http://www.articletrader.com/ Articles at ArticleTrader en-us http://www.articletrader.com/food/smoothies-and-frozen-drinks-secrets-to-making-the-perfect-frosty-summer-drink.html http://www.articletrader.com/food/smoothies-and-frozen-drinks-secrets-to-making-the-perfect-frosty-summer-drink.html Sat, 23 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0500
1. Freeze the fruit ahead of time. It doesn't matter whether your smoothie recipe tells you to do this or not, this little trick will make for a thicker smoothie. Wash your fruit, cut in bite size pieces (slice bananas), spread out on a baking sheet in a single layer and freeze. When your fruit is frozen, you can pack it together in a storage bag or container in the freezer. For best results, use within 2 weeks.

2. Use fresh ripe fruit for the best flavor.

3. When the recipe calls for ice, crushed ice is best. If you don't have crushed ice, you can always place ice cubes in a sealable plastic bag on a cutting board and "crush" the cubes with a hammer, rolling pin, frying pan, etc.

4. The blending order is important. First add the cold liquid, then the fruit, and last add the frozen yogurt (or ice cream) or the ice.

5. Considering using a Smoothie Maker. They really work! Unless you have a powerful blender, it will labor when pulverizing ice.

How to Fix a Less Than Perfect Recipe

Making smoothies and frozen drinks is not an exact science. You can start with a recipe and always change and improve it. Here are some basic tips to adapt any smoothie recipe to your own tastes and requirements.

To make it thicker: Add more ice, frozen fruit (especially a banana), frozen yogurt, ice cream or sherbet

If it's too thick: Add milk, water, or juice and blend again. Be careful when adding a lot of juice, because it will change the flavor of the frozen drink.

To make it creamier: Use ice cream, frozen yogurt or vanilla yogurt instead of the ice.

To reduce calories: Replace whole milk with skim milk. Use frozen yogurt or sorbet instead of ice cream. Add fresh fruit instead of sweetened frozen fruit. Use a sugar substitute. Choose nonfat yogurt over regular yogurt.

To make it sweeter: Add honey, maple syrup, a little sugar (superfine or confectioner's sugar blends best) or Splenda.

If it's too sweet: add a little lemon juice or even lemonade.

To make it healthier: Add protein power or brewer's yeast available from the health food or vitamin store (and some supermarkets).

To add fiber: Add ground flax seed, wheat bran, wheat germ, and leave the skin on the fruit.

To make a frozen drink with alcohol: Substitute rum, vodka, or a fruit liqueur for an equal part of the juice or other liquid called for in the recipe. Pour into a margarita or hurricane glass and garnish with fresh fruit. However, if a frozen drink calls for alcohol and you prefer a non-acoholic beverage, simply substitute juice, milk or water for the spirits.

To add extra flavor: Use very ripe, quality fresh fruit. A little cocoa powder gives it a chocolatey flavor. Try a few drops of almond extract or some of the other fruit extracts sold in the baking section of the supermarket. Add a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg.

Recipes to get you started:
(Blend each of these as directed above)

Strawberry-Banana Smoothie
8 oz. vanilla or strawberry yogurt
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, frozen
1 whole banana
1 tablespoon honey

Orange Creamsicle Smoothie
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup milk
2 cups orange sherbet
3/4 cup vanilla frozen yogurt

Peach Smoothie
2 cups peach nectar (juice)
1 cup peach yogurt
1/2 banana
1 1/2 cups frozen peach slices
1 cup vanilla frozen yogurt

Cantaloupe Smoothie
1 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups cantaloupe, cut in chunks, frozen
heaping tablespoon of vanilla yogurt
ice cubes to thicken

Cappuccino Smoothie
1 cup brewed coffee
1 cup milk
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup vanilla ice cream
2 cups crushed ice or ice cubes
Garnish with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon



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Linda Kling is the owner of Photo Party Favors, which offers personalized photo favors and custom photo cards, photo announcements and photo invitations. Visit her website for lots of free party recipes, party tips, free printable candy bar wrappers, more.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/great-summer-parties-22-hot-tips-to-make-your-party-the-hit-of-the-season.html http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/great-summer-parties-22-hot-tips-to-make-your-party-the-hit-of-the-season.html Tue, 29 May 2007 00:00:00 -0500
1. Instead of balloons, hang inflatable beach balls.

