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Archive for August, 2010

Cowboy Caviar Recipe & End of Summer Invitations

Monday, August 23rd, 2010
DJ Summer Party Invitation

DJ Summer Party Invitation

Labor Day is coming up and if you’ve planned a party or sent out “End of Summer” invitations, here’s a great recipe to serve everyone will love!

Cowboy Caviar starts with a spicy base of black-eyed peas, tomatoes, corn, and avocado. Scoop it up with tortilla chips for an appetizer, or add cabbage and it becomes a coleslaw.

For a healthier alternative, slice large zucchini, yellow squash, cucumbers or daikon radishes to use instead of tortilla chips.

Cowboy Caviar Recipe

Cowboy Caviar Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 2  tablespoons  red wine vinegar
  • 1 1/2  to 2 teaspoons hot sauce
  • 1 1/2  teaspoons  salad oil
  • 1  clove garlic, minced
  • 1/8  teaspoon  pepper
  • 1  firm-ripe avocado (about 10 oz.)
  • 1  can (15 oz.) black-eyed peas
  • 1  can (11 oz.) corn kernels
  • 2/3  cup  thinly sliced green onions
  • 2/3  cup  chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/2  pound  Roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped
  • Salt
  • 1  bag (6 oz.) tortilla chips or 2 cups finely shredded cabbage

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, mix vinegar, hot sauce, oil, garlic, and pepper. Peel, pit, and cut avocado into 1/2-inch cubes. Add to vinegar mixture and mix gently to coat.

2. Drain and rinse peas and corn. Add peas, corn, onions, cilantro, and tomatoes to avocado; mix gently to coat. Add salt to taste. Serve pea mixture with chips as an appetizer, or add cabbage and mix to make a salad.

Yield: Makes 10 to 12 appetizer or 6 salad servings

Nutritional analysis per appetizer serving: Calories: 159 (42% from fat), Protein: 3.9g, Fat: 7.3g (sat 1.3), Carbohydrate: 22g, Fiber: 2g, Sodium:  272mg, Cholesterol:  0.0mg

Leslee Mendel Coy, Lake Forest, California, Sunset, March 1997

ETIQUETTE CHALLENGE #3: Bridal registry on the wedding invite?

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010
ETIQUETTE CHALLENGE #3

ETIQUETTE CHALLENGE #3

You just received a friend’s beautiful wedding invitation and all the pieces that seem to be stuffed in with the invitation – the RSVP card, the directions to the ceremony and to the reception –  are all to be expected and are appreciated, but wait…

Also enclosed is a matching card listing five places the happy couple have registered for their upcoming wedding.

So, the big question:  “Is it tacky or ok to incude bridal registries with the wedding invitation?”

If you were not invited to a wedding shower or engagement party, how do you find out if or where the couple is registered if it is tacky to include it in with the wedding invitation?

Chime in, tell us how you feel, or send us your etiquette challenges.

The Etiquette Challenge is a regular blog feature we’ve brought over from our Facebook page (yes, we have a Facebook page, and we won’t ignore any friend requests!)

Tailgating Guide and Football Invitations from Announcingit

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010
Food Ref Tailgating Party Invitation

Food Ref Tailgating Party Invitation

Tailgate parties are all-day food fests and tons of fun with great friends and food and some good natured bickering about who will win the game thrown in.

Without proper care, food poisoning can be an uninvited guest to your tailgating party. Here are some tips to keep guests and food safe:

  • Choose items to pack that don’t need to be put on ice or kept cold.
  • Keep raw foods separate from other foods in their own cooler, if possible.
  • Keep your cooler temperature to 40º with ice or ice packs and during hot weather and put your tightly closed cooler in your air conditioned car instead of a hot trunk.
  • Keep items in the cooler until they are needed and for grilled items, only take them out when you’re ready to throw them on the grill.
  • Don’t worry about looking macho, use a meat thermometer to make sure meat is thoroughly cooked before serving, especially important when cooking on an unfamiliar portable grill – Hamburger to 160º; chicken to 170º.
  • Don’t let food sit out more than 2 hours, 1 hour if the outdoor temperate is over 90º
  • Any food that can’t be kept cold until you get home with what ice remains in the cooler should be thrown away.
  • Cleanup with anti-bacterial towelettes and use hand sanitizer liberally.

