Chocolate Covered Spoons

A simple favor or treat to spruce up an event are chocolate covered spoons. They are simple to make, VERY cheap, and look classy.

Chocolate mint spoons for a baby shower

You will need plastic spoons ($1), chocolate chips or Andy's Candies ($2), small treat bags ($3), ribbon of your choice ($2), and any little extra charm= $8!

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Prep a cookie sheet with wax paper or a non-stick baking mat. Dip the spoons in the chocolate, making sure to cover the bottom completely, and tap the handle of the spoon on the edge of the bowl to get rid of any extra chocolate. Rest the spoon on the edge of your cookie sheet to keep the chocolate level (If your cookie sheet doesn't have an edge create a snake out of tinfoil and use that as your rest). Allow the spoons to cool completely before placing them inside their individual treat bags. Close the bags with ribbon and tie a small charm into the ribbon.

*To add color drizzle colored chocolate over cooled spoons or add sprinkles to the spoons before they cool. 


Add to your coffee or hot chocolate to make it a decadent treat! Enjoy!

Winter Lips

Sick of chapped pealing winter lips and have a big event to go to? Try this little trick to get rid of that dead skin without buying every expensive lip balm on the market.

Dip a damp finger in sugar and rub it on your lips for approximately a minute to exfoliate the dead skin. Rinse off your lips and apply a simple chap stick (I like carmax which is $0.89 a stick). If you want add lipstick and you are ready to go!

Recipes to Make you a First Class Chef on a Shoe String

Crack dip on Italian toast

Hosting an engagement party, shower, bachelorette party, or adult birthday shindig? Here are some of my favorite stand by recipes that will impress, even if your kitchen is a foreign territory to you.

These are all "no recipe recipes" that are so easy to make and adjust to your taste. Have fun and play around with them.

"Crack Dip" (This is a HUGE family favorite that is so good you get addicted to it like crack)

Reduced Fat Cream Cheese (at room temperature)
Soft Butter or Sour Cream
Craisins
Walnuts
Pesto (1- 1 1/2 Tbs per pack of cream cheese - Progresso is the best and cheapest around)

Mix cream cheese with a dab of butter or sour cream to make the cream cheese a bit more spreadable. Line a dish or Tupperware container with plastic wrap. Place some of the craisins and walnuts in the bottom of dish to make a thin layer, Mix the pesto with the cream cheese and the rest of the craisins and walnuts. Fill the dish with the mixture, cover and refrigerate for later, or flip out onto a dish right away, peel away the plastic wrap and serve with crackers.

Pear and Bleu Cheese Pizza

Pizza Dough or Naan bread (I really like the whole wheat dough from Trader Joe's)
Pears
Bleu Cheese (you can sub goat cheese or any other strong cheese you like)
Prosciutto (Crispy Bacon will also do the trick if you can't get Prosciutto)
Olive Oil
Corn Meal

Place a pizza stone in your oven ($10 at Walmart if you don't own one -- they are a great investment) and preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Cut up the prosciutto and crisp it up in a frying pan. Roll out dough on a floured surface. When the oven is preheated take out the pizza stone. Coat stone with corn meal or flour. Carefully place dough or pre-made naan on stone. Top with a little olive oil, bleu cheese, crisped prosciutto, and thinly sliced pear. Pop pizza stone back into your oven on the top shelf, turn off the oven and turn on the broiler to low. (This will allow the hot stone to cook your crust while the broiler will give you the brick oven look and taste by cooking the top very fast) Cook for 5-9 min (depending on the density of your crust) until your pizza is bubbly and golden brown.

Cut into slices for a main dish or smaller pieces as an appetizer.

Curry Chicken Salad

Poached Chicken Breasts

Plain Greek Yogurt (Not Vanilla)

Mayo

Curry Powder

Craisins (Sub fresh grape halves if you want)

Walnuts

Salt and Pepper

Poach chicken breasts, allow to cool, and cut into small cubes. Add yogurt and a little bit of mayo to coat. Season with curry powder, salt, and pepper to taste. (Add curry powder a little at a time until it is rich in color and taste -you might need more than you think). Mix in craisins and chopped walnuts.

Serve with crackers, pita, or in finger rolls. 

Citrus trifle made with a lemon box cake, oranges, mango, and peach yogurt.

Trifle 

Angel Food Cake (or cake of your choice)
Seasonal Fruit
Cool Whip Light
Yogurt (a flavor that will go well with your fruit)

Pull cake apart into small pieces with your fingers. Slice up fruit (Put a small amount aside for decoration). Fold yogurt into 2/3 of the cool whip. Repeatedly layer the the cake, fruit, and yogurt mixture in a trifle bowl, glass dish, or individual clear cups until you run out of ingredients. Finish off the dish with the remaining cool whip and pieces of fruit.

