Holidays – Page 2 – Lora Knows Home

One of the most enjoyable ways to celebrate Memorial Day is to throw an outdoor party for friends and family. Here are some fun party ideas!

Decorations

Memorial Day is a time to celebrate freedom, so go red, white and blue. Everything from flags, banners, balloons, flower arrangements, all the way down to plates, plastic wear, napkins and cups. If you’re feeling creative, you could spray-paint stars on the grass in your yard (just use a light touch to avoid killing the grass), tie-dye cloth napkins red, white, and blue, or make festive paper medallions to hang from tree branches or use as centerpieces for your tables.

Keep It Bug Free

Unfortunately, not all your party guests will be welcome ones. Luckily, there are several effective tactics to keep those pesky bugs away. Cover dishes with netted food tents, and give guests pretty cupcake liners to place over their cups when they’re not sipping their drinks. You can also put a few fans out to literally blow bugs away.

Fire Up The Grill

Hamburgers and hot dogs are classic fare. Be ready to grill up lots of these during the party. Have all the yummy condiments like ketchup, mustard, sauerkraut, pickles, pickled onions, kimchi, and even grilled pineapple. For guests who prefer a meat free menu, you can also grill eggplant, portabella mushrooms, or veggie dogs and burgers.

Mix It Up

Cool beverages will be a must to pair with food, especially if it’s warm outside. Play up the red, white, and blue theme by serving glasses of patriotic-hued ice-cream soda or lemonade loaded with fresh strawberries and blueberries. For a vintage American feel, serve your drinks in Mason jars filled with ice to keep them cool all day long.

Festive Desserts

Blueberries, strawberries, and fresh cream can be combined to make all sorts of delicious treats in colorful renditions of the stars and stripes. For instance, topping cakes with these berries and cream is a simple way to make them patriotic. Other ways to inject American spirit into your desserts include creating red, white, and blue mini cupcakes, baking a berry American flag pie, or dipping pretzels into melted candy melts for colorful

Seating For All

If you’re hosting a bigger bash, you might find it tricky to provide enough chairs for everyone. You could always ask your guests to bring their own seating or rent some folding chairs, or you could embrace the outdoor setting by spreading out a few picnic blankets—the kids might love sitting on them.

Light It Up

To continue the fun after dark, hang string lights in the backyard and scatter lanterns filled with or battery-operated ones. While you’re at it, you could also light your firepit, if you have one, for extra ambience and roasting marshmallows and making s’mores.

Back in November a few friends and I were discussing the holidays. The talk of writing seasonal cards, decorations, travel and more gave way to gifts. None of us seemed excited about shopping and we all said the same thing, that there isn’t one thing we want for Christmas.

Later that evening, during dinner, I was sharing the story with Dean – and he agreed that there is nothing he wants for Christmas. We decided then that we would set an amount and stick to it, and we would get each other something meaningful to open on Christmas morning.

Having a set amount, and promising not to exceed it, made me put a lot of thought into the perfect gift for Dean. I’m pretty excited about the three little things I got for him, and cannot wait for him to open them on Christmas morning. He will be so happy.

I just glanced over at our tree, it is usually stuffed with gifts underneath, but instead there are 5 beautifully wrapped presents – and it truly feels like Christmas.

Feeling that others may feel this way too, I thought I would share a few gift ideas – but the list was so endless I cut it down to a few kitchen gadget ideas that will fit under the tree or in a stocking.

Digital Food Thermometer

Cooking meat to the right temperature can be a bit of a guessing game. Help your recipient avoid this stress with an instant-read or digital thermometer from Cuisinart or Kizen that gives a fast, accurate read of internal temperatures. They’ll be able to quickly check the temperature of steaks, chicken breasts, or whole turkeys, gaining peace of mind that these meats have reached the right level of doneness.

Beeswax Food Wraps

Plastic wrap can serve many purposes, but it’s also a single-use item that soon finds its way into the trash. This holiday season, consider gifting beeswax food wraps, the reusable alternative to plastic wrap that can seal jars and bowls and protect half-used fruits and veggies. You can find ones in different shapes and sizes from companies such as Bee’s Wrap and Goldilocks Goods.

Garlic Press

From pasta to wings to potatoes, garlic adds a wonderful flavor that enhances any dish. And a garlic press like Zulay’s two-in-one version, which can mince and slice the cloves, makes using the staple ingredient that much easier.

Meat Chopper

You may be scratching your head wondering what this chopper is for, but it’ll soon become your loved one’s new favorite kitchen gadget. This spatula-like tool from brands like GoodCook, OXO, and Farberware has multiple blades that easily chop, blend, or mash meat or vegetables while they cook in a pan on the stove.

Electric Spice Grinder

Preground spices are very convenient, but nothing compares to a fresh grind since it makes the flavors and aroma more powerful. Gift an electric spice grinder like Cuisinart’s electric spice-and-nut grinder, and your loved one may never go back to preground again.

Take gift giving back to what it was – a little gift that will mean something to ones you love.

Tag: Holidays

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