First Annual Kentucky Derby Party

Justin and I hosted our very first Kentucky Derby party this past Saturday.  I love horses, I love hats, and I love food...so why not throw a derby party?  It was actually my Mom's idea and a very good idea at that!

The party was a success.  I managed to document exactly one single picture of myself with some girlfriends before the house was packed with people.  And I got a few pictures of the food (but not all of it).  Guests arrived at 4pm and there were still 10 guests here when the clock hit 1am!

I never had a housewarming party so this is the first time many of the guests even saw my house.  It was great to have friends and family in one place.  And I love that everyone threw on their best dresses, decorated their hats and made their husbands dress in seersucker, bowties, hats and suspenders.  Here are the very few shots that I took during the day:

Dana, Amy, Me & Anna 

Brag-note:  I'm standing up in Anna's (and Peter's) wedding come October.  I was already excited to witness this big event, but now I'm like pee-your-pants excited that I get to help out and stand up with her!

Even Cora and Parker dressed the part!  I love these cuties.  I had 3 kids under the age of 4 that were invited, so I filled a "kids only" basket with bubbles, sidewalk chalk, balloons and little horses to keep them occupied.  Do you think I took a picture of it?  Of course not...but they looked like they enjoyed it and had a great time!

Here are a few more pictures of some of the guests.  I really wish I would've gotten pictures of everyone is their Derby best!

Lindsay & Jason

Tommy straight from his plantation

I'm so happy that everyone had fun with it and dressed up!

Did you bet on a horse?  We did!! Here's how we did it.

Every horse was allowed up to 5 bets.  Each bet was $1.  First place winner(s) shared 75% of the pot and second place winner(s) shared 25% of the pot. 

If you didn't watch the derby, Orb came in first place.  Orb was the horse I bet on.  Wanna know why?  Because my favorite paint color is oil-rubbed bronze - ORB (I practically own stock in that stuff).  So of course I chose him for his name.  It was just lucky that his odds were pretty good.  My theory worked and I won $8.  How perfect.  That's exactly what a can of ORB costs.

There was so much beautiful and delicious food that I completely forgot to capture.  Anyway, here's the menu, which you can bet is (mostly) southern.

Kentucky Derby Menu

(scroll down to see pictures and click the link for the recipe I used, if available)

 

Appetizers:

Derby Cheese Hat w/Crackers

Fruit Salad

Chips & Dip

Veggies w/Hummus

Phyllo Wrapped Asparagus

 

Main Dishes:

Country Ham and Biscuits

Kentucky Hot Browns

Bourbon Marinated Pork

 

Drinks:

Classic Mint Juleps

Mint Julep Jello Shots

Lime Bourbon Jello Shots

Mint Iced Tea

(I just brewed lipton tea, added mint and let sit in the refrigerator overnight)

 

Dessert:

Derby Pie

Racer Cake Pops

Horse Crunch Chocolates

Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

Banana Pudding Cups

 

 I prepped all of the dishes the night before and assembled everything the day of.  It was a huge help that guests brought along some of their favorite dessert and appetizers!

Derby Cheese Hat and veggies w/hummus

Country Ham and Biscuits

Kentucky Hot Browns

 

 I made a mint julep bar where guests could assemble their own cocktails in a mason jar.  I supplied the recipe, mint-infused simple syrup, bourbon, ice and mint sprigs so they could each make their own.  We went through 4 fifths of bourbon in 9 hours!  Each mint julep requires less than 2 oz. bourbon.  That's a lot of mint juleps for one little household.   

 

 

 

 For the non-drinkers, I made mint-infused iced tea.  Just in case you're wondering, I think only one person enjoyed the tea.  Everyone else was busy polishing off the bourbon.

 

 

A party isn't complete with out beautifully arranged jello shots!  I definitely can't take credit for these.  Peter and Anna whipped these up and they were awesome!  I'm pretty sure these are the reason for Justin's headache on Sunday...

 

 Mint Julep and Lime Bourbon Jello Shots

The dessert table was beautiful...and delicious!

...the adorable cake pops deserve a close-up.  My mom's coworker made these - I wish I had this kind of talent! The ears are chocolate chips!

 

The traditional Derby Pie was a hit!  Derby pie is just like a pecan pie, but has bourbon and chocolate chips.  I have a facebook friend who does some baking and I asked her to make this.  She did a great job and it was very tasty!

 

 

 By the way, thank goodness for my mom who is so talented with making candy and baking!  She made these chocolate covered strawberries, brought the cake pops, horse head chocolates, made the country biscuits and ham and even bought me little horses that I spray-painted and set around the tables.   

Overall, I have to admit that 1) I belong in the south, 2) I love southern food and 3) Mint Juleps are my new favorite drink of choice.  I wonder if I can pick up a southern accent...

Thank you to everyone who helped out at the party.  I couldn't have done it with out you!  <3

Mary