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Archive for the ‘Entertaining at Home’ Category

30 Things to Do This Summer

Posted in Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas, tagged , , , on June 1, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Happy June 1st everyone!

With summer hopefully just around the corner, start planning now to have your best summer yet. Will you spend time with friends? Enjoy the great outdoors? Attend concerts or shop at a Farmer’s Market?

Here is a list of a few ideas of fun things to do this summer. If you have ideas to add, please post them in the comments!

1. Gather up a few friends and have a picnic in your backyard.

2. Go on a walk and take pictures of trees, flowers, animals, clouds, sunsets.

3. Watch the sun set then stay outside to gaze at the stars.

4. Give your house a summer beachy-feel with breezy curtains, white slipcovers and ocean blue accents.

5. Make ice cream.

6. Take one of your parents to lunch.

7. Bake cupcakes and deliver them to people who are extra special to you.

8. Play childhood games like “Sorry”, “Uno,” or “Clue.”

9. Make a root beer float.

10. E-mail a friend you haven’t spoken to in awhile.

11.  Make popsicles in your freezer.

12. Stroll down memory lane by looking through old family scrapbooks, photo books, and yearbooks.

13. Eat last night’s leftovers for breakfast.

14. Go to the movies and make sure you eat some buttery popcorn.

15. Go window-shopping with a friend.

16. Write a poem, the sillier – the better.

17. Make fresh, homemade juice or lemonade. The scent of freshly squeezed lemons is magnificent.

18. Take a bubble bath.

19. Make dinner for a neighborhood family.

20. Baby-sit for a neighbor with the agreement that she will babysit for you in return.

21. Go for a spa day with a friend – or create your own at home.

22. Plan a vacation you want to take next summer.

23. Plant flowers in your yard.

24. Go for a drive in the mountains and breathe in that fresh pine-scented air.

25. Run around in the sprinklers.

26. Invite friends over and have a tea party in your yard.

27. Order a pizza – and get all the toppings you like.

28. Splash around in a plastic kiddy pool.

29. Swing on the swings at the park.

30. Write in a journal. Don’t know where to start? Stand outside and record everything you can see in front of you in descriptive detail.

She Who Needs to Get Busy on Her Own  List!

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Vanilla Bundt Cake

Posted in Desserts, Entertaining at Home, Recipes, tagged , , on May 27, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Vanilla Bundt Cake with Raspberries and Whipped Cream

I was in the mood for cake the other day and decided to go for a bundt cake. I don’t know why I love them so, but I do. It is hard to mess up a bundt cake and there are so many delicious ways to serve it up.

The recipe is simple and the cake was moist, flavorful and quite tasty. Captain Cavedweller even liked it.

The ingredients. I forgot to include whipping cream. And please ignore the fact the can of frosting was purchased in December.

Add a teaspoon of vanilla to the cake mix and pudding mix.

Lightly beat the eggs then add them along with water, sour cream and oil to the bowl.

Mix the batter in medium speed until well combined. It will be thick. Really thick. Do not be afraid of the thickness.

Pour batter into a greased bundt pan. If you don't have a bundt pan, an angel food pan will do. If you don't have one of those you need to get one! You could also, in a pinch, use an oven-proof bowl and an oven-proof cup - put the cup upside down in the bowl and pour in batter. I don't guarantee the results, though!

Even out the batter in the pan and bake for an hour.

Check to make sure the cake is cooked through. I used a skewer and it worked splendidly.

Let the cake cool completely then turn out of the pan. Notice this bundt pan is in a rose pattern. I'll give you three guesses where it came from... it wasn't the heinous cat, it wasn't the interloper but it may have been my resident cavedweller.

You need about 1/2 cup of the canned frosting. Put in a microwave safe pitcher (I used a cream pitcher and it worked perfect!). Nuke for about 12 seconds and you have automatic warm glaze!

Drizzle glaze over cake.

Yum!

Enjoy!

Vanilla Bundt Cake

1 box French Vanilla Cake Mix

1 small package instant vanilla pudding

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup oil

3 eggs

1/2 cup vanilla frosting

Raspberries

Whipping Cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Blend dry ingredients. Add vanilla extract. Lightly beat eggs then mix eggs, water, oil and sour cream with batter. Beat on medium speed until combined. The batter will be super thick, so don’t panic.

Scoop it into a greased bundt pan, evening it up as best you can (I tap the pan on the counter to get out air bubbles and even up the batter). Bake for one hour or until it starts to pull away from the edges of the pan.

Let cool completely then invert on a cake plate. Put 1/2 cup of pre-made frosting into a microwaveable pitcher or bowl and nuke it for about 12 seconds. It doesn’t take very long at all. Drizzle over cake.

Serve with fresh whipped cream and raspberries. I had to add a drizzle of chocolate to the plate. You could also serve with ice cream.

Enjoy!

She Who Really Likes Bundt Cake

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Memorial Day Entertaining Tips

Posted in Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas, Party Theme, tagged , , on May 24, 2011| Leave a Comment »

As we approach the Memorial Day weekend, I’m going to share some previous tips and hope you’ll still find them useful!

To get started, dust off those barbecues, clean off the patios and invite over some friends.

Keep your weekend entertaining simple but fun. Let the holiday guide you as a theme in choosing patriotic colors and decorations.

