Filed under: Shopping Tips
Be prepared for unexpected holiday guests, have some extra snacks!
Well, it’s official, we are again in the holiday season. Lights are up and expectations are high to be jolly, happy or oozing with extra good cheer – it’s enough to make you crazy. As a Mom, you feel like the happiness of everyone around you is dependent on what you do! But give yourself a break – if you are not happy, neither will anyone else be.
There are now three days before we leave to visit my mother for the holidays. I’m a little stressed. So I will do what I always do – make lists. If I can take a big task and break it down into little ones, I feel much more successful and things will get done. I will make Christmas lists, and hit the internet. I will make shopping lists and store them on my phone. I will make packing lists, so that I can keep things in one suitcase – and I will put them all on the calendar so that as I get closer to THE DAY, the list will shrink instead of grow and I will feel better not worse.
But more importantly, I need to realize it is not my job to make everyone happy. True, it’s easier now that the children are grown and I can realize that much of the struggle we had during those teenage years was as much my problem as theirs. They were trying to show me they were responsible for themselves, and I had to learn to let them be responsible.
This year my family is beginning to scatter around the U.S. as we become part of other people’s families and celebrations. They each have a desire and responsibility to contribute to everyone’s happiness – and they want to. The joy of making others happy is now the gift they have to share - that and a few recipes from home. Let me know how you and your family share the holidays.
Still there is that central role you have to play – so make it easy for yourself, at least on the food front.
5 Steps to Making Holiday Cooking Easier
1. Put out a plate of fresh, ready to eat fruit for the day. Let them help themselves. In many European countries it’s a tradition that they put out a plate of food for the 12 Days of Christmas – one for each day. It includes dried fruit (like apricots), cheese, nuts, fresh fruit (like clementines and grapes) and some wrapped candy.
2. Prepared food is good food. – Make a pot of soup – only twice what you would normally prepare – freeze half for the day so that you’re ready for guests coming at odd hours or those running late. If you don’t have the extra time now, a roast chicken from the grocery store is a great, warm dinner.
3. Keep It Simple – As much as I love to cook, I am always humbled by the fact that the family seems to love easy comfort food as much if not more than things I slave over. We had a week full of delicious dishes – but my son, Scott was happiest with the easy mac he made for himself. It was inexpensive and easy, and reminded him of being a kid again.
4. Let People Help!! - I’m always guilty of this one. I invite people over, they say “what can I bring?” and I say “Just Yourself!” What was I thinking? I am learning to say, “Thank you, yes” and everyone feels better.
5. Keep some “extras” on hand! – The one thing I have trained the family to do, is put something on the grocery list when they use up the last one. Particularly around the holidays, there should be some no thought food around. For a late night meal, I take a can of tomato soup, add a can of minced clams and a little milk and I have a wholesome meal. When people drop by, I have some mini-bagels, frozen pigs in a blanket, TSG Cheeseballs or a jar of Sweet and Spicy Pepper Jelly over cream cheese – and everyone is happy!
If you are relaxed and happy, so will be those around you. Give up control and enjoy the holidays.
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December 20, 2009
Ok, so today I will be unabashedly commercial. After all, without Two Sisters Gourmet I wouldn’t get to blog. Today is the culmination of a year long journey of integrating Two Sisters Gourmet into the PartyLite family. With the new Winter/ Spring 2010 Catalog available today, we are finally national!! The one thing I know for sure, is that once you have tasted it, you’ll be hooked!
We’ve had lots of help over the past year, beginning with our PartyLite Consultants– thank you Gina Fletcher and Tammy Martin for being our pilot Regions. And in the PartyLite Home Office – thank you Karen Conkey, Liz DiPaolo, Joyce Elven, Mary Brunelle, Christa Silvieus, Debbie Holmes, Dana Harrell, Marye Cozzens, Rachel Kane, Cindi Ford, Kim Beson and the rest of the U.S. team for taking me under their wing and adding Two Sisters Gourmet into their product line.
Now it’s up to you to find you favorites and send me feedback for the future shape of this collection. Become a PartyLite Facebook fan and see if you can win TSG product!
You’ll notice in the new catalog that there are four tasty new offerings: Swirled Cheddar Merlot Cheese Mix, Sun-Roasted Red Pepper Seasoning, Bursting Blackberry Cabernet Preserve and Ripe Pear Chardonnay Preserve. These were designed to bring the feel and freshness of wine country to your table.
