There's still time to host a Cinco de Mayo fiesta!

Today is Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for “Fifth of May”), and across America, there will be parties.

Though Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army’s unlikely win against the French at the Battle of Puebla, Americans have adopted the holiday as a good excuse to indulge in Mexican food and margaritas. If you’re hoping to host your own last-minute Cinco de Mayo fiesta, here’s how to do it the 15-Minute Party Planner way.

When time is of the essence, send a quick invitation via e-mail. There are a handful of great electronic invitation sites with Cinco de Mayo designs. Even quicker than an e-invitation?  Sending a quick text or making a phone call.  While not the traditional way to invite folks to a party, no one will mind a last-minute invite to a Cinco de Mayo party!

For quick and easy atmosphere, turn up the speakers on your computer and listen to the timely “Cinco de Mayo Party” station on Pandora, a free online radio service. As for decorations, raid your home for tablecloths, napkins, and dishes that mimic the Mexican flag, which is primarily green, white, and red.

When it comes to food and drink try easy appetizers like chips and salsa or guacamole. Serve margaritas, Coronas, or Dos Equis and indulge in Mexican food for dinner. If you don’t have time to cook it yourself, consider calling a Mexican restaurant to preorder take-out for tonight’s festivities.

Olé!

Take it easy: Rent glassware for your next cocktail party

Preparing for a wine tasting or cocktail party? You might consider renting glassware. Prices are reasonable and prevent you from having to keep large quantities of glassware on hand. You can also save time on cleanup, as some rental places will wash the glasses for you.

Wine glasses, champagne flutes, martini glasses, and beer mugs can be rented for about 50 cents a piece. You may also consider renting a bar ($25-$50) or even a bartender (rates vary). Rental companies also provide other items that may make your cocktail party planning easier; try renting serving trays (typically $2 to $12), punch bowls ($10), glass pitchers ($2), or plates (25 to 50 cents each).

Helpful hints:

• Make sure you’re getting what you expect by asking questions. If you’re requesting a punch bowl, for instance, ask if a serving ladle is included or whether you’ll have to add one to your order.
  
• Be clear about company policy up front. Get the terms of your rental in writing and include things like whether or not you will save money by picking up and returning the items yourself, (rather than having them delivered) and whether or not dishes and glassware need to be washed before returning them.
  
• Get creative!   Party rental stores offer more than just glassware.  Rent a popcorn machine, chocolate fountain, or cotton candy maker for more fun!

Easy kid-friendly Easter desserts

The following three desserts are easy and kid-friendly. Not only will kids like to eat them, kids can help you make them!

Chocolate birds' nests

Ingredients and directions to make these "birds' nests" are easy. First, melt chocolate in the microwave or a double boiler. Put the melted chocolate in a bowl and mix in dry chow mein noodles until the noodles are coated with the chocolate. Then, create nest-shaped mounds of the chocolate-covered noodles on wax paper. Add shredded coconut (dyed green) "grass" to the top of your nests and finish off with Cadbury Mini Eggs. Pop the treats into the fridge to cool for about an hour before serving.

Nest cupcakes

For a simple twist on chocolate birds nests, try making nest cupcakes. Prepare your favorite boxed cake mix and bake the mix in cupcake tins. Frost the cupcakes with green frosting and top each cupcake with a trio of jelly beans. Not a fan of jelly beans? Top each cupcake with a marshmallow Peeps chick instead.

Chocolate-dipped Peeps

How do you turn a simple seasonal candy into a full dessert? Dip marshmallow Peeps in chocolate!

Line a tray with wax paper. Melt chocolate in the microwave. Dip Peeps in the chocolate (about halfway). To add a little pizazz to your Peeps, dip the chocolate end in crushed nuts, candy sprinkles, or shredded coconut. To make Peeps-pops, insert a popsicle stick or skewer to the bottom of each chocolate-dipped treat. Then, chill the finished product in the refrigerator for about an hour before serving.

How to host the world's easiest wine tasting

Few among us are expert wine tasters, but plenty among us are expert wine drinkers. To host a wine tasting party that is fuss-free, simply tell each of your guests to bring his or her favorite wine. For small gatherings, consider asking each guest to bring both a favorite red and a favorite white. For larger gatherings, consider asking people to bring two bottles of a single wine so that there is enough to go around. Ultimately, the point of this party is to have a good time with friends and try new wines, not to become Sommeliers.

“What is the definition of a good wine?
It should start and end with a smile.”
~William Sokolin

As hostess, you simply provide the party's food and enough glasses for each guest. You'll also want to provide a "dump bucket" so that guests can pour out any wines they don't like. Purists will tell you not to rinse the glasses with water in between tastings, but you may want to provide a pitcher of water for your guests. (If not, be sure to start with light wines and work your way up to darker wines so that you don't overwhelm the palate or your glasses!)

If possible, ask your friends to e-mail you before your party with the names of the wines they'll bringing. Then, simply copy and paste the names into one central document. If you're feeling fancy, split the document into two columns—one for whites and one for reds. By providing your guests with a list of the wines they're sampling, your friends will have a chance to take notes about why they liked or disliked certain wines. (Bonus: Even if your friends get tipsy and forget what they're drinking, they'll have the notes to refer back to the next time they're out wine shopping.)

Centerpieces in 60 seconds

Centerpieces are probably the easiest part of party planning, since you can make them as simple or as lavish as you'd like. We here at the 15-Minute Party Planner are, of course, fans of simplicity. Here are a dozen centerpieces you can create in just a minute.

Candles
Head to your local dollar store or simply root through your cupboards to find some candles. Then, try one of these simple centerpiece ideas.