2. Give each of your guests a little battery operated personal fan that you can get at the dollar store. It's a practical party favor that will come in handy if it's a very hot day.

3. No pool? Throw a sprinkler party. Tell your guests to bring their bathing suits for a run through the sprinkler. Provide water guns and water balloons for additional entertainment.

4. Rain in the forecast? Have an indoor picnic. Push the furniture to the side, put a checkered or gingham tablecloth on the floor, serve take out fried chicken, sandwiches and potato salad.

5. Use a beach pail to hold plastic utensils or napkins at your summer party. The plastic shovel makes a novel serving spoon.

6. Keep white Christmas lights handy all year. They look great strung around the patio, deck, trees, or around the table or doorway inside the house.

7. Try to have much more ice on hand than you think you'll need. And make sure you have lots and lots of beverages, especially frozen drinks and smoothies. Summer parties are the perfect time to try out some new recipes in the blender.

8. Use a wheelbarrow filled with ice. Add cans and bottles of your favorite drinks for a portable outdoor cooler.

9. Have a luau themed party. Decorate with grass skirts, plastic leis, etc. from a party supply story. Scatter seashells on the table. Hang colored lanterns. Play background Hawaiian music. Don't forget the pineapple and macadamia nuts.

10. If you don't have a backyard, have your summer party at the park, beach or even zoo.

11. Give each of your guests a dollar store beach pail as a party favor filled with summer stuff, like sunscreen, flip flops and a novel for summer reading. Add a homemade or professionally made personalized photo bookmark inside the novel that thanks your guests for coming to the party.

12. At night, light candles for atmosphere and Citronella candles to discourage bugs.

13. If you're having a pool or beach party, make sure you find a guest to volunteer as a designated lifeguard who is willing to give full attention to watching the kids in the water.

14. Have an ice cream party. Provide a selection of ice cream and sherbet flavors and let your guests add their own sundae and fresh fruit toppings.

15. Have extra sunscreen prominently displayed and available to any of your guests who may need it.

16. If you're doing the grilling, ask your guests to bring the salads and side dishes.

17. Have Christmas in July (or August). Put up your fiber-optic or pre-lit tree, play Christmas music, serve cookies.

18. Have a Mexican fiesta, complete with make your own tacos, salsa and chips (try some fruit salsas) and a pinata.

19. Some outdoor activities kids can enjoy at a party include a treasure hunt, blowing giant bubbles, water balloon toss, fishing for magnetic fish in a wading pool, ring toss in a wading pool, croquet, horseshoes, badminton, face painting, spin art, hide and seek.

20. Serve fresh, seasonal fruit in hallowed out melon or pineapple halves.

21. Take lots of photos at your summer party. Email a few of the best ones to all the guests who attended. Better yet, have custom made photo magnets made of a group photo or one of you and your family with a message thanking people for coming to the party. Then mail them out as a great remembrance to a special occasion.

22. Don't forget to toast some marshmallows!

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Linda Kling is the owner of Photo Party Favors, which offers personalized photo favors and custom photo cards, photo announcements and photo invitations. Visit her website for more party tips, plus lots of free party recipes, free printable candy bar wrappers, more.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/hobbies/the-best-milestone-birthday-gift-10-easy-tips-to-create-a-birthday-memory-book.html http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/hobbies/the-best-milestone-birthday-gift-10-easy-tips-to-create-a-birthday-memory-book.html Tue, 17 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0500
No, in fact, you don't have to have special talent to create a milestone birthday memory album. Here are 10 simple tips to help you make a birthday scrapbook, even if you don't know what you're doing.

1. Plan early. If you can do this a little bit at a time, without having to rush, it will be less intimidating.

2. Collect all the photos of the birthday boy or girl that you can find, their family, friends, houses they lived in, pets, etc. Then ask for help. Friends and relatives will have photos that you don't have. Ask them to email them to you. Or borrow their photos and scan them or have copies made.

