Punch is a definite party pleaser. A colorful batch of punch adds instant personality and a dash of panache to the party. Best of all, its economical, and self-serve, so it frees you up as host, so you can enjoy the party too!

A sparkly favorite for any occasion, this punch has miles of style! Pink grapefruit juice gives the punch great color and sweetness, while the pear nectar balances, adding a smooth finish.

Serves 10

8 oz. St. Germain Liqueur

2 cups Ruby red grapefruit juice, chilled

2 cups Pear nectar, chilled

Two bottles chilled brut Champagne

In a punch bowl or drinks dispenser, pour the liqueur, grapefruit juice and pear nectar. Slowly pour in the champagne and serve.

Great for breakfast, brunch, or early afternoons, this tangy mango infused punch has a fresh exotic fruit taste. You can find the tropical juices in the international aisles of most major grocery stores.

serves 10

3 cups pineapple juice

2 cups mango nectar

2 cups passionfruit nectar

1 cup orange juice

21/2 cups light rum

1/2 cup Cointreau

1/2 cup Apricot Brandy

Orange slices

6 cups ice

Mix all ingredients in a punch bowl or drinks dispenser and serve.

This yummy gin punch is light enough to serve to the party crowd before, during , and after dinner!

Serves 10

3 cups gin

1 1/2 cups orange juice

1 cup apricot brandy

8 cups chilled club soda

6 cups ice cubes

3 limes and lemons sliced

2 tangerines, sliced

Combine the gin, orange juice, and brandy in the bowl or drinks dispenser and mix well. Just before serving pour in the club soda. Add the ice cubes, and fruit slices and serve.

This winning combination of rum and tropical flavors will have you leaving the coffee behind!

Serves 10

4 cups mango nectar

2 cups pineapple juice

2 cups dark rum

2 cups light rum

1 cup guava nectar or juice

1 cup apricot juice

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

Orange slices for garnish

Mix all ingredients in punch bowl or drinks dispenser and serve.

Mary’s Mess

This is an old standard with a touch of fresh citrus to round out the flavors. I leave a bottle of hot sauce out next to the punch bowl for those more willing to fire it up!  This Bloody Mary punch is full flavored and some say, the perfect hangover cure!

Serves 10

8 cups tomato juice

3 cups vodka

3/4 cup worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup horseradish

2 tsp. hot red pepper sauce

1 tsp. each, freshly ground pepper and salt

6 cups ice cubes

12 lemon wedges

12 lime wedges

12 large pitted green olives

celery stalks, trimmed and cut lengthwise

In  a punchbowl, whisk together tomato juice, vodka, worcestershire , lemon and lime juices, horseradish, hot pepper sauce, pepper and salt. Add the ice cubes and stir. Garnish each glass with a citrus swizzle and serve.

The Mayflower

serves 4

8oz. Cranberry juice

8oz. Sparkling red grape juice

8oz. lemon-lime soda

Pour all ingredients into a pitcher filled half-way with ice. Serve immediately.

Appletastic Mocktail

Serves 4

16oz. Apple cider

8 oz. Gingerale

Dash of cherry juice

Pour all ingredients in a pitcher filled half-way with ice. Stir well and serve.

Pilgrim Sparkler

Serves 4

16oz. Sparkling white grape juice

8 oz. Pineapple juice

dash of freshly squeezed lemon juice

Pour pineapple and lemon juice in a pitcher filled with ice. Let chill at least 10 minutes. Strain or remove ice cubes and add sparkling white grape juice. Serve immediately.

Are you Ghost Hosting?

Entertaining Trick-or-Treaters and their bigger goblins?

Take a look at these fun and easy cocktails and pick your poison!

Bloody Red Martini

Vampires everywhere would kill for a sip of this tasty temptation, complete with bloody rim!

Serves 4

80z. vodka

4 oz. triple sec

4 oz. pomegranate juice

20z. freshly squeezed lime juice

ice

Mix ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Strain into glasses.

For Bloody Rims: In a shallow dish, mix 2 tablespoons light corn syrup, I tablespoon lemon extract, and 1 drop red food coloring. Turn glasses over and swirl the rims to coat the edges. Turn glasses up right and set aside to let bloody rims dry.

Witches Brew

Stir up a sinister batch of these colorful cocktails, they’ll be no skeletons in closet after one or two!

8oz. Gin

2 oz. limoncello

20z. peach liqueur

20z. passionfruit nectar

ice

In a cocktail pitcher filled half-way with ice  mix all ingredients, pour into glasses and serve.

Butterflies fly away on these colorful and tasty treats. The just right way to celebrate a summer playdate or warm weather birthday.Kids will certainly be all aflutter for them!

Summer Days are perfect for outdoor craft projects, and these colorful water bottles are ideal for kids to decorate with whimsical stickers and foamy shapes.

Lights, Camera, Oscar!  There’s still time to create your own glamorous Hollywood-inspired Oscar night at home for this weekend’s 83^rd Academy Awards, with tasty cocktails, and an easy but divine meal, all for your guests’ viewing pleasure. Add a few stylish decorations and you’re sure to top the ballot for best host along with Anne Hathaway and James Franco. 

