I love parties and I love going to the spa. So the idea of a sparty sounded great to me. It's simple. Just gather your girlfriends, tell them to bring any spa treatments they have, add some food and wine, and you've got yourself a sparty.

We hired a masseuse and held our gathering near my indoor hot tub. you could have it in your basement, or some salons will even rent their spa areas for you to use. once we added a few candles, soft terrycloth robes, and great appetizers, the relaxing atmosphere was complete.

Don't forget to have nail polish, remover, paraffin wax, massage paraphernalia, and some soothing music available. you'd be surprised how quickly your girlfriends will begin to enjoy themselves. You could also use this party idea to celebrate a birthday, for a going away party, on New year's Eve, or any other special occasion.

Women love to graze so I chose to have appetizers that they could help themselves to throughout the party. Here are some of my favorite recipes; they're even healthy to go along with our spa theme!

Skewered Citrus Chicken

• 3/4 c. freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• 3/4 c. olive oil
• 2 t. sea salt
• 1 t. freshly ground pepper
• 1 T. fresh thyme
• 1/4 t. freshly ground ginger
• 1/4 t. garlic 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Add seasonings to olive oil and lemon juice, whisk together. Marinate chicken in mixture in refrigerator overnight. (Approximately 6-8 hours.)

Grill or sauté approximately 10 minutes on each side until cooked through. Cut diagonally into 1/2 thick slices and skewer.

Sesame Dip for Chicken Skewers

• 1 T. walnut oil
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 T. sesame oil
• 2/3 c. diced onion
• 1 1/2 t. minced garlic
• 1 1/2 t. minced ginger
• 1/4 t. crushed red pepper
• 2 T. soy sauce
• 1/4 t. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 T. red wine vinegar
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 c. ketchup
• 1/3 c. dry sherry
• 2 t. fresh lime juice

Heat walnut oil, olive oil, and sesame oil over medium heat. Sauté onion, garlic, ginger and red pepper. Add soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, sugar, peanut butter, ketchup, sherry, and lime juice, stirring briskly. Continue to stir and cook for another minute. Let cool and serve.

Fresh Fruit Salsa

• 1 lb. strawberries
• 1 lb. raspberries
• 1 lb. kiwi
• 1 lb. apples, peeled and cored
• 1/2 c. jelly (any kind)
• 1/2 c. brown sugar

Clean and dice all fruit (or put in a food processor). Keep some of the fruit in chunks so you can scoop it up easier. Mix fruit with jelly and brown sugar. Serve with sweet tortilla chips or with chicken skewers.

Sweet Tortilla Chips

• Fresh tortillas (each tortilla makes approx. 8 chips)
• Cooking spray
• 1 T. cinnamon
• 2 T. sugar

Spray tortillas lightly with cooking spray. Sprinkle with a cinnamon and sugar mixture, and cut into triangles with a pizza cutter. Bake at 325 degrees for approximately 8 minutes or until light golden brown at tips.

The fruit salsa and tortilla chips are a variation on one of our favorite Pampered Chef recipes.

Southwestern Dip

• 1/4 c. almonds, chopped
• 1/4 c. sun-dried tomatoes (drained and diced)
• 8 oz. softened or whipped cream cheese
• 1/2 c. sour cream
• 1/2 c. mayonnaise
• 1/4 t. Worcestershire sauce
• 8-10 drops Tabasco sauce
• 1 t. salt
• 3/4 t. freshly ground pepper
• 3 green onions, diced

In a food processor, cream together tomatoes, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, Worcestershire, Tabasco, salt and pepper. Fold in green onions, almonds and serve.

Pretzels and Greens Salad

• 1 bunch spinach
• 1 head romaine lettuce
• 2 cups sliced strawberries
• 4 oz. crumbled blue cheese
• 1 1/2 cups yogurt-covered pretzels (break into large chunks)

Dressing:

• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/3 c. vinegar
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 T. grated onion
• 1 c. olive oil
• 1/2 T. poppy seeds

Combine and mix dressing with salad just prior to serving.

Black Russian Cake

• 1 pkg. yellow cake mix (no pudding)
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 (6 oz.) pkg. instant chocolate pudding
• 1 c. vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 c. vodka
• 1/4 c. Kahlua
• 3/4 C. water

Grease and flour a 12 c. Bundt pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix on low speed 1 minute. Mix on medium speed 4 minutes. Pour in pan. Bake until cake tests done with toothpick, about 60 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes in pan. While cooling, make glaze.

Glaze:

• 1/2 c. powdered sugar
• 1/4 c. Kahlua

Mix together (I always double the glaze). Invert cake on to serving plate. Poke holes in cake with a large toothpick and pour glaze all over cake. After the glaze cools, dust with sifted powdered sugar. For a Valentine twist, fill the center and edges with cherry pie filling. This cake tastes great the longer it sits.

For our SPArty we hired Elissa R. Crown, CMT to do our massage therapy. She is available to hire at 952.443.1652 through Salonspatoria.

By Teri Bennett

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