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Archive for the ‘entertain’ Category

Please RSVP

Posted in Desserts, entertain, Entertaining at Home, tagged , , , on September 1, 2009| 2 Comments »

invitationHave you ever received an invitation that asked you to RSVP and you:

1).  Ignored it.

2). Forgot about it.

3). Had every intention of calling the host but didn’t get around to it.

I think we have all been guilty of one of the above at some point in time. However good the intentions, the fact of the matter is when we are invited to an event and the host asks for us to RSVP and we don’t respond we cause all sorts of problems for the host and become one of those guests.

RSVP, Répondez s’il vous plaît, is a French term with a variety of definitions, but the most common is “please reply.”  That is what the host really wants – for the invited guests to please reply. I’ve seen hosts try everything from “Please RSVP” to “please call me with a yes or no” to try and get an idea of who will be attending their event.

Let’s walk through a scenario: you have decided to host a casual dinner party. You send out 20 invitations with “Please RSVP” two weeks before the event and get three  immediate responses. You send out an email reminder a week before the event and get two more responses. Two days before the party you make reminder phone calls to those you haven’t heard from and get one more response and leave a bunch of messages that get no return calls. So of those 20 invitations you only have six responses. How much food should you prepare? How many chairs should you have ready? How much service ware and table ware is needed? Hard to figure out, isn’t it?

When someone invites you into their home, it is truly a compliment. They are offering you a very special gift: of their time, of their food, of their home and their hospitality. It is our duty as recipients of that invitation to let the host know as soon as possible if we will or won’t be attending. If you are unsure due to a hectic schedule, tell the host up front. Then if your schedule works that you can attend, give her a quick call to say “I’ll be there.”

Hosts would rather hear your “no” or “maybe” than not hear from you at all. The next time you receive an invitation, be a good guest and respect the gift the host is extending to you. Whether you accept the gift or not, be courteous, say “Thank you for the invitation” and let her know your plans for attending.

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Create a Show-Stopping Buffet

Posted in entertain, Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas, tagged , , on August 25, 2009| Leave a Comment »

When you are entertaining with a buffet, three simple keys can unlock the “Wow” factor and make it look like you’ve either hired a professional or are taking classes in culinary presentation.

Height

Color

Texture

Anytime you entertain buffet-style, think about these three elements and try to incorporate them. When you do, your buffet is going to pop and people are really going to think of you as the host with the most!

Even if you can barely boil water and serve take-out or out-of-the-box food, you can still present it in a way that is appealing.

Height should begin on one end of the table and cascade forward and out. The highest point on the table is where you want to put a centerpiece – be it flowers, fruit or some interesting object. Then stagger the height as you come across the table and toward the front with the lowest point being the front corner of the opposite side of the table. You can get height from a lot of different things like sturdy boxes, dictionaries, a cooking pot turned upside down. If you have a hot dish that needs to stay warm, put a few bricks in the oven to heat then when you are ready to serve place them on hot pads, top with a decorative cloth and place your hot dishes on top. When you have cold dishes that need to stay cold, fill inexpensive aluminum pans with ice, top with a cloth and nestle bowls inside.

There are also a variety of iron stands you can use to give height and texture to your table. These stands look sleek and serve their purpose well. In a pinch you can also turn bowls or goblets upside down and place a serving plate on top for some added elevation.

Color can come from your tablecloths, your food and your serving pieces. Use foods with a variety of color for the most visual appeal. You don’t want to serve foods that are all bland in color because your table will look bland as well. When setting your buffet, plan to use two tablecloths. One as a base cloth and the other as an accent that can cover your added items of height. I like to use black as my base cloth because it hides any spills and it really brings out the rest of the colors on the table. The second cloth can be a color that goes with your theme, matches your decor, or is something seasonal.

Choose serving pieces that offer some fun color and texture.

Texture can be found in everything from your table coverings and serving pieces to your food. A mixture of smooth, nobby, wavy, glossy, and flat will create a wealth of visual interest. Have fun with the combinations and see what works best for you.

The next time you set a buffet, try combining all three elements and see what a difference it makes to you table.

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Crock Pot Barbecue Pork to the Rescue

Posted in Easy Recipes, entertain, tagged , , on August 14, 2009| 1 Comment »

So what are the odds that the night before you have company coming for dinner that both the oven and the barbecue would go out of commission?

I had just taken a cake out of the oven when the stove started beeping annoyingly and the broiler went on and wouldn’t turn off. Hubby finally got it to be quiet and stop broiling. Evidently the temp sensor went haywire and of course they have to be ordered and no one in the area keeps them in stock.

Knowing I had seven hungry people I would need to feed the next evening and no oven, I started pulling out ideas for meals that could be grilled on the barbecue.  It was then that Hubby chimed in that the barbecue was not an option.

Pacing the floor the morning of our impending disaster, er dinner, I finally remembered I own a crockpot. Taking it out of the box and removing the packing materials, I quickly got it ready to roll. The result of our make-do dinner was spectacularly tasty.  Here is the recipe!

Barbecue Pork

3-5 pounds of pork tenderloin

2 cans of chicken broth

1 cup barbecue sauce

Dash of Salt and Pepper

Put all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for eight hours. You can then shred the meat and serve on rolls or slice it. We sliced it and served with a side of additional barbecue sauce for those who like things a little spicier.

Since I’m new to crock-pot cooking, if you have any great recipes you’d like to share, I’d love for you to post them here or send them on!

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Entertaining with Children

Posted in entertain, Entertaining Ideas, tagged , , on August 11, 2009| Leave a Comment »

summerWhen you are entertaining families and youngsters will be included in the guest list, think about preparing some activities for them in advance. That way, when they arrive, there are  fun things to do to keep them occupied and entertained.

The activities do not need to involve a lot of time and expense. If there will be older children attending, make sure to get them involved as well. Involve your own children in the prep work. They can roll silverware in napkins, create place cards, decorate a welcome sign, put flowers into bowls or vases and serve as the welcome committee.

Here are a few ideas of things to keep kids entertained outside when the weather is nice:

• Place a big blanket out in the yard and put out a selection of toys. The littler ones especially enjoy it.

• Break the kids up into groups and send them on scavenger hunts. This can be done indoors or out. Create a specific list for each group with six to 10 items on each list. You could include things like a blue shoe, a spoon, a book, a flower blossom, etc. This works especially well with children of mixed ages.

• Turn them loose on the sidewalk with a bucket of sidewalk chalk and let them each create a masterpiece.

• Make a big batch of bubbles and let them blow until the air is filled with bubbles. Guaranteed to delight both young and old alike. (Mix 1 part Dawn regular dish soap, 10 parts water, and 1/4 part white Karo Syrup. )

• Give each child a sheet of plain white paper, have plenty of crayons or markers available and then let them each choose a slip of paper on which has been written an animal body part. Each child will then draw their body part – but of their favorite animal. When they are all done, have them try to assemble all the pictures into one animal. They might have something like a hippo-cat-phant-rocerus.

• Create a backyard obstacle course using stepping stones, a low bench, hoops, boxes and string.

Whatever you decide to do when entertaining youngsters, keep it fun and simple. Even some of the “big” kids will want to get involved!

If you have kid-friendly entertaining ideas to share, please post them here.

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