The last thing any holiday cooks want to do is walk around the kitchen and find out that they are missing a vital item they need to finish a meal in fantastic fashion. Undoubtedly it has happened to you at least once. Be sure it doesn’t happen again with this pantry staple list for the holidays.
Each holiday, most of us prepare the same things. There are favorite family dishes that must be prepared or Aunt Minnie will have a fit. That goes for desserts as well. Since you know this in advance, let’s make sure that the kitchen cupboards are stocked with the items you use the most.
The pantry list includes items for the fridge, cupboard and the freezer. Let’s begin with the cupboard:
• Flour (all purpose, cake)
• Baking soda
• Dry yeast (for breads)
• Sugar (white, brown, confectioners’)
• Chocolate (bricks, squares, morsels, cocoa powder)
• Nuts (pecans, English walnuts, almonds)
• Spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, pepper)
• Baking powder
• Honey, oil, vinegar
• Broth
• Dried fruits
• Vegetables (sweet potatoes, white potatoes, onions, garlic)
• Rice
• Dried pasta
This is just a short list. Depending on your tastes, you’ll add or detract from it depending on your tastes. Now we move on to the fridge. Some items just need to stay in there to stay fresh. To know your refrigerated pantry staples, think of things that you are always sending someone to the store for.
• Milk
• Butter (not margarine)
• Sour cream
• Eggs
• Lemon juice
• Half and half
This list is shorter because you use these items more when you cook and bake around the holidays than any other time. The broth from the other list will end up in the fridge after you open it.
Don’t forget the freezer. Most of the freezer staples come into play with baking but they can pertain to cooking the meal if you make fruit relishes, cranberry sauce from scratch and other condiment additions to your holiday table.
• Frozen fruit (berry mix, peaches)
• Frozen vegetables (to make up for any shortfall with fresh veggie side dishes)
• Fruit juices from concentrate
As you can see, there are a lot of staples that you’ll need when cooking and baking for the holidays. You don’t necessarily have to account for every family member who darkens your door. If your list includes at least these items you are well on your way to a well-stocked holiday pantry.
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Throwing a party is lots of fun, but it’s rarely cheap. By the time you buy food, drinks, decorations and party favors, there might not be much money left over for anything else. But what about invitations? If you don’t invite anyone, there’s not much point in having a party.
You could order custom invitations, but that’s rather expensive. You could buy a pack of invitations from the store, but that’s not very original. Or you could save yourself some money and have unique invitations by making them yourself.
You can create invitations in no time with a computer and printer. Or if you want to make your invitations extra special, you could make them by hand. Here are some ideas to get your started.
* Look for free invitation designs that you can print online. There are many websites that feature free invitation and greeting card designs as a means of attracting visitors. Just do a Google search, and you’re sure to find several to choose from.
* Invest in some greeting card software. Companies like Hallmark and ArcSoft produce software that features lots of beautiful designs for invitations and other types of greeting cards. You can customize the ready-made designs or create more unique invitations using the templates and clip art provided. These programs require you to pay an up-front cost, but after using them a few times they will pay for themselves.
* If you’re artistically inclined, you could draw or paint the designs for your invitations by hand. Such a work of art is sure to put a smile on your guests’ faces.
* Use scrapbooking techniques to make invitations by hand. With some card stock and embellishments such as stickers, ribbons, lace and die cuts, the possibilities are endless. You could also use decorative hole punchers, embossers and pinking shears to add an extra special touch.
* Add beauty to any handmade card with pressed flowers. You don’t need any special equipment to press your own flowers. Just place them between two pieces of wax paper and insert them in the middle of a heavy book for a couple of weeks. If you’re in a hurry, you can dry them in the oven or microwave or buy flowers that have already been pressed at your favorite craft supply store.
Creating your own party invitations doesn’t have to be a chore. It can be as simple as choosing a design and clicking the print button. And if you want to make your invitations more memorable, there are all sorts of ways you can embellish them. Either way you go, you’ll have unique invitations for less than you would pay to have them printed by a professional.
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A new year is certainly something to celebrate. Yet New Year’s Eve parties have become much more scarce than they once were. It’s a safe bet that one of the biggest reasons for this trend is our shrinking budgets.
What many people do not realize is that you don’t have to spend a fortune to ring in the New Year properly. As long as your friends and family are there, you can always have a good time even without going to a great deal of expense. Here’s how.
* Host the party at your house if possible. If you do not have enough space, ask a friend or family member if you could have the party at their house. Renting a space can be expensive, especially on an occasion like New Year’s Eve.