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Low-Cal Margarita Recipe & Margarita Invitations

Tuesday, August 17th, 2010

Low Calorie Margarita Recipe

Did you know the average margarita packs a whopping 750 calories or more!?! If you’re trying to save calories or need to watch your sugar intake, these low-cal margaritas are worth a try.

  • 1 tub Crystal Light lemon-lime or lemonade flavored drink mix
  • 2 cups water
  • Juice of one lime
  • 8 oz. tequila
  • 6 oz. Grand Marnier
  • 4 oz. Presidente Mexican Brandy (optional)

In a 2-quart pitcher, mix water with the Crystal Light.

Add all spirits.

Fill with enough crushed ice to make 1 quarts; stir and serve in salt-rimmed glasses. Garnish with a wedge of lime.

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Senor Margarita Invitation

Senor Margarita Invitation

Announcingit Invitation of the Day: Autumn Scarecrow Invitation

Monday, August 16th, 2010
The Autumn Scarecrow Invitation features a beautifully painted tattered scarecrow in a field. Perfect for a fall, autumn, Thanksgiving or Halloween invitation.  The quote on the invitation reads:
 
 “For man, Autumn is a time of harvest, a gathering together. For nature, it is a time of sowing, of scattering abroad.”  
Autumn Scarecrow Invitation

Autumn Scarecrow Invitation

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Frankenstein Invitation & Monster Mash Halloween Party

Monday, August 16th, 2010
Frankenstein Halloween Invitation

Frankenstein is Coming Halloween Invitation

Are you tired of having the same old Halloween party?  How about mixing it up a little bit this year and throw a Monster Mash Party? These Frankenstein is Coming invitations will go perfect with the Monster Mash theme!

With a little inspiration from monster culture, Halloween can always have new and scary surprises that can transport humans into another realm of frightening fun. We’ve got Dracula invitations, skull invitations, vampire invitations, eyeball martini invitations, haunted house invitations and more.

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Announcingit Invitation of the Day: Suave Vampire Halloween Invitation

Saturday, August 14th, 2010

Vampires are lurking everywhere these days and we love our Suave Vampire Halloween Invitation featuring a cool vampire in a white tux sipping a “red” martini against a city skyline. Perfect for a Halloween cocktail party invitation or a Halloween costume party invitation.

Suave Vampire Halloween Invitation

Suave Vampire Halloween Invitation

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Happy Friday the 13th! Are you afraid?

Friday, August 13th, 2010
Friday the 13th - Are you afraid?

Friday the 13th - Are you afraid?

Triskaidekaphobia is “the fear the No. 13.” Are you aware of why today is conisidered unlucky, anyhow?

Can you turn to the person next to you, look them in the eye, and honestly say that you have never felt a twinge of concern in the morning when you realize it is Friday the 13th? It’s time for triskaidekaphobes to acknowledge their shared superstition, learn its possible source, and try to gain some insight into what it means for millions of people to hold such a belief.

   Read the whole article at Dictionary.com

Invitation of the Day: Teal Hat Black Cat Halloween Invite

Friday, August 13th, 2010

Teal Hat Black Cat Halloween Party Invitation features a cute cat wearing a large teal witch’s hat, a happy jack-o-lantern, a bat, a spider and his web and a bubbling cauldren oozing green goo. This Halloween invitation is perfect for a small child’s Halloween party, a family Halloween party invitation, a kids Halloween Birthday invitation or a Halloween costume party invitation.

Teal Hat Black Cat Halloween Party Invitation

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What about the Rest of the Family on Birthdays?

Thursday, August 12th, 2010
Birthday Numbers Invitations

Birthday Numbers Invitations

Birthday parties are special days for the guest of honor, but what do you do with the rest of the family?

Siblings:  If there is a younger sibling you need to decide if you will buy a small gift for them or tell them that they will have their own birthday and they will be the stars on their day.  You may want to make plans to have Grandma or a babysitter be in charge of them so you can concentrate on the birthday child.  If there are older siblings, you may want to have them invite a friend and then enlist their help with other party guests and games.

Pets:  Party time is a good time to schedule your pet for grooming or let them visit a neighbor. If your animal doesn’t mind, you can put them in the garage or the laundry room, but don’t let them spend the time howling or barking. Don’t forget to put fish, hamsters and lizards in a safe place, too.

Get everyone involved in the action and have a great time!

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