Cocktail: Hot Apple Kiss

I made some wassail to sip on Thanksgiving day.  We had some left so I made what I am calling a Hot Apple Kiss based on the cold version here.

Add to mug:
1/2 oz to 1 oz amaretto
1/2 oz to 1 oz.spiced rum

Top with hot apple cider and mix. Garnish with apple or orange slices. 

Cocktail: Toasted Almond

Last December Katie posted 2 recipes for Coffee Liqueur. I made some for gifts Christmas 2012 and I am going to again this year. It did the 3-day method last year and will again this year.  

Our ususual drink for coffee liqueur is a shot or 2 in an old fashioned glass with ice and milk. The first batch I made this year went to a new drink a Toasted Almond. 

1 or 2 shots coffee liqueur
1 shot amaretto almond liqueur
8 oz milk

2 tbsp chocolate syrup (optional)
ice

Mix all together. Serve in an old fashioned glass over ice.

Holiday Themed Pot Luck Party

If you are anything like Himself and I (and our littles) the month of December is a whirl wind of busy and it feels as if you are always on the go.  This year I am determined to change that up a bit and carve out some time to enjoy friends.  We are always so busy with family obligations and commitments that we don't spend nearly enough time with our "family of our choosing"... our friends.

So this year I got the bright idea (hopefully so?) to host a holiday themed pot luck party.  I wanted to do a theme, to kind of create some fun and excitement around an ordinary pot luck.  So we decided upon Christmas Around The World.  Each family coming is bringing a different dish from an area of the world that is traditionally made at either Christmas or Hanukkah.  It should turn out to be a tasty evening for sure.

When throwing a pot luck you can either let the menu be carved out by the individuals ideas of what to bring (be aware, however, this can lead to everyone bringing a pie or a plate of cookies), or you can assign different dishes that you want people to bring (some people resent being told what to bring), or you can put guidelines or a theme.  (this is my preferred method).

In the case of our theme from Christmas around the World, I instructed 1/3 of my guests to make an appetizer , 1/3 to bring a main dish, and 1/3 to bring a dessert.  I allowed each of them to choose what region from around the world (this should make it fun).  They are also going to bring copies of their recipes in case others enjoy the dish and want to make it at home.

We are also doing a White Elephant exchange (also known as Yankee swap, gettem keepem, and a whole host of other names).  Essentially you set a dollar limit for a gift.  Everyone attending brings one gift.  you don't label who anything is from.  Then you draw a names or numbers from a hat to determine the order that people pick a gift from.  You can then either pick a gift from under the tree, or pick one that was already picked.  We have a rule (some don't use this rule) that you can't "re-pick" a gift more than twice.  So when a gift is picked a total of 3 times, its with it's final home.

The advantage to hosting a pot luck with a White Elephant type of exchange, is it lowers the cost of parties for all involved, everyone gets to enjoy a variety of good food, gifts, and camaraderie, and you aren't on the hook for the entire event.  A win for everyone.

It does take a little bit of organization prior to the party but you won't regret that effort spent when you are enjoying a fun evening with friends.

If you've never hosted a pot luck party, here are some links you might find useful to guide you in your first endeavor.

How to Throw a Holiday Potluck Party

Pot Luck Themes

How to host a potluck

10 crowd pleasing pot luck themes

Hope your next potluck or first potluck as the case may be turns out to be just as much fun as I'm sure we will be having this month with ours.

Tuesday Tips: Holiday Party Edition

Fun Place Cards for Your Holiday Party

Instead of using the usual place cards, buy miniature picture frames and put each guest’s name in a frame—they make great keepsakes. It would be even more fun if you happened to have a photo of each guest to put in the frames.

Cookie-Cutter Napkin Rings

Create your own distinctive collection of napkin rings by using cookie cutters. Each person gets a different shape, with his or her napkin rolled up and slipped through the middle.

Matching Christmas Serving Platters

Don't want to use up your budget on buying holiday themed serving platters? Use vibrant, shiny, thick wrapping paper to line each serving tray or plate. Suddenly, all your platters and plates will match the mood.


Putting an Elegant Spin on an Old Classic

Veggies with dip on a big platter can be ordinary and boring. But take those same ingredients and place them in individual glass votive candle holders that people can pick up and carry while mingling and you've got something special.


Making a Fire in Your Fireplace? Add a Lovely Scent...

First, spread the rinds from an orange or lemon on paper towels, and let them dry out overnight. When the rinds are thoroughly dry, toss them on the fire to create a lovely citrus aroma. If you are not into a citrus scent, you could toss in a few pinecones for a more woodsy fragrance.


