Business Happy Hours at ACC!

 This month we had the pleasure of hosting the Athens Chamber of Commerce and their monthly Business After Hours event. This time is set up so Athens business owners can mingle and get to know each other outside of normal Chamber meetings and luncheons. ACC loves a good event, as you all know, so we had a great time planning every detail of this evening!

We decided to incorporate a wine tasting game to really get everyone involved. Each taster was given a card to guess the varietal type of each wine and then they entered their guesses into a drawing for a 

Sunday brunch for four! 

We served several different cheeses and fruit (which included some of the domestic cheeses that are a new offering on our Cheese Plate)! 

Yummy!

We also featured hors d'oeuvres that were a great match with the mystery wine types from our guessing game! Delicious Goat Cheese and Brie Phyllo Bites paired perfectly with the Chardonnay, Jalapeño Popper Mushroom Caps paired perfectly with the Cabernet, and Chocolate Truffles were perfect with a glass of Pinot Noir. Both the food and wine were absolutely delicious! I think several of the business owners agreed as they went back for more several times!  

The overall message of the night is that Athens Country Club has the tools to help you better connect with a customer, business, or just your family. Come join us for a relaxing dinner with family and friends, or choose from a wide range of special events for both adults and kids!

Is there a way that ACC can help you better connect? 

Would you like to have a party very similar to this one for your 

home or business? 

All you have to do is ask! 

Contact us and we will be more than happy to help you!

Pinked Out!!

As so many of you know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and we here at ACC are giving ourselves a PINK makeover! From the blog to this month's newsletter, we have been sporting the pink as much as we can! We also have a golf tournament planned for this Saturday sponsored by our Women's Golf Association, in which the proceeds will be donated to the Susan G. Komen foundation! 

This is such a good cause and we want to show our support in any way possible! 

What are some creative ways you've found to support this cause? 

Seasonal Sweet of the Week!

For so many of us, Fall is our favorite time of year! The temperate weather and turning leaves just make  me so happy, but also the subtle changes in the foods we start to prepare. During the fall we are more apt to indulge in some warm soup, our start incorporating pumpkin and apple flavors into our recipes. To show our love for Fall, we have started featuring a seasonal sweet of the week on our delicious Sunday buffets, and I thought I would share the love by sharing one of my new favorite Fall recipes! Our chef made cookies like this, and they were absolutely divine!!! I went online in search of similar recipe and this is what I found... I hope that you enjoy these as much as I did!!  

30 Years of Food Trends

So a few weeks back as we were planning our Southern Living Saturdays menu, I stumbled upon this book 30 Years of Our Best Recipes. While flipping through I realized that they had completed a food trend profile for each decade. There is nothing this girl loves more than a good history lesson, trends, and food, which means I was in Southern Living heaven. So today I am diving back into this book to bring you blast from the past food trends even though some may not be too far gone. 

For the 70s...

• Scooped out and stuffed zucchini, eggplant, potatoes, peppers, and mushrooms took the main stage, as stuffed vegetable "boats" were big.
• Molded fruit salads loaves for everyday lunches and big family events like Christmas.
• Oysters every way- fried, scalloped, on the half shell, and skewered
• Meatloaf and soufflés were all the rage.
• Popular kitchen colors were avocado, harvest gold, paprika, and copper tone. 

From the 80s...

• The sizzling fajita surfaced.
• Fruit kabobs and cheesecake were the chic dessert.
• Food processors, pressure cookers, and microwaves became popular as a way to cook quickly.
• Ads of the day: Jello pudding, boil-in-bag rice, and unflavored gelatin. 

From the 90s...

• Salsa snuck past ketchup in popularity.
• Tall food was tops, with towering appetizers and desserts.
• Salt and fat got the cold shoulder in favor of fresh herbs and seasonings.
• The USDA convinced us to cook all our eggs.
• Fusion cooking, as well as vegetarian cooking, became more wide spread.

As for the new Millennium, here is my take on food trends from the past decade:

• Fondue pots became the new entertaining norm, both with chocolates and cheeses.
• Experiential elements, where guests personalize their own dishes, became the new hit in party planning.
• Organic produce began gracing our tables as a way to appease the health craze.
• Everything in miniature. Amuse-bouche style hors d'oeuvres allow party goers to try several different options. Cupcakes, cake balls, sliders, tacos, and hot dogs are just a few examples. 
• Fresh herbs and spices still find their way into most dishes, including desserts. 
• Lastly, every type of food can be served beautifully on some sort of stick. 