3. Take notes. Ask everyone who helped you with the photos to share memories of the birthday person. Go right to the source and interview the birthday boy or girl. When we were working on a scrapbook for my dad, we got him to talk all about old times, without him ever suspecting we were using that information to put together this project.

4. Buy a scrapbook program for your computer, which is a simple way to turn out a professional looking page. If friends and relatives are emailing you photos, the pictures will already be in your computer and all you have to do is "paste" them into one of the software's ready-made templates. Then add your own words and print.

5. If you don't feel comfortable doing this on the computer, get a birthday scrapbook kit from a local craft store. This will contain all the coordinating papers and embellishments. You just have to add the photos and journaling. Make sure you get glue and pens that are acid-free, so they won't damage the photos over time.

6. Think small. Scrapbook albums that are 6 x 6 or 8 x 8 inches are easier and faster to finish than larger books. You'll need less photos. And at those sizes your pages can be printed from any printer and trimmed down to size. Most family printers won't print the larger 12 x 12 inch size.

7. Use cookie cutters, jar lids, etc. to trace around and cut out photos in interesting shapes. On some photos, cut away the entire background, so that the only thing left is the birthday person.

8. One unique idea is to do a theme, such as "40 Great Things About John (or Mary)" if he or she is turning 40, (or 50 great things, if he or she is turning 50, etc.) Ask friends and relatives to email you their lists, and combine them with your own thoughts. Give each person credit in smaller letters after their contribution.

9. Add a "Then and Now" page, with his or her favorites when he was younger and what he or she likes now. List things like favorite TV shows, movies, friends, foods, pets, musical groups, songs, hobbies and interests.

10. Include a page with the title "The Year You Were Born". There are many great websites that have information of everything that happened on the year of his or her birth. Some have detailed listings that range from news items, popular songs, price of milk, and Academy Award winners.

Keep it simple. It doesn't have to look professional. Remember when you were a kid and made cards for Mom and Dad. Those cards couldn't compete with Hallmark on the open market, but to your parents, they were priceless. Even if this scrapbook looks less than perfect, this is the kind of birthday gift that is guaranteed to touch the recipient's heart. Give a handmade birthday memory book and it will be treasured forever.

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Linda Kling is the owner of Photo Party Favors, which offers original personalized photo favors for all occasions, including Year You Were Born photo birthday bookmarks, featuring fun facts from the year of your birth. Check out her website for more ideas, lots of party tips, hints, recipes, free printable candy bar wrappers and more.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/society/weddings/wedding-save-the-date-cards-top-7-reasons-to-send-them-and-when-you-shouldnt.html http://www.articletrader.com/society/weddings/wedding-save-the-date-cards-top-7-reasons-to-send-them-and-when-you-shouldnt.html Tue, 17 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0500
1. You're planning to invite a lot of guests from out of town. If you have friends and loved ones spread out across the country or even the world, a save the date card gives them extra time to make travel arrangements. By sending out save the date announcements 6 - 12 months before the wedding, those far away guests will have the opportunity to book flights and hotels at better rates.

2. You're having a destination wedding. There is a growing trend to choose fun and exotic locales for a wedding, such as Hawaii, the Caribbean or Las Vegas. If you've decided on a destination wedding and are hoping your invited guests will be able to come along, it's a good idea to give them as much time as possible to plan. Sending save the date cards will give them the chance to schedule vacation time and make travel arrangements.

3. You've set your wedding date around the holidays or typical peak summer vacation time. If the date you've selected is around Christmas, New Year's Eve, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, even Columbus Day weekend, your guests may make other plans unless you alert them well in advance with a save the date card. Let people know your wedding date before they make vacation plans, and you have a better chance they will attend.

4. You're seriously hoping that most of the people you invite to your wedding will attend. Even if your wedding will be in your hometown, with mostly local people invited, on a day that shouldn't conflict with holidays or vacations, save the date cards can help you achieve more positive RSVPs to your wedding invitation. People have increasingly busy lives and are always making plans. Since your actual wedding invitation will only go out 6 - 12 weeks before the big day, your potential guests may have already made plans by the time they receive it. If they know in advance the date for your wedding, they won't schedule anything else that day.

