Ideas on Hosting a Cocktail Party

Cocktail parties are a fun way to catch up with old friends, or entertain people from work. And they are so much easier to plan and execute as these parties last for mostly an hour or two, and as the menu has only drinks and appetizers, perhaps some desserts, they do not require a lot of work! The other thing I love about cocktail parties is that they can easily be hosted inside your house, out on a patio or club-house, or you can choose to host a happy-hour at a restaurant or cafe, which can be a great option for someone who is short on time or doesn't need the pain of planning a party. Whatever your incentive, here are a few tips that can help you host a successful cocktail party, and master the art of entertaining! (img source: wikimedia )

Know Your Guests
This is extremely important because you have only a couple of hours to dazzle your guests and play the perfect host! So think ahead about who your guests are and their preferences. Are their vegetarians in the group, or people who'd prefer virgin drinks and sodas over cocktails? Is this a conservative work group or a gathering for friends? Will they prefer loud music or soft instrumentals in the background? Think about these things and consider it while deciding on the venue, decor and the menu. Check out online resources or entertaining magazines, or good old food-network for ideas and tips; this helps to give shape to what you might have in mind!

The Purpose and Occasion
The success of a party depends largely on what you plan to accomplish by hosting it. If you are just trying to catch up with old school friends you haven't met in quite some time, you'd have to go for neutral choices in food. If you are entertaining your boss and his family, or colleagues from work, trying to attract a promotion or get into someone's good books, it pays to take an extra step in knowing their favorites so you can impress them! If its just a bunch of people hanging out on Friday night, or a high-tea with movies and games, you don't need to fret that much as you know your friends and their taste.

Planning Ahead
No matter what kind of a party it is, it always pays off to maintain a list of your invitees, and another task List that you can check-off as you finish things. Keep sections like guest list, catering options, menu items, tableware, grocery list, contact numbers, etc so you know what's missing and you don't get frantic at the last minute! If this is a formal or theme party with a dress-code, make sure you inform everyone about it, as well as check to see that you are ready for the theme party too! I've seen so many instances where parties turn sour because some of the guests did not know you were supposed to be "dressed formally", or because they think "Jeans" is "formal", while others are dressed in tuxedos and blazers! If this is an event aimed at having fun, think about simple drinking games that you can enjoy while talking and lounging, not something you have to rack your brains for!!

Hiring Caterers or Bartenders
Again, based on why you are entertaining, choose a location to host the party. Your house works fine for casual gatherings, but if you need this to go perfect, try hiring professional caterers as they are trained for this! Here's a site that can help you find places that host a Happy-Hour. They also have a wider range of food and drink options to choose from, and you don't have to worry about anything except paying them and impressing your guests! if you have a fancy bar in your house that you are keen to show off, consider hiring a bartender who's familiar with several drink recipes.

Food and Drinks
A cocktail party menu is generally more stress-free than other parties as you mostly serve appetizers or finger-foods, drinks and desserts. Choose 3-4 entrees, at least one of them vegetarian, bring out your wine racks and a bottle opener, and choose individual desserts, mainly petit-fours or tarts and cakes. Decide on what you want to cook at home and what you'd rather order from outside. It's good to balance between time and money. If you are doing this at your house,it might be a good idea to ask for help your family or friends or guest so they can come in early and help you with the cooking, cleaning, decoration and setting up the place. As Cocktails are the highlights, decide on what you'd like to serve. Here's a cocktail drink-dictionary if you are not familiar with the gazillion options available; mixed drinks with seasonal fruit flavors, coffee or shakes work best. Also keep room for sodas and virgin drinks for people who do not take alcohol. Select strong or mild alcohol depending on the time of the party. You can't serve whiskey at 4 pm!! Wine goes best with any kind of food as long as you pair it well. Here's a good read on wine-and-food-pairing.

Enjoy Yourself
Playing a host doesn't mean you shouldn't enjoy yourself. Planning ahead is crucial so it leaves you to mingle with your friends and entertain without being stressed. After all, its your gig, and you control the way you want the party to go! So keep these effective tips in mind the next time you plan a cocktail party and you can be sure to win accolades for being a perfect host!

