Fun Ideas when Decorating Your Dinner Table

Do you ever miss the old days where we, as children would play house, doctor, tea parties and teacher? Maybe all children have gone through the phase that they all played tea parties (mostly girls) and they would have their teddy bears and dolls all seated in a little circle. We would have little tables with little silverware, tea cups and a little kettle. The sad part about this is that they are now all forgotten, new memories are filling up our minds and those days were just shadows of our childhood. However, that simple memory of table setting can be the foundation of something that we are now capable of doing. Table setting is an art, a way to express our uniqueness and our creativity.

As of now, we may still be doing table settings, maybe for a simple get together, a party, date or even for a weekly bonding time with your family. For what ever reason that we have, it’s still good that we are still practicing this. The same table setting can also be boring and blank, so it’s best that we find new ideas to be able to maximize the effort that we are putting in this project. Here are some themes that can inspire you.

African Table Setting
Maybe the African table setting is not one of the most common ideas when it comes to table settings but this one is definitely worth trying. If you’re adventurous and want to experiment, try this one for a dinner get together. Dark colored cloth tablecloth like maroon or brown is recommended. It will look well if your table is made of wood. For this kind of settings mix colors and textures and make this place setting seem like you have just returned from safari. Rattan placemats are also a nice touch to your table plus those Hessian bags filled with spices are used for the centerpiece. Make sure that you position them among the rambutans, some tropical fruits and loose spices. To add the feel, try using animal print napkins tied rattan thin ropes. Plates can be wooden or flat cane baskets lined with banana leaves or as simple as black plates.

Italian Table Setting
Want pasta? Why not compliment your dish by setting up an Italian table? Just buy a suitable tablecloth for this setting. You can use a sheer yellow cloth. Find a clear bowl that we will be using for the centerpiece then place a vase inside it. Place celery in the vase and fill the bowl with basil, dill and garlic. Hang the little red tomatoes on the strings of the celery. This would look like a tree that has tomatoes as its fruits. Choose suitable silverware for the theme. Setting silverware can be a little formal too. Try using bright green bowls on white plates and don’t forget napkin folding. Don’t forget the dimmed light and the wine! Set the glasses for the water and the wine.

Oriental Table Setting
Decorating your dinner table won’t be complete if you haven’t tried the oriental table setting. Ordering or preparing Chinese dishes? Well this may be one of the easiest ideas for table setting. Mostly consists of 2 basic colors, black and white and just add the element of bamboo and that’s it. For the centerpiece, try those little bamboo stems with small leaves. You can also try adding dried flower table arrangement for that scented and elegant feel. You can use bowls and chopsticks if you want to.

Decorating your dinner table doesn’t have to be expensive, you don’t need to follow exactly what you see on the computer, rather just be creative and use your imagination.

Wok Cooking Tips

Woks are very useful cooking tools because you can use them to prepare all kinds of different dishes, from stir-fries to soups. Before you use a wok for the first time, you’ll need to learn a few basic skills. The tips below will help you to ensure that the meals you cook in your wok will be delicious and appetizing, worthy of your table setting.

Woks Need Intense Heat

High temperatures are essential for the food to cook quickly, and rapid cooking is the secret to stir fry meals, allowing veggies to keep their color and firmness and preventing meats from loosing their natural flavor. Make sure to raise the temperature each time you add an ingredient to the wok.

You can tell that your wok is hot enough to start cooking in it when it begins to smoke. Correct stir-frying may fill your kitchen with smoke, but cooking over low heat will result in a mushy, pale and limpid mess.

Wok Varieties

You’ll find that woks are available in several varieties. Electric woks are available in the West and many cooks are satisfied with them, but a classic round bottomed wok is best if you are cooking on a gas stove. Most woks today are made of carbon steel. They are durable, inexpensive (a good one should cost around $20) and excellent heat conductors.

You can buy a wok support ring to place over your burner to keep the wok stable. This is essential to avoid accidents if the circular bottom of your wok won’t stay in place on the top of your cooking range.

