Cooking and Entertaining Wrap-up

We didn't get to have our last meeting in may, but here are some things we would have covered:

 

When planning a get-together, whether it’s a backyard BBQ or New Years Soiree, you have to decide up front what is the most important to you…saving time or money. Because to some extent you can do both, but one will always dominate depending on your entertaining style.

When money is the issue, you don’t have to sacrifice quality or personal touch. In fact, the less you have to work with, the more creative and original you get to be. That is precisely what will make your party memorable.

At the same time, working a full-time job with or without a family can pose some time issues. In those cases saving time is much more important. Learn to make things ahead and follow the ideas of Sandra Lee and Semi-homemade. You can achieve a homemade feel with 70% store-bought and 30% fresh ingredients.

Upcoming Schedule -addendum!

DG Mock Dinner Party

We'd love to answer any thoughts or questions you have, but sometimes it requires a little research.  Post comments on anything that's on your mind related to cooking and entertaining - Don't be afraid to ask!

Hope to see you Saturday!

Dinner Anyone?

Domestic Goddess will be hosting a 

"Lazy Summer"

mock dinner party on

May 16th

at 4:00pm

Win prizes! 

Please bring your favorite appetizer - must be 5 ingredients or less, and we will be awarding prizes based on Best Overall, Best Tasting, Most Exotic and Best Presentation.  If yours is a winner we will post the recipes on the blog next week!

Get ready to Entertain at your own home!

The Lazy Summer Mock Dinner Party will supply you with all that it takes to entertain. Get a great list of apps that are all 5 ingredients or less. Get awesome tips and ideas for every entertaining style, and a list of things to have on hand for last minute guests.  

We Make it EASY!

It's a party, not a trip to the dentist - It shouldn't be painful.  Find out how to use the most of the little spare time you have, without having to take a week off work to prepare.

The Art of Non-Conformity

This website was highly recommended for me to "check out."  It's called the Art of Non-Conformity, Unconventional Strategies for Life, Work and Travel. I rarely do REVIEWS on websites, but as I began perusing through this site, I became overwhelmed by the sheer coolness and relevance.  Many of us who have joined the Domestic Goddess Network are in search of ways to become more than the average person, which leads me to 2 favorite areas of the site.  All the articles are written by a philosophy student, Chris Guillebeau (which sounds like a pen name to me) who's working on his PhD.

How to be Awesome

Chris poses this opportunity to change your life and simply "Go and be Awesome."  His writing is really fresh, as he works through your first thoughts of the day, working hard, relationships and good vs. evil.  He posts the quote from Ayn Rand: 

"The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me."

How to Recruit a Small Army

If you're looking to change the world in a big or small-ish way, you aren't going to get there spending 5+ hours a day playing World of Warcraft.  You need people backing you up. (Domestic Goddess!!) And not just people, the RIGHT people.  Chris discusses real-world applications for the use of your army of remarkable people, and it's kind of a cliff notes, non-lame version of The Purpose Driven Life. 

Check out the site, and change your life!

Earth Day tips for Going Green

Re-use

If we re-used and re-purposed everything at least once, we’d have a lot less waste, and a lot smaller landfills.  Here are a few things you can easily re-use or re-purpose:

-       Water bottles.  I found a company recently who re-uses water bottles, puts a sprayer on top, and sells organic fertilizer inside.

-       Newspapers.  Remember making fun crafts with paper mache?  Get some balloons and get crafty!

-       Plastic Grocery Bags.  I re-use mine to pick up doggie-doo.  They’re great for storing your wet towels and bathing suits on the ride home from the beach or pool too.

-       Milk Cartons. I cut open a half gallon milk jug and made a dirt scoop with the handle left on, and used a gallon milk jug, spray painted black, as a planter on my porch.

-       TP and Paper Towel rolls.  Re-use the cardboard for Timmy’s hamster, or create all sorts of easy creative crafts for the kids.

-       Wine Bottle. If you’re artistically inclined, you can paint designs or flowers on the bottle and turn it into a vase.

-       Single Sock.  How long has that sock been lonely? Re-purpose it by using it as a dust rag, or cut it up and make ties for plants.

-       Egg Carton.  Germinate your seeds, cut off the lid and keep jewelry easy to find.

-       CD spindle.  This is by far the most clever thing I’ve seen in the re-use forum – use your old CD spindle to carry BAGELS!  I’ve used paper towels and baggies too often to bring my bagel to work, and end up throwing them away. (the bags, not the bagel!) Stack your bagel with the works and everything stays in place.

 

A great website to help keep you motivated: http://tinychoices.com, 2 ladies who address all the tiny choices we make on a daily basis.

Happy Earth Day!

How are you helping Mother Earth?

Today is a great day to start thinking about it if you haven't already. 

We'd like to hear your two cents: How are you going green?