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How to Make Your Own Soy Milk

Many people have allergies to dairy, or are lactose-intolerant, making it inevitable for them to use milk alternatives, thereby choosing Soymilk instead of regular milk. And though several brands and flavors of Soymilk is available out there in the stores, if you use it on a daily basis, this can get to be an expensive affair! But, by making your own Soymilk at home, you can save tonnes of money, as well as get fresh milk every 3-4 days. Its really easy, and unbelievably cheap, plus you can use the leftover "Okara" (the pulp from the soybeans after the milk is extracted) to make delicious Soybean burgers, or any other soy-based recipe! So here goes, make your own Soymilk using 3 ingredients, and in 5 easy steps! [photo courtesy of US Agricultural Research Service]

Soya beans are almost a staple food in the US now. They are packed with proteins, and can be eaten raw, as Edamame beans, or as dried beans that are used below to make SoyMilk.

Ingredients
1 cup dry soybeans
sweetener (honey, barley malt or sugar) - add to your taste
water (about 12-15 cups)
Note: Generally, you need about 125 g whole soya beans and 1 liter of water to make 1 liter of soy milk.
Flavoring (optional, like Chocolate, Vanilla, or Almond essence)

Method
Soak the beans overnight or longer(like 10-14 hours). Discard the water and rinse the beans thoroughly. This will also help loosen the hull so you can remove them. This helps in better extraction of soy milk.

Now throw one part beans and 2 parts water into the blender, preferably a high-duty one, like Vitamix, and whiz as long as you can. The finer the pulp, the higher the yield of milk will be. Repeat for any remaining beans.

Take a colander over a large pot, then line it with a cheese-cloth. Pour the mush into cloth-lined colander, and pour the remaining water(if any left) over the pulp.

Now fold the cloth over the mush and press to get as much of the milk out as possible. Save the mush (which is now known as "okara") to make something out of it, like soybean burgers or patties.

Next, bring the extracted milk to a boil, and let it boil for about 5-7 minutes. Reduce the heat, let it simmer for another few minutes, then turn the heat off. Add the desired amount of sweetener to your taste, and even any other flavoring if you want, then allow to cool completely to room temperature. Add the

After cooling, the soy milk is ready and can be kept in the fridge for another 3 days. Soymilk can rot fast, so if you can't use it quickly enough, don't make too much. You can freeze it, but when you thaw it, be prepared for a cottage-cheese kind of taste when you drink it. Adding sweetener and additional flavoring can help reduce this distinct taste though.

There your Soymilk is ready, and now you can go ahead and enjoy it by itself, or use it as a base for making delicious Soymilk Smoothies!

Soymilk Smoothies
Cranberry SoyMilk & Green Tea Smoothie
Vegan Chocolate & Peanut butter Smoothie

The Grapefruit Diet

A 21-day so-called 'diet' of grapefruits, a little protein and not much else.

Despite many ludicrous claims, grapefruit (like cabbage) does not possess any 'fat-burning' properties. 

What you eat

Typical breakfastHalf a grapefruit & black coffee.Typical lunchHalf a grapefruit, 1 egg, some salad, a piece of toast & tea or coffee w/o milkTypical dinner

Half a grapefruit, 2 eggs, half a head of lettuce with tomato, & tea or coffee (no milk).

Advantages

Grapefruit is fat free, low in calories and full of vitamin C. Pink grapefruits also contain some beta-carotene. However, eating a few grapefruits hardly justifies calling it a 'diet'.

Drawbacks

Lacking sufficient iron, calcium, and many vitamins, this 'diet' is unhealthy as well as monotonous. Also, it contains far too few calories. Needless to say, it doesn't help you to change your eating habits which is the No 1 secret of permanent weight loss

Potato Diet

1. 1
   Choose potatoes that are organically grown, small in size, but heavy for their size. Avoid potatoes with skin discolorations such as dark brown or green spots.
2. 2
   Eat only potatoes, morning, noon and night, for two to four days. Eat them baked, mashed, steamed, roasted, and juiced, but never fried.
3. 3
   Season your potatoes with chives, mint, cumin, turmeric, fennel, caraway, paprika, dill, nutmeg, rosemary and fresh garlic. Use potato juice or herbal teas to aid in making mashed potatoes, but never add milk.
4. 4
   Leave the skins on the potatoes. The skins account for over 75% of the potato's mineral value.
5. 5
   Drink plenty of water and herbal teas. Use potato peels to make tea. Or make herbal teas to target specific ailments you may be dealing with. While your body is fasting it is particularily available to other treatments you may induce. Corn silk tea, burdock, nettle, yarrow, and dandelion root tea are all excellent teas to make during a potato fast.
6. 6
   Utilize an internal bath or enema at the end of your fast to help clear your colon of toxins.
7. 7
   Break your fast by adding fruits and vegetables to your diet of potatoes for a full day before introducing other foods.