It seems like every time I finish a blog post for 500 Park Drive I leave hungry... But in conclusion, I would encourage you to visit the 500 Park Drive Pinterest board for inspiration in planning any and all parties, dinners and events. Hope you enjoyed this Tuesday morning's walk down memory lane, and don't forget that the best is yet to come with our Southern Living Saturdays! Check out the menus below!

Saturday, September 15th

Tomato Herb Salad
Spinach and Herb Stuffed Pork
Orange Herb Rice
Dilled Green Beans
Southern Honey Cake

Saturday, September 22nd
Bacon Monkey Bread
Orange Slices with Honey Yogurt
Corn and Squash Fritatta
Pumpkin Donut Drops  

Saturday, September 29th
Spicy White Bean Soup
Bourbon Chicken
Sautéed Apples, Onion, and Pears
Corn Fritters
Sweet Potato Bread Pudding

Fun at the Club!

So Jennifer, our fabulous Special Events Coordinator, has been working quite diligently to create an updated banquet guide for all special events but she was needing more pictures of table settings, different event areas, you know the usual stuff. So we decided to make a day out of it and pull out lots of different items, put together some different centerpieces and experiment with some new draping ideas. 150 pictures later, I think we got some winners! I was pretty excited about some of them and had to share! 

First off, let me ask how many of you have spent any time at ACC's picturesque stone patio area? I will admit I hadn't before today, but I will be a regular now! It is so beautiful!!

A little fun with glitz, glamour, and napkin folds!

These photos were taken using some light 'pucks' (for lack of a better word) we have here at ACC, and let me tell you they were so-o cool! They didn't photograph nearly as cool as they were in person!

This is just a taste of some of the tablescapes we created, but be looking for the rest in our new banquet guides and other publications from ACC. I hope you enjoyed the photos as well as gained some inspiration for a party you may be having soon! We always hope that when you think fun, you also think of ACC! Happy partying! 

Trend Alert: Taking the Cake...

It's no surprise that when you think wedding, shower, or birthday, your mind automatically goes straight to cake. Oh, your's doesn't? Well, maybe it's just me. Anyway, you always know that the cake is going to be the crowning jewel of the party. You know that so much time, effort and thought has gone into planning the perfect cake for the event. However, these days you aren't always sure what form that cake will be in... For example, cupcakes, cake balls, cheesecakes, miniature cakes, you get the picture. But whatever form the cake takes you know you love it! Lately, I have found sooo many cool examples of unique, fun, and nontraditional cakes that I wanted to share with you! You know me, and know how I harp on making each element personal to you, your party, your family, everything should remind people of you.  When people can think back to the party details and relate them to their friendship with you or an experience with you, that's what makes your party memorable. Take a look at some of my favorite cakes right now...

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What a beautiful example of both an elegant way to use cake pops and excellent usage of the ombre effect! This creates such a striking statement on your cake table, as well as a refreshing change from the traditional wedding cake.

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Do all of your friends know that you will love them forever if they bring you a box of a certain candy? Just so you all know, mine is Mike and Ike's Red Rageous. How fun to take a simple, cheap, plastic champagne flute or decorative glass, fill it with your favorite candy (or candies), and top with a color-coordinating cupcake! Again, the personal touches make these details spectacular.

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I love the look of this icing. This style screams luxury and beauty.  Along with this fabulous icing, these cakes are miniature. This party had one of these small cakes per place setting. At first I was thinking to myself, "Oh my goodness, that is huge!" but when you look at the scale based on the dessert fork sticking out of one you realize that these are comparable in size to a larger cupcake. Maybe it's big enough to share, but oh the indulgence.

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Isn't this fun for any one, big or little? I love specialty shaped cakes, especially ones covered in M&Ms.

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I love peacocks. Can you imagine being served this cupcake? I don't think I would be able to eat it, it's too pretty!

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A little snap, crackle, and pop at your party! Who doesn't love a good Rice Krispy treat?

