Breakfast Treat

Just printed out this recipe from Camillestyles for a will-try this weekend! No yeast or rising required!

Find great food and recipes on pinterest with us!

Beet Chips for Healthy Snacking

I love beets but I'm pretty limited in knowing what to do with them (pickled on my salad, please!) This recipe turns them into chips with avocado goat cheese dip (my other two favorite things to eat.)

See what healthy cooking ideas we are collecting on pinterest.

Yummy! Is it summer yet?

What a fun idea for kids birthday parties, baby showers and more!

Find all fun for kids ideas with us on pinterest!

Chair Sash Decoration

Use small frames to tie together sashes instead of a traditional bow.

Find great tips with us for entertaining any occasion!

Granite Drink Chillers

Made of real granite, polished - simply cool and add to your drink - they won't water it down!

Love the pick, Meghan!

Tools for Valentine's Day Treats

These fun, unique appliances are all great for whipping up treats on Valentine's Day (or any other day of the year).

OOOOH, Chocolate Fountain! Perfect for Parties!
Read the rest of this post »

Valentine's Day Recipes

Looking for something to eat (or do) on Valentine's Day? Here are some resources from around the web to celebrate the day this year:

Cooking for the Family? Taste of Home has recipes to cover pretty much the entire day, from breakfast (Camembert Souffles!!!) to dinner (Chicken with Cherry Sauce). Since Valentine's Day is a school-day this year, I'll skip the breakfast recipes, but who says you can't have souffle for dinner?
Read the rest of this post »

Soup's On - Cheddar Ale Soup Recipe - I Tried and it's True!

I tried out this cheddar ale soup recipe last weekend from fakeginger - it was excellent! I didn't get the pretzel bowls made but the soup was very hearty by itself. Would be great without the beer part too, and you could definitely reduce the cheese amount by 1/3 if you are watching your weight!

Check out recipes we're trying on pinterest with our glorious food board!

7 Layer Dip in a Cup…Perfect for Superbowl (or any) Parties

I love that everyone has their own and isn't dipping their fingers into a huge casserole dish!

Find great ideas for entertaining with us on pinterest!

Cold Veggie Pizza…

Warning: Looks like we'll covering a lot of football and food all weekend!

Find great ideas for game day with Stacks on pinterest!

Superbowl Wings, Slow Cooker Style

This season was the year I finally convinced my wife to give watching football for fun a try, and slowly but surely she has come around to enjoying it. It doesn’t hurt that every Sunday when we do watch the games we make an event out of it and fire up the crockpot to make our favorite game-day delights.

With the regular season long-gone (and with that my favorite team long-eliminated from the post-season) and the playoffs in full swing, it is time to think about the big event that is coming up – the Super Bowl! This year’s NFL championship game will be played on February 3rd, so there is still time to get your game-day menu all set.

As I mentioned above, our go-to for snack-making during the game is our handy-dandy crock pot.
Read the rest of this post »

Healthy Football Grub!

Just came across this article from cooking light about healthier Superbowl Sunday food….. Rosemary Roasted Almonds? Yumm!

Cheers to Stemware Storage!

I know I might be a little late on this one, but those of us who went on vacation the week after New Year's may just still be cleaning up after Christmas. This year I invested in some beautiful champagne flutes as I hosted both Christmas and New Year's eve at my house. So I'm adding to my fancy-dish storage collection a special keeper for my festive glassware. Stemware chests come in all sizes, colors and various degrees of protection. There are even special chests for balloon style wine glasses. You certainly don't have to do this for your everyday wine glasses, but it's a great idea for special-occasion glassware, and in particular, champagne glasses (because what else are they for but special-occasions, right?) For something as fragile as thin glass, I suggest a hard-shell outer box with dividers on the inside, like this fluted stemware storage chest. Stemware storage boxes do a much better job than the old cardboard and newspaper diy models, and are relatively inexpensive - a great investment to keep your glassware in great shape in between uses!

After Holiday Clean Up

If you enjoy the holidays but find all the clean up exhausting, this might be the year to get all your holidays decorations organized and easy to pack up. By having the right storage for all your favorite holiday decorations you can save time and energy after the holidays. There are a number of decorations that can use special storage, like artificial trees, wreaths, ornaments and gift wrap.

Keep those family ornaments safe and sound the other eleven months of the year with custom ornament storage. The 54 Cell Ornament Chest provides lots of storage in one compact space, while the Three Drawer Ornament Chest provides ornament storage in easy to access drawers.
Read the rest of this post »

A Healthy Appetizer to Start off the New Year…

Fresh and yummy!