* Plan your party for late evening. Everyone will probably be staying past midnight anyway, so there’s no need to get started early. If you have the party late, it will give everyone the opportunity to eat dinner before they show up, so you won’t be expected to provide a full meal. Instead, you can just serve some tasty finger foods. But just to be sure everyone knows what to expect, indicate on the invitations that you will be serving refreshments only.
* If you really want to have a meal, make it a potluck. Have each guest bring a dish, and even a drink if you like. You can supply the paper plates, cups, flatware and napkins.
* Don’t feel obligated to have a full bar. You can have a fun party without stocking every type of liquor. You could serve champagne punch or beer as an alternative, or make it an alcohol-free party if you like.
* Keep the decorations simple and inexpensive. Strings of white Christmas lights make great decorations indoors or out. For a centerpiece, gather some branches and pine cones and arrange them in the center of the table. For added flair, spray paint them silver or gold.
* Skip hiring a band to play at your party and make a nice mix CD for the occasion. Or if you have friends that play, ask them to bring their instruments along and have an impromptu jam session.
* Go with cheap entertainment. Borrow movies from the library for a movie marathon, or have guests bring board games that everyone can play. Or break out the cards and chips and have a poker night.
Who said celebrating the New Year required an all-out extravaganza? The point of a New Year’s Eve party is to have fun with the people who mean the most to us. And you don’t have to break the bank to do that.
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Have you recently made the decision to host a Christmas party this year or even next? If so, it is likely that you have your party all planned out or, at least, you should be looking to develop a plan soon. Regardless of whether you have already started planning your Christmas party yet, have you thought about decorations? Christmas decorations are an important party of the holiday season, but they are an even bigger party of a Christmas party. That is one of the many reasons why you should want to decorate your home for Christmas.
As previously mentioned, Christmas decorations are an important part of Christmas, as well any type of party. There is just something about Christmas that makes everyone want to celebrate it, particularly with Christmas decorations. The same can be said for a party. Party decorations, even Christmas party decorations, makes a party, well, seem more like a party. Having Christmas decorations at your Christmas party will likely make your party more enjoyable. There is just something about Christmas decorations that brings out the Christmas spirit. Therefore, if you are looking to make your Christmas party a festive one, one that your guests will never want to forget, you are advised to decorate your home for your Christmas party.
While Christmas parties come in all different forms, popular Christmas party forms includes parties that are for children or parties that are for family. Regardless of whether or not you have adults and children present at your Christmas party or just children, one thing is for sure; children love the Christmas season. One of the reasons for that is because of the pretty decorations. If you are a parent, yourself, you likely already know first hand how much children enjoy looking at Christmas decorations. In fact, the decorations are sometimes the first thing that children notice. Therefore, if there will be children that will be attending your Christmas party, it may be a good idea to decorate your home for the event.
As previously mentioned, Christmas parities are often associated with friends and family. That is why there is a good chance that you or your guests would want to document the holidays. This documentation is often done with a video camera or a picture camera. Regardless of which is being used, you will find that Christmas decorations make the perfect backdrop for video footage or pictures. In fact, it may also be a good idea to decorate and designate an area of your home for pictures. This may not only put your decorations to good use, but it will also encourage your guests to document the holiday with pictures.
Another reason why you should decorate your home, for your Christmas party, is because, in most cases, you will find that your guests expect your home to be decorated. A Christmas party really isn’t a Christmas party without Christmas decorations. In fact, the decorations are often what sets a Christmas party apart from any other party. Since parties, especially Christmas parties, are often associated with decorations, you will find that your guests expect to see them. Perhaps, that is one of the most important reasons why you should decorate your home for your Christmas party; you don’t want to let your guests down do you?
As you can easily see, there are a number of different reasons why you should decorate your home for your Christmas party. If you are looking to find the largest selection of Christmas decorations or a particular type, you are advised to start your shopping early, preferably in late October or early December. As Christmas approaches, you will find that many retail stores sell out of their Christmas decorations and very few replenish their stock. Therefore, if you are planning on decorating your home for your Christmas party, you will want to get started soon. In fact, as soon as the Christmas decorations hit the store shelves, it may be a good idea to, at least, start purchasing your decorations.
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When you are planning a party at your home, you will find that it always seems like no matter how much you clean, or how much you organize; there is always more which you could do. The key to effectively preparing your home to host a party is cleaning and de-cluttering some very vital areas. You should understand that as long as those areas care clean and clutter-free, then your guests will feel comfortable and welcome in your home.
However, even the most seasoned hostess can be intimidated by trying to prepare their home for guests. So, for that reason, here are some tips from professional cleaners and organizers on how you can best prepare your home to host your party:
Tip #1 – Take a look around your home in a quick sweep and decide what you need to do. Take along a pen and paper and make notes for each room of your home. You will want a closet for your guests to hang their coats in and a place to store women’s purses. While you are doing your home walk-through decide where these two locations will be and write them down.
