That's Entertainment!

With the winter holidays good and gone I like to reflect on entertaining in the home. I like to review what guests liked, the party schedule, and what did/didn't drive me crazy.  I need to do this now because soon the artifical pine needles I'm still cleaning up will be replaced with Easter basket grass.

The Keep It Simple theme is extremely important to stick to for in-home entertaining. If you overcomplicate the role of hostess you will just end up exhausted, cranky, and wanting to ban holidays from your home forever. Until next year that is.  Here are some tips so you can have some of your own fun.

HAVE A PLAN AND WRITE IT OUT
Weeks ahead write out:
- the guest list so you know how much food and liquour to buy and how to set the furniture up in the house.
-Finalize the schedule and keep in mind that the earlier they arrive, the earlier they leave. Plus if its a holiday like Christmas or Easter you also have to account for church services and time for families with small children to have their own at home traditions. If you don't give them a little time to enjoy the haul from Santa, they'll just be late anyway.
-Plan a simple menu but one that looks extravagant. On your written schedule determine cooking times. The more you can make the day before the better. I like to go the extra step and write the menu out on a black board in my kitchen. It helps me keep track.
THE ILLUSION ON GRANDEUR
Martha Stewart I'm not but I can still leave a good impression.
-As noted in the previous tip, a simple menu can still look extravagant. A roast with a savory rub gets put in the oven and you don't have to deal with it until an hour or more later. I like to do Prime Rib but a spiral ham is a big crowd pleaser too. I also don't run away from pre-prepared side dishes or appetizers I can get at Costco or Trader Joes.
-Consider a brunch. Brunch looks super fancy but ultimately its very simple. Baked goods and quiches can be done ahead of time. Serve them up with mimosas and coffee and you'll all set.
-Get a pretty tablecloth and candlesticks and/or vase that you can use every year. Want an extra splash? Try a table runner.
-Make a big ol' pitcher of a signature drink. I tried this for the first time this Christmas because we has an excess of coconut rum. I mixed it with Pineapple Mango juice and Cranberry juice and we named it the "Malibu Sandy" cocktail. It was a big hit and guests were able to serve themselves.
-Pick up a couple of games or simple projects for  younger kids to do. Big kids can help out the little ones. You come across as the thoughtful host but really it cuts down on a lot of potential chaos.
GET HELP
-Get the whole family involved. No need to do it all yourself. Again, Martha Stewart does not live here plus it's an opportunity to bond as a family. Divide duties among yourselves such as decorating, cleaning, shopping, baking, bar setup, and during party cleanup.
-Have guests bring an item side as wine, side dish, or dessert. DON'T ask for an appetizer because it will be wasted if they show up late.
-If you need to prep and cook food during the party let friends join in. Great conversation can be had over chopping tomatoes.
BE CAREFUL OF SETTING A PRECEDENT
I say this based on personal experience. As a young parent I would get so excited about Santa or the Easter Bunny. One year the Easter Bunny left rhyming clues sending them on an elaborate  scavenger hunt to find their baskets. After that they expected it every year. The girls are now 13 and still want the hunt with all the bells and whistles. That's what I get for not listening to my own K.I.S.S. advice.
ENJOY YOURSELF
You may not think you need to be reminded of this, but you do. So does your spouse.
-Ever so often "tag your spouse out" and vise versa. Hand your loved one a glass of wine and remind him/her to sit down and enjoy their family and friends. After a while he/she can do the same for you.
-Do a little cleaning as you go so that once dessert is laid out you can all put your feet up. The after party cleanup can be done pretty quickly with some of it left for the next day.

Happy holidays this Spring! If you can Keep It Simple you may actually have some fun!

Din-ner!

So much of our life from the time we are little is centered around the kitchen. It's the heart of the home. You know how it is at a party...where does everyone end up?  Yep you got it. In the spirit of K.I.S.S. I wanted to focus on this all important room and the activities in it.

DESIGN
I love our kitchen. Tom took two years to come up with the perfect design to meet our wants and needs. Together we picked finishes to match our personality. Most important...we kept it simple.
It's not a huge gourmet kitchen but it is perfect for us. We only have two overhead cabinets because I'm a shorty. We keep all our plates and bowls in lower cabinets. We have a wide countertop perfect for sitting with coffee, doing homework, or socializing as I cook. The penisula makes a perfect serving area. Our garbage is next to the sink, which is next to the dish washer, which is next to the plate/bowl drawers and glass cabinet.Tom insisted on the hot water dispenser and pot filler which I now admit I love.  We have a roomy space in the middle which occassionally becomes an impromptu dance floor.  The kitchen is the center of our home where we turn on the coffee every morning and sit for family dinner every night. It makes us happy.
DESIGN TIPS:

-design for your needs and habits now and for the future. This means picking a fridge that can take large platters for all that entertaining you do, or having a big microwave for all those frozen dinners. For us having a large open storage pantry has been key. It means we don't over or under buy supplies and takes away the need for an overabundance of kitchen cabinets.

