Posts Tagged ‘for hosts’
Birthday Gifts for the Entertaining Hostess
In our home, my wife is the hostess-in-chief. If I were running hospitality, I’d be tempted to follow the advice of comedienne/actress Amy Sedaris: fill the medicine cabinet with marbles. (“Nothing announces a nosey guest better than an avalanche of marbles hitting a porcelain sink,” Sedaris suggests.) So for my wife’s birthday, I gave her gifts that affirm her as the entertaining hostess.
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Any event needs a plan. Notepad maker Knock Knock packages a menu list, a shopping list and a cooking prep list in The Chef’s Planning Kit |
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Two of my wife’s favorite crooners are Michael Bublé and Harry Connick, Jr. I gave her their new albums (Crazy Love |
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Instead of pitchers, we’ll be serving from Artland Simplicity Eight-Piece Punch Bowl Set. |
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I think her favorite is the Waring Professional Buffet Server and Warming Tray. |
respectively) as lively music for our party prep.
Tags: birthday, dining, for her, for hosts, gift ideas, music
Tomorrow my wife and I are hosting a surprise birthday party with 20 guests attending. Unfortunately, the seating math didn’t add up. Our patio set seats six. Add in a small table with four chairs, and we would have half our guests standing. Fortunately, our next-door neighbors balanced the seating equation, lending two of their patio table sets. To thank them, we are sending a gift basket from igourmet.com.
The Gourmet Thank You Gift Basket features many epicurean goodies:
- Asiago Pressato Cheese
- Black Kassel Sliced Salami
- Mini Toasts for the cheese and salami
- Beemster Gouda Cheese with Mustard Seeds
- Grab an “O” Olives
- Dolmas (Greek stuffed grape leaves)
- Trouvillais by Biscuiterie de l’Abbaye (French shortbread cookies)
- A Dancing Deer Brownie
Tags: food, for hosts, gift baskets, gift ideas, thank you
Happy Father’s Day! I hope Dads enjoyed gifts and time with their children today. I sent my dad a Cheryl&Co. bakery gift tower tied with a blue Happy Father’s Day ribbon. The four-tiered baked goods ensemble includes:
- 18 assorted cookies
- crunchy chocolate chip cookies
- fudge brownie minis
- confection pretzel clusters
- four slices of cake
Check out Cheryl&Co.’s different bakery gift towers for your next delicious delivered gift.
Tags: chocolate+candy, father's day, food, for dad, for her, for hosts, gift baskets, gift ideas, gift sites, guy gifts, indulgences
The ancient Greeks called it xenia — the sacred duty of hospitality — often met with an exchange of gifts. Nearly 3,000 years later, this gift exchange is still alive and well in Excelsior, Minnesota. That’s where my wife and I recently stayed with relatives. On our arrival, my sister-in-law gave us a decorative ceramic spoon designed by Rae Dunn. In the guest room, we found a package of Gemmies, chocolate-coated sunflower seeds in 16 brilliant colors from Gourmet Gems.
In thanks for the hospitality, we brought her family a four-jar set of Ethnic Milwaukee spices from Penzeys Spices, which includes:
- Old World Seasoning (an all-purpose seasoning salt)
- Brady Street Cheese Sprinkle (a garlic-cheese blend for pasta and garlic bread)
- Galena Street Rub (a Southern-style rub for chicken and ribs)
- Fox Point Seasoning (a mix of shallots, chives and scallions for poultry, eggs and vegetables).
We also found gifts for our niece and nephew, but I’ll save that for another post.
Tags: chocolate+candy, food, for guests, for hosts, gift ideas, indulgences, thank you, tradition
With the grand opening of an Omaha Steaks store nearby, we treated ourselves to filet mignon this weekend. We selected four six-ounce beef tenderloin steaks for grilling. Omaha packages the steaks in a sturdy box for up to three months of storage in the freezer. Ideally, you allow them to defrost in the fridge overnight. Otherwise, you can defrost the vacuum-sealed steaks in cold water for 45 minutes.
I liked the easy-open packaging for each steak. The grilling instructions were also simple. Based on the steak’s 1.5 inch thickness, I grilled on high heat for nine minutes. Then I flipped the steak for another seven minutes. Finally, I took them off the grill and let the steaks “rest” a few minutes, so the juice flow to the center. Our first two steaks were juicy and delicious, served with a mustard sauce on the side.
These premium steaks make a great present to ship to your non-vegetarian giftees. To order online, visit OmahaSteaks.com or purchase from Amazon.com
Tags: dining, father's day, food, for dad, for hosts, fourth of july, gift ideas, gift sites, guy gifts, indulgences