5. You're just so excited that you've set the date that you can't keep the news to yourself. Save the date cards can double as engagement announcements, letting people know that you're engaged and have set the date for your wedding.

6. You want to show off your fiance' to all your friends and relatives who have never met him. You can send photo save the date cards and everyone can see the love and happiness on your faces. In fact, the latest trend in photo cards is to include multiple photos on your save the dates, so you don't have to settle on just one picture.

7. They're fun! There are no rules and no etiquette, so your save the date cards can be unique and imaginative. They can reflect your personalities, hobbies, time of year you plan to get married, wedding destination, bold colors or just about anything you like. There are scratch-off save the date cards and save the date magnets. It's your chance to grab everyone's attention.

So with all these great reasons to send wedding save the date cards, is there any reason you shouldn't? Well, because save the date cards are an optional gesture, you don't have to send them if your budget is extremely tight. This is not an absolutely necessary expense, if you're strapped for cash. No one will get mad at you or feel slighted if you decide you can't afford to send them.

But for everyone else, save the date wedding cards are a fun way to share your happy news. If you want to guarantee that your guests will mark their calendars and save the date for your wedding, nothing works as well as save the date cards.

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Linda Kling is the owner of members.aol.com/PhotoPartyFavors,which offers personalized photo favors and custom photo cards, announcements and invitations. Visit her website for more information on photo wedding save the date cards, plus lots of free party recipes, tips, printable candy bar wrappers, more.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/pregnancy/baby-birth-announcements-7-unique-ways-to-announce-your-babys-birth.html http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/pregnancy/baby-birth-announcements-7-unique-ways-to-announce-your-babys-birth.html Tue, 17 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0500
1. Photo Birth Announcements - Everyone will want to see your beautiful new baby. These birth announcements make that possible, even if your friends and relatives live far away. The newest trend is photo birth announcements that combine multiple photos of your baby into the design, so you don't have to settle on just one picture of your perfect little angel. If your baby has a big brother or sister, you can add a photo of him or her with your newborn.

2. Make a web site for your baby - There are many places on the internet devoted to this very thing and they have done everything to simplify the process for you. They have easy templates you can customize for your new arrival with point and click tools. You can post photos, video, stories, even a guest book for visitors to sign. Then just email everyone the web address. Some of these are even free!

3. Candy bar wrappers - You can make your own from scratch, print a birth announcement wrapper you find on the internet and personalize it, or have a company design a chocolate bar wrapper that has all your baby's birth statistics. You might even be able to add a photo. They are a lot more fun to hand out than cigars!

4. Seeds - Share the happy news of the growth of your family by sending packets of seeds that are imprinted with your baby's information. Also available are traditional looking birth announcements that are made from a special seeded paper that can be planted and will grow wildflowers.

5. Bookmarks - A novel idea is to make or order birth announcement bookmarks that have your baby's photo, name, date of birth, weight and names of family members, etc. You can include a favorite quote, Bible verse, or poem. One advantage is that these are easy to mail. Long after a traditional birth announcement is misplaced, a photo bookmark will continue to be used and appreciated by anyone who receives one.

6. Birth Announcement style business cards - This is different and inexpensive. All the same information that is usually printed on a larger birth announcement is printed on the business card, sometimes even with your baby's photo. You can hand them out, tuck them into regular correspondence or birth announcements or use them in place of traditional sized birth announcements.

7. Magnets - Everyone who receives a birth announcement magnet will immediately put it on their refrigerator and enjoy it for a long time to come. You can get them in different shapes and sizes, with or without your baby's photo. You can also find birth announcement buttons, key rings, and pocket mirrors.

You don't have to send out bland baby birth announcements for your special bundle of joy. Whether you search the internet for any of these ideas, or browse through brick and mortar stores in the mall, you can find birth announcements that are as unique as your sweet little baby.

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Linda Kling is the owner of members.aol.com/PhotoPartyFavors, which offers personalized photo favors and custom photo cards, announcements and invitations. Check out her website for more information on photo birth announcements, plus lots of free party recipes, tips, printable candy bar wrappers, more.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]>