A Fab, Fun Party in No Time Flat

August 17, 2012 By 3 Comments

Welcome to my 15 Minutes to Fabulous series! I’ve been featuring some fantastic guest writers sharing ways to be fabulous in just 15 minutes. Let’s face it, give a busy woman 15 minutes of uninterrupted time and she can conquer the world…or at least 15 minutes of it! Today’s guest blogger is Nashville foodie extraordinaire Beth Sachan from Eat. Drink. Smile.


In my circle of friends, I was once known for being a hostess with the mostess. I say “was” because I just had a baby 6 months ago. In the months prior to giving birth, and the months since, entertaining at my home hasn’t really been high on my priority list.


But times are a-changin’. I’m starting to feel somewhat human again and I’ve got the itch to socialize. As much as I love going out to a good restaurant, I love even more inviting friends into my home for a fun little cocktail party.

Sure, it’s not going to be like old times when I slaved away in the kitchen for days (Yes, days. How did I ever have that much time?!?) before hosting a soiree. This has to be quick and relatively painless.

Typically, in the past, when I created a menu for a party, the list would be a mixture of labor intensive, medium difficulty and easy-peasy finger foods. Now that I’m living in this new L.A.B. world, that list is going to have only one column: easy-peasy. (FYI: in case you’re curious, L.A.B. = Life After Baby)

So here are a few of my tried and true tips/tricks and recipes that all take around 15 minutes to pull off but still make you look absolutely fabulous when it’s all said and done!


Fab Food

Goat Cheese Stuffed Peppadew Peppers - This is one of my personal favorites and an appetizer I’ve served many times to rave reviews.


Strawberry Brie Ginger Crisps - Just 3 ingredients: ginger snaps, brie, and strawberries. Enough said.

Spiced Macadamia Nuts – Technically this one takes longer than 30 minutes, but only because it has to bake in the oven. The prep part is less than 10! Make good use or your time by making another dish while these are baking ;-)


Pimento Cheese in Purple Endive Boats – We have a local market near us that makes the best pimento cheese – way better than I can even make myself. All I have to do is scoop a little into some purple endive boats, arrange on a round platter, and they make such a pretty, vibrant display!

Melon, fresh pineapple or dates wrapped with thinly sliced ham. - SO simple. Just skewer with some heavy duty toothpicks and voila!

Blanched Asparagus wrapped in Prosciutto – I advise using the thinnest spears you can find for this. You want them to still have a slight snap to them, but not be crunchy raw. I’ve even added Boursin cheese to these too. Just wrap the prosciutto once, then smear some of the cheese spread, then wrap the prosciutto some more.

TRICK: Use unusual ingredients in your appetizers- things that people might never have tried before, or at least don’t see often at parties.

TIP: It’s okay to buy premade, but make sure it’s good quality. Taste it before you serve it!

I’ve even found a few items in Trader Joe’s frozen section that are really great:

Lemongrass Chicken Stix
Spanakopita
Pastry Bites with Feta Cheese and Caramelized Onions

Fun Drinks

TIP: Sparkly drinks are always fun!

Buy a few flavored sparkling juices and waters, and a few bottles of prosecco. Have some fruit like raspberries and strawberries on hand to drop into the glasses or use as garnish. Ever tried Sparkling Shiraz? It’s one of my favorite go-to drinks to serve with cheese and chocolate!

So there are a few ideas to get you started. Just remember – a fabulous party doesn’t require a lot of blood, sweat and tears. All you need are a few tasty treats and libations, and the laughter of friends to make the party a success!

Filed Under: 15 Minutes to Fabulous 3 Comments

Going My Way Necklace Tutorial: So Simple Even I Could Make It

August 14, 2012 By 5 Comments

Welcome to my 15 Minutes to Fabulous series! Over the next few days I’ll be featuring some fantastic guest writers sharing ways to be fabulous in just 15 minutes. Let’s face it, give a busy woman 15 minutes of uninterrupted time and she can conquer the world…or at least 15 minutes of it! Today’s guest blogger is Jenny from The Southern Institute. I met Jenny last summer during Hallmark’s Moments Between the Milestones blog tour here in Nashville.


 

Hi everyone! I’m Jenny from The Southern Institute, and I’m so excited to be here as part of the 15 Minutes to Fabulous series! I love to share fun craft projects that don’t require a lot of crafty skill or time, so I was really happy to be asked to participate.

Necklaces. I love them! Besides my wedding rings and a pair of small dangly earrings which sometimes grace my ears, necklaces are the only type of jewelry that I wear. There are so many kinds of necklaces to choose from. I tend to go for silver chains with some sort of pendant on them… I’m not too fancy-schmancy, but I like a little bit of adornment sometimes, don’t you? One type of necklace that I have been seeing a lot of lately is a geometric shaped pendants with maps in them. Have you seen these around? I think they are so cool- so I made one! I’d love to show you how you can make one too. Technically this takes longer than 15 minutes, but only when you include the drying time. All in all, it’s a quick and inexpensive way to make a trendy necklace!