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Is your groom a super fan? This groom was crazy about Spiderman and the bride added this little detail to her cake to represent him. I think most of us can agree that we haven't seen anything like this before, and it just drives home the fact that small details like this can make any of us smile! 

I feel like I am a broken record, but these unique details will make your party the best ever and so memorable to all your guests.

After writing this post I am, of course, craving cake and sweets of all kinds. I might also need to see someone about my obvious obsession with sweets. My ACC grilled chicken and vegetable lunch is going to be so yummy, but will pale in comparison to the daydreams I am currently having of frosting and candies.

We're Southern, Y'all!

So, we live in Texas and not just Texas, but east Texas. It's fabulously beautiful, with stunning lake views and trees that seem to go on forever. I have always lived in Texas. I grew up in Dallas, went to college in Lubbock and then moved to Athens soon after. I love Texas. You will often hear me refer to Texas as 'the great state,' and I will be the first to tell you that I don't ever want to leave Texas. Texas is so unique and different from any other place. If you go anywhere outside of Texas, can you recognize the differences? It seems like the men aren't as courteous and the people not as friendly. If you are on Pinterest, you have been seeing a lot of 'e-cards.' These always make me laugh, but some of my all-time favorites are about us Southerners. For example,

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Bless her heart. I probably say that at least once a day without even thinking about it. It's the perfect phrase. I had no idea it was just a Southern expression, but I think that makes me love it more! But the statement below may also be true... 

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So anyway, on to the real focus of this post! ACC will be offering dinner specials on Saturday nights in September based on recipes from Southern Living. Jennifer and I had the pleasure of getting to look through the plethora of annual recipe books we had on hand and pick out the menus for each Saturday night! We had so much fun!! Here is a sneak peek, enjoy!

Apple Spinach Salad

Eye of Round Roast

Roasted Potatoes

Zucchini-Carrot Casserole

Pecan-Carrot Cake with Citrus Cream Cheese Icing

Garden Salad

BBQ Country Style Ribs

Parmesan Potato Wedges

Breaded Tomatoes

Apple Bourbon Pie

Tomato Herb Salad

Spinach and Herb Stuffed Pork

Orange Herb Rice

Dilled Green Beans

Southern Honey Cake

Bacon Monkey Bread 

Orange Slices with Honey Yogurt 

Corn and Squash Fritatta 

Pumpkin Donut Drops  

Spicy White Bean Soup

Bourbon Chicken

Sautéed Apples, Onion, and Pears

Corn Fritters

Sweet Potato Bread Pudding

I know that most of you are cursing my name because it's almost lunch time and you want all these items right now, but you will have to wait!! Make sure to mark your calendars for Saturdays in September here at your ACC! And one more, just for fun...

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Who knows, maybe some of these funnies will end up in our Southern Living decor :)

Hope your day is great!

Emily

 

Trend Alert: All About the Experience

One of my all-time favorite elements that has become more and more popular recently are the different food and drink stations. The options are endless! I'm telling you with all the ideas and inspirations you can find on Pinterest, you as the party host can personalize any and all of these elements to make your party truly unforgettable! As you can tell from other posts, I am such a visual person and I can't pass up this opportunity to show you some of the really cool things you can do with these different party stations!

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First of all, who doesn't love a good pancake? I mean, I'm a waffle kind of gal myself but I'm pretty sure I could put that aside when presented with a spread like this. This particular bar had several different choices for batter, white, wheat, buttermilk and banana- so good! Seasonal fruits and chocolate chips for toppings, and several different syrup options. Then on top of that, it's just gorgeous.

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A popcorn bar, umm yes please. This host offered several different types of gourmet popcorn, then you could choose sweet candies or savory ingredients to sprinkle in to the mix. Even better, you got to make a bag to take home! :) 

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Oh S'mores, you are so great. You are even better when I get to choose from all different kinds of marshmallows, chocolates, toppings and graham crackers. The possibilities are endless. If you are an ACC member, be looking for information about the Annual Hamburger Festival and Hamburger Ball. These are on the menu for the Hamburger Ball at your ACC. We are very excited! 

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Perfect for game day get togethers and sweater weather days. This chili bar could probably even turn this non-believer. I am not the biggest fan of chili or hot dogs, it's just not my thing. However, this whole set up is just to die for. 