Invite your Social Network over and open the curtain for a night of fun and partying Hollywood style. The key to a winning night? Making everyone relaxed to take in the big show.

Signature Cocktail: No event would be complete with out a signature cocktail. My Chocolate Martini, aka “The Black Swantini,” is delectable, easy to whip up, and has a dark and light side, just like Natalie Portman’s character in the film. It’s a winner for sure!

“Black Swan”tini

8 oz. Absolut Vanilla vodka

4 oz. Kahula

Chocolate shavings for garnish

Raw sugar crystals for garnish

Pour vodka and Kahula into a cocktail shaker, fill with ice and mix well.  Wet rims of glasses and dip in sugar. Strain shaker evenly among glasses. Garnish with chocolate shavings. 

Menu:  Mini Crabcakes with Cajun dip, Beef Tenderloin, Fruited Wild Rice, Mixed greens with champagne mustard vinagrette, Chocolate Mousse Flutes, Fresh berries and Cookies will do the trick. Serve the food buffet-style, so guests can help themselves at commercial time. Most of the menu can be ordered in advance or picked up day of from your local market. I also make buckets of cheesy popcorn beforehand to put out on a snack tray with bowls of candy favorites like chocolate covered raisins, Sweedish fish, and non-pareils. This is a favorite with the Toy Storycrowd, Yum! 

Invitations: Send out an e-mail invitation with attachments of some of the Best Picture nominees. Be sure to include the time, dress (I love “Red Carpet Relaxed” which means anything with sequins) and a ballot that they can print and fill out before-hand.

Décor: Go for a bit of glam with sparkles. Gold statues can be found at party stores, pick up a bunch and place them around for accents. This black and white setting tablescape takes a cue from old Hollywood and is suited for our Black Swan dancers or royalty like the divine Colin Firth. Add some feathers and send it twirling or mini gold tiaras fit for a King’s Speech.

Music: Download the soundtracks for the nominated movies and make a playlist to go from cocktails to coffee.

Ballots and Hollywood trivia: During the commercials, have trivia questions ready for the crowd, I had fun here with equations and data from The Social Network, (good luck my friends) fun prizes that are always welcome, a bottle of champagne or gift certificates to the local movie theater or a disc with the evenings playlist are all great choices.

Most of all, relax and enjoy, and you’ll feel like a star.  

Love Potion #9

serves 4

8 oz. Absolut vodka

1/2 cup frozen mixed berries

2 oz. limoncello

Prosecco to top

In a blender puree frozen berries. Strain into cocktail shaker or small pitcher. Add in vodka and limoncello, fil with 2 cups ice and shake or stir well. Strain evenly among glasses, top with Prosecco and serve.

Here’s to love!

Cheers

Colleen

The heart is our most resilient muscle, use it for good, for love, and for living a life made stylish!

Who has your heart on a string?

Colleen

We were invited this past weekend to celebrate the Chinese New Year at the home of family friends. What a lovely time we had sharing in their festive, fun, and very colorful New Year. It is the year of the golden rabbit, who is supposed to saunter in quietly following the year of the ferocious tiger. But the energy at this party was like an oversized paper dragon, ready to roar!

Huge red lanterns on golden posts lined the driveway, like red balloons floating on top of piles of white snow. Red, the traditional color in Chinese celebrations, is said to ward off evil spirits, was everywhere! Red balloons lined the entrance and back lit by more red lanterns seemed to glow like a garden of lights in the moonlight.

Touches of Chinese culture were everywhere. A giant bonsai tree nestled under a group of red lanterns makes a dramatic centerpiece landscape, while blooming cherry blossom branches adorned mantles and tables.

Boxes of red carnations blooming from chinese take-out containers were my favorite! So easy, elegant, and inexpensive, a must-try at home.

A feast of seafood and dumplings, set out buffet style, all signified different good wishes; prawns for liveliness and happiness, dried oysters for all things good, dumplings for luck and good wishes for family, and fish dishes for luck and prosperity.

Lychee martinis were served and were the perfect cocktail to toast Gordon and Grace for welcoming us into thier home to celebrate with them. Here’s to an illuminating start to the new lunar new year, the Year of the Rabbit!

It’s official, you just got the 6 a.m. call and school is cancelled because of snow. Now, what to do with the kids all day?! Here are a few easy, fun, and accessible crafts, recipes and ideas, to help you get through!

Let’s start with breakfast, since there is no rush to get out the door, whip up a batch of pancakes, throw in some chocolate chips, vanilla extract, bananas, blueberries, raspberries, raisins, or a combo of any of the above. Paired with fresh fruit and warm syrup will give them a healthy start as well as energy for a long day ahead!

Another favorite in my house are Bananas Bunny, named after my grandmother as we used to have them growing up at her house. They make a great topper for waffles, oatmeal, or a piping hot stack of pancakes.

Bunny’s Bananas

Serves 4

2 ripe bananas, sliced in ½ inch thick rounds

2 teaspoons dark brown sugar

3 tablespoons butter

½ teaspoon cinnamon if desired

Put all ingredients in a small bowl. Microwave for 2 minutes. Mix lightly and serve.

