Cocktail Tasting Party

Last evening we hosted an informal cocktail tasting party. I invited a small group over to help us test some non-alcoholic cocktail recipes. It was a lot of fun.

You might ask why I wanted to focus on non-alcoholic cocktail recipes. The answer is simple. There are many sources for alcoholic cocktails and many of those recipes are tried and true.

There are fewer resources for non-alcoholic cocktails. But there are many people for whom an alcoholic cocktail is not an option or is not preferred. Consider the following:

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I'm Planning An Afternoon Tea

I really must be a slow mover - at least in some areas. I've been thinking about hosting an afternoon tea in honor of my mother for several years now. This year, I'm actually going to do it.

I am so excited about it. It will be held on Mother's Day and the guests will include our local family.

Following the English example, this tea will include both male and female guests. We often think of matrons with floral dresses and large hats sipping tea, but teas were originally for everyone.

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Announcing Our New Monthly Newsletter

In less than two weeks, I'll be sending out the first ever newsletter for Laurie's Cobalt World. I'm very pleased with how it is turning out. I hope that you will take a minute or two to sign up for the newsletter.

Just go to our special newsletter sign-up page and enter your email address. There are a few more questions that you can answer or leave blank. Answering them will help us build a better newsletter, but that's entirely up to you.*

Once you click "Subscribe To List," you will be sent

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In Praise Of Compote

“Compote” seems to be a word not well known among the younger generations, but it is well worth holding onto. Compote is a very versatile and very delicious dish, either served alone or with other equally delicious offerings.

Compote is a fruit dish, often served warm. Frequently it is a mixture of fruit rather than a single fruit, sweetened and perhaps flavored. Compote can be made sugar-free and/or fat-free. It can be made from dried fruit, fresh fruit, frozen fruit, or canned fruit. There are no hard-and-fast rules, but rather many choices and many successful combinations.

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End-Of-The-Academic-Year Gift Giving

May is just around the corner and with it comes a host of banquets, recitals, graduations, and every other kind of end-of-the-academic-year occasion you can think of.

Now is the time to plan for thank you gifts for teachers, scout leaders, coaches, piano teachers, dance instructors, and all of the people who enrich our lives with their personal services.

A small token of our appreciation can

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Getting A Large Family Meal On The Table - All At One Time

Easter is coming soon and many families will be having a large meal together. But will everything make it to the table at the appointed time? It’s a huge job to coordinate a large meal. Here are some ideas to help you bring it all together.


Visualize

The first step is to visualize the end you have in mind. In your mind’s eye, look at the table, the people, the place settings, candles, and flowers. Do you have everything you need?

If you do not have enough of one type of china, think about

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Love, Weddings, Cake, and Cake Stands

My brother married his childhood sweetheart. It's a sweet story, but doesn't sound all that unusual. What's unusual about the story is that there was a 25-year interruption between the time they were sweethearts and the time they got married.

When my brother falls, he falls hard. But their parents thought they were too young to be serious and broke off their relationship.

My brother didn't date another girl all throughout highschool. And he never forgot his first love.

Nearly twenty-five years later,

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