Here’s the perfect non-alcoholic holiday party drink that everyone will love.
It takes only minutes to make and looks and tastes so festively delicious!
What you need:
1 bag cranberries
1cup cider vinegar
1/2cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 (1 1/2-inch) piece peeled and sliced fresh ginger
4 cinnamon sticks
Ice and club soda (or Sprite), for serving
What you need to do:
Just combine cranberries, vinegar, water, sugar, ginger, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until berries start to break down, 10 to 15 minutes; cool completely. Strain through a fine wire- mesh strainer, mashing mixture to release liquid; discard solids and chill. To serve, pour 1 oz. over ice and top with club soda or Sprite (optional).
Garland, Check. Charlie Brown Vivaldi classic cd music playing check. Bacon Spinach puff appetizers, check. Hot chocolate bar, check, christmas cookie tower check…… and so on. These are just a few things that we have on our holiday hosting checklist? Do you have one? A list of itemized things to take care of before hosting your holiday party or dinner event?
Making a list for the holiday gatherings is great way to garurantee no stress and a great gathering. Another quick tip is to prep everything you can the night before so its ready to be popped in the oven the next day. This allows you to take your time and spruce up the home and get ready for your guests without rushing thru everything in the kitchen as well.
Take your time and enjoy the entire day, including setting up your home in the most festive way possible!
Grab your Garland, mistletoe and crushed leaves (depending on your weather). Crushed colorful dried leaves are a fantastic visual aid to any table or countertop!!
Also cater to your specific group. If you have a sports crowd coming over have a tv at the ready for after dinner to watch a bid event in one room at least, or you could have a cool sports triva game to play that engages everyone and shakes up the usual dinner party routine!
These are just a few quick tips for hosting over the holidays!
A few cool fun facts and benefits of the fluffy white stuff..
Okay, so most of you know I would much rather lounge on a sandy beach any day rather than be pelted with a snowball. And Although Hawai’i will always be home in our hearts, we have been able to appreciate the beautiful mountains and snowfalls in Denver and Boise.
Being born and raised in the Great Lake State of Michigan, I have seen my fair share of icy cold winters and blistering winds but there are also some amazing joys that the snow brings as well. Aside from making snowmen, snowangels and igloos, a beautiful crisp white snowfall on the perfect winter’s night is an amzing sight to behold. For many, skiing, ice skating, sledding and so many other outdoor winter hobbies are every bit worth the wait for the other 3 seasons.
Here are some cool facts and benefits about snow that you may not be aware of:
1. Snow helps to insulate the ground below, holding in heat and preventing moisture from evaporating into the atmosphere.
2. It takes about one hour for a snow flake to reach the ground
3. No two snowflakes are alike
4.There must be pollen or dust in the air for snow to form
5.All snowflakes have six sides.
So the next time you are able to enjoy a beautiful snow fall, grab your boots, hat and gloves and get out there!!
It’s that time of year when smiles are brighter, the air chillier and childhood memories are aglow with holiday cheer! I feel as if everyone can actually hear the Charlie Brown Christmas theme music with every step as if all childhood wish are possible with every shooting star.
The sheer glee of the promise and hope that Christmas brings is contagious and full of wonder. There are certain staples that are stamped into my dna during Christmas time like, hot chocolate, holiday books, card games with egg nog and movies like Polar Express!
Somethings never get old, like Christmas morning excitement, opening presents and eating Christmas cookies all day long!! One of our favorite traditions leading up to the big day is watching a classic christmas movies like, It’s a Wonderful Life, Elf and Polar Express!! As a huge suprise, Colin booked us an actual seat on teh Polar Express Train!
Yup, that’s right, The actual Polar Express train in Golden Colorado, was a massive production of epic proportions that transformative and all immersive! Before boarding, we were treated to outstanding peerformances, from the movie and enjoyed deliciously rich hot chocolate. After being thouraghly entertained and leaving our wish list for Santa, we recieved our Golden Tickets to board, then away we went.
Into the nights chilly whimsical air we were transported right into the magical Polar Express World! Flashing by the foothills of the Rockies we were seranaded by the characters of the movie in tremendoues tune and cadence. Fully equipped with our snuggly pajamas and open imaginations, we allowed them to take us on a fantastical ride!! It was truly as if we had leapt into the movie ourselves and were the starring charachters!!!