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Dear Mimosas, I love you. I'm pretty sure I would melt if I saw this sight, but the fun doesn't have to end with mimosas. Imagine a bar for Bloody Mary's, Champagnes, Coffee with different liquor options,  and the list goes on and on. Like I said the possibilities are endless and there are so many opportunities for you to make it so personalized to you and your guests. 

We love all kinds of bars here at ACC. We have done several like hot dogs, nachos, candy, pasta, pizza, wings, omelets, and so many more! They are such an easy and fun way to get all of your guests involved! 

 As school is quickly approaching and the busy-ness of Fall sets in, we hope that you and your's are blessed. 

Emily  

Trend Alert: Creative Signs

Signs are all the rage right now in party planning. Clever and witty word play can make anything extra special, even when describing the most mundane of details.

Handwriting and calligraphy-type fonts also make things look handmade, which adds a whole new and personal element to your event regardless of if it's actually your own handwriting.

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I don't know if you 'tweet,' I don't but this would be so cool! You 'tweet' sweet nothings to the newlyweds, all using the same hashtag code, and they can go back and read your notes to them at any time! SO COOL!

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This is such a different take on your normal wedding ceremony altar. Weathered doors and a personalized sign make this such a unique feature for a wedding.

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You're probably getting mad at me because the first few pictures have all been from weddings, but those are not the only ways you can use signs!! Take a look at these precious signs that lined a sidewalk at a summer kick off party!

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Are there any Alice in Wonderland fans? Look at this fabulous element used at a Wonderland-themed birthday party!

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Food and drink markers, so that your guests know all the options!

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There are so many different and cool things you can do with signs. These are just a few ideas to give us the inspiration we need to get started implementing them for any party! 

Let us, here at ACC, know how we can help you plan any and all of your parties!

Featured: McGraw's Plus One

Athens Country Club was just featured on the blog McGraw's Plus One, and we wanted to show you what other people are saying about events at our club! 

It's the back to school season, which means our kids are amping back up to go to school, but more importantly our TEACHERS are diligently working and preparing to receive them. This year I decided to make little gifts for each of the teachers, and when I was delivering them I overheard them discussing how they needed a place to eat lunch the next day. Call it being in the right place at the right time, but I hastily volunteered to host them. A series of things ran through my head at this moment, 'Well, that is a wonderful idea! I'm so glad I was standing right here, at this moment' followed by, 'Oh goodness, what was I thinking?! Where can I host 15 people TOMORROW!?!' Luckily, I am a member of the Athens Country Club. I ran up there and spoke with Jennifer about if it was even possible to host that number with such short notice. She did it. I don't know if she has mystical properties but she made it work, even though tomorrow was a big day at our club, offering the regular scheduled lunch but also adding in a business luncheon for 100. Then on top of that, she added my little luncheon. Miracle worker, whew! Then the cherry on top of all that goodness, she asked me if I would like any special decor and then proceeded to give me several different examples of things she could accomplish in less that 24 hours. I, of course, said absolutely! Here is what the ACC staff was able to come up with less than 24 hours in advance of my sweet, little, luncheon.

A multicolored tissue puff runner snaked down the center of the table.

Thank you table tents, complete with educational quotes from some of the best minds throughout history.

Water and tea were served in beautiful drink dispensers.

Very cute printed food markers in simple, gold frames. We decided on the ACC Signature Salad and quarters of Par 5 Sandwiches for the main entrees. Everything was delicious!

Now on to the really important part, DESSERT! We decided on fresh fruit, with a wonderful fruit dip, and chocolate chip cookies. A little chocolate goes a long way when sitting in trainings all day!

Overall, it was incredible. Jennifer and the whole ACC team did such a wonderful job of attending to every single detail, and, the best part, she completely took over while I was still having a mental panic attack about what I had just taken on. She acted as my personal party planner, and she made me look GOOD! The teachers loved every bit of it and felt so special.

I have to tip my hat to the team at ACC. They did it at short notice, but still did it well. I'm amazed and shocked still that with less than 24 hours notice a group of people, who had lots of other things going on, could execute such a wonderful event and make it look like they'd been planning it for weeks. THANK YOU!!

 We love hearing feedback from our members about how their parties went and we love getting to be there for you when you need us most. Would you like to be a guest poster on 500 Park Drive, and tell us how your party went? We would love to hear from you!