FAMILY TIME

Our little family of four is pretty blessed in that we genuinely enjoy each other's company. Also our children are polite, respectful, and know how to carry a conversation.  How do you do it? We've been asked.  Simple!....its called dinner. It is the one meal a day that we share. This time is sacred to us. We do our best to plan activities so as to not interfere with this time. It doesn't always work that way but when I compare it to other families we know, we're doing pretty good.  You can find the statistcs out their about families that regularly share dinner have less incidents of drug/alcohol abuse, have children with higher esteem, and have healthier eating habits.  But forget the numbers. Keep it Simple right? So I'll tell you what it means for us.

Its also a time of family cooperation. The kids set the table and get the drinks. I cook dinner and Tom cleans up. Like a well oiled machine.
Its family meeting time. The kids catch us up on their day, they gripe about so and so  who did what and how life can be unfair. They celebrate an achievement they or someone else made. They plan for the future. As parents we listen and give feedback. It's also a time for us to use the kids as a sounding board. We bring them up to date with the events of the family and the world around us. We discuss issues like "where do you want to go on vacation" or the controversal (at least in our house) bedtime. In other words...WE HAVE A CONVERSATION! Simple, right?  I know, for many that is not the case. It's just that we have made dinner a priority. Once that is done, everything else falls into place. As the kids get older this will be more difficult but I'll hold on to it as long as I can. The groundwork is done. Even if we get one or two nights a week together in the future I'll take it.

FOOD
I am admittably not the best cook but I'm working on it. KISS is definitely strong in this area.
First off, we go by the "if you don't like it, you don't eat". I refuse to make multiple meals. The only exception is that I recently went vegetarian and the rest of the family didn't. I simply substitute the meat portion of the meal with something vegetable based. Our menu has always included vegetables so its not that difficult.
Second, and this was hard to accept, a meal does NOT have to consist of a protein, a vegetable, and a starch. (I think I just heard my mom gasp.) I grew up that unless it was spaghetti and meatballs (no one called it 'pasta' back then) you had to have three things on that plate AND you have to eat that plate clean.  I do make sure to have vegetables with every meal but now I'm not burdened with having to make potatoes, rice, or noodles every night too. We are also FORMER members of the clean your plate club.
Next, try your best to make just what you need. Plate up at the counter and leave extra portions on the stove or counter. If someone wants more he or she has to make the effort to get up and get it. Makes for thoughtful eating.
Finally, have a leftover night. We typically have small portions of meat or vegetables left over. On my more tired nights, I turn these into quesadillas.  I have learned that tortillas are the single greatest food invention ever.

So I know this blog is a bit longer but I think you can see I'm a passionate on this subject. The next one will be posted shortly and will be all about the holidays. Kisses!

K.I.S.S.

K.I.S.S. is a life philosphy in our home, family, and business. It means
Keep
It
Simple
Silly (Stupid, S**thead, you get the idea)

So for my first blog EVER I thought "Keep It Simple Salko"!

I wanted to start this site for so many reasons and the thread tying them together is understanding basics and foundations. What are your core needs/wants? How can a task be streamlined?  Are you overthinking a project? How do I get rid of the clutter? How can I get the kids schedule work best for the family? Plus "Kiss Me Kate" sounds really cute. (Come on! You got to give me that.)

Each entry will apply the KISS idea to different aspects of life. Some will apply to design tips and ideas derived from our custom cabinet shop, Tomkat Fine Woodworking.  Others will apply to family life and raising children. My kids and husband may even contribute from time to time. And still more will apply to organizing your life and home.

K.I.S.S. isn't about missing out. It's about letting go of all the noise and clutter. Its about concentrating on your core. It's about clearing the space to keep the focus on what's important in your life. Its about taking a breath once in a while.
And so I invite you to read my insights and share some of your own.  Next topic...I invite you to dinner.

Kate and husband Tom are the owners of Tomkat Fine Woodworking, LLC in Madison NJ. Their products were featured on This Old House, HGTV, and Old Home Journal magazine.

Find out more about Tomkat Fine Woodworking, LLC at  www.tomkatfw.com