clear glass pieces to create the most enchanting Pink Ribbon party space.
If you're choosing to collect your fundraising donations by having all of your guests contribute an amount each (like a 'ticket') then you might like to create place settings with small 'pink ribbon' thank you gifts. This could be in the form of official Pink Ribbons purchased from retail outlets, or something more simple like a pink flower or name card.
Keeping a simple table with pink flowers as the centrepiece is always a gorgeous classic way to decorate a dining space.
If you have time to create gold vases from bottles and jars, they add a gorgeous touch to any table.
Using pink paper, or adding a pink touch to your table runner with paint or lace, and then scattering
with tea light candles and a range of vases and flowers is an easy way to add some glamour to your
table for the night too. Use a range of jars for vases and tea light holders for a cheap and gorgeous way to
create this look at home.
Using this wedding centrepiece for inspiration display photos of your loved ones, important
women (or men) in your life; mothers, aunties, sisters, daughters, grandmothers, cousins and friends. Make
your love for them the centre of your night. If you have lost loved ones, add them to your centrepiece as
inspiration for you Pink Ribbon Fare party.
Thank you gifts are a nice gesture and they don't have to cost a fortune or take too much time to
create. Buying a few pink macarons and using them to identify place settings, using small skewers
and name cards or mini boxes with name labels look great. Add a little something special to your Pink
Ribbon Fare and pre-order individual pink ribbons for your guests and attach them to your
macaron gifts. Buy the ribbons online here.
Play with a mix of soft and bright pink flowers to make your dinner space shine.
If you have the opportunity to create a floral ice bucket, use pink flowers and you'll have an
amazing cooler to sit in a small tin or bucket to match your pink space.
The Appetiser
Tuna Carpaccio with Rocket and Parmesan (recipe by Daily Mail UK)
or
Beetroot Gin Cured Salmon Gravlax (recipe by The Hungry Excavator)
Cheats Tip You can pick up beetroot cured trout or salmon from most supermarkets. Serve alongside pickled onions, sliced radish and some water crackers for a simple appetiser. For an 'extra pink' antipasto board, use the beetroot cured trout/salmon, taramasalata, sliced radish, beetroot dip, prosciutto and a mix of water crackers and beetroot chips.
The Main Course
Duck Breast with Cherry Jus and Celeriac Puree (recipe by Foodie Story)
Thyme Roasted Radishes with Champagne Honey Vinaigrette (recipe by Food For My Family)
The Dessert
Raspberry Mousse (recipe by Kitchen Confidante via Wayfair)
Photo via Kitchen Confidante. Recipe available via Wayfair
The Wine and Cocktail
Cocktail - Lillet Rosé Spring Cocktail (recipe by Martha Stewart)
Create these pretty pink cocktails following the linked recipe. Garnish with
edible flowers for that extra bit of 'cute'.
Rosé - La Planchelière Cabernet d'Anjou Rosé
In keeping with our pink theme, the Tuna Carpaccio, Beetroot Gin Cured Salmon Gravlax
or 'Extra Pink' Antipasto Board will all work perfectly with a fresh, crisp rosé. The La Planchelière
Cabernet d'Anjou Rosé is available online here via Dan Murphy's and is one of their
most popular options.
Pinot Noir - McArthur Ridge Southern Tor Pinot Noir
For main course, serve your Duck Breast with a beautiful pinot noir. There's nothing
better than that. Duck and pinot are a match made in heaven. I'd suggest the award winning
McArthur Ridge Southern Tor Pinot Noir from Central Otago (one of the best pinot regions)
which is available to us here in Australia at Dan Murphy's. Purchase online here.
The Music
For those of you with a Spotify account, I have created a Playlist: Pink Ribbon Fare for you to play at your dinner. It's inspired by and created with songs my mum played and loved from the 70's through to the late 90's. No mellow music from this woman, so don't expect quiet dinner tunes. Enjoy it! You'll be singing along in no time.
The Organisation
Decide whether you will register for holding a special event via a registered organisation (links in my introduction above). If you are doing this, register ahead of time. If not, think about how you might be able to generate donations.
Be creative! Make dinner party 'tickets', a donation jar, a chocolate wheel of prizes you've had donated or games to collect 'penalty' donations. It doesn't have to be difficult, just spend a little time and go with whatever works best for you. If you are making or creating thank you gifts, organise them in advance to avoid any unneeded stress on the day of your Pink Ribbon Fare.
To maximise your organisation time plan everything well ahead of your party. Order any pink ribbons 2 weeks ahead of your date and register your event with any relevant organisation.
If you're going to make the Beetroot Gin Cured Salmon Gravlax, start the recipe at least 48 hours before your party. If you are going with the Tuna Carpaccio or going with the 'Extra Pink' Antipasto Board you can simply create either of those items just prior to your guests arriving after you have got ready yourself.
Aim to shop for ingredients and decorations no later than a day ahead so you can relax at home. Place all table decorations on your table ready to decorate before you get ready on the day of your dinner. Keep flowers in water to cut when setting the table. Place any rosé in the fridge to chill down for at least 24 hours.
The night before your dinner, make the Raspberry Mousse. Pour it into jars, or bowls, cover and leave them to set on a tray in the fridge. Before serving dessert you will now only need to garnish with fresh raspberries and shaved white chocolate.
To make the main meal a breeze, I'd suggest making the Celeriac Puree and Cherry Jus the morning of your party and set both aside in containers to reheat just before serving. This means you'll only need to sear and bake the duck breasts and heat through the pre-made items before serving the main course.
Prepare the radishes before getting your table decorations ready by following the instructions to the end of the second paragraph (second step) and lining a baking tray with baking paper, ready to use before baking when getting the main course prepared.
A few hours before guests are due to arrive is when you can then set the table and decorate your space. Once that is organised take time for yourself and get ready so that you have about an hour to spare before your guests arrive. In that hour prepare your chosen entree, the cocktail and place all rosé on ice.
When everyone starts arriving, serve the cocktails to kick off your evening and enjoy the feast!
After your party, donate the funds you raised together and share it with your guests.
The Preparation
or
Acknowledgements
My Dinner Party Inspiration posts use some of my own recipes and photos, but also some recipes and images from blogs or sites I personally find inspirational. I in no way claim the work as my own and reference all recipes and photos by linking them all back to their original website.
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