Tomato Soup Diet

When it comes to weight loss, diet recommendations come from everywhere. Weeding through them takes considerable work. You must search out the truth, debunk the myths and choose a plan that works for you. The tomato soup diet is one alternative. Before you try it, though, you need to know what it is and what sort of results you can expect.

The Diet

1. The Tomato Soup Diet is a short-term diet plan based on the Souper Soup Diet, a diet plan introduced by author Lillie Ross. The diet is closely related to the cabbage soup diet and other soup-based diets. 
   
   
   The diet features unlimited quantities of tomato soup for most meals. The basic recipe calls for mixing equal parts canned tomato soup concentrate and water. Two cans of soup mixed with water produces six cups of soup. Homemade versions vary from one dieter to the next. Most of the homemade soups are based on combining ripe tomatoes with water and seasonings. 
   
   
   You are allowed to supplement the diet with other foods, like fruit, vegetables, chicken and beef, but the soup is the main component of most meals. A sample menu for the Souper Soup Diet--http://www.lillieross.com/soup/soupmenu.html--provides information on foods you can use to supplement your tomato soup diet.

The Results

2. The Tomato Soup Diet brings results. After all, tomato soup is low in calories and has nearly no fat content. Also, soup fills the stomach. The Mayo Clinic says foods that are dense make you feel full faster than less dense foods, even if the dense foods pack fewer calories.
   
   
   In just one week, many dieters lose 10 to 15 pounds on the Tomato Soup Diet. The weight loss, though, is not tied to any unique properties of the soup. Instead, weight loss is a result of limited calorie consumption. Some dieters report regaining lost weight after stopping the diet. This sometimes results from binge eating following this highly restrictive diet. 
   
   
   While only a short-term option, the Tomato Soup Diet might be a viable option for someone seeking quick weight loss. For example, a boxer might try it as a means of making weight for a fight. You also might use it to help tame eating habits before beginning a long-term healthy diet.

Considerations

3. Based on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recommendations for daily eating, the Tomato Soup Diet lacks sufficient nutrients, such as protein and calcium, which are necessary for a healthy lifestyle. While it might work as a short-term solution, it does not represent a smart choice for prolonged dieting. Restricting nutrients can lead to the loss of muscle mass and bone density. The Tomato Soup Diet also can result in fatigue and has the potential to bring about health problems if dieters stay on the plan for more than a week or two.
   
   
   The American Dietetic Association calls soup diets a fad. It says no diet based on a single food can reverse weight gain from inactivity or overeating. The association recommends consulting a dietitian for help with weight loss.

HEALTHY JUICES FOR TOTAL WELLNESS

Carrot + Ginger + Apple

Boost and cleanse our system.

Apple + Cucumber + Celery 

Prevent cancer, reduce cholesterol, and improve stomach upset and headache.

Tomato + Carrot + Apple

Improve skin complexion and bad breath.

Bitter gourd + Apple + Milk

Avoid bad breath and reduce internal body heat.

Orange + Ginger + Cucumber

Improve skin texture and moisture and reduce body heat.

Pineapple + Apple + Watermelon

To dispel excess salts, nourishes the bladder and kidney

Apple + Cucumber + Kiwi

To improves skin complexion.

Lose weight fast

The 3 Day Diet is a very specific food plan that must be followed

 precisely. Portions must be eaten exactly as specified 

and dieters are warned not to overeat -- otherwise the promised 10 pound weight loss may not be achieved. Likewise, dieters should not under-eat, even if they are not hungry. The detailed plan does not mention or recommend any exercise.

The 3 Day Diet meal plan:

Day 1

Breakfast

Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal

1/2 grapefruit or juice

1 piece toast with 1 tablespoon peanut butter

Lunch

1/2 cup tuna

1 piece toast

Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal

Dinner

3 ounces any lean meat or chicken

1 cup green beans

1 cup carrots

1 apple

1 cup regular vanilla ice cream

Day 2

Breakfast

Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal

1 egg

1/2 banana

1 piece toast

Lunch

1 cup cottage cheese or tuna

8 regular saltine crackers

Dinner

2 beef franks

1 cup broccoli or cabbage

1/2 cup carrots

1/2 banana

1/2 cup regular vanilla ice cream

Day 3

Breakfast

Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal

5 regular saltine crackers

1 ounce cheddar cheese

1 apple

Lunch

Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal

1 boiled egg

1 piece toast

Dinner

1 cup tuna

1 cup carrots

1 cup cauliflower

1 cup melon

1/2 cup regular vanilla ice cream

In addition to its strict daily food prescription, dieters drink 4 cups of water or noncaloric drinks daily.