Buy a cheap bottle of Sangria and brandy from the store. Take a pitcher, fill it with sliced apples, oranges (with rhine on), and any other fresh fruit you desire. Fill it mostly with sangria, and top if off with some brandy. Let it sit for a day or two to soak up the fruit.

1 bottle white zinfandel wine
1/4 cup brandy
1/4 cup triple sec
1 cup pineapple juice or fresh orange juice
1/2 cup or to taste simple syrup cooled (equal parts water and sugar cooked till sugar dissolves)
1 orange sliced
1 lemon sliced
1 lime sliced
1 basket raspberries rinsed

Combine all ingredients in large pitcher, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Serve over ice and enjoy!
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Bacon and Date Appetizer
Prep Time: 30 MinutesCook Time: 5 Minutes Ready In: 35 MinutesYields: 6 servings
Dates are stuffed with almonds and wrapped in bacon!
INGREDIENTS:
1 (8 ounce) package pitted dates4 ounces almonds1 pound sliced bacon
DIRECTIONS:
1.Preheat the broiler.
2.Slit dates. Place one almond inside each date. Wrap dates with bacon, using toothpicks to hold them together.
3.Broil 10 minutes, or until bacon is evenly brown and crisp.
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French Bread Stuffed with Chicken

1 (12”) French bread loaf
2 tablespoons pine nuts
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 pound chicken, diced
1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/4 cup dry white wine
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon dried Thyme
2 cups broccoli florets
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
2 cups Fontina cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 425° degrees F.

Cut bread loaf in half lengthwise, remove centers in small chunks leaving a 1/4″ shell. Bake bread chunks on a cookie sheet with pine nuts 5 – 7 minutes, set aside.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in skillet, sprinkle chicken with liquid smoke, sauté until done, remove chicken. Deglaze skillet with wine, add remaining 2 tablespoons butter and sauté garlic, mushrooms and thyme until all liquid has evaporated. Add baked bread chunks, toasted pine nuts, sautéed chicken, broccoli, salt and pepper to skillet mixing well. Fill French bread halves with stuffing, sprinkle with Fontina cheese, bake 10 minutes, cut and serve hot….. delicious !
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Roasted Artichoke Pesto Recipe

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 3 large cloves garlic, quartered lengthwise 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves 1 bay leaf 1 teaspoon gray salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 packages frozen artichokes 1/2 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In a deep ovenproof pan, combine 1/2 cup olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Add the frozen artichokes and mix to coat. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cover with aluminum foil, transfer to the oven, and cook until the artichokes are browned in spots and tender when pierced, about 35 minutes. Allow the artichokes to cool in the liquid. Remove the bay leaf. Put the cooled artichokes with the liquid into a blender. Add the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and basil leaves and process until smooth.
Makes 2 cups, serve with crackers, bread or whatever.
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Meyer Lemon Olive Oil and Honey spread

1 # Laura Chenel Chèvre (Goat Cheese) room temp.
1/4 cup Meyer Lemon Olive Oil
1/4 cup Sonoma County Honey (any honey)
Salt
Over a low flame, gently whisk together Meyer Lemon olive oil and Sonoma County honey until smooth & warm. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Mix cheese and oil and honey mixture till smooth. Serve with slices of Sweet Baguette or whatever.
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Cheeses, sliced salami and fresh fruit will round off any get together.

3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons (3 splashes) spiced dark rum
3 tablespoons orange liqueur
1 navel orange, sliced
1 lemon, sliced
2 ripe peaches, cut into wedges
3 ripe plums, cut into wedges
2 cinnamon sticks
1 bottle Rioja
Sparkling soda water, for topping off glasses of sangria at table

Combine sugar, rum, orange liqueur, fruits, and cinnamon sticks in a large pitcher. Cover with 1 bottle of wine and chill sangria several hours.
To serve, spoon fruits into glasses or goblets and pour over spiced wine. Top glasses of sangria off with a splash of soda water

Since you want to serve Sangria and it is a spa party a Tapas party might be fun. It is “all the rage” these days.

Here is a link to some great Tapas recipes.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/et_pa_tapas/0,1972,FOOD_10945,00.html

GENUINE SPANISH SANGRIA

1 bottle dry red wine
1/2 – 3/4 c. sugar
1/8 C. orange liqueur, preferably Gran Marnier/Triple Sec
1/2 lg. lemon, sliced
1/2 lg. orange, sliced
1/2 lg. lime, sliced
2 C. or more club soda

In large pitcher, combine all ingredients except club soda. Chill in refrigerator from 2 to 24 hours. Just before serving, add 2 cups or more of club soda to pitcher. Serve over cracked ice in large glass goblet with a slice of lemon, lime, and orange.

I also add cinnamon to taste – it makes it yummy.

Mix the drinks together add chopped fruit and ice and you are away. I used to sell it like that when I had my bar in Spain and the locals loved it.