Crafts are a good place to start, I’m sure you have a few things around the house that can prove to be useful. One of my favorites is a Paper Snowflake Tree. Glittery and bright, it will get you through the dull wintery blues!

You’ll Need:

White Construction Paper

Scissors

Craft glue

Foamy paint brushes

Glitter in shades of blue or crafter’s choice

Hole punch

Ribbon or raffia

Branches

Bucket 

1. Cut out intricate (or not!) paper snowflakes (see below). On a covered surface, using foamy brush apply a very light coating of glue to flake.
   
   
2. Sprinkle snowflakes with glitter until the entire flake is covered. Let dry.
   
   
3.  Hole-punch an edge of the flake and string a piece of ribbon or raffia through the hole for hanging.
   
   

To Display:  Cut some branches from out of doors, bring them inside and place them in a deep bucket or vessel to house the sparkly snowflakes!

Tip: Foamy sheets also work well for glittery snowflakes.

Tip: Setting the flake on a paper plate before sprinkling the glitter helps with clean-up!

Snowflakes:

Fold paper in half. Fold it in half diagonally. Fold in half again, and then into quarters to form a triangle. Draw a design using a pencil. Cut out design. Remember, all snowflakes are different, so get creative with your designs Unfold paper to reveal design! Lay flat under a few books to flatten before glittering.

Decoupage

Decoupage is an easy craft that will provide children with hours of pleasure and can be adapted to suit most ages. Wrapping paper, paper doilies. Newspapers, and magazine cuttings, make an excellent collection for their masterpieces, I keep a box of old scraps in the wrapping paper closet so I always have on hand.

Kids can cover small buckets to house pens and pencils or hair accessories, glass jars, tin cans, and large shoeboxes to hold their schoolwork and favorite artwork.

You’ll need:

Bucket or box

Assorted papers

Modge podge glue

Foamy brush

Scissors

1. Tear and or cut pieces of paper.
2. Apply a tin coat of modge podge to a section on bucket or box. Create a pleasing pattern by pressing papers firmly onto surface. Continue until bucket or box top is covered.
3. Apply a top coat of clear drying modge podge to secure papers. Let dry.
   

Tip: Use decorative edge scissors for a fancy effect.

Tip: To personalize your project, cutout letters to spell out your name or initials

Suggested papers for decoupaging:

Leftover Wallpapers

Wrapping papers

Newspapers

Scrapbooking papers

Doilies

Origami papers

Magazines

Comic books

Paper Lanterns

Another fun craft with paper, like paper chains, paper lanterns are traditional and a fun way of using paper to make three-dimensional objects. Decorated with ribbons beads or glitter, they look great strung across a mantel or window.

You’ll need:

Sheets of paper in various colors

Scissors

Glue or tape

Ribbons, beads, gems for decorating

1. Cut a piece of paper about 1 inch wide from short side of paper. This makes the loop for hanging.
2. Fold paper in half lengthwise. Begin cutting strips, by cutting up from folded edge, stopping about 1-inch from the top, and again about ¾ inch apart, all the way down the paper. These strips create the flaps of the lantern.
3. To make lantern, unfold paper and form a tube shape. Glue or tape edges of paper together on top and bottom, gently push down on lantern to form shape.
4. Decorate top and bottom rims with ribbons, beads, etc.
5. Glue ends of hanging loop to the top of the lantern. Let dry. Hang!

Tip: These make great party decorations, try using printed papers for a festive look, snowflakes for winter, tropical flowers for summer!

Lunch

Keep the fun going with make your own pizzas. I keep a supply of frozen pizza dough on hand for quick and easy meals. Some sauce and cheese and your all set. For a bit more fun, break out the cookie cutters and have them cut out a few shapes.

Snow Time 

For fun in the frosty winter wonderland, mix red food coloring with water in a spray bottle to add a blush to your snow people. Although my kids ask for a few different colors and they use the snow as a beautiful white canvas. Sand buckets make durable molds for building snow forts and igloos.When they get too cold and want to warm-up. Make a batch of Hot Chocolate, a treat sure to make them all warm and fuzzy inside. Play a movie, one that suits everyone’s taste, and serve little bowls of popcorn for viewing treats.

Other games and activities:

Talent Show

Kim’s Game—memory game

Pass the parcel

Hide and seek

Charades

Instant Hot Chocolate Mix

3 cups Dutch–processed unsweetened cocoa powder

4 cups superfine sugar

6 cups nonfat dry milk

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon (optional)

To make mix: Whisk together all of the dry ingredients and sift mixture through a fine sieve or strainer, twice. Store in an airtight container.

To make one mug:

1/3 cup hot cocoa mix

1-½ cups boiling water or hot milk

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

To make: Place 1/3 cup of mix into a mug, pour water or hot milk on top, stir until dissolved. Top with suggested toppings. My family loves these as extras on top. After all, it’s a Snow Day!

Whipped cream

Marshmallows, large or mini

Chocolate chips

Oreo Crunchies