What a night to remember and a beautiful way to capture and explore the joy and wonder of Christmas with Family!!
As the world is constantly in turmoil and uncertainty, let us please take take the time to also acknowledge all that is good and pure in this beautiful universe of ours. Let us be grateful for the many blessings that we have been given and cherish those whom we hold dear.
May your bellies be full, your minds sharp with wit, and your hearts full of Love.
Thanks Mern for making my new favorite salad!! So glad you recreated the recipe from your friend Christian and they were generous enough to pass the recipe along! The salad was hearty and filling while still coming off very flavorful and light. It managed to hit absolutely every single one of my taste buds and left me completely full happy about the caloric intake at the same time. Total Win/Win! For my version of this winner I also added pears and a dash of mint and ….bam, pow,Wow!!
So often, we are scrambling for a great meal to serve for larger gatherings, and end up selecting options that are delicious yes, but are way too fatty, fried and fattening. But Mern, served up the most amazing meal of perfectly cooked salmon with a sweet and tangy crunchy salad that forced me to return for seconds!! And then we were still light enough on our feet to hit the beautiful Aurora Reservoir trail and walk 10 miles.
Follow the recipes below and you’ll add this number to your regular kitchen rotation like we did!!
First up the Apple Cider Vinaigrette ingredients:
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 small garlic clove, peeled and minced
6 mandarin oranges juiced
a pinch of salt and pepper
All you have to do is whisk all of the above together in a bowl and chill for about 10 minutes while preparing the greens..
As for the rest you need
Spinach
Mixed Greens
Roasted Pecans
Dried Cranberries
Crumbled goat cheese
freshly chopped mint
1 thinly chopped shallot- once sliced rinse under cold water
chopped apples
chopped or sliced pears (preferably softened or you can use from can)
Run cold water over the apples and pears for about 1 minute and drain.
Then just combine all ingredients and if you like, top it again with the crumbled goat cheese and mint cloves for garnish.
So you already know that we absolutely love to host and have a great time with friends and family. We are constantly thinking of new dishes to serve, and games to play in order to entertain with flair. Well I must say that Colin has topped himself this time and blasted holiday Rising off into the stratosphere with his latest hosting feat.
While hosting family during the beginning of fall, he told all of us who had broken off into little groups during the day while getting the full Denver tourism on to all convene at the house promptly at 5pm where and when the festivities would begin…
Leaving everyone, including me, in a tizzy over what he was planning, cooking etc.. It created a wonderful day of anticipation and suspense. I must say he certainly did not disappoint as we gathered in the dining area, greeted upon a new host (Colin in Character) advising us all of the thrill we were about to partake in for the rest of the evening. He passed around a satchel with envelopes and had us all grab one, and then proceeded to inform us that one of us was going to lead to his demise and throughout the 3 course meal with drinks we were to figure out who indeed was his killer!!!
The excitement and thrill of playing our carefully thought out roles was enough to win the night over but he also added a dinner theme of a Caribbean adventure, recalling stories from our time spent there as well as facts about each destination and the origin of our food and drinks that were being served!!! Yes, everything made with such deliciousness that it melted in your mouth, but including the details of how these amazing dishes were created and the history behind the people, culture and signature drinks was spectacularly beyond imagination!!
He hit on all of our senses, while we gathered around the island and each prepared our own drinks after being given careful instruction. Colin left no stone unturned as we let loose, created our drinks, sampled the scrumptious food and played our theater parts to the hilt!! This was an absolute gem of an idea , that brought our larger group together, broke the ice and created the perfect forum for us to all get to know each other a bit better and break the ice!!
With each course came a small window into our world of travel, but also included each dinner guest in the unraveling. It was truly remarkable and we look forward to hosting many more parties like these utilizing different themes and characters!! Stay tuned…
The Menu!!!
Everything prepared from absolute Scratch from The Loft Kitchen (You Go Colin!!)
First Course (Cuba)
Cuban Sandwich
Beverage – Mojito
Second Course (Jamaica)
Jerk Chicken
Beverage – Rum Punch
Third Course
Beef Pattie
Beverage – Ja ”Maican Me Crazy” Drink
Fourth Course / Dessert (Bermuda)
Rum Cake
Beverage – Dark & Stormy Drink
Recipes coming soon individually from the Loft Kitchen!
Happy Holiday Rising!