Proudly fly your flag and incorporate miniature flags into your decorations.

Use a white or blue tablecloth (inexpensive sheets work well) and top with red, white and blue accents such as streamers, ribbons and pots filled with red and white geraniums.

Use white dishes or serving pieces. They don’t have to match. If you have red and blue pieces, mix those in with the white.

Make large star-shaped sugar cookies or a star-shaped cake, frost then top with sliced strawberries on each arm of the star and a cluster of blueberries right in the center.

The cupcakes in all their berry bedazzled glory.

These patriotic cupcakes are a breeze to whip up!

Put votives in old glass canning jars and tie rims with a red or blue ribbon. If you want to play it safe, use battery-operated candles.

Purchase red poppies from the American Legion for everyone to wear or give them to guests as they are leaving the party.

Stock up on ice and have plenty of beverages on hand. Use a big bucket or container to keep beverages cold. Just fill with ice and nestle in individual cans and bottles. Another fun alternative is to fill a wagon with ice and set your cold foods or beverages inside.

Make sure you have garbage cans that are clean, empty and placed in areas handy for guests to find. Line with garbage bags as this will make your clean up go much faster.

Happy Entertaining!

She Who is Looking Forward to the Weekend

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Lemon Meringue Pie

Posted in Desserts, Entertaining at Home, Recipes, tagged , , on May 20, 2011| 8 Comments »

The other day I was overcome with the urge to make a lemon meringue pie. I’ve made them on numerous occasions using a box of lemon pudding mix but never lemon pudding from scratch.

I shall never open another box of lemon pudding again.

The burst of flavor, the fusion of sweet and tart, was positively wonderful. Not to mention the euphoric state created by zesting the lemons. The scent was beyond divine and delightful. I was afraid Captain Cavedweller would come home to find me still melted in a puddle across the kitchen floor.

Yes, it was that fantabulous.

Here are the ingredients for the pudding. You will also need cream of tartar and 1/2 cup of sugar for the meringue as well as a pre-baked pie crust for the pie.

Start by zesting your lemons. Rinse them off well then whip out your microplane and go to town. You need 2 tablespoons of zest. By that time, the amazing scent will have weakened your knees and made you a bit giddy.

Go ahead and juice those lemons. I used three and it came out to be right at a 1/2 cup of juice. Run the juice through a strainer before using to get out all the pulp and seeds. Squeezing them by hand is great therapy!

Next, whip up the meringue. You need 1/8 tsp. of cream of tartar for every egg white. I used three egg whites so I needed 3/8 tsp. of cream of tartar.

Beat until soft peaks form then add in your sugar. I added 1/2 cup to the three egg whites.

Continue beating until stiff peaks form and the meringue gets all lovely and glossy. It is beauteous!

Now we start on the pudding. Mix the cornstarch and sugar together then whisk in the milk.

Add beaten egg yolks and mix well, then add lemon zest and salt.

Place over medium heat and cook, stirring until your arm feels like it might fall off, er... I mean until the sauce is thick.

Add lemon juice and butter, stirring well, then pour into prepared pie shell.

Immediately top with meringue. You want the pudding hot to help cook the inside of the meringue.

Place in pre-heated oven and brown for about five minutes.

Let cool completely and refrigerate before serving. Then slice and enjoy! I added some lemon zest and a juicy strawberry for garnish.

Lemon Meringue Pie

1 pre-baked pie crust, cooled

Filling

Meringue

Meringue

3 egg whites

3/8 tsp. cream of tartar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

To start with, make sure your bowl is completely grease-free. Any oily residue will ruin your meringue. Go for a glass bowl if it all possible. You need 1/8 tsp. of cream of tartar for each egg white. Sprinkle on top of egg whites and beat with mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add in sugar gradually and continue beating until stiff peaks forms and the meringue is glossy and lovely.

You will want to whip up the meringue before you start cooking the pudding.

Filling

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 1/2 cups milk

3 large yolks, lightly beaten

2 tbsp. finely grated lemon zest

pinch of salt

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp. butter, softened

NOTE: Three fresh lemons gave me plenty of zest and came out, when squeezed by hand, to be right at 1/2 cup of juice. Do yourself a favor and squeeze your own juice. The flavor is amazing! Also, separate your egg whites from the yolks and put the whites into a large mixing bowl. You’ll use them for the meringue.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place sugar and cornstarch in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Whisk to combine. Gradually add milk, whisking until smooth. Add egg yolks.

Stir in lemon zest and salt.

Place saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is thick.

Remove pan from heat and stir in lemon juice and butter. If you don’t want the zested lemon in your pudding you can run it through a fine mesh strainer at this point. If you are like me and don’t care, pour the pudding into the prepared pie crust. You can make your own crust – I highly recommend the vodka pie crust recipe – or use a store-bought crust. Whatever floats your boat. Mine floated with the vodka recipe.

While the pudding is still piping hot, spoon on the meringue and bake in oven for about 5 minutes or until top is lightly browned. If you want mile-high meringue, double the recipe for the meringue. I’d recommend baking it at a lower temperature longer to make sure the inside gets cooked – 325 for 20 minutes or so.

Let cool completely before serving. Then enjoy!

She Who is In Love with the Scent of Freshly Zested Lemons

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