When you have TSG in your pantry, remember to check out the recipe box for mouth-watering ideas on how to use each item at least three different ways! TSG brings extra excitment to your everyday cooking and helps you prepare dishes that are quick, easy and delicious.
I had a great time tasting and refining products with you. My tasting cart is becoming a welcome sight here at the office. We’re currently finalizing the new items for the next catalog – plus, I can’t wait to get new ideas at the Fancy Food Show in January!
Please share your favorite TSG items and how you use them. I know a lot of you are just as excited as me, spread your enthusiasm and write a guest post for the blog.
Thank you for welcoming Two Sisters Gourmet into PartyLite and now onto tables nationwide!
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December 16, 2009
I find it ironic that the month that kicks off the biggest eating binge of the year with Thanksgiving, November, is also National Good Nutrition Month. ( Mind you, it is also Georgia Pecan Month, National Peanut Butter Lover’s Month, National Pepper Month, National Pomegranate Month, Raisin Bread Month and Vegan Month!). November 1 is National Deep Fried Clam. I live in a geography where it costs more NOT to have your food deep fat fried – what is wrong with this picture?
So I want to spend a little time talking about my lifetime obsession – that twisted relation of health/weight/food. The national obsession and information overload on health and weight management is confusing. I’m actually going to break it into two parts, and I bet you know what they are – DIET and EXERCISE.
Part I -Diet
Help Tracking your Diet
We all have good intentions – and most of us mom’s try to put balance of good food on the table (although many are tied to the old food pyramid). The government has put together a really good site to explain this, and plan and track your progress to eating well. Give it a look see and gets your kids involved in planning.
Reality is we will all eat a little of everything – and that ‘s the key – A Little!
When you look at the portions in quick serve restaurants, they are full of fat, salt and calories – even a salad can contain a whole day’s worth (we all watch morning TV and have seen the expos). And heaven knows on a cold day I’m the first to line up for Mac and Cheese, or a cup of steaming hot cocoa with whipped cream, and that’s ok as an indulgence. But you can’t really live that way.
Our nation has an epidemic of obesity, starting with our children. We owe it to them to improve. If you really knew what a portion was, you could probably cut your food budget down – the man at the fish counter is always trying to sell me a ½ pound per person, when a portion is 4-5 ounces – half the amount. And the right portion for a toddler is ¼ that of an adult.
I spend a lot of time on the road where I do my best to piece together something clean and simple to eat – and I succeed about 60% of the time. All you have to do is look at my wardrobe to see the yo-yo battle. I used to make excuses, but the only person I’m fooling is me.
Manage Your Family’s Diet and Budget
The good news for managing your family’s diet and budget in these time is:
- Cooking and eating at home is 1/3 less expensive than eating out.
- Fresher/less processed food is generally less expensive.
- Coupons are great, but are they helping you purchase the healthiest food for your family? Many processed foods are convenient, but may not have the best nutritional value – sodium and fat are two things to watch. (If you don’t know it – check this out for retailer coupons).
- Cooking and coming together for a meal is a great way to connect. –whether within your immediate family, or everyone bringing potluck for Thanksgiving.
Eat as many fruit and vegetables as possible, serve food that is as close to fresh as possible, exercise and you’ll be fine.
If you eat in balance and control your portions– you can eat almost anything! What’s your favorite way to stay in control? Pass the dark chocolate please, it’s good for my heart!
For more National Food Holidays click here!
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November 10, 2009
Ok, so we have all been there. Picking up the last minute items for dinner, rushing to get home and get cooking, only to find “rush hour traffic” at the grocery store check out lane.
Now what? You cast and eye a basket content, checker speed, presence of children and then shoulders slump, and you grudgingly place your bet.
My experience has been that 8 times out of 10 I pick the wrong line. Just like in a traffic jam, I watch the baskets in the other lanes whiz past me!. I’ve even tried the self-check out lane – I’m a whiz at bagging, but there’s always some item that doesn’t scan! In some stores in the Northeast they even have a scanner you take with you while you shop – if you scan as you go, you get special offers and are ready to plug in at check out! (although my first couple of times were slow, because I didn’t read the rest of the directions….) But that doesn’t help with the others in the line.
finding the fast grocery lane
So of course, someone, somewhere, paid good money to study this problem and found it’s the number of people in the line, not the contents of the basket that makes the difference – so go for the shortest line! See for yourself! Even so, I’m still not convinced!
Of course you can solve the problem by always keeping some TSG in the cupboard for last minute inspiration!
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October 26, 2009
