October 24th, 2011 
Posted in Two parties in one weekend? What was I thinking?! I had a lot of fun with both, though, so I can’t complain at all. I’m super tired, but I’ll get over that!
Saturday we had Ellie’s birthday party, and that was a blast, but Sunday I hosted a Fleischmann’s Simply Homemade Bread Party for a few women I know. After a hectic weekend day preparing for then chasing kids at Ellie’s birthday party this was a great way to relax and have adult conversation with other women. Oh, and we got to try out some tasty bread, too!
I was provided with a party kit to share with my guests.
The kit included:
- 8 boxes (2 of each flavor) of Fleischmann’s Simply Homemade Bread Mix
- Pot Holders for each guest
- coupons for each guest
- 1 apron
- Info packets for each guest
Before the party I baked 1 loaf of each bread flavor, so everyone could sample each one. I also did this because the party location did not have a kitchen, so instead of baking the bread we had a sampler party.
I definitely love the Simply Homemade bread, and my guests were all impressed when I told them how easy it is to make. Many of the women at my party were moms and grandmas who love to bake. Many use a bread machine, and they loved that this can be used in a bread machine, too! Homemade bread has never been easier. You just stir the ingredients together, let the dough rise, and bake it on a cookie sheet! There’s no kneading, and I had baked fresh bread in less than an hour.
The first loaf I baked, the Italian Herb, came out on the darker side, and I was afraid I had ruined it. Yes, I also used way too much flour on top, but the first loaf was a learning experience! It still matched my bread themed cutting board!
I can thank my old oven for over baking the outside, but I adjusted the cooking temp, and the rest came out beautifully. When I cut into the Italian Herb it was perfect on the inside with a dark crust, so I was pleased that I didn’t ruin it.
I followed up with a loaf of the Country White, Stoneground Wheat, and Multi-Grain breads.
At the party I setup a testing table with each loaf of bread and various spreads. Instead of letting the helium balloons from Ellie’s party go to waste I recycled them into table decorations for my bread party. It was just enough to spruce up the table without drawing attention away from the product, but half way through the party I had to ditch the balloons as they began to deflate on us! Oh well they were cute while they lasted! I also used the other 4 boxes of bread mix (that became game prizes) to label each type of bread.
We all enjoyed the bread tasting while spending time chatting together about the ways we can incorporate this bread into our own meals, and everyone decided this is an item that will definitely go on the grocery list! The Italian Herb was hands down everyone’s favorite, but all of them were very tasty!
We had a door prize drawing, and the winner received the apron that was included in the kit. Then we played a few games, and the winner of each game received 1 box of Fleischmann’s Simply Homemade Bread Mix to take home! This was a big hit!
Our first game was everyone’s favorite. Each guest took turns wearing a blindfold and trying to identify the flavor of bread by smell. Only one person guessed each one correctly, and she took home a box of bread mix. Game number 2 had 2 winners. Each guest got 30 seconds to look at the product box, and then we did a trivia quiz. The 2 people with the most correct answers got a box of mix to take home.
Our final game took a little creative thought. Each guest received a notepad and pen, and everyone wrote down as many ways as they could think to use the Homemade bread kits. We had some really great answers, and with the holidays coming up everyone was eager to incorporate the bread into their holiday meals! The guest with the most uses took home the last box of bread mix. Sorry for the lack of photos of our games. My designated photographer was so busy having fun she forgot to take photos!
I love some of the ideas these women came up with. One woman bakes the bread for her church communion, and she said wants to try the Fleischmann’s bread because the loafs would be perfect for the pastor to “break bread”.
As the party came to an end everyone left with a pot holder, pamphlet, and coupons.
I enjoyed hosting the party and giving my friends a chance to try a new product while enjoying each other’s company. Now we’re all back to our family life, but we’ve got an extra trick to make great bread in our arsenal!
