Posted in Books, tagged Savvvy Spring Entertaining, Shanna Hatfield on April 26, 2012| Leave a Comment »
My Spring Savvy Entertaining ebook just became free on Amazon and is working its way up the bestseller list!
I’m pretty excited!
If you, or anyone you know, would like a copy, just go to Amazon and download it.
It’s got spring decorating ideas, party tips and some yummy recipes!
Check it out – and please let your friends know about it, too!
Posted in Musings, tagged Jury Duty, Savvy Entertaining, Shanna Hatfield on April 25, 2012| Leave a Comment »
I’ve been on jury duty this month. I will freely admit I was dreading it, as most of us do.
Years ago, I served on a jury for a two-week trial that was awful, heart-wrenching and due to one juror’s personal issues, the guilty party was found not-guilty. I felt sick for days afterward and to this day, still wonder about what happened to the victims of his crime.
Because of that experience, I would rather do just about anything than serve on another trial. So it was with a decided lack of enthusiasm I reported for my first day of jury duty.
I sat in a room overcrowded with people feeling much the same way – they had other things they needed to do, places to be, people to see. But for one day, just one day, we were being asked to set all that aside and do our civic duty.
Watching a 20-minute film while we waited to be called to the courtroom, by the time it was finished, I think most of us were in a different frame of mind than when we arrived. Whoever put it together, did a great job of not only relaying important information, but relaying it in a way that made you feel inspired and excited to be a part of the jury selection process.
Called in again yesterday, I was again taken aback by what a good film they present that makes you want to serve on the jury, to take this service seriously and do a great job.
One of the attorneys said something that really resonated with me. She said, “Can you come out here today and be the kind of juror you’d want sitting here if it was your spouse, your sibling, your child? That’s the kind of juror we need you to be.”
Wow!
While it is easy to brush off this duty, to discount it as something that sucks up time we would rather spend somewhere else, look at it as an opportunity to do good and be of service to your fellow-man.
She Who Appreciates This Opportunity
Posted in Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas, tagged 10 Rules of Condiments, Savvy Entertaining, Shanna Hatfield on April 23, 2012| Leave a Comment »
In case I have failed to mention it before, Captain Cavedweller is a really awesome guy.
He went above and beyond this weekend, humoring me with a project that started out small and soon snowballed into two days of work, drudgery and chaos.
I’ll post more about all that fun later, when I’ve recovered and am able to fully move both arms and legs again.
For today, since the weather is positively summer-like here, is my favorite list of condiment does and don’ts. Whip out that barbecue and enjoy!
1. Do not fear the family-sized bottle of ketchup. Unless you are serving dignitaries, your guests will be happy with the big bottle.
2. You can please most of the people all the time if you have a good assortment of mustards.
3. Plan to have mayonnaise handy at all times. Yes, it’s salty, and yes, it is bad for you, but everyone likes a dab now and then. And don’t substitute salad dressing! I’ll hunt you down and slap your hand!
4. Find your own special sauce and serve it proudly. This could be something you make from scratch or a blend of pre-made favorites. Create a great sauce with plain yogurt, finely chopped cucumber, garlic and lemon juice.
5. Nothing tops a hot dog better than relish. Have an assortment of sweet relish, yellow relish and onion relish on hand.
6. Pickles are important and not everyone likes the same kind. Have an assortment of dill and sweet and make sure you identify them!
7. Have plenty of salsa – it goes fast!
8. Grill the onions for your guests’ burgers. The grill is already hot and it just takes a minute.
9. Explore several barbecue sauce recipes, find your favorite, and make it your signature.
10. Don’t be afraid to serve coleslaw. It’s not just a side dish. Try it on your hot dog.
Here is a handy-dandy download: 10 rules of condiments
Posted in Desserts, Easy Recipes, Entertaining Ideas, Fast Recipes, Recipes, tagged Savvy Entertaining, Shanna Hatfield, Strawberry recipes, Stuffed Strawberries on April 20, 2012| 3 Comments »
Captain Cavedweller brought home some delicious strawberries the other day. They were big, plump, juicy and ripe. They actually tasted like strawberries – not like the somewhat bland picked-green variety we usually find in the stores this time of year.
Since I can’t leave well enough alone, I decided to stuff a few berries for fun. That was a tasty decision.
This is a fast and easy way to make your berries look super fancy and divine.
You'll need berries, whipped cream cheese, powdered sugar and chocolate for dipping. Chocolate is optional. Unless you're me. Then it is mandatory and necessary.
Cut the tops off the berries and hull. Mix together cream cheese and powdered sugar and then use a teaspoon to stuff filling into berries. I got involved with the stuffing and forgot to take pictures. Sorry!
You can melt some chocolate and dip the ends of your berries in it. You can also melt chocolate and make some fancy little swirlies to top the berries. All that is completely optional.
Or you can eat them plain and enjoy!
She Who Loves Fresh Berries
Savvy Entertaining 