Cookie Gift Sleeve

Favors for guests to take with them - cookies packaged in CD envelopes and sealed with festive tags.


A Holiday Pick-Me-Up

Are the holidays running you ragged? The scent of cinnamon stimulates the trigeminal nerve, the area of the brain that governs wakefulness and raises energy levels. Have cinnamon at breakfast-time—sprinkle it on toast, hot oatmeal, cold cereal or even coffee. Or, during the day, put a drop of cinnamon oil on the inside of your wrist and sniff the invigorating scent.

Friday Favorites

Sesame Chicken - yes another recipe from Sugar Crafter (had one last week on Friday Favorites). I have made Sesame chicken before but this is a slightly different recipe that I want to try. It looks easy.

Pottery Barn's Party Planner- I really like Pottery Barn. I don't buy a lot there because it is out of my budget often. But have gotten some great things on sale. In (online) window shopping I found the party planner. And if this link doesn't work for you, go to potterybarn.com and then search for party planner. The Party Planner has videos, recipes, tips, printable invitations, music play lists, printable lists and guides for download. It is broken down into different sections such as cocktail party, dinner party, bridal shower, movie night and several other. Of course it is Pottery Barn so they are trying to sell their products and some of them are great. If you have the budget, indulge. But if you don't, think about about ways to do it within your budget and things you have around your home already.

Pottery Barn Design Tips - Again found this while (online) window shopping. It has so many wonderful tips covering virtual room tours, color, wall decor and then has design tools and videos too.

Teacup Card - I think would be a great Thank you card.

What Would Emily Post Do? - The great-great granddaughter of Emily Post, Anna Post has a blog titled "What Would Emily Post Do?" Just a blog that I enjoy every now and then with good etiquette advice for this modern age.

Making Houseguests Comfortable and Welcome

We are having a house guest later this week so with it I am preparing some extra things for her. And decided to take a look at an essay I wrote on the subject to make sure I am not missing anything. FetLife Domestic Servitude group also had a good thread on this subject.


Making Houseguests Comfortable and Welcome

Growing up my Mom was the hostess with the mostest and she is still the same today. Everything my Mom does to make guests feel comfortable in her house just seems so effortless. She always has those extra special touches around just waiting for a guest. Whether it was finding out a guest’s favorite soda, having just the right lotion, a basket of magazines or snacks ready. She even has a book on hand that you have dying to read. It was just all there waiting for you as her guest.

In addition to the small things, she’s always prepared for out-of-town guests staying over night or two. The guest room is prepared with the linen and an extra set of towels or two are always ready. Growing up we moved far away from family and friends. My Mom left the welcome mat at our door with that intent to truly make those that come into our home feel welcome whenever they found themselves nearby and wanted to stay a night or two. Looking back, I know this is probably where I get –it- from. Her desire to make people feel comfortable and ability to anticipate the nuances of someone staying with them is what makes her so good at being a good hostess and why she makes it look effortless.

I think after Master’s first visit with my parents, he understood my skills for entertaining and having guests because I think it just in my genes. Although I do enjoy entertaining and having guests over, I don’t feel I have been able to make it completely effortless as my Mom has been able to do. There is a lot of effort, time and thought that goes into entertaining guests. For me, it’s not just about straightening up the house. Once you have the initial preparations under control, it becomes easier every time I entertain guests thereafter.

Being Master’s property and entertaining guests, however – takes me to a much different mindset and place. It is my duty to him to be of service and as his property everything I do is direct reflection on him so making his house warm and welcoming for out of town guests is always upfront in my mind. It isn’t that I wouldn’t have tried to make it warm and welcoming if I weren’t in service but I am just more aware of every detail because I am a reflection of him. So hopefully his guest’s create special memories and positive experiences from their stay with us.

Although there are many topics of how to entertain guests I am going to focus on just two aspects of entertaining: the guest room and the guest bathroom. If your guests are going to stay over, you need to focus on creating that “home away from home” feeling for your guests.


THE GUEST ROOM

Creating Space in the Room
• Livable Room: We all know that guest rooms tend to be that room where everything gets dumped that we don’t use that often: The exercise bike we haven’t used for 2 years, an old coat rack that with mounds of coats and scarves burying it so you can’t even see the stand itself, TV trays Uncle Ed and Aunt Emma gave you for Christmas, the extra dining room chairs that you don’t want to clutter up the dining room and so on and so forth. It is now time to make that space a guest room. Try to get rid of the things that you don’t need. Find other places for those things that aren’t needed at the moment. Those TV trays into a hall closet. Exercise bike to a family room where it might get used. Try to clear the room out enough to make it comfortable and inviting for your guests.

