• Yes, French woman do indeed drink wine.
• Here's what you need to have a garden party this summer.
• How to make homemade jam.
• A quick guide for what to make for June events such as graduations and Father's Day.
• How to add flowers to any meal.
• This month's recipes include: Chilled Tomato-Tarragon Soup, Grits, Cheese, and Onion Souffles, Tomato, Red Onion, and Basil Bruschetta, Deep Dark Chocolate Cookies, Blackberries with Mint Tea Syrup and Yogurt, and Coconut Cake with Mascarpone Frosting.

One of the advantages of helping out on Is My Blog Burning (a notice board of all the foodie blog events and happenings) is the advance notice of such events.

One such event, posted today, is the Garden Party as organized by Dispensing Happiness.  This should be great. Basically, Blog Party is a virtual cocktail party. As Dispensing Happiness says, "It's a chance to make those little bites and fantastic drinks we all love, but never make. Blog Party is about taking time for us: setting aside some time to cook (which, clearly, we all love), to prepare appetizers we want to eat but never get around to. And best of all, it's about getting together, albeit via the Web, with like-minded friends."

You don't have much time to join in -- if you have a blog -- as entries have to be in by the 18th. I am thinking refreshing elderflower cordial; perhaps some Pimms, and some crisp little savoury nibbles. Of course, you can always take a peek at our own Slashfood Garden Party for insipiration.

[Image from Dispensing Happines]

Thanks, everyone, for coming by our little Garden Party today! In case you missed anything, or want an easy reference back to all our recipes, ideas and posts, here is a roundup of all the stuff we did today:

General and How-To:

• Party Food Porn: White Chocolate Petit Fours
• Edible centerpieces for a garden party
• Cookbooks for parties
• Impress with caviar
• Lime cheesecake mini-tarts

Recipes:

• Smoked Salmon Benedict
• Carrot Mini-Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling
• Lemon Buttermilk Cupcakes
• Edamame Hummus on Toasted Flatbread
• Asparagus, Basil and Tomato Fritatta
• Spinach and Feta Fritatta
• Garlic and Parmesan Roasted New Potatoes
• Coconut Cupcakes
• Cauliflower Soup with Toasted Garlic and Scallions
• Elegant Nasturtium and Cucumber Tea Sandwiches

Drinks:

• Easy punch recipes
• Pimms Original Cocktail
• Campari and Soda with orange
• Grapefruit Cooler Cocktail
• Sparkling cocktails: mimosa, bellini, and kir royale

Tropical fruits:

• Papaya
• Tamarind
• Watermelon Juice
• Spanish Limes/Genips/Quenepas/Mamoncillos

We also had a reader submission from Cookbook 411 for some amazing looking Mini Puff Pastry Pizzas - check them out!

[Photo by Nicole Weston]

Fritattas could very well be the most popular brunch food there is. Not only are they relatively easy to prepare, but they are very versatile. You can put almost any combination of meats, cheeses or vegetables into the egg base and turn out a fantastic dish. Fritattas can also be served hot, cold and at room temperature, so they fit easily into party preparation and, when it comes time to serve them, they can be cut into bite sized pieces or meal-worthy wedges. The problem is that many recipes call for both stove-top and oven cooking or specialty cookware. This is not the case with this recipe.

This particular fritatta recipe is one of my favorites. Not only is it simple, but it eliminates any confusion over what sort of pan is best for cooking. The whole thing is poured into a 9x13 Pyrex baking dish and cooked in the oven. The large, finished fritatta can be sliced easily to fit any occasion. And the flavor? With a spinach and feta filling, it tastes just like spanikopita: delicious.

Desserts are a  must at any party, but a soiree on the patio or in the garden calls for things that are easily handled while standing around in strappy sandals, balancing a cocktail, and still being your fabulous self. Cupcakes. Perfect, pretty, and no need for the Palmolive dishwashing liquid.

I made coconut cupcakes in foil wrappers, which are super fantastically shiny, and with an afro of coconut on top, the cupcakes look like they were ready for Saturday Night Fever, so I call these Disco-conut Cupcakes (TM).

Cupcakes are the single most fun dessert to make. They are the perfect size for a treat or to follow a meal and, since they come in groups, allow for a tremendous diversity in the way they are decorated. For example, these cakes are meant to look like Easter eggs. To get this nifty shape, I used the Easter version of the Fun Shapes bakeware I mentioned around Valentine's Day. They are foil mini-pans that are shaped like eggs. They are actually slightly shallower than ordinary cupcake or muffin tins, so though they are larger, they take the same amount of time to bake. This means that recipes do not have to be adapted for use in these or in regular pans.

The cake has a nice lemon flavor that balances with the richness from the buttermilk. The cupcakes are moist, tender and really delicious. My recipe calls for lemon extract, since it is a common ingredient to have on hand, but if you would prefer to use fresh lemons, simply substitute 1-2 teaspoons of lemon zest for the lemon extract in the batter. A simple sugar icing, recipe given below, gives the cakes a smooth an glossy, egg-like appearance, but feel free to use any icing that you would prefer.

Petit fours are classic party treats. True, they are seen more often on a plate of pastries at an elegant hotel then they are at an at-home party, but that shouldn't be the case. They are easy to make. You can see that I left one of mine only half covered in chocolate so that it would be easier to see the components.

Start with a store-bought pound cake or sponge cake. Cut it into one-inch cubes and then cut those in half lengthwise. Spread a thin layer of jam in between the cake slices and stack them back up. Melt down some white chocolate and dip the cake square into it. Place the dipped petit fours onto a sheet of wax or parchment paper to dry, topping them with sprinkles or other small decorations while they are still sticky. This is a great activity for kids because the chocolate can be melted in the microwave and they definitely won't mind getting their fingers sticky in the chocolate!

[Photo by Nicole Weston]

Today is Slashfood's Garden Party! Thanks for joining us.

Since the weather is warming up and the days are getting longer, we've decided that it's just the right time of year to head outside, brush off our patio furniture and have a few of our friends and family over. We're not staying out all day - it is still a bit too chilly in the evenings for that - but we want to enjoy the springtime as much as possible. All day we'll be featuring some of our favorite recipes and ideas for entertaining outdoors in the spring. We'll use some of our favorite ingredients, like asparagus, eggs and chocolate and whip up some great creations to wow both your taste buds and all of your friends', too.

Stay tuned!

Millefeuille is a French term meaning "one thousand layers." It is most often used to describe a dessert made with layers of puff pastry and sweetened whipped cream that is also known as a napoleon, but, more generally, it can be applied to any dish that is stacked in layers. This gorgeous millefeuille is from the Tartine Gourmande and though the name sounds fancy, it is not a difficult dish to construct a home, or even to make your own variation on. It is essentially a stacked salad with avocado slices, grapefruit slices and lightly cooked shrimp, drizzled with olive oil. The colors make this an ideal springtime dish, bright and sunny, and the perfect thing to serve at a garden party.

The days are getting longer and warmer. New life is pushing out from beneath the damp, barren soil in the yard. Slashfoodies are heading outdoors.

Spring is the time to celebrate new life and fresh food. And we're having a virtual  Garden Party on April 13th! We'll be bringing out some of our best brunch dishes and finger foods, as well as some ideas to get the whole family cooking. There will be plenty of sweet stuff, too. Don't worry about there being enough to go around, because we wouldn't let anyone leave a party without being full to capacity from some of our delicious recipes!

If you have a blog and would like to bring something to the party, just send us a link to your post on April 13th. See you then!