Ideas & Tips — Food & Drinks

Are you in charge of throwing a friend or family member a wedding or baby shower? If so, consider using a garden-theme for a fun and flower-filled affair. Here are some tips:  Arrange fruit: Set out this beautiful basket and fill it with fresh fruit for your guests to snack on. Invite them in style: Send mailed invitations that are in keeping with your garden theme. You might choose a floral stationery or tuck a silk daisy inside the envelope.  Make floral straws: We love many bloggers' idea that turn paper straws into awesome floral centerpieces. For the "stems," use our stainless...

We all know that a person's diet can have a dramatic effect on their longevity, but which foods are the most effective for extending the human lifespan? Nutritionists have studied the longest-lived ethnic groups in the world, including residents of the Japanese island of Okinawa (average lifespan of 81 years) and Seventh Day Adventists in the US, who outlive other Americans by an average of four years through a combination of alcohol abstinence and vegetarianism. These are some of the foods that these groups emphasize in their diets:  Fish. Loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, eating fish helps to prevent dangerous inflammation...

Few treats in life provide as much pleasure as your own creation of fruits and vegetables mixed together and blended into a sumptuous nectar to be enjoyed in the comfort of your own home. However, those magical moments can be far and few in between because sometimes concocting the perfect smoothie is a tricky affair.  Nevertheless, the urge to try again doesn't leave us. Not only are they delicious but smoothies are also undeniably good for you, especially when mixed in with spinach, kale, bananas, avocado and a host of other fruit and vegetables in countless arrangements.  Here are a...

Depending on whom you listen, you either believe that Champagne is only for special occasions or can be consumed whenever the mood strikes. Wherever you stand on the issue, what can be agreed upon is that Champagne is a beverage that usually commands more attention and formality than others.  Originally hailing from the northeast region of France, the country has held onto the name Champagne as legally theirs for more than 100 years through the 1891 Treaty of Madrid. Eventually all of Europe joined protecting the name. Legally speaking, even American companies are only able to use the generic term,...

Spaghetti is a dish that comes with a deep, long history and is popular for a number of reasons, including both its taste and the ease with which it can be prepared. However, though there is no official set of guidelines for what comprises the perfect serving of spaghetti, these common tips are worth remembering the next time you plan to make a batch of pasta: Olive oil etiquette: Though there will never be a consensus regarding how olive oil should be used with spaghetti, some people believe that it shouldn't go anywhere near the pasta while it is still...