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Posts Tagged ‘Savvy Entertaining’

Happy First Day of Summer!

Here’s to:

Popsicles – the kind with two sticks, preferably in rootbeer or banana flavor

Sunshine  – bright, robust and beautiful

Blue Skies – so vibrantly blue you can’t help but smile to look up into the azure depths

Roses – because their fragrant scents were made to fill the air of a summer night

Sprinklers – that are meant to be run through as much as water lawns

Sparklers – because no matter how old you are, you should play with them at least once a summer

Ice Cream – because it’s ice cream and one of the wonderful confections ever created

Dreams – that seem more alive and vivid during the summer

Picnics – whether it is a full-fledged affair or a thrown together basket of bread and cheese, sit on the grass, lounge beneath a tree, absorb the essence of summer

Fresh Air – filled with the sweet taste of summer and meant to be inhaled deeply, slowly, intently

County Fairs – for the calorie-laden food we all look forward to tasting once a year, the greeting of old friends, the silly rides, the obnoxious smells, the complete summer-ness of it all

Backyard barbecues – because that which is cooked on a grill outside during the summer tastes better than anything else you can think of at that moment

Porch swings – patios, hammocks and any other outdoor furniture that allow you to slow down, sit back and soak in summer

Summer gatherings with friends – because they are informal and fun. Here’s a download of party ideas.

If you have ideas to add to the list, please post in the comments section!

She Who LOVES Summer!

 

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Warning! I’m climbing on my soap box this morning, so if you don’t want to listen to my rant, tune in tomorrow for something fun and somewhat sane.

When I was a kid (eons ago, I know) my mother, and the mothers of my friends, instilled in us some very basic manners. Like saying please and thank you. Using a napkin instead of your shirt sleeve. Not interrupting adults when they are talking.

One we all knew was don’t talk with your mouth full.

So why is it today so many people seem to be lacking even the most rudimentary knowledge of manners. I’m not talking Emily Post manners. I’m talking the basics. I can’t tell you how tired I am of saying thank you only to get a grunt or “yeah” in response.  Are the words “you’re welcome” no longer acceptable in the English language?

I’m particularly bothered and annoyed by the number of sales people who call my office trying to get me to buy something while speaking around what sounds like a mouth full of food.

Are you kidding me?

It’s bad enough when I get calls at home and have to listen to someone chomp and gulp their way through the conversation, but it is completely unacceptable to have to listen to it in a professional environment.

How do these people think they are ever going to make a sale when they sound like a cow chewing cud?

Yesterday was the perfect example… I answered my phone only to have the person on the other end rapidly chew in my ear followed by a loud gulp before they could get out who they were and what they wanted. Instead of putting down what they were eating, they continued to do so while trying to convince me to spend a few thousand dollars with them.

Right.

I can put my trust and faith in a company that has such poorly trained sales people that they munch and nosh their way through their sales spiel to potential customers.

Do parents not teach manners any more or do people just not care?

Because believe me, I care.

I care a lot.

Rather than go into the list of manners that we seem to be losing as a society at a rapid rate, I will instead just put forth this request:

If you are calling anyone – or answering the phone, for that matter – please don’t talk with your mouth full!

It is rude.

It is distracting.

And it sure isn’t going to make me want to buy whatever it is you are selling.

She Who is Climbing Off Her Soapbox Now

 

 

 

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A friend asked me a while ago to bake cupcakes for her wedding reception.

I was both honored by her request and somewhat terrified at the thought of not only baking that many cupcakes, but baking that many edible cupcakes.

Saturday, I spent four hours baking 220 chocolate cupcakes. Actually, there were 227, but seven of them tragically didn’t make the cut and had to be disposed of. (Yum!)

To make 220 cupcakes, I used eight cake mixes which I doctored up with my Grandma’s secret step to making a boxed mix taste fantastic (and I can’t share the secret or it wouldn’t be a secret, now, would it?).

I then made three batches of buttercream frosting which the bride-to-be helped me slather on the cupcakes and top with assorted sprinkles.  It only took us about two hours to do the frosting.

While frosting the cupcakes we learned some valuable information:

• There is a perfect temperature for the frosting that is somewhere between chilled and warm. Too cold and it wouldn’t squirt out of the bag and too warm it was really hard to work with. The perfect temperature lasts for approximately 9.8 seconds.

• Making sure the bag holding the frosting is completely sealed before squeezing it is a vital step in the success of the project.

• Husbands are not so helpful when it comes to frosting and sprinkling, but they are super helpful when someone needs to run to the store and get another bag of powdered sugar so another bowl of frosting can be made in the midst of the project. Thanks, CC for coming to the rescue!

• You can create all sorts of cool frosting designs with nothing more than a Ziploc bag and your imagination.

• Approximately two large jars of sprinkles are way more than plenty to do 220 cupcakes. The other 14 pounds of sprinkles I purchased will have to wait for another project.

• It’s always more fun to do projects like this with a good friend!

Here is the buttercream frosting recipe I used.  It should frost about 60-75 cupcakes, depending on how  much you use per cupcake.

Buttercream Frosting

1 cup butter, softened

1 bag powdered sugar (appox. 8 cups)

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

4 tbsp. cold milk

Beat butter on low speed until smooth. Add vanilla extract and mix then slowly mix in powdered sugar, alternating with the milk. You may need to add more milk, depending on how thick you want your frosting. Chill until ready to use. Store leftovers in the freezer (if you have leftovers).

To make the frosting chocolate, I added 1/2 cup cocoa powder and another tablespoon of milk.

She Who is Cupcaked Out for A While

 

 

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With Father’s Day this coming Sunday, I thought I’d share a few recipes my good ol’ dad enjoys!

He always said he only likes two kinds of pie – hot or cold! So here are a few pie recipes. Make one for your dad or hubby and see if it doesn’t make them smile!

Chocolate Raspberry Ritz Pie

Cream Pie

Orange Dream Pie

Apple Pie

Lemon Meringue Pie

and you need a good recipe for pie crust…

Vodka Pie Crust

Happy Father’s Day!

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