Colin, operating as the director shelled out the rules of engagementAppreciating the history of the mojito after the first round of delicious cuban sandwiches.Uh oh… the Director has been killed…who was the culprit?!?!It was CHEEKS!!!! I had my suspicions… Great Job playing your role to the hilt Michael.
Thanks Colin, for the best and most interesting Halloween family gathering game ever! We will add more to this game for updoming holidays, parties, events and more… stay tuned.
For years now…oh, and I mean years, way too many to count (but over 45), I’ve been blessed many times with the ability to go to the fabulous magical land called Disney World in Lake Buena Vista Florida. My older sisters’ were among the very first to grace the grounds along with my grandparents. They took the wonderful drive down I 75 to Disney in their RV from Michigan was still in my mother’s womb. Well, I must have carried the excitement, anticipation oh, and jealousy of not being able to attend this brand new world, because I certainly adopted all of the fascination, childlike nuances and excitement every time I think about going back every time.
They say it is the sheer Joy of watching a child’s expression experiencing something fantastical and whimsical for the first time that fills your heart with glee and is more addictive than sugar.. But I believe it is even more than that. I believe that even as adults we are reminded that dreams can come true, great stories can transform, and the imagination can take us as far as we allow it to go.
Walt Disney World is an extraordinary symbol of what is possible when we stretch our limits, ideas, imaginations and even belief in what is possible.The knowledge that one location has brought billions of people everyday together from all walks of life, many different experiences, and cultures to share in it’s peek into the future is mindblowing. Disney World, taps into the possibilities of what if and forces all that walk down magical mainstreet to be absolutely present in the moment creating memories for a lifetime.It seems the ultimate goal of sharing a golden vision of someone else’s and showing what is possible with love, hardwork and endless perseverance to make others marvel and smile with pure joy are at the core of Disney’s existence.
I am so proud to still say I’m a Disney kid, the fact that our kids Ace and Kingston are Disney kids as well and are just as excited if not more than me to attend and find new activities and things to explore excites me to no end. When able, Disney is more than an escape; it is an extension of someone’s belief that you could create something so powerful, innovative and demonstrative that it becomes infectious. That is a gift to us all.
Let’s take it back decades, when Walt Disney was buying up literal swampland back in the fifties and sixties with the belief that he could take his Gold Mine Mickey Mouse cartoon idea and create a World of Magic. Imagine trying to buy up land and for an idea that didn’t even exist as of yet, with the land that wasn’t even there (swamp land to be built upon) the sheer blank canvas of swamp land in the middle of Orlando Florida oh, my gosh the thought that someone saw that and then said here is where ‘Paradise on Earth’ is going to be just blows my mind. And I am so grateful for his Insight, intuition and quite possibly spiritual intervention that touched him with such a thought and then the drive to actually believe he could pull it off. But then the fortitude, willpower, dedication, and desire to see it through has made this new existence possible. Wow.
As an avid traveler, dreamer, entrepreneur, reader, adventurer, I draw so much inspiration and happiness every time I travel back to Lake Buena Vista and to Disney World to see what is new. Every time we go, there is new found treasure. I can recall traveling to Disney with my family over the years when I was a kid then going with my friends and then going with my family. As a mom now, I truly believe that over the 40 times I’ve been, there’s still so much more to see and do. Just like my life, I feel like although there is so much that I have accomplished, failed at, seen and done, oh, I am still a wonderful work in progress just like Disney!
Growing and adapting to a new world around me. Where Disney is an organized wonderful well-run machine however, I feel more like beautiful chaos. Which is perfectly fine and wonderful in itself. Because just like the many different exhibits, rides, attractions, food selections we are all so different and unique and have our own desires, experiences, goals, and dreams.
It’s just so amazing to be among so many other people experiencing the shared experience of Walt Disney. Traveling to Disney to grab the magic and sampling a slice of one man’s dream. I wonder if he even imagined where his vision has grown today. With movies, Disney+ streaming channel, International Park,toys, adventure games and more, his dream grew wings and is soaring like a mighty phoenix. Thank you Walt Disney for your vision and the singular goal of tapping into everyone’s innermost fantasy. Disney World represents a magical world of possibility and pure joy.. I hope I am always a Disney kid at heart and truly wish that everyone at least one time in their lives can experience lightning in a bottle that exists at Walt Disney World.