Find recipes and Entertaining fun with us on Pinterest!

Preserve Precious Pieces

After a long holiday season with so many parties to go to and so many parties to host, it's finally time to put away those "fancy" dishes. Whether you have real china or, like me, you simply have a set of special dishes reserved for holidays and other special occasions, you probably have some extra-special dinnerware that you are ready to pack up and put away until next season.

Here are some tips to get you started on safe china storage:

Pretty and Organized Dishes

For your "fancy dishes"…. a must have to keep them safe and chip-free!

Find great ideas with Stacks on Pinterest-

Cute Finger Food Dessert Idea

This is adorable and fun for kids to help with - would be great for my Christmas Dessert Buffet!

Find great last minute ideas for Christmas on pinterest with our fun-filled boards.

My Go-to Appetizer (and a crowd favorite)…

I am always asked for this recipe by at least one person at every party. It is simple to put together in just a few minutes, no cooking required!

I call it Parsley Ginger Dip. Enjoy!
Read the rest of this post »

Last Minute Christmas Decoration Idea

This is an easy, last minute Christmas decoration you can gather in your backyard (or local park):

Find great Christmas decorating ideas with us on pinterest!

For a Classy Touch on the Table

I love the clean, modern look of this Carafe -

Find great ideas for Entertaining with us on pinterest!

Christmas Songs That Don’t Drive Me Crazy

I gave this post that title because it’s actually the name of a Christmas playlist I created for myself. Now, if you don’t mind hearing the same Christmas songs year after year and haven’t gotten sick them, I certainly don’t mean to offend you with my pessimism. But… I can’t stand to hear the standard versions “White Christmas” or “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” one more time! This year I just got tired of them and had to find new ways to enjoy Christmas music. After a little research, I found that there are alternative versions to these songs that you don’t hear in the stores every year, and they’re quite refreshing!
Read the rest of this post »

Pretty Appetizer Wreath (and yummy too)…

This is so beautiful, you could put anything you want around the edges, even some nuts!

Find great Entertaining ideas for Christmas and beyond on pinterest!

Ribbon Wrapped Pillow…

Such a simple yet elegant idea!

Find more ideas like this for a festive look in your home this Christmas!

One Week to Stress-Free Entertaining

Christmas is just one week away. If you, like me, are hosting family this year on Christmas day, are you ready for action? Creating a plan will help keep the Christmas-day party madness to a minimum, so you can actually enjoy some time with your loved ones. I can’t tell you how to clean your house, or even what needs cleaning. So here is a guide I use (and anyone can benefit from) for getting those extra special entertaining-related cleaning jobs done starting a week ahead of time:

7 Days Out

Read the rest of this post »

Monogrammed Napkins for your Hostess

This would make a nice hostess gift… Personalized Napkins!

Find great ideas for entertaining friends and family with us on pinterest!

Definitely on the Christmas Brunch Menu…

Raspberry Swirl Rolls - very festive with the red raspberries and white icing!

Find great entertaining ideas for Christmas and more on our pinterest boards!

Battery Operated LED "Candles" for safe decorating

I love that these are pillar size, usually I just see tealight battery candles. Would make a beautiful centerpiece!

Find great ideas for Entertaining with us on our pinterest boards!

Warm Up the Table with Holiday Decor

There's something about a decorated table that just makes you feel warm and ready for holiday fun. It instantly brings on that moment where the holidays feel "official". Whether you have just moved into your first apartment or you have been decorating for decades, there is no shortage of new and good ideas for your holiday table out there on the web. Here are some tips and my favorite go-to sites for decorating the holiday table, whether it is for Hanukkah, Christmas or New Years!

Take Stock of What You Have - Even if you are ready for a new look for your table, you may be able to use some of those older items around the home. For instance, move old decorations to the hall table or even a dresser in the bedroom to make room for a new design in the dining room.

Don't Bite Off More than You can Chew - It's tempting when you see one of those professionally tablescaped dining rooms to try to recreate the whole thing yourself, but try to keep it to one or more changes per year on your own table.
Read the rest of this post »

The Dessert Table…(or is it?)

For most holidays, I go pretty standard with deserts. On Thanksgiving, we have pies. On Fourth of July, American flag cake. On Easter, sorbet shaped like a giant egg. But there's something about Christmas that always makes want to think out of the box when it comes to desserts. Maybe it's because by the time we get around to Christmas dinner, we've already had apple dumplings for breakfast and candy from our stockings.
Read the rest of this post »