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Boozy Popsicles for Playful Entertaining
One of the best popsicles I ever tasted was at a bar in Mexico while enjoying a typical college spring break. I would love to tell you that I remember the food enjoyed during that week, but the truth...
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Spring Entertaining Made Simple
Hosting a party is like public speaking, you either thrive on the stress and dive into to every detail with enthusiasm, or you shirk away from it, only to embark on entertaining with anxiety and...
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5 Maraca Shaking Margaritas
Welcome to Margaritaville! Tequila was never a favourite of mine, the aroma was always too heavy, and the taste was always to strong, even standing next to a Margarita would turn my stomach, and...
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Celebrate Summer
And just like that summer is on our doorstep. Warmer days, longer nights and a whole host of new tastes, smells and activities to enjoy with the ones you love. If there is one sound that captures...
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Banana Mint Play-date Smoothie Recipe
I have spent the last week playing in the garden, and trying to figure out what to do with all the mint that is growing wild in the borders of the property. Cocktails seemed like an obvious solution,...
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Lavender Infused Cocktails
Special Contributor: Greater Boston Gala Girls When hosting any kind of gathering, we insist on a signature cocktail that embodies the theme of the party and a Poolside Summer Tonic certainly fits the...
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5 tips for hosting a NFL party
After 2 years of living in the US we are finally getting around to embracing the all American Fall pastime of watching football and hosting our first NFL inspired party. You would think that as an...
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10 Holiday Punch Recipes
I often wonder how I will reflect on my childhood holiday memories as time pulls me further from that 6 year old girl shaking her presents on Christmas eve, and my love of National Lampoons Christmas...
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Thanksgiving Table Tactics
Compared to many families made popular on reality TV, my family is dull, dry and lacks the gusto to make for captivated viewing… but I adore them nonetheless and find comfort in the fact that the...
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Lucky Sangria Recipe
I am often asked how to take the stress out of entertaining, and for years I asked myself the same question. I would spend days stocking my bar with an endless supply of options thinking that the...
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Two Fresh Spring Cocktail Recipes
I love my job. It is true that if you do what you love, you will love what you do, and this past week I sang this song over and over again while hosting the California Giant Fresh Berries Spring...
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Sipping on a Moscato Gimlet
For some, it is all about keeping up with the Jones’s, for me it is about keeping up with tradition…. I love everything about tradition and annual celebrations, even more so when they come with the...
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Summer Wine Pairings
It never ceased to amaze me that people often limit wine pairings to the classic spread of cheese and crackers… don’t get me wrong, I love a rich soft cheese atop a crunchy salty cracker washed down...
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How to stock a stylish summer bar
Stocking a stylish summer bar is one of those merriments that makes me think of the changing seasons. Just like trimming the tree in December or wearing poppies in the spring, stocking a stylish...
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Getting Sweet with Moscato
My love of full bodied red wine often thwarts my curiosity for trying sweeter white wines. However, with temperatures nearing a 100F in Arizona this past weekend, my desire to stay cool and hydrated...
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Oscar Themed Cocktails & Mocktails
My husband is a film buff, he knows more about production and directorial styles than I know about the price of rice. I go to films for the popcorn and fountain coke, he goes for the cinematic...
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10 tips for hosting your first Thanksgiving
There are few things more stressful that hosting your fist Thanksgiving, especially when there is just one oven, and so many hours in the day. I remember my mother getting up at 6am to start cooking...
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5 Tips for stocking a family bar
If you know me, you know that I will plan my holiday bar as well as I plan my holiday dinner. But for some of us, hours of menu planning frequently go into delivering the perfect Thanksgiving dinner...
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How to host a baking party
Exactly one year ago this month I put on my big girl pants and tossed out all my instant cake boxes…I was going to learn to bake if it killed me. I am anything but a rule follower, so baking and I...
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Feasting for lovers & an #ApothicWhite chili peach sangria recipe
Fourteen years ago I met a man in a fairytale that only Hollywood could script. Like every great romance, we started off like a cosmic boom where romance ran wild and time stood still, then came the...
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Live with Coryanne and Mindy Lockard of The Gracious Girl
I’m not really one for moderation. I’m a lover of “more, more, more” and rarely find the stop button, especially when it comes to having fun. And for me, celebrating summer at an outdoor party is...
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How to start a wine club
There are 2 kinds of book clubs, those with wine, and those without. If you are anything like me, you belong to the one with wine, and generally spend your time drinking rather than talking about the...
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Embracing the finger food trend
Where ever possible, I look for the short cuts in life that give me more time to enjoy the company of friends and family, especially when it comes to home entertaining. The beauty with summer...
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5 tips for a sizzling summer party
I remember those festive parties from years long ago when the biggest element of planning was how much booze to have on hand and if our tiny London flat was big enough to hold everyone invited. Now, a...