Ingredients
1 C. washed and hulled strawberries
1/2 C. washed blueberries
1/2 C. washed raspberries
Juice of lemon
1/4 bottle dry white wine
1/4 bottle dry champagne
1 bottle rose zinfandel
1/4 C. fruit-infused vodka
2 C. white cranberry juice
1 1/2 C. soda water

Directions
Put ice cubes in bottom of pitcher, toss in fruit on top of ice along with lemon juice. Add wine, champagne and vodka. Stir. Retire to someplace comfortable with two glasses and a good friend.

Enjoy!!

good luck!

1 c. sugar
1 c. butter
2 c. flour
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking powder
40 foil wrapped kisses, unwrapped

Mix all together and shape dough in 40 balls. Hide a kiss in each ball. Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees.

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FINGER SANDWICHES

4 tbsp. butter
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. flour
Dash of salt
2 eggs
1/2 c. shredded Swiss cheese

Melt butter in water. Add flour and stir vigorously until ball forms or pulls away from sides of pan. Remove from heat. Beat in eggs and add Swiss cheese. Drop by heaping teaspoonful on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Split in half and fill with your favorite filling (ham salad, tuna salad, etc.).
Makes approximately 20.
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ALMOND FINGERS

1 pkg. Pillsbury pie crust mix
1 c. ground almonds
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. almond extract
Powdered sugar

In large bowl, combine dry ingredients except powdered sugar. Blend at low speed until crumb mixture forms; form into a ball. Shape into fingers, using teaspoon of dough for each. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool 2 minutes before removing from pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cool completely and roll in sugar again. 72 cookies.

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CREAM CHEESE KOLACKY

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese
1 c. unsalted butter, softened
2 egg yolks
1/2 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cans (12 oz. each) fruit filling
Powdered sugar

1. Cream together cheese and butter.
2. Add egg yolks and mix well.

3. Add sugar and sifted dry ingredients. Blend well.

4. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness.

5. Cut into 3 inch rounds. Top with desired filling.

6. Place on ungreased baking sheets.

7. Bake in 375 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. When cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar.sdr

We also had different types of cold pasta salads and fresh fruit as well as things like pretzels.

If for yourself, I’d get someone else to act as hostess–a sister or a friend. It’s tacky to host your own shower (really). It looks greedy. Please don’t take offense, but it does.

Chips, dips, hot hors d’ouvres, crudites, perhaps some fruit slices, finger sandwiches, an assortment of drinks, coffee and cake should do it.

Best wishes.

I know ~ these are the normal foods you see at most weddings, but you can always arrange/display them creatively. Also, try different dips for the veggies & fruits. Or an assortment of sauces for the meat. You can also add personal touches & decorations to the buffet table. Hope some of these ideas help! Best of luck to you

Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place snickerdoodles 2 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheets.
Bake snickerdoodles at 400° for 6 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Makes about 4 dozen snickerdoodles.

Take the cream cheese out and let it soften. Mix with about 1/2 (3/4) of the salsa and spread on the tortillas. You want it about 1/4″ thick. Roll them up and chill them. Take a sharp knife and slice them into sections about 1/2″ thick and arrange on a plate. Chill untill the party. Serve with the remaining salsa to dip them into.

Take some ground hamburger and some ground pork sausage. Brown them both together in a skillet, drain the grease off of them.
Meanwhile melt down some Velveeta cheese in a crock pot.
Dump the browned meat into the melted cheese, mix it all together.
Serve with those little loafs of sliced black bread, Doritos, tortilla chips.

Yakitori meatballs: http://last-bite.blogspot.com/2008/07/yakitori-grilled-chicken-meatballs.html
Inari sushi: http://www.uyeyama.com/inari.html
Mochi balls: http://www.recipezaar.com/Mochi-126014
Shrimp tempura: http://japanesefood.about.com/od/tempura/Tempura.htm

I would go with the meatballs, I think. Look at the link, the picture even makes me hungry!

Edamame are green soybeans which are rich in proteins and vitamins A, B, and C. Salt-boiled edamame in pods are eaten by squeezing beans out of pods with fingers. It’s a great appetizer.

1 lb. fresh edamame in pods, or frozen edamame in pods
1 tbsp plus 1 tbsp salt
Preparation:
Cut off the stem end of edamame pods. Wash edamame and drain. Put edamame in a medium bowl. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over the edamame. Rub them with salt. Boil lots of water in a large pot. Add 1 Tbsp of salt in the boiling water. Add edamame in the boiling water and boil for 3 to 4 minutes. Drain in a colander. Spread boiled edamame on a flat tray and sprinkle 1 Tbsp of salt over them. Cool the edamame and serve.

And what better finger food than real lady fingers. Okay, they aren’t real lady fingers, but regular lady fingers covered in red frosting, but they are still good.

You can also have the classic blood punch (regular red punch with a kick) and dry ice for atmosphere.

Go cheesy with spiderwebs and such for decorations.

You can have a few games, but don’t rely on them. Let people play them if they want. But make sure you have the traditional apple bobbing contest. Nothing is better than sticking your head in a bucket of ice cold water when it is 40 degrees outside.

Make sure you have plenty of music.

People will end up congregating in two places, the kitchen and the back porch if you have one, so make sure there are plenty of snacks at those locations.

Other than that, keep the alcohol flowing and let the party control itself.