• Closet: Your guest will undoubtedly need a little space to hang their clothes. So create space in your closet and provide some sturdy hangers. If you absolutely can’t create a place in the closet, provide an over-the-door hook/hanger for the outside of the closet door.

• Place for Suitcase/Personal items: Have luggage rack, bench or small table to set a suitcase so that a person doesn’t have to kneel on the ground to look through their suitcase. A nice touch is having a drawer or two available in the room also.

Bed and Bedding
• Bed: Have a comfortable bed. We all know how sleeping on a pull out sofa can create a bad night sleep and body aches so try not to put your house guest through that by getting a foam pad to help make it a more comfortable place to sleep. Or are you using an old mattress in the guest room that you stopped using because it was hurting your back? Well don’t do that to your guests. You didn’t want to sleep on it why do you want to make your guests sleep on it.

• Sheets: Make the bed with clean good sheets and pillowcases. Want to take it up one more notch? Iron the sheets and pillow cases so there is no crease marks on them. Also have an extra set of linens folded and accessible for your guest as accidents do happen. It saves them some of the embarrassment if they can just take care of it themselves and only have to give you the dirty sheets.

• Blankets & Pillows: Remember in the summer time a lighter blanket might be more suitable so try to have season-appropriate blankets/linens on the bed. Place an extra blanket folded at the end of the bed. And also have an extra pillow or two available (actually at least one extra for every guest).

The Comforts
• A bedside table with a clock. Set the clock to the current time and if it is a clock radio set it to a good station. So that your guest doesn’t need to search through stations to find something.

• A pitcher or carafe of water with a glass (or two if there is more then one guest) Refill it each night and replace glasses with clean ones.

• Have a book, some magazines and a bedside light so your guests can read.

• A box of tissues and a wastebasket.

• Stationary, stamps, pens, scissors (for possibly cutting tags airport tags off), lotion and small sewing kit.

• Hang clean robe in the room to slip on to go the bathroom in and if possible provide slippers too.

• Flowers and candles make the room extra special. (But also be aware that some guests may have allergies so these type of things might cause them some problems.)

• Provide a night light as getting around a dark unfamiliar room will cause less stubbed toes.


Extras
• Place snacks, fresh fruits or chocolates in the room. Create a little basket of some treats for them to snack on late at night so they don’t have to navigate to the kitchen through a dark house.

• Pace a television, DVD player and movies in case they want to get away and just have some alone time - you have provided them an escape. Also remember to put the remote on the bedside table.

• And CD player with an assortment of music to wind down from a long flight into town.

• A chair in the room – some people don’t like to sit on a bed at all even to put their shoes or socks on so having that chair will make them more comfortable

• Provide tourist information – if your guest is going to do some local site seeing, they can browse through brochures to see what looks good to them. Include any local coupons to amusement parks or other area attractions.

• If you don’t have wired Internet service make sure to have an available phone line for your guests laptop.

THE GUEST BATHROOM

The Basics
• Set out clean set of matching towels on the counter. Let guests know where extra towels are if needed.

• Stock with necessities – new bar of soap, fill liquid soap dispensers, fresh roll of toilet paper plus a back up roll easily attainable to your guest, fresh hand towel and bathmat

• A night light for your guest to get to the bathroom with ease in the middle of the night.

• Have a hair dryer and curling iron out for your guests to use.

• Bathroom cleaning supplies under the sink or in an easily visible area in case your guests desire to clean up after himself/herself.


A Basket of Extras
Think of all the things a guest might have forgotten in their packing. Or if they have been traveling a while also they might be running out of things and need fresh basics.

• Travel-size toiletries: Toothbrush (new in package), shampoo, conditioner, disposable razor, shaving cream, mouthwash
• Nail clippers, fingernail file and tweezers
• Q-tips & cotton balls
• Aspirin or ibuprofen
• Special Touches: Scented lotion or body wash, candles or bath salts and oils

You are now ready for overnight guests. Your guests aren’t expecting to be staying at a luxurious hotel but having a comfortable warm inviting home will make their stay better then a night at a hotel. As a service oriented slave giving 5-star service with personal touches is a good reflection of Master so something I strive for when having overnight guests.

I wrote this essay for Simply Service August 2008. Please subscribe to Simply Service so that it gets emailed to you.

