Summer Blast

Last night we had our Summer Blast Party here at Nicolino's. It was a nice night for fun, food and savings. We had some specials and discounts and customers were treated to hand massages while they nibbled on fruit kabobs, dips, chips and brownies . Frozen wine-a-ritas and cosmos were also served.

Everything seemed smooth on the outside, but I must confess there were a few behind-the-scene mishaps. Seems no matter how much you plan, life has a way of living on its own. I'll share a few with you...

I wanted to serve brownies that night...the Barefoot Contessa brand that we carry in the store. I've made them many times before and they are absolutely decadent. This time though (ya know, when it really counts), they came out of the oven sort of burnt and crumbly. Not good! I said a few things I can't print here...but with a little research, I discovered I only used one egg instead of two. BIG MISTAKE!

Lesson learned: next time get all the ingredients in front of you and check before you start. Oh well, they were gone by the end of the night...funny though, not one person asked for the recipe!

Second, we have these wine-a-ritas (frozen drinks almost like a sangria) that were a big hit at our open house last year. So I thought let's add the cosmopolitan frozen drink from the same company as a second choice. I mixed the recipe fine and I thought we could just put them out in a thermos pump and make it self-serve. BIG MISTAKE! Didn't realize it until it was too late, but the liquid was coming through and all the slushy ice was stuck. Had to go to plan B - but it was a little late by then.

Lesson learned: Always test drive a new plan.

All in all it was a fun night!