Here’s what you’ll need to make your own Going My Way? necklace:


  • Mod Podge Matte or regular old Elmer’s Glue

  • Mod Podge Dimensional Magic

  • Blank pendant

  • Ball chain or silver chain

  • a map (you can pick them up for free at any highway rest area!)

  • a small piece of white cardstock


The How To


First, glue your map to a piece of white cardstock paper to give it a nice backing. If you skip this step you will find that you can see the metal shining through when your necklace is dry.


Measure the size of the inside of your pendant. I suggest using something other than red ink, as you can see that it showed up in my final necklace. Boo. Cut your map to the exact dimensions.



Spread a thin layer of Mod Podge Matte or regular glue inside the pendant area and carefully lay your map in it.



Take your Mod Podge Dimensional Magic and carefully squeeze enough out to cover the map area. DO NOT pick up the tip of the tube as you are doing this… it creates air bubbles, and you want to avoid air bubbles as much as possible.



It looks kind of cloudy right now, but when it dries it will be perfectly clear. I love the way it looks from the side when it’s wet.



Now all you need to do is let it dry according to the directions. I like to let it dry overnight just to be safe. Put it on a chain and you have a fabulous necklace!



The great thing about this project is that you can use anything! Don’t like the map idea? How about a scrap of your favorite piece of fabric? A favorite photo? A tiny piece of original artwork? Make it your own and have a great time! You’ll be fabulous!


If you’re looking for more inspiration (whether you craft, sew, or cook) you’ll find plenty to inspire you at The Southern Institute. Come on by and say hello! I’d love to see you there, or you can find me on Facebook and Twitter. See you again soon!

Filed Under: 15 Minutes to Fabulous 5 Comments

15 Minutes to a Clean House

August 9, 2012 By 3 Comments

Welcome to my 15 Minutes to Fabulous series! Over the next few days I’ll be featuring some fantastic guest writers sharing ways to be fabulous in just 15 minutes. Let’s face it, give a busy woman 15 minutes of uninterrupted time and she can conquer the world…or at least 15 minutes of it! Today’s guest blogger is fellow Middle Tennessee blogger Christine from I Dream of Clean (don’t you LOVE that blog name?!)

I like a clean house. As a stay-at-home, work-from-home mom, it keeps me sane. A clean home makes me more productive and helps me stay organized. The benefits are aplenty.

The problem is, I don’t actually like to clean. I’m guessing you might be the same way.

When it comes to cleaning, shortcuts are key! They make what can be an overwhelming task actually seem achievable. So, here are a few tips for cleaning your home in 15 minutes a day.

Use a timer.


If you’re going to set a limit on your cleaning, you need a way to measure it, right? That handy, dandy kitchen time of yours can work wonders!

3 times a day, set it for 5 minutes and get to moving.

I like setting it for 5 minutes a few times a day instead of 15 minutes once a day for several reasons:

  • 5 minutes is way more achievable than 15, don’t you think? That means you’re less likely to procrastinate.

  • It’s easy for kids (even young, toddler-aged kids) to get involved. 5 minutes is short enough to keep their attention so they’re more likely to work (or play) for 5 minutes alone.

  • 5 minutes makes you kick it into high-gear. Speed cleaning at it’s best!

Make a plan.


The best way to work fast is to make a plan and follow it. Here’s what I do:

5 minutes to clean in the morning.

Working my way from one side of the house to the other, I like to…

  • Make up the master bed (it takes less than 2 minutes…how do I know? that magic timer!);

  • Pick up straggling toys, papers, random stuff left over from the night before and put them in the appropriate location as I move though the house;

  • Hit “start” on the washing machine.

5 minutes any other time during the day to clean the kitchen.

5 minutes to clean at night.

Again, working from one side of the house to the other, here’s what I do…

  • Grab the laundry basket from the master bedroom with one hand;

  • Straighten up pillows, pick up stray papers, bags, toys, etc. and drop them off in the right spot as I move through the house;

  • Put the laundry in the washing machine and add detergent so it’s ready to go the next morning.

There’s definitely other things to clean here and there, but spending a focused 15 minutes a day on straightening up and cleaning does wonders for keeping a home clean. When your home is reasonable clean, taking time to vacuum the floors or use a swish a brush in the toilet doesn’t seem to take as long.

I’d love to hear about your cleaning routines. If you had 15 minutes to clean, what areas would you focus on?

With a house full of boys, Christine feels like she’s always cleaning up some kind of creative mess. Thankfully, she’s learned a few shortcuts over the years and shares them daily at I Dream of Clean. She’s also launching a brand new Spring Cleaning site focusing on baby steps that give your home that spring clean feeling. Sign up for the newsletter to receive daily cleaning prompts throughout the year.

Filed Under: 15 Minutes to Fabulous 3 Comments
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