This trifle is great as a light dessert or a dish for a brunch.

*A special thanks to my husband Michael for helping with quality control and dishes as

I photographed these recipes for you.

Candy's Shower

Today I went to my sister-in-law's baby shower and it was a blast. She had a less traditional open house shower which was so nice. You could mingle, eat, drink, and the mom to be opened gifts as the people arrived so there was no three hours of doating over baby crap and not really getting to spend time with the guest you came to see. It was much more personal.

Yes those are real high healed zebra print baby booties.

Sock monkey basket from the Dollar Tree- Super Cute!

A petit guest testing out the goods!

A new crocheted pink pig to match the one Candy had as a baby.

These next two pictures are after a few Bloody Marys

Can we say 1992!

FYI: Candle Sale

Apparently every February, during school break, Yankee Candle in Deerfield has a huge warehouse sale (I was unaware of this but I guess it has been going on for years). I went with my mom yesterday and was blown away with all the great sales. If you are planning an event and looking for votives, a gift for an attendant or special someone, favors, or building a gift basket for a Jack & Jill you have to check out this event.

Most merchandise was 40-60% off!

Class Up Your "Silverware"

A fun and easy trick I like to use to class up that plasticware at a shower, birthday, or holiday party is to wrap it up ahead of time in a fun way. Wrapping your cutlery helps your guests grab them with one hand if needed and adds a touch of professional class to your event. (Wrapped plasticware says you know what you are doing-even if you don't)  Play with plasticware color, napkin color, and ribbon-all of which you can get at the dollar store or odd lot store. (Try to avoid a party supply store as they will sell paper goods and colored plasticware at two to three times the price)

To wrap cutlery take a dinner napkin and turn it like a diamond. (You may have to open your napkin if it is a rectangle to make it a square), stack your silverware with the knife on the bottom then the fork and finally the spoon with the tips just sticking over the top edge of your diamond. Fold up the bottom portion of the napkin, fold over one of the flaps, and finally roll up your cutlery in a snuggly wrapped package. 

Use thick ribbon to make a napkin ring. Peruse your local arts and crafts store for a fun design that matches your event colors- there are soooooo many cool options out their for ribbon. I recommend 1-2" ribbon.

Precut your thick ribbon into strips. Wrap the ribbon around the rolled cutlery and use a little hot glue to hold it in place. Take the extra end of ribbon and fold it into the hot glue crease and add a dab of hot glue to hold the folded edge down and make a finished looking product.  Finally stack your beautifully rolled cutlery in a basket, bowl, or creative container. 

Wrapped plasticware for the baby shower I am helping host this weekend. The mommy to be wants black, white, and touches of hot pink. She also really likes monkeys so I went with jungle animal print ribbon.

You can also use a few pieces of thin 1/4" wide ribbon to add a colorful bow to your wrapped plasticware instead of a napkin ring. The advantage of small ribbon is it is easier to add a few colors of different ribbon at once. Just wrap the ribbon around your wrapped cutlery (to add a little flare tie a piece of candy or small gem into your bow).

A few years ago I did a holiday party with gold plasticware wrapped in a white paper dinner napkin with thin gold ribbon and a mini candy cane tucked into the bow.  Supper cute and easy to do ahead of time!

Valentine's Day: A Marketers Dream

The concept of Valentine's Day is fantastic but it has become a holiday of one-uping your loved one by buying each other crap they don't need.

By keeping it simple and sincere you will find February 14th to be a lot less of a dreaded day.

Some ways to keep it simple:

• Make each other cards (sounds cheesy but I love homemade cards way better than store bought)

• Make dinner for/with each other

• Go out to lunch (not nearly as crowded and cheaper than dinner)

• If you buy flowers get them from the grocery store or wholesale store (Costco). They will wrap them up really nicely and will be a fraction of the price ($10-25). Don't be afraid to stray from the norm of roses, if you know your significant others favorite flower get them. It will show them you pay attention and might be cheaper than the overpriced red roses.
   
• Watch a movie together (Really watch it- turn off your phone, put down the lab top, and hang out!)

Mike, my husband, and I have a tradition of making fondue together every Valentine's Day. We really enjoy cooking together and just hanging out without any distractions. We also really look forward to our tradition in the days leading to Valentine's Day. Fondue, wine, and flowers for the occasion runs about $38. You can't go out for a nice dinner with drinks for nearly that.

The best part is enjoying the true meaning of Valentine's Day.