• Three is a magic number; anything in a set of three is easily arranged and easy to make look good. Set three identical pillar candles on a tray or piece of wood for a simple centerpiece. You can decorate the tray (if you wish) with items that coordinate with your theme, such as polished rocks, seashells, buttons... even walnuts (in their shells) or fresh cranberries.
  
  
• Arrange a dozen or so candles of varying heights (in a single color scheme) on a round platter or tray for a cozy centerpiece.
  
  
• Set tea lights afloat in a glass bowl for a shimmery centerpiece. (Be sure to use tea lights that are meant for water; regular tea lights won't work.)
  

Flowers
Whether you're using fresh flowers or good-quality faux flowers, decorating with blooms brightens up any table.

• One simple standby? A dozen or more flowers artfully arranged in a beautiful vase. (If you don't feel like you can arrange them yourself, simply order a bouquet from a local florist — problem solved!)
  
  
• Mimic the floating tea light centerpiece (above) with the heads of flowers floating in shallow bowls and vessels. Wide, sturdy flowers work best in this case.
  
  
• Buy large-blossom, long-stem flowers (like gerbera daisies) and set a single stem in each of several long-necked vases; then, place the vases in a line down the center of your table.
  

Food
Mother nature is a whiz in the color department; fruit and vegetables showcase vibrant colors to make a table pop.

• Fill a large glass bowl with bright citrus fruits (lemons, limes, or oranges) or colorful peppers (the shinier the better).
  
  
• Candy adds a beautiful pop of color to any table. Use jellybeans in place of pebbles on a tray of candles or fill glass containers with bright gumballs, candy sticks, or gumdrops for a sweet dash of color.
  
  
• Make dessert do double-duty. Arrange cupcakes, pastries, or other treats on a multi-tiered dessert stand for a centerpiece good enough to eat.
  

How to spice up a boxed cake mix for a quick and easy dessert

The 15-minute party planners among us like to prep for parties without breaking a sweat. To make a simple boxed cake mix a little fancier, try these easy suggestions:

• Add a box of dry instant pudding mix to your cake batter. Try adding pistachio pudding mix to chocolate cake batter or instant lemon pudding to a white cake mix.
• Chop up candy bars or add chocolate chips for a more interesting cake.
• Blend fresh fruit like strawberries or applesauce into your cake batter in place of one of the liquid elements.
  
• Squeeze caramel or chocolate ice cream syrup into batter or frosting for an interesting twist.
  
• When pouring chocolate cake batter into a pan, use half the batter to cover the bottom of the pan, then add a layer of Peppermint Patties or Andes Mints. Cover the mints with the remaining cake batter.
• Add a dollop of peanut butter to a chocolate or vanilla cake mix for a nutty taste.
• Consider baking two small cakes. When you're ready to frost the cakes, spread a layer of jam or marmalade on top of the first cake, put the second cake on top and then frost both cakes as one.
  
• Top a frosted cake with sprinkles, chopped nuts, or M&Ms for easy decorating.
• Dust frosting with cocoa powder or confectioners sugar.
• Top a frosted cake with sliced fruit for a fresher take on boxed cake.
  
• Cupcakes are instantly-cute desserts and don't require much more time than making one large cake. Buy cute liners and add from-a-box cake batter to make instantly-adorable desserts.

A guide to choosing seating for special events

Maybe you've got a big event to plan (a wedding reception, perhaps, or maybe a weekend-long scrapbooking retreat) and you're thinking that there's no way to boil the tasks down into manageable chunks. Fear not! Here's a handy guide to seating. Commit it to memory (or simply bookmark this page), for easy event planning.

Banquet-style seating

What it looks like: Rooms set up banquet-style typically use round tables that seat 8 people (60” rounds) or 10 people (72” rounds). (Occasionally, you will find banquet-style seating that uses square or rectangular tables instead.) The tables are then spaced evenly throughout the room.

When to use it: Banquet style seating is best for wedding receptions, award banquets, and other large events.

Theatre-style seating

What it looks like: Chairs are set up in straight lines and all face the front of the room. There are no tables or desks.

When to use it: Theatre-style seating is best for presentations or lectures that do not require participants to take notes. Theatre-style seating is also often used for graduations. The style is less for special events and more for meetings and conferences.

Schoolroom straight

What it looks like: Schoolroom straight seating uses tables and chairs set up in straight rows facing the front of the room.

When to use it: Schoolroom straight seating is best for presentations where participants will be taking notes. It’s also a good set up if your guests will be using a lot of table space; use this set up if you're coordinating a scrapbooking or bingo party.

Reception

What it looks like: People milling around with drinks and/or food. A few long tables are used to display food and there can be a bar present. Some smaller tables are provided for guests, and are usually of the high-top variety so that people can stand and chat. Chairs are placed along the edges of the room. An alternative to this setup is to use limited seating at standard-height tables.

When to use it: Reception-style rooms are set up to encourage the flow of traffic in a room so that guests can mingle. This is a great set up for networking events, cocktail parties, and other events where the focus of the party is on talking to other guests. It is also a good choice when hosting an outdoor party, since not much seating is required. Additionally, if you're hosting a wedding reception or networking event, reception-style setups are often less expensive than a full sit-down meal.

Other things to consider

When planning the seating for your party, keep in mind all the factors that will affect your room layout, such as the age of your guest (high-top tables may be hard for the very young or the very old, who are in greater need of seating), the actual shape of the room (Are there columns in the way? Are your seats facing a row of windows letting in blinding light?), and safety regulations (Can all guests access an exit? Are you complying with local fire codes?). In the end, choose the layout that will work best for you and your guests, and enjoy the festivities!