Spring is here! Remember these from the archives? Have to revisit this FABtastic design as BBQ’s start popping up! These Maui Bikini Blonde beer cans can double as fun vases! All you need are three Hibiscus flowers per can to make these unique arrangements. It is easy and inexpensive to make a couple of these beer can arrangements and spread them around the party area for some summer flair! They will undoubtably spark conversation among your guests and be an element to remember!
Contributing Chef- Abby Reibman- Author of The Desk and The Stove
Meant to recall the mortar the enslaved Jews used to seal bricks in ancient Egypt, this dish should always include sweet wine, cinnamon, nuts and apples. But, why not kick-it up a notch and impress your family with this creative combination instead? By this time your probably ready to make something new! Serve this Charoset alongside the spiced matzah chips for an innovative twist! Mmm matzah never tasted so good.
Ingredients:
16 pitted Medjool dates
¼ cup sweet red wineDirections:
1- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2- Puree the dates in a food processor until smooth. Add ½ the apples, all spices, nuts, red wine, currants and nuts and puree into a smooth paste. Add the 2nd half of diced apple for texture. Garnish with thin apple slices.
3- Rub olive oil over the matzah and sprinkle the spices on both sides. Bake in the oven for 8 min. Break into pieces and serve the chips alongside the charoset.
The Hostess Handbook loves a kitschy hostess gift more than anything and this one takes the prize! These Fred and Friends Salt + Magic: Salt and Pepper Shakers
The most magical thing about Fred and Friends salt and magic shakers is that they cost $9.56!
Finally, magic that comes at a great price!
These DIY Scrabble piece coasters are so cute and so easy to make! You can spell out words with the letters you use to assemble the coasters or jumble them up! This is a great, cheap gift idea for a friend who loves board games too! Simply take a glue gun and stick the scrabble pieces together in a 5×5 square!
You can find these scrabble pieces here! So fun, So unique, So get goin!
After dyeing easter eggs, what does a girl do with the empty egg cartons? Make a flower arrangement! Obvi! This egg carton flower arrangement for easter is super cute, easy, cheap and unique! Add some moss and rose buds into the egg compartments in the carton and your done! Remember to cut the roses and place them inside the carton right before guests get to the party so the flowers don’t wilt.
The Hostess Handbook suggests you place the arrangement on a coffee table or the dining table as the centerpiece! So simple and too cute to boot!
This is so weird to say but deviled eggs are so hot right now! Yup, Mama said it! This party food is making a huge come back now with the hard financial times. Serving these are definitely on your budget but can be a bit blahhh. Here is a way to take them from drab to fab!
Take an egg and cut it in half. Scoop out the yolk to use later. Drop pink neon food die (comes out red on the egg white) on a paper towel and smear the food die on the outer rim of the egg.
Voila, you have a wonderful contrast between the white top and outer rim of the egg!
Add back in the whipped yolk and garnish with some purple radicchio for more color. Sprinkle with paprika!
Ingredients:
12 egg yolks
2 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
2 Teaspoons Dijon Mustard
1/2 Teaspoons Lemon
1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
Contributing Chef- Abby Reibman- Author of The Desk and The Stove
This classic bar-food dish gets a sophisticated facelift with the addition of Gorgonzola and caramelized onions. This is one tasty treat that is super easy to make and is fabulous for any occasion: whether it’s pregaming before the ball-game or drinks and canapés at home, these potato skins with gorgonzola and caramelized onions is one dirty snack that is anything but.
Ingredients:
15 new potatoes
1 red onion, very finely sliced
½ cup Gorgonzola dolce cheese
1 tsp sugar
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Chopped parsley for garnish
Directions:
1- Rub the potatoes with olive oil and bake whole for approx. 20 min or until soft at 350 degrees F.
2- While the potatoes are baking, caramelize the onions by sautéing them in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. When they begin to become translucent, sprinkle some sugar on top and deglaze with water. Adjust the heat so that they don’t burn, but over low heat they should caramelize in about 20 min.
3- When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice them in half. Using a spoon, scoop out the middle of the potatoes but make sure to leave some around the skin so that it keeps its shape.
4- Mash together the potato insides with the gorgonzola cheese and season with salt and pepper. Scoop the potato/cheese mixture back into the potato skins and place the caramelized onions on top.
5- Return to the oven and cook until reheated and they begin to crisp up (approx. 10 min). Serve garnished with parsley.
Clipix, meet the young, broke and fabulous! We need your organizational skills stat! Yess, mama said it, I have found a bookmarking site that all you lovely ladies need to check out. Clipix.com is a great site that allows you to compile clipboards or groups of info from online in a personalized account or profile. For example, I have a clipboard called GLAMAZON and I put anything I find online that is “glamorous” in it. Of course, I have a clipboard for any material that is good to share on Hostess Handbook. How Fun! I know, I know it sounds like Pinterest but it is different I swear.
It is not a social networking site but a tool to organize your life online! Amen! The video below explains it a lot better than I can so take a look and get clipping!
Easter is a big time for entertaining and many people opt for the already made flower arrangement that is way out of their budget but “sooooo pretty.” Well, I’m going to show you how you can make a FABtastic design that usually goes for around $80 for only $20! Now, thats young, broke and fabulous style!
