The Hip Hostess

Menus, tips and ideas for hosting with style!

Hip Tip – Shake-Up Your Halloween Bar October 28, 2008

Filed under: Beverages/ Alcohol,Decorations,Halloween,Hip Tips,Presenation Ideas,Products — hiphostess @ 8:00 am
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Buying holiday-specific party goods isn’t generally a great idea unless you have lots of extra storage space.  But purchasing a few small, festive pieces that can be used for other occasions will help you set a festive scene.  Take, for example, this skull and bones cocktail shaker.  It doesn’t scream “Halloween” but it’s definitely perfect for the occasion.  Not only will it “shake-up” your Halloween bar, but you can easily use this kitchy piece year-round.

 

This cocktail shaker is availble at Target (seasonal), for $14.99.

 

Simple Pumpkin Muffins October 27, 2008

Filed under: Breakfast/ brunch,Dairy-free,Dessert,healthy recipes,Recipes,Vegetarian — hiphostess @ 8:00 pm
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These low fat muffins are so moist they almost melt in your mouth.  The usual oil and eggs are replaced with pumpkin puree, making them delicious and healthy.  I usually make these into mini muffins so they’re bite-size.  I like to serve them at a fall brunch or book club meeting.  If you are serving them as a dessert, top them with cream cheese frosting for an even sweeter treat.

 

This recipe is adapted from a Weight Watcher’s recipe.

 

Pumpkin Muffins

 

18.25oz unprepared organic yellow cake mix

12oz can organic pumpkin

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. cloves

 

 

1.       Coat two, 12 hole muffin tins (or mini muffin tins) with cooking spray.

 

2.       Combine dry cake mix, pumpkin and spices in a large bowl and beat until fully combined.

 

3.       Divide batter among muffin tins and bake according to directions for cake mix.

 

 

Not So Entertaining October 27, 2008

Filed under: Miscellaneous — hiphostess @ 2:00 pm

 

I have some good new and some bad news.  The good news is that I am going to have a shiny new kitchen and apartment to cook and entertain in!  The bad news is that the renovations are taking longer than expected and have left me without a kitchen. 

 

While I haven’t been able to do my usual entertaining, I have been able to do some cooking for my friends at their apartments.  I’ll post some of those recipes over the next few days to give you some festive fall ideas. 

 

In the meantime, appreciate your functioning kitchen and invite some less fortunate friends over for dinner (hint, hint).  Maybe they’ll even do the cooking.

 

Calculating the Right Amount of Alcohol – Part I October 7, 2008

Filed under: Beverages/ Alcohol,cocktails,Drinks,Hip Tips,Miscellaneous,Party Planning — hiphostess @ 9:26 am
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Figuring out how much alcohol you need for a party can be tricky.  Knowing how many drinks you can get out of a bottle of wine, liquor or mixer is a good starting point.  The following list can serve as a guideline, but know that it depends on how you prepare your drinks.  I tend to use 1.5oz of hard alcohol instead of the standard 1oz per drink, so a bottle doesn’t last as long at my bar.  You should also consider the size of your glassware.  In a large goblet, 6 ounces of wine doesn’t look like much, and people will tend to pour more into their glasses.  The same goes for pint glasses; if you use those instead of lowball glasses you will need more than a 1oz shot of hard alcohol to make a standard strength drink.  Bottoms up! 

 

750 ml. bottle of wine = 4 glasses of wine (about 6oz per glass)
750 ml. bottle of hard alcohol = 25 drinks (1oz each) or 16 drinks (1.5oz each)
1 quart of juice = mixer for 6 drinks
1 liter soda = mixer for 6 drinks

 

 
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