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The_Entertaining_IDEA
The Entertaining IDEA

The Entertaining IDEA

Tips, Tricks, Hacks, and Advice to Make You a Better Host...or Hostess!

Holiday Entertaining Hack: Merry Made Easy

11/23/2016

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This year, instead of just letting the holidays happen, make them happen by embracing the season. No matter how or where you celebrate, sometimes you need a little inspiration – or a recipe like this Pineapple Glazed Ham – to pull it all together.


Merry Made Easy

Simple tips for holiday entertaining

(Family Features) The holidays are the time of year when families and friends come together, and when special moments and memories are plentiful. This year, instead of just letting the holidays happen, make them happen by embracing the season.

No matter how or where you celebrate, sometimes you need a little inspiration to pull it all together, especially when entertaining. Chef, restaurateur and co-host of ABC’s “The Chew,” Carla Hall offers these tips to help you savor every joyous, frenzied moment.

Simply smarter shopping: Having an open mind at the grocery store often means having better options in the kitchen. When shopping for a recipe, look for the best ingredients, like seasonal produce, even if it’s not called for in the original dish. At stores such as ALDI, you’ll find hand-selected holiday items that won’t break the bank and can make your celebrations special and memorable. From premium, affordable ingredients to cookware you’ll need to perfect those show-stopping recipes, you can find everything you need at ALDI to make the holidays happen without busting your budget.

Flour power: When cooking with flour, try whisking the flour in the bag before measuring. When you loosen the flour, you get a more accurate measurement, which can lead to better tasting food.

Cook now, enjoy again and then again: You can also stay ahead of the game by cooking more than you need. For example, if your recipe calls for stock or fortified broth, increase the amount and save for later. It’ll come in handy when you need to make the gravy. If preparing a vegetable side dish, use your leftovers to create a delicious omelet or strata.

Make ’em sing for their supper: The centerpiece of any home is the kitchen. It’s where everyone comes together to make holidays happen, so try including the whole family in the process. Give family members some fun and easy tasks to help you out. They can help scrub and peel vegetables, set the table and be your special taste testers. It’s a great way to make memories during the holidays, and can give your family members a lesson in creating delicious recipes, like this Pineapple Glazed Ham.

Visit aldi.us/holiday for more tips, tricks, recipes and fun ideas on how to make the most of your holiday season.

Pineapple Glazed Ham
Recipe courtesy of Carla Hall
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 35-40 minutes
Servings: 12

  • 1          Specially Selected Spiral Cut Double Glazed Ham
  • 1          cup pineapple juice from Sweet Harvest Pineapple Slices
  • 1/4       cup Specially Selected 100 percent Pure Maple Syrup
  • 1          tablespoon Tuscan Garden White Vinegar
  • 1          tablespoon Burman’s Dijon Mustard
  • 1          cinnamon stick
  • 1          teaspoon whole black peppercorns from Stonemill Peppercorn Grinder
  • 1/2       teaspoon Stonemill Iodized Salt
  1. Heat oven to 375° F
  2. In 9-by-13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish, place ham cut side down.
  3. In small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring remaining ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain steady boil and cook, whisking occasionally, until syrupy and reduced to 1/2 cup.
  4. Pour hot glaze over ham, distributing evenly. Bake 35-40 minutes, basting every 10 minutes, until well-glazed and heated through.
  5. Transfer ham to serving platter. Strain pan sauces; transfer to serving dish. Pass pan sauce with ham.

SOURCE:
ALDI


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Entertaining 101: Savory Holiday Flavors Made Simple

11/22/2016

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A holiday season filled with gatherings and celebrations with friends and family calls for easy dishes that bring exquisite flavor to your festivities. One way to spend less time in the kitchen and more time celebrating is to plan for quick-prep dishes you can have on the table with next-to-no fuss, like these recipes for Ham and Cheddar Cranberry Melt or Barbecue Pull-Apart Sliders.


Savory Holiday Flavors Made Simple

(Family Features) A holiday season filled with gatherings and celebrations with friends and family calls for easy dishes that bring exquisite flavor to your festivities. One way to spend less time in the kitchen and more time celebrating is to plan for quick-prep dishes you can have on the table with next-to-no fuss.

The perfect centerpiece to your holiday table, Smithfield's Signature Spiral Sliced Ham is fully cooked, hickory-smoked and easy to prepare. All you need are a few sides and your meal is complete. You can use the leftover slices to create a delicious next-day brunch or lunch dish, like this Ham and Cheddar Cranberry Melt.

If you're in need of a simple holiday hors d'oeuvre or entertaining recipe that you can plan ahead, look for convenient meal-helpers like Smithfield's Sweet & Smoky Pork Roast. Pre-seasoned and perfect for the slow cooker, this roast delivers tender, juicy perfection with minimal prep work. Plus, it can serve as the base for an endless number of festive dishes, like these sweet and savory Barbecue Pull-Apart Sliders.

For more quick and easy holiday recipes, visit Smithfield.com.

