entertaining

Grilling For Easy Entertaining

February 14, 2019 by Kathryn 1 Comment

Hosting a dinner party should be a pleasant experience, but too often it can turn into a stressful ordeal instead. It can be daunting to divide your attention between meal preparation and your guests’ conversations.

Then, there is also the challenge of figuring out in what order to cook foods so that everything turns out just right.

But what if there was something that could help you breeze through all this mayhem? Well, there is, and it’s likely right there in your back yard: your grill!

Here are three reasons you should be firing up your grill and using your favourite BBQ party menu ideas when entertaining guests:

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Host a Gourmet Holiday Lunch with Open-Faced Apple and Gruyere Sandwiches and Happy Planet Soup

December 10, 2015 by Kathryn 19 Comments

Holiday entertaining often means evening parties with plates of appetizers, huge turkey dinners with all the fixings and a large variety of sweets and treats. But what if you want to do something a little more low key for your holiday event, yet still just as classy? A gourmet luncheon may be just the holiday event you’ve been looking for!

I decided to throw a little lunch party recently for a few friends, and I knew just where to start when it came to planning the menu. Happy Planet Fresh Soups are the perfect gourmet addition to any meal, and I decided that a simple menu of the new West African Squash and Cashew Soup with Open-Faced Apple and Gruyere Sandwiches would be the perfect way to impress guests without too much effort!

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Add Convenience To Your Kitchen with the Luma Comfort IM200SS Stainless Steel Clear Ice Maker-Giveaway

February 15, 2014 by Kathryn 366 Comments

There are some small appliances that I’ve considered adding to my home in the past, but decided against. Usually I just feel like the appliance won’t provide enough benefit to offset the space the device would take up, since my kitchen is quite small. But every once in a while I discover a new kitchen accessory that becomes an essential in my home so quickly that I wonder how I ever lived without it.

That’s what happened when Luma Comfort sent me its IM200SS Stainless Steel Portable Clear Ice Maker. I’ve always thought ice makers were such neat appliances, but buying one seemed like a needless expense when I can make ice in a tray in the deep freeze. Boy, was I wrong! I cannot believe how handy it is to have this compact little countertop appliance in my home and I would never want to be without one again. [Read more…]

Take Entertainment on the Road with the New Shaw Go YTV and Shaw Go Treehouse Apps

December 20, 2013 by Kathryn 89 Comments

With my boys officially off school today, I know that I need to have plenty of entertainment lined up for them. At home they have toys, games and crafts to keep them occupied. But when we’re out and about visiting and running errands, the travel can start to take its toll. That’s why I was so excited to learn about the new Shaw Go apps that have just been released for Shaw Cable and Shaw Direct subscribers.

Shaw Go Treehouse and Shaw Go YTV apps are extensions of the company’s TV Anywhere content. The apps allow me to access top-quality children’s programming including Toopy & Binoo, The Backyardigans and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles while out and about anytime! I couldn’t wait to download the apps and see how they worked for us.

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Holiday Entertaining Just Got Easier with New Black Diamond Cheese Spread

December 5, 2013 by Kathryn 151 Comments

With Christmas less than a month away, holiday entertaining is on my mind. I’ve been spending the last week baking up some tasty goodies for the freezer, but I like having savoury snacks to offer as well as sweets. I adore using appetizers for entertaining and cheese is one of my top choices, simply because I love it so much. Recently Black Diamond asked me to create a few recipes perfect for holiday entertaining using its new Black Diamond Cheese Spread and I couldn’t resist the chance to test out the cheesy goodness for myself.

I decided to make the Bacon Cheddar Salsa Dip featured on the Black Diamond website. My boys and I are huge fans of Mexican food and this looked like a great easy way to enjoy our favourite cuisine. I made the recipe even easier by substituting our favourite store-bought salsa for the freshly made version and the results were perfect. [Read more…]