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BC-MCT-ENTERTAINING-BJT — wire, lifestyle (1300 words)
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
Entertaining Budget for May 2008
Entertaining is a monthly premium package of stories and visuals about food, decorating and other elements of entertaining family and friends. Individual stories and art are available for a la carte purchase.
For buying information, click here.
HOLIDAYS: FATHER’S DAY
Impress dad with a great party
ENTG-FATHERSDAY:MCT—Father's Day is a great time to let your dad know how much you love and respect him with a party just for him. Think about what your dad loves and get creative!
600. MOVED
HOLIDAYS: GRADUATION SEASON
When it comes to graduation, how much is too much?
ENTG-GRADUATION:MCT—Graduations can have vastly different meanings. An eighth grade graduation, for example, means a child is moving onto high school and a new time in their life. Yet, it's also a diploma that they are supposed to receive.
High school graduation means a student is either moving on to college or the real working world. Meanwhile, a college graduation represents an accomplishment, as well as a first-class ticket into the working world of adulthood.
Each graduation is normally celebrated with a party. Some parents keep it low key with a family barbeque in the back yard. Others rent banquet halls and celebrate on a dance floor with a DJ. So how much is too much when it comes to graduation parties?
900 by Emilie Le Beau. MOVED
Graduation times two
ENTG-GRADUATION-TWO:MCT—It's almost like an awful word problem from a standardized test: Parents, you have two graduates. One is graduating from eighth grade, the other from high school. You also have a limited budget. How do you combine the parties and make each graduate feel special? Or how do you host two parties without going over budget?
550 by Emilie Le Beau. MOVED
Graduation party ideas
ENTG-GRADPARTYIDEAS:MCT—Someone you love is graduating? Create some pomp for this circumstance with a graduation party.
650. MOVED
HOLIDAYS: BRIDAL/BABY SHOWER SEASON
Bridal shower ideas
ENTG-BRIDALSHOWER:MCT—Shower love on the bride-to-be with these ideas for a fabulous bridal shower.
700. MOVED
CheeseTiles perfect for entertaining
ENTG-CHEESETILES:MCT—It’s shower season—but not of the umbrella sort. It’s the time of year where you seem to be attending (and hosting!) an endless parade of bridal and baby showers. With such a packed social schedule, some help making the simple seem fancy is especially welcomed. Enter: CheeseTiles.
200 by Wendy Zang. MOVED
PARTY THEMES
Five fast, fabulous dinner ideas for the busy host
ENTG-FASTHOST:OC—I love entertaining on Friday nights. The pressure is off because guests, bless their little hearts, expect a no-fuss meal. Trust me, that is what I give them after a full work week.
With a life that is busy times 10, I’m always on a quest to find new ideas to make cooking in the fast lane easy, delicious and fun. And even on a Friday night, I want to surprise my guests. Not in the oh-my-gosh-the-soup-is-black kind of way. It might be as simple as a ‘50s-style casserole with an unexpected update using fresh ingredients, or a tea bulb that opens like a water lily in a see-through pot.
Here are five things to cook or buy that make entertaining easier and more fun. I’ll start with two alternatives for the main course. They are essentially one-dish meals that only need one side dish (preferably an accompaniment that takes just a few minutes to prepare).
1300 by Cathy Thomas. MOVED
ENTG-FASTHOST-RECIPES:OC—Fast, fabulous recipes.
1350 by Cathy Thomas. MOVED
A Moroccan-themed soiree brings diverse arts and culture together
ENTG-MOROCCAN:OC—I love the arts almost as much as I love to party. Classical music, dance, modern art—you name it. If it lives in a museum, I can't wait to see it.
So when my husband and I commissioned a work from a very talented artist — Madam DZOONG, who just happens to be a very good friend — we knew there had to be a big celebration. To honor her, we decided on a Moroccan theme — she and her husband had traveled to Morocco as a newlywed couple and fallen in love with the country and its cuisine.
Here's how we used an exotic theme and still kept the art as the center of attention.
900 by Anne Valdespino. MOVED
DECORATING, FOOD AND OTHER DETAILS
Make your food look more appetizing by using an appropriate serving vessel
ENTG-SERVING:OC—The right dish makes a fantastic presentation, adds drama and makes food much more appealing and appetizing. Read on so you don't make these silly mistakes when you're entertaining.
700 by Anne Valdespino. MOVED
Beat the heat with cold soup and grilled salad
ENTG-COLDSOUP:OC—Seasons and recipes go hand-in-hand, and while hearty stews and thick, cheesy casseroles are great for winter, summertime calls for fare that's light and bursting with the flavors of farm-fresh ingredients.
1050 by Matt Degen. MOVED
Summer entertaining demands avocados
ENTG-AVOCADO:MCT—California avocados are in season all summer and offer lots of possibilities: burger toppings, thick and spicy guacamole perfect for dipping, sliced a top that grilled chicken salad …
They may just add that extra kick to make your summer party really sizzle.
650 by Wendy Zang. MOVED
Cookies from a mix come out on top
ENTG-COOKIES:SA—All the talk about inflation and adjustable-rate mortgages has you reaching for the cookie jar. But can you even afford a chocolate chip cookie?
We arranged a taste test and price comparison so you don’t have to forgo your sugar for savings.
550 by Gina Kim. MOVED
ENTG-PARTYPICKS:MCT— Every month, Party Picks highlights fun stuff to make your celebrations sparkle.
250 by Allison Baker. MOVED
ENTG-PARTYBOOKS:MCT—Party books: New additions to your entertaining library.
550 by Allison Baker. MOVED
DRINKS
On the rocks: Stocking your summer bar
ENTG-ONTHEROCKS:MCT—Julie is pretty convincing that a gin-and-tonic is an ideal cocktail for warm temperatures, but when it comes to fully stocking a summer bar, you’ll need more than just gin.
When the weather heats up and it’s time to replace the cognacs, brandies, and scotches that are more suited for winter entertaining, I opt for lighter spirits and liquors, starting with vodka.
Vodka-based drinks pair well with fruits like watermelons, peaches and pineapples, and for my summer bar I’ve chosen wheat-based Level Vodka (www.levelvodka.com; about $30 for 750 ml), from the makers of Absolut. Level is mellow and smooth, and I like its clean, citrusy taste that leaves no burn at all. While Level is ideal for unflavored vodka, I also tend toward a bit of boldness and always stock some of flavored vodkas.
1150 by Mary Ann Anderson. MOVED
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Questions? Suggestions? Contact Entertaining editor Becky Sher at (202) 383-6022 or bsher@mctinfoservices.com.
WHAT IS ENTERTAINING?
Entertaining — a monthly package of stories and art about food, decorating and other elements of entertaining family and friends — features content from top MCT contributors, including The Kansas City Star, The Dallas Morning News and the Orange County Register.
Text moves on the first Wednesday of each month on AP and is posted to MCT Direct (http://www.mctdirect.com/entertaining/entertaininglive.htm). All photos and illustrations are available on MCT Direct (http://www.mctdirect.com/entertaining/entertainingphotos.htm).
FOR MORE INFORMATION
You can subscribe to the Entertaining package or purchase the items a la carte on MCT Direct at www.mctdirect.com.
To subscribe, please call Rick DeChantal at Tribune Media Services at (800) 245-6536 or rdechantal@tribune.com. Outside the United States, call Tribune Media Services International at +1-213-237-7987 or e-mail tmsi@tribune.com.
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© 2008, McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
Not for publication or retransmission without permission of MCT.