Ham and Cheddar Cranberry Melt
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Makes: 4 sandwiches

  • 8 slices bread
  • 6 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 1/4 pounds Smithfield Signature Spiral Sliced Ham, sliced
  • 3/4 pound white cheddar cheese, sliced
  • 1 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
  • 3 cups (2 ounces) salad greens
  1. Heat heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-low heat.
  2. Butter one side of two slices of bread then turn buttered side down. Top one slice with 5 ounces ham slices and the other with 3 ounces cheese slices; transfer to skillet face up and cook 5-7 minutes, or until bread is lightly browned and cheese is beginning to melt.
  3. Remove sandwich halves from skillet and transfer to cutting board and repeat to make three additional sandwiches.
  4. Top ham side with cranberry sauce and greens, and place cheese side of bread on top to finish sandwich. Cut in half to serve.

Barbecue Pull-Apart Sliders
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 4 hours, 30 minutes
Makes: 18 sliders

  • 1 Smithfield Sweet & Smoky Pork Roast
  • 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
  • 18 jalapeno or butter Hawaiian dinner rolls, sliced in half horizontally
  • 9 dill pickle stackers, cut in half
  • 5 large slices sharp cheddar cheese
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • barbecue seasoning
  1. Place roast in 3- to 4-quart slow cooker. Cook on high 4-5 hours (Low: 8-10 hours).
  2. Heat oven to 375 F.
  3. Remove roast from cooker; discard juices. Use tongs or two forks to pull pork; mix in barbecue sauce.
  4. Arrange bottom half of rolls in 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking pan. Spoon pulled pork evenly over top. Place dill pickle on each sandwich and lay cheese slices on top to cover all sandwiches.
  5. Place tops on rolls and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle tops with barbecue seasoning.
  6. Bake about 15 minutes until cheese is melted and top buns are slightly crisp. Serve warm.

SOURCE:
Smithfield

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Make Gifts Personal with DIY Labels

11/20/2016

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After spending hours scouring stores for the perfect gift for each person on your list, the last thing you want to do is bury your thoughtful gesture in generic wrapping. Fortunately, with the right tools and a little creativity, you can make your gift boxes just as personal as the gifts they contain. These DIY gift topper projects – Rosette Gift Topper, Wooden Banner Gift Topper and Bow Gift Topper – will make your presents so pretty it almost seems a shame to open them.


Make Gifts Personal with DIY Labels

(Family Features) After spending hours scouring stores for the perfect gift for each person on your list, the last thing you want to do is bury your thoughtful gesture in generic wrapping. Fortunately, with the right tools and a little creativity, you can make your gift boxes just as personal as the gifts they contain.

When you opt to create your own handmade gift labels, the options are nearly endless. If there are a large number of kids in your group, try making labels with photos instead of names so even the little ones who can’t read can get in on the fun when it’s time to hand out gifts. Or for a more crafty approach, look to one of these ideas from the crafting experts at Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores, which will make your presents so pretty it almost seems a shame to open them.

Find more ideas for DIY projects to put a personal touch on your presents this holiday season at joann.com.

DIY Gift Toppers
Crafting time: 1-2 hours
Skill level: Beginner

Supplies and Tools:
  • 12-inch paper trimmer with aluminum cut rail
  • Cardstock
  • Adhesive
  • Twine
  • Fiskars Label/Simple Double Tag Maker with Built-in Eyelet Setter
  • Fiskars Banner Thick Materials Shape Punch
  • Wood veneer
  • Ribbon
  • Alphabet stickers
  • Fiskars Banner/Artisan Double Tag Maker with Built-in Eyelet Setter
  • 8-inch scissors

Rosette Gift Topper
Use paper trimmer to cut two 3-by-6-inch pieces of cardstock. Fold each piece of cardstock accordion style then fold in half to form fan. Adhere two pieces together to create rosette, and secure at center with twine. Using label maker punch, cut simple label. After punching tag, punch hang hole using hole punch at front of tool. Glue rosette to top of gift box and attach simple label with twine.

Wooden Banner Gift Topper
Use the punch for thick materials to cut banner pieces from wood veneer. Tie thick piece of ribbon around gift box, and adhere wooden banner pieces to top. Apply alphabet stickers to banner pieces to spell a festive word or gift recipient’s name. Wrap twine around ribbon and banner to complete.

Bow Gift Topper
Cut two simple labels out of cardstock using label punch and four banners out of cardstock using banner punch.

Gently roll two simple labels in half, avoiding putting a crease in cardstock. Use scissors to trim flat end to match angled end. Align simple label on top of two banner labels, and trim flat end of banners to match angle of simple label. Adhere trimmed banner shapes to untrimmed banner shapes. Check that untrimmed banners extend beyond end of trimmed banners. Curl up points by wrapping cardstock around scissor blades or a pencil.

Adhere two ends of simple labels together and glue to banner pieces to create bow loops.

Use paper trimmer to cut small piece of cardstock for bow center. Gently roll in half and adhere. Adhere bow sections together and attach to top of gift box.

SOURCE:
Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores


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