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4th of July #UScranberries Sangria
As I write this we have just driven across Washington, Idaho, Montana, Utah and Arizona and are feeling especially proud to call the USA our home– It is amazing how beautiful both the country and the...
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Bake, chill, serve party inspired by #CWColor
We have been living our Dallas life for exactly 15 days now and it feels like we have known our neighbors forever. In the space of 2 weeks we have attended 4 parties, and hosted 2 impromptu “porch...
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Rooibos Fall Sparkling Cocktail
I’m never one to miss a trend, especially when it involves one of my favor teas. I first tried Red Bush or Rooibos Tea when I was a Rotary Exchange Student living in South Africa. It was the first...
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How to host Thanksgiving dinner
Thanksgiving is coming and with that comes the massive shopping lists, the hurried menu planning and the stress of pulling of a memorable occasion for your friends and family. And if this is your...
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Holiday Donut Tree
If you are looking for a last minute Christmas party that will fit in with the chaos of the season…. host a Christmas brunch. Somewhere between endless evening invitations and the long lingering...
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Super Bowl Party #FarmRichHack
I’ll never forget my very first Super Bowl party, I went a little over the top with game day favors and flavors. In fact, I would go as far to say that I spent as much time on my Super Bowl party...
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Top 10 Essentials for Spring Entertaining
Spring is in the air, blooms are bursting from the ground and our entertaining style is getting lighter and more relaxed with each ray of sunshine that sneaks indoors. Natural, simple and casual...
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Simple Candied Pansies for Easter
Simple is such an over used word, but really, when something takes no skill, hardly any time and has amazing results, I struggle to find a better fitting word. Candied pansies, or any edible flower,...
View ArticleTop Tips for Successful Seating Arrangements
Large family gatherings always create a buzz of excitement from the volume of conversation that floats around the table and carries around the house. However, for a great many of us, this comes from...
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Stocking a family friendly bar
Hours of menu planning frequently go into delivering the perfect Thanksgiving dinner: the gracious host never overlooks the vegetarian guest, or the favored guest who simply adores roasted beets....
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Clean Cocktails for Festive Entertaining
There is nothing worse than planning a fabulous party and then finding that the party took a turn for the worse when you, or a guest spills red wine. We’ve all been there and when you are planning a...
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A new twist on the traditional guest book
The holidays are upon us: guests are ringing door bells, hostesses are clicking their heels and before we know it, the merriment will turn into hibernation and the memories of those festive nights...
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How to plan a progressive dinner
Winter brings colder, shorter days and also that hung over feeling caused by over stretching our holiday glee. The idea of hosting a dinner party or even a small cocktail party leaves even the most...
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The Hostess Journal
Between my household management book and vast collection of guest books, it should not surprise you that I also keep a hostess journal. As a child, I watched my grandmother use a variety of books to...
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How to give a toast
I’m such an extrovert that I forget that some people buckle up at the thought of public speaking. While others struggle with what to say, I struggle with how to limit what I want to say… I could...
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How to end a party in style
Everyone loves hosting a great party, and for the most part, many of us are happy to keep the party going as long possible, but what about those times when all you want to do is reach for your bed and...
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Grown up Jell-o Shots
Not all Jello Shots are created equal, some, like the ones from our youth are tainted with the foolishness of college parties, and others, like a glamourous version of the Jello Jiggler can add a touch...
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Advice for the reluctant host
Entertaining at home should be second nature; however modern demands on our time coupled with the massive promotion of picture perfect menus send many of us reaching for a wine glass at the mere...
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How to calculate your party beverage needs
I am a strong believer that the biggest dinner party disaster of them all is when the booze runs dry and your guests start going thirsty. For most people, attending a dinner party is more about...
View ArticleTable Tactics for Family Feasts
Compared to many families made popular on reality TV, my family is dull, dry and lacks the gusto to make for captivated viewing… but I adore them nonetheless and find comfort in the fact that the...
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Overcoming Dinner Party Disasters
After days of planning, hours of cooking and moments spent rearranging the floral display while you anxiously await your guests to arrive, the last thing on your mind is the wine reduction sauce...
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5 Post Christmas Party Ideas
Looking for reasons to keep the party going? Or simply just trying to catch up with friends that you missed over the holiday season? Here are 5 reasons to open your door and play hostess in January....
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Dinner Party Serving Styles
My first dinner party was a feast of pasta, garlic bread and wine in a tiny London flat that hardly had space for a kitchen table, let alone 4 adults trying to enjoy a dignified evening. My husband...
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4th of July family friendly party foods
I love it when my work and family life intersect, and my latest 4th of July series for Celebrations.com does just that. Rather than put my thinking hat on, I asked the children to recipe develop, take...
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10 Ways to jazz up lemonade
There is nothing better on a hot day than a glass of freshly made lemonade. But why stop with just lemons? I love the simplicity of homemade lemonade and how simple it is to jazz it up using basic...
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