A good place to start is with beautiful garnishes - cucumber fans, tomato roses, salami flowers, swans made from apples, peppers turned into flowers, the list goes on and on. How about apples cut into the shapes of turkeys? Your guests will be amazed at the shapes that food can become.
With a few tools and instructions, you can create delightful edible decorations for the table or garnishes for dinner plates. We carry a beginning garnishing set as well as a more complete set. You can even watch a professional carve vegetables into interesting shapes with the DVD "How to Garnish."
For those of you who just want to make even slices quickly try the garnish slicer. You can slice large amounts of olives, mushrooms and even strawberries perfectly. And for coring and slicing a pineapple, nothing works better than the pineapple slicer.
A beautiful table setting will also catch the eyes of your guests. What is more appealing then sitting down to a beautiful dinner table? You don’t have to buy expensive centerpieces. Nature can provide adornments even in the winter months. Pinecones, pine, and holly branches arranged in a basket or bowl will bring out the holiday spirit. Add some ribbon or fresh flowers and you can design your own beautiful centerpiece!
Candles always add a special glow to the meal and with the delicious aromas coming from the kitchen; your guests will practically run to the table.
Adorn each place setting with a beautifully folded napkin design and festive place card. A yummy place setting could be an individual cake or candy to take home. Something special for guests to take home helps them to remember the great time they had at your party!
Serve molded butter with the meal. Use special design flexible ice cube trays to make shells, stars, hearts or even dolphin shaped pats of butter. Use the trays to make colored shaped ice for beverages too!
The warm glow of candlelight, the delightful vision of the table, the full and satisfied feeling in the stomach, will all contribute to the sparkling dinner conversation as your guests enjoy one of their favorite parties in 2008.
You don't have to be the perfect hostess like Bree Van De Kamp on "Desperate Housewives" or even read all of Martha Stewart's tips online. With a little planning and practice you can grab the attention of your guests the moment they walk into the dining room. Here's how...
