Summer’s around the corner, and it’s a great time to start thinking about outdoor entertaining. Here are some quick ideas to help you create that perfect party.
1) Host a potluck-themed event and prepare foods in advance, as much as possible. It will save time and work!
2) Clean your yard and make sure there’s enough seating for everyone. Place blankets on the grass for kids.
3) Grill skewers: Grilled vegetables make a great side dish, are easy to prepare ahead of time, and take a few minutes to cook.
4) Keep your guests cool! Consider a portable fan to keep outside during hot summer days.
5) Set out a few yard games to play so your guests have some fun activities to choose from.
6) Create an inviting atmosphere with lights for nighttime. Consider natural bug repellant candles to keep the insects away.
7) Add some color to your table with vibrant dishware. Top it off with an eye-catching centerpiece. Fill up a glass bowl with colorful fruits, such as bright lemons and limes, or fill glass jars with fresh-cut flowers.
Don’t forget to relax with your guests and enjoy all your efforts!
Feel like you’re wasting half a cake when you cut off that gigantic peak that always forms?
There is another way to get flatter cakes (other than cutting or eating the peaks). Try purchasing strips made to fit round cake pans. After soaking the strips and putting them on the outside of the cake pan, pour mix into pan and put into the oven. The damp strips slow down the cooking of the pan’s edge, allowing more even baking. The strips are reusable, so store them away for future cakes. They come in a variety of sizes and will make baking those perfect cakes easier. You’ll bake like a pro!
If you do a lot of baking, you might want to invest in a couple of good, professional cake pans. They are taller and the sides are straighter.
Icing
A good buttercream frosting can be made even better by adding 1 teaspoon of butter flavoring. Find it at your grocery store or online.
Buttercream Frosting:
1 cup of room temperature butter (or ½ c. butter and ½ c. solid vegetable shortening)
3-4 c. sifted power sugar
1 tsp. vanilla flavoring
1 tsp. butter flavoring
2-4 T. milk, cream or water
Beat butter/shortening until softened and smooth. (Solution’s BeaterBlade+ for KitchenAid mixers will get to the entire edge of the mixing bowl without having to stop and scrape!) Slowly add about 3 cups of the powdered sugar. Add the flavorings. Add as much milk as needed for the consistency you want.
Hint: Professional bakers start with a “crumb coating” layer of thinner frosting. Let this layer sit. The second layer of frosting can be thicker and will go on more easily.
How do I get a smooth surface? To get that really smooth surface, you need a large, flat spatula and a pitcher of hot water. Dip the spatula into the water and let it sit for a few seconds. Lift it out and dry it quickly with a paper towel. The heat from the water helps create a smoother surface. Do the sides first!
How can I get a really white frosting? Look for “no-color” vanilla flavoring and butter flavoring for a whiter frosting. You will also need to use all shortening rather than butter for a pure white color.
Looking for a simple way to transfer your spices to a glass jar? Use a funnel. If you don’t have one handy, here’s an easy way to create your own funnel using an envelope.
When transferring spices to a jar, create your own funnel using an envelope.
1. Start with a standard white envelope.
2. Cut the tip off one corner.
3. On the other corner, cut the envelope at an angle from one end to the other.
4. Now you’re ready to open it into a cone shape. You can use manila envelopes for larger amounts.
Pinch My Salt – http://pinchmysalt.com/
- This blog has a smaller more interesting list of recipes for a mix it up meal or expanding on something you already cook frequently. Sorted by meal, the main courses include staples like the Blue Cheese Burger or Sloppy Joe and Creamy Spinach Soup but this recipe list goes further with creative, fun and simple dishes like Artichoke Hummus, Spiked Egg Nog French Toast and Roasted Autumn Vegetable Chowder. A blog style of colorful pictures and quality descriptions of each dish are included with each recipe.
Bake or Break – http://www.bakeorbreak.com/
- A Baker’s delight, this site has a clean look with excellent food photography. The recipe list of baked goods is amazing and will make your wheels spin. Click on a baked good from the recipe list and a brief summery including various notes about where the recipe came from, ingredients to avoid or steps to be carful with is displayed along side images. If you like the recipe, above the top image of each recipe is a text button to view the recipe’s steps and ingredient list ready for printing.
smitten kitchen – http://smittenkitchen.com/
- This site delivers great food photography of very approachable meals. A huge list of recipes to choose from as well and a huge list of good cooking link to look through and expand your cooking knowledge awaits. The recipes show excellent step by step photography and somewhat lengthy descriptions with an ingredient break down at the bottom of the page.
Simply Recipes – http://simplyrecipes.com/
- A huge array of recipes that are sorted by type. (ex: Beef, Chicken, Seafood…, or by dish, Salad, Main Course, Desert…, or by miscellaneous, Budget, Low Carb, Quick, Tex Mex…) The large list of recipes range from fancy in-depth dishes to neat variations of simple dishes you are probably already cooking. Forget the ingredients to one of your staples, then check here to see if they have a variation of the same dish.
the kitchn – http://www.thekitchn.com
- You will find a wide variety of cooking info, from a large recipe lists with good imagery to photosets of live kitchen tours from people’s homes. Recipes can be searched standard meal times or by more interesting searches like “quick”, “make ahead” or “seasons”. This site is such a large resource that it even has a “Quick guide to every herb and spice”.
Be sure to write down those special recipes or new variations of old favorites for safe keeping. Enjoy these printable recipe cards from Solutions. 2 per page, approx 4″x6″.
Did your new fridge come with an icemaker? Don’t throw those old ice cube trays away yet – they’ll come in very handy for preserving unused foods, storing ingredients or making special treats! It’s a great way to control portions when preparing dishes, too (the average ice cube yields about 2 tablespoons).
If you want to keep bananas from ripening too quickly, seal them in plastic bag and store them in the fridge. This will turn the skin brown, but the fruit itself will remain unchanged. Recipe tip: 1 lb. bananas = 1-1/3 cup mashed.
Summer’s around the corner, and it’s a great time to start thinking about outdoor entertaining. Here are some quick ideas to help you create that perfect party.
Don’t forget to relax with your guests and enjoy all your efforts!
Feeling the afternoon snack attack? Here’s some healthy snack options that are packed with protein and will help to keep you feeling satisfied.