Chase Away the Winter Blues

Getting the winter blues? How about inviting some people over for game night and have a Hot Chocolate Bar. There is so many possibilities. And you can create a hot chocolate bar on any kind of budget.

Just some basics:
Use matching fancy mugs, casual mugs you pick up at the goodwill, on clearance or use all the miss matched mugs in your cupboard

Just have a few key basic hot chocolates flavors so that your guests can flavor them with the add-ins. So milk chocolate, white chocolate and dark chocolate are good choices. Keep the hot chocolate hot in slow cookers or even thermal carafes.

Have your add-ins in little containers. Maybe divided appetizer trays or little bowls. Or you could even have a theme such as summer beach party to bring the summer to the winter.

For a summer theme - You could use little plastic pails with shovels and maybe set them in a homemade table top sandbox. And thread add-ins on umbrella cocktail toothpicks/skewers,hand out leis and hang up lanterns

Stirrers - again can be simple as spoons or coffee stirrers to homemade ones on chocolate dipped peppermint sticks or pretzels.

Add-ins:
Make sure they are chopped finely so that they melt quickly.

marshmallows of course (try making homemade marshmallows)


flavored whipped cream


crushed peppermint sticks, butterscotch candies or other flavored hard candies such as jolly ranchers.


flavored liqueurs or syrups


orange rind twists


candied ginger


cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne or chili powder


chopped up candy bars (Milky Ways, Hershey chocolate bars, 3 Musketeers), caramels, truffles (hazelnut, raspberry, espresso)


chocolate, mint or butterscotch chips


Serve the cocoa with salty snacks such as popcorn, crackers and pretzels. And chase the winter blues away with good friends and hot cocoa.

Book: The New Book of Table Settings

The New Book of Table Settings: Creative Ideas for the Way We Gather Today
by Chris Bryant, Paige Gilchrist

I really liked this book. It wasn't the usual highly formal table decorating that I have seen in other books. This gives fresh ideas that create a very unique look with things that you can get easily or have right in your home.

The book covers the basics: Table setting 101, Dinnerware, glasses and flatware where the author encourages you to mix and match freely and I just love that concept. Table coverings and napkin and then flowers and centerpieces. The book gives charts and quick glance tips

And then the food and how to make the table about the food. Such as if you were going to have a taco buffet -- using terracotta planter saucers for all the toppings.

The next section and biggest part of the book is really is about decorating table for different occasions and seasons. Two of my favorite ideas were turnip candles on a little holder made of nails and raffia that would be wonderful for a fall table giving it that harvest and rustic look. And then ice luminary with cold-weather greens and berries for a winter table.

This book had quick glance tips, lists and step-by-step instructions for some projects. It is a book that I wouldn't mind having on my bookshelf.

THE 10-MINUTE RESCUE

THE 10-MINUTE RESCUE by Mrs. Mary Hunt

The phone rings. Surprise! Long lost friends will be at your front door in 10 minutes. You have no time to clean the house. What you need is a 10-minute rescue. This is a terrific technique you should learn right now, and then keep tucked away for that time when despite your best efforts, you’re caught in a jam. So, are you ready? Go!

1. Set a small pan of water over medium heat. Dump in spices like cinnamon, allspice and cloves and leave it to heat.

2. Grab a box or grocery bag. Move through the house starting in the kitchen clearing counters, coffee tables, end tables and all other flat surfaces of clutter. Just scoop everything into the container and stash it in a closet.

3. Gather all bathroom clutter including towels, stuff lining the walls and ledges of the tub and shower, toys, and all the stuff on the vanity and deposit it in the tub or shower. Draw the curtain.

4. Clean all the flat surfaces you have just cleared using furniture polish or all-purpose cleaner as appropriate.

5. Empty the kitchen sink of dishes, pots and so on using the stash methods described above if necessary. The oven and dishwasher are handy hiding places. Scrub the sink, rinse quickly and perform a quick polish.

6. Starting at the front door vacuum the visible areas.

7. Light the candles and the fireplace.

8. Switch on the stereo and turn down the lights.

Whew! You made it. The house looks great. Smells good, too. Enjoy your company and when they are gone, take a few more minutes to go through the box in the closet, the pile in the tub and, above all, anything you stashed in the oven!

** Just remember to clean out all the places you stashed stuff after. I know when I was a young housewife I forgot that pile of pans was in the oven and turned it on to preheat! It wasn't a good experience. Also this really seems like it would take more then 10 minutes but it is a quick clean up if you have guests dropping by!