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Posts Tagged ‘Entertaining Ideas’

Outdoor Open House

Posted in Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas, tagged , , , on June 12, 2009| 1 Comment »

red wagonAs we head into the warm, wonderful days of summer, think about hosting an outdoor open house. Most people love to be outside in the fresh air and what better way to connect with family and friends than at an outdoor party!

Here are a few quick tips to make your outdoor celebration run more smoothly:

• Position ice-filled coolers, buckets or even large planters filled with small bottles of water and your choice of beverages in several locations. Make sure guests are always in easy reach of hydration.

• Fill a basket, sand-bucket or other fun container with outdoor necessities like bug-spray, sunscreen, and hand wipes.

• If you don’t have a lot of shade, bring out a basket of assorted  ball caps and wide-brimmed straw hats. You don’t want sunburned guests when you entertain.

• Have citronella candles and umbrellas at the ready to protect guests from an evening attack of mosquitoes or an unexpected downpour.

• If you don’t have outdoor speakers, bring out a CD player or radio. Make sure the music is loud enough for guests to enjoy, but not loud enough to disturb the neighbors.

• Make sure hot foods are hot and cold foods are cold. In the heat, it is very easy for food to spoil quickly. Put hot dishes in servers that can be warmed by sterno or votives or set on warmed bricks. Put cold foods on ice. Use dip chillers or create bowls of ice by placing water in a bowl to cover the bottom and freeze. Add more water, place a smaller bowl inside so water comes up sides and freeze. Once frozen, remove the ice bowl from the larger bowl. Use the smaller bowl inside of the ice bowl to serve. Make sure you place ice bowls over a pan or somewhere they can drip.  Or fill festive containers with ice and nestle your bowls inside, like the red wagon shown here.

•  Guests are generally good to clean up after themselves if you provide a place for it. Have garbage cans handy and have a dishpan or container to handle dirty utensils and dishes.

Invite some guests over this weekend, relax, enjoy and take the party outdoors! If you have any outdoor entertaining tips to share, I’d love to hear from you. Post a comment, subscribe to my newsletter or contact me directly.

Happy Entertaining!

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Dessert is No Trifling Matter

Posted in Easy Recipes, Entertaining Ideas, Fast Recipes, tagged , , , on June 9, 2009| 3 Comments »

berry-trifleOne of my favorite desserts to make is a trifle. It is fast, easy and for whatever reason, guests always assume you’ve gone to a lot of effort to prepare it.

It has an elegant presentation and the best thing about it is you can change it up to whatever flavors you are craving or fruits that are in season.

You can make a one large dessert in a trifle or pedestal bowl or you can make individual desserts that are quite eye-catching and appealing.

The basic ingredients for a trifle include:

Cake, cut into bite-sized cubes

Pudding

Whipping Cream, whipped and lightly sweetened (add a dash of Confectioner’s Sugar)

Fruit

The wonderful thing about trifles is that you can use any combination and come up with something so tasty. You start with the cake cubes, then layer pudding, fruit and whipping cream and continue layering until your bowl or container is full.  If you are in a really big hurry or have company drop by unexpectedly, you can use a pre-made cake, instant pudding, a can of pie filling and frozen dairy topping and have a show-stopping dessert ready in mere minutes.

My favorite combination is pound cake*, chocolate and vanilla pudding, strawberries and raspberries and real whipping cream. On the layers, I alternate the chocolate pudding with the raspberries and the vanilla pudding with the strawberries. Top with a layer of the whipping cream and then shave chocolate curls across the top and finish with one glorious berry.

You can use any type of cake but pound cakes, angel food cakes and sponge cakes work well. You can also use any type of fruit. In the summer, fresh peaches, nectarines and berries are so good. In the winter,  I like to use tropical fruits like pineapple and mandarin orange sections. You can use kiwi and bananas or any type of pie filling. Use any flavor of pudding. Spring is a great time to try lemon with sponge cake and berries. Autumn is a perfect time to blend gingerbread with pumpkin pudding and candied nuts or cinnamon cake with apples and caramel sauce.

The combinations you can create are only limited by your imagination. Have fun with this and I guarantee your guests will not only be impressed, but delighted with the delicious blend of flavors.

What is your favorite combination? I’d love to know! Please leave a comment!

*For information about the pound cake I use or the serving pieces in the photo, please subscribe to my newsletter.

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It’s All About Relationships

Posted in Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas, tagged , , , on June 5, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Relationships are so important in all areas and aspects of our lives. Sometimes we can get so busy with life we forget it is the people in our lives that make it unique and special. Building and maintaining relationships can bring us much joy and satisfaction and sometimes those relationships can assist us in unexpected ways.

The other day I needed to send a gift and called upon my friend, who is also an amazing florist, to work her magic. She created something that far exceeded my expectations and thrilled the recipient of the gift. I know I can call on Heidi any time and she will deliver something spectacular. A step beyond that, my husband also knows anytime there is a flower-sending occasion, Heidi will take good care of him. We both refer Heidi to anyone looking for a florist because she is not only great at what she does, she is a friend.

Build up relationships with your favorite florist, baker, butcher, produce-grower, and printer. When you entertain, think about how much simpler it would be if you already had relationships with these people. Your florist can give you tips on flower selection, the baker can help you out with breads and desserts, the butcher can offer you advice on choice cuts, you’ll get the pick of the best product in season and your invitations will be beautifully printed.

Relationships make the world go round so why not start today on making the relationships in your world a little sweeter. You’ll be especially glad you did the next time you entertain.

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Choosing Centerpieces

Posted in Centerpieces, Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas, tagged , , on June 2, 2009| 2 Comments »

napa votive lrWhen you are entertaining, place a centerpiece on your table for some added “Wow” factor.

If you are hosting a  formal plated dinner party, remember to keep the centerpiece out of the line of vision across the table. If you are not sure where that line is, sit at the table and look across. You don’t want a mass of  flowers and greens blocking your view of others. For that reason, keep centerpieces low or put on a pedestal above the line of vision. With a long table, you could do a grouping of small bouquets in low containers, interspersed with votives.  Make sure the centerpiece doesn’t take up too much of the dining space if you are using a round table.

If you want to go high with the centerpiece, keep in mind the height of your ceiling. A really tall centerpiece will not work well with a low ceiling or low-hanging chandelier.

For buffet-style entertaining, you have an endless array of choices. Anchor one corner of the table with your centerpiece and make sure it is the highest visual point.

With any type of centerpiece that will be around food, steer away from highly scented florals. They can overpower the food smells and some guests may be bothered by strong scents. Also,  choose florals that don’t “shed.” The last thing you want is a trail of little green fronds floating into your food.

Mirrored trays and candles are nice accents for your centerpiece and create a beautifully finished look. Have fun with your centerpiece – let it be a reflection of you!

To find the votive centerpiece used to create this arrangement, subscribe to my newsletter or click here.

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