Tip #2 – The first place you will want to start cleaning and tidying up is the entry area of your home, and then work from there cleaning the living room, bathroom, and kitchen areas. In addition, if there are other areas in your home where your guests will be, perhaps a game room or similar, that area will need a good cleaning and de-cluttering as well.
Tip #3 - While everyone has some clutter which they treasure; understand that clutter can give an even spotless home the appearance of being messy and unclean. You want your guests to be able to move freely in your home and not be knocking things off of tables or shelves. When you are cleaning for a party be brutal and get rid of as much clutter as you can bear – even if you just simply box it and place it in the garage for the night.
Tip #4 – If you have a spouse and family, now is the time to enlist them to help you in cleaning and de-cluttering your home. You can easily assign a room to each person and have them be responsible for cleaning and removing anything in the room which does not absolutely need to be there for the party.
Tip #5 - If you have children with messy rooms, but are having an all-adult party, it is fine to simply close your children’s bedroom doors and not make a big deal about them cleaning their rooms for the party. This can greatly relieve your stress pre-party. In essence, stick to cleaning rooms which you absolutely must clean because guests will be in them.
Tip #6 – If your party is informal, consider using casual serving dishes and casual eatery as well. You may even want to purchase some good quality paper plates for the event if it will be a pot-luck or BBQ type event, rather than a sit-down meal.
Tip #7 - It is important for you to know that where there are people with food and drinks, there will be spills and stains. The easiest way to deal with these issues is to be completely prepared to deal with them before they ever happen. Have a small box with cleaning supplies which you can use to clean up any messes which might occur during the party.
Tip #8 – Once your home is clean and clutter-free, then it is time to go around your home and add back some small, personal touches which make your home comfortable and inviting for your guests. You can accomplish this through the use of flowers, photographs of your family, and candles. To deal with any musty odors your home may have, you can burn candles or simmer cinnamon and cloves on the stove.
Tip #9 – Once your home has been prepared and you have a back-up plan to deal with any unforeseen stains or spills, then it is time for you as the hostess to sit back and enjoy your party.
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Planning a Halloween party can be a very fun thing to do. Whether you will be hosting adults, children, or a mix of both, Halloween parties are fun and exciting to have and to attend.
To help plan your Halloween party, and have it be the event of the year, here are some ideas to get you started in your planning:
Halloween Party Idea #1 – The first thing you need to do is to decide on a budget for your party and if you will be having adults, children, or both in attendance. Once you have made these decisions then it is time to start planning your event.
Halloween Party Idea #2 – Food and drinks are always a big part of any Halloween party. Here you can be very creative with items such as “scabs” other wise known as dried cranberries. Items such as bleeding cupcakes or things which look like eyeballs are generally a hit. Or you can go with a more traditional fare of cookies and candy.
Halloween Party Idea #3 – For beverages for your party you can make a great slimy punch out of lemonade, sugar, meringue powder, and seltzer water. To this add some green food coloring and stir. The mix will be slimy and frothy.
Halloween Party Idea #4 – Always a fun idea at Halloween parties is the addition of dry ice to beverages. This will make them send off fog and is always a hit with both adults and children.
Halloween Party Idea #5 – Decoration for Halloween is fun. You can make tombstones in the yard with simple Styrofoam cutouts and even hang lights and ghosts in your trees. Inside your home you can decorate with spider webs and other spooky items which you can purchase at any local store during the Halloween season.
Halloween Party Idea #6 – For a Halloween party you want your home to be dimly lit but not too dark so that people are tripping over things. Also a fog machine or cauldrons with dry ice in them can give a great effect.
Halloween Party Idea #7 – Music is always nice for a Halloween party. However, rather than have it playing in the room your guests will be in, try setting your tunes in a near-by room so that people can still talk and enjoy themselves. If you have a adult party use scarier music than if you are hosting children.
Halloween Party Idea #8 – Playing games is always a hit at any party. A fun game for adults is charades using scary movies and themes. For children, bobbing for apples can be fun if the weather and space allow for it. Also, contests for the best costume always go over well. (Let your guests know this on your invitations.
Halloween Party Idea #9 – If you want to amaze your friends, you can write secret messages on your drinking glasses. To do this, take a mixture of dish soap and water and write messages with it, using your finger, on the outside of some drinking glasses. Once you are finished place them in the freezer to frost over. As your guests drink, and the glasses warm, your messages will come into view. This is always something people will be amazed at and talk about for a long time to come.
Halloween Party Idea #10 – One of the best things you can do while you are planning any party, especially one for Halloween, is to go online and search for creative ideas. You will find a wealth of creativity to help you make the most of your party experience.
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