This design is really easy and wonderful for a holiday centerpiece! Take a can or flower pot, green moss, yellow roses, gerber daises and ribbon. The roses will run you about $9 a dozen, Moss about $4, Gerber Daisy about $3 and Ribbon about $3!
Tie a bunch of roses together with the yellow ribbon. Make sure you cute some stems about an inch shorter than the others to create some levels and depth! Either take flower foam (found at any flower shop and cheap) or paper towels to create a base for the “rose tree” to fit into so that the bunch stays upright and stable in the can! Wet the paper towels so the stems can absorb some water. Place the moss on top of the paper towels so it is covering the top of the can and spilling over the edges but does not fill the entire can. Put some additional roses at the bottom with a gerber daisy or other variety of flower to add some color and texture!
Or leave simple with just the moss at the bottom.
St Vincent Court in Downtown LA is a must see for anyone who lives or comes to visit The City of Angels! An alley tucked away in the middle of the city, filled with restaurants and patisseries!
You feel as though you have been transported to europe when you walk down this cobblestone alleyway. Everyone sits at tables outside and fill the walkway with laughter and chatter.
It is the perfect lunch date place or quick excursion with the girls! Make sure you go when the restaurants are open which is between 9am and 6pm Monday through Saturday! We suggest you go to St Vincent Deli for Gyros and soak up the authentic fair!
You can even get your shoes shined!
St Vincent Court Downtown LA located:
7th Street between Hill and Broadway!
Congratulations to Katie from Paper Trails! You have won the Indelicate Doilies from Knock Knock!
H&M has some cutie patootie shoes for spring and they are under$25! What a dream for the young, broke and fabulous! We love these pastel purple ballet flats with an amazing sundress or some yellow jeans! Also, check out these gold straw braid flats and studded sandals to spice up your spring wardrobe on a budget!
Contributing Chef- Abby Reibman- Author of The Desk and The Stove
This classic Greek dish is remade in perfect party form: the ramekins are just the right size for a dinner party appetizer, and, layered like a lasagna, the combination of the creamy béchamel with the spiced ground meat complements the smokiness of the eggplant. It’s so delicious your guests will totally be saying, ‘mou-ssak-it-to-me’.
Ingredients:
4 ramekins 2 large eggplant, sliced
Tomato sauce:
4 large tomatoes, concassed and finely chopped. Reserve the extra tomato juice with a splash of water.
1 garlic clove made into a paste with salt.
In a medium saucepan, heat up some olive oil with the garlic paste. Add the concasse tomatoes and let cook for 2-3 min until the olive oil is incorporated. Add the reserved tomato juice and water, decrease heat to a simmer and let cook for 10-15 min until a thick sauce develops. Season with salt and pepper.
Béchamel Sauce:
1/3 cup butter, ½ cup all purpose flour, 1 cup milk, sprinkle of nutmeg, salt and pepper.Whisk together a roux (equal parts by weight butter and all purpose flour) over medium heat. Add 1 cup milk and whisk until a thick smooth sauce develops (8-10 min). Season with salt, pepper and a sprinkle of nutmeg.
Directions:
1- De-gorge the eggplant: salt the slices and let them drain in a colander over a bowl for 30 min to release the bitter juices.
2- Season the meat in a medium bowl with salt, pepper, the chopped herbs, cinnamon, cumin, nutmeg and allspice.
3- Brown the meat in a large sauté pan with olive oil, the garlic paste and diced shallots over medium-high heat. Add in the tomato sauce and let cook for a further 2 min. Set aside.
4- Fry off the eggplant slices and drain on paper towel.
5- Layer the moussaka: eggplant, meat with tomato sauce, béchamel until you reach the top (depending on ramekin size, this should be 2-4 layers). Make sure you end with béchamel sauce.
6- Place in the oven at 350 degrees and cook until the béchamel starts to brown and become slightly crunchy (20-25 min). Serve garnished with parsley.
The Hostess Handbook loves Knock Knock gifts because they are so cute and kitschy. The perfect little something that gets everyone talking! These Indelicate Doily Coasters are a FABtastic gift for any host/hostess. So fun, so functional, so on your budget. Yup, mama said it! A pack of these coasters is $10 and they are super unique! A Hostess Handbook Must Have! And because it is a Hostess Handbook MUST HAVE we think you should have it too!
The Hostess Handbook is giving away a pack of these coaster to someone who “likes” the Facebook Fan Page and Follow The Hostess Handbook On Twitter today! So easy, so fab, so get going!
With cute catch phrases like these, its pretty hard to pick up just one pack!
This past weekend I celebrated my birthday and got a lovely card from a friend! Sure, it said all the nice things that birthday cards should but instead of focusing on the card, I was immediately drawn to the Birthday Bundle inside! Genius! A little compilation of beloved birthday trinkets that fit into a card and can be sent regular mail. Cheap, little and too cute to boot. I recreated the bundle Hostess Handbook style for all of you to see and replicate! Add it to a wonderful card that really says something about the person! It is the perfect birthday present for those friends who are far away and would love a little bundle of birthday joy!
Voila! A Birthday Bundle fit for a Queen!