Wok Cooking (Stir Fry)

Always prepare your ingredients before you start heating the wok. Woks are versatile and you can cook many foods in them, including all kinds of vegetables (peppers, onions, corn, squash, green beans, peas …) and meats (chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, crab etc). Cut meats and vegetables into tiny pieces so they will cook rapidly and thoroughly over high temperatures. Avoid overcooking meat, as this will toughen its texture.

Before you put ingredients in a wok, add a drop of cooking oil and wait for the wok to heat. When it starts to smoke, put in your meat and cook until it is almost done then remove it from the wok. Now bring the wok back to high (smoking) temperature and add your chopped vegetables. Cook a few minutes (the vegetables should be crisp) then add the meat and continue cooking for another minute or two; season to taste with a sauce of your choice, stir and serve.

Food Presentation

Stir-fry meals are typically served with rice, so don’t forget to cook the rice before you start the stir fry. You could cook rice in a wok, but only use rice that’s been cooked a day before. Adding freshly cooked rice to a hot wok will make it sticky. Using a rice cooker will ensure that the rice is perfect every time. Stir-fries and other food varieties prepared in woks are inspired by Asian cuisines. Using an Asian table setting to serve your meal will add an authentic touch to your presentation.

Japanese Dining And Cuisine

Japan is an Eastern Asian country composed of over 5000 islands located in the Pacific Ocean. Since it is a one of the world’s leading fishing nations, accounting for approximately 8% of the world’s catch, fish and seafood are major components of Japanese cuisine. The two principal staple foods Japan are rice (the climate is perfect for rice cultivation) and noodles.

Many elements of Japanese dining and cuisine are the result of Chinese influence, including the use of chopsticks, soy sauce, and tofu (soybean curd). In fact, the Japanese first learned to grow rice from the Chinese around 2000 years ago.

In Japan, rice is normally served boiled or steamed. The second major Japanese staple food, noodles, is available in several varieties, which may be eaten either hot or cold.

Three popular noodle varieties included in Japanese dining are:

• Soba Noodles - Made of wheat flour, these thin, brown noodles can be eaten with a variety of dipping sauces or in hot soups
• Udon Noodles – These are also wheat noodles, but they are thicker than Soba noodles, also used in hot soups
• Ramen Noodles – Wheat-based, thin yellow noodles that come in different shapes, usually served in meat or fish broth

Soy sauce and soybeans are also an integral part of the Japanese dining experience. Other typical Japanese ingredients include:

• Tofu – resembling firm blocks of cottage cheese, this is a bean curd made of soy milk
• Bamboo shoots- Crisp yet tender, these are very young bamboo plants commonly used in many Far Eastern cuisines
• Daikon- This root vegetable looks somewhat like a large white radish and it is the most commonly cultivated vegetable in Japan. It is eaten raw in salads or cooked (stir-fried, grilled, baked or boiled)
• Ginger- is a widely used seasoning in Japan
• Seaweed varieties- a very important part of the Japanese diet, seaweed varieties are harvested at different times of the year, dried and then reconstituted in water before they are cooked

In Japan, green tea is much more popular than black tea. Considered to be the national drink, it is often served with desserts.

As mentioned earlier, seafood is an integral part of the Japanese dining experience. Two unique Japanese dishes that are renowned worldwide are:

• Sushi- Fresh seafood served raw (blanched, pickled or frozen) with rice and wrapped in roasted seaweed. Sushi is a very healthy food because it has a low content of saturated fat and almost no sodium, sugar or cholesterol.
• Sashimi- In formal Japanese dining protocol, Sashimi is often served as the first course of a meal. It consists of extremely fine slices of raw, fresh seafood often served on top of a salad of shredded daikon and accompanied by wasabi paste.

Japanese culture takes pride in presentation and table settings are as important as cuisine in the Japanese dining experience. A traditional Japanese table setting usually includes a soup bowl and a rice bowl, plus a number of small flat plates and, of course chopsticks.

If you are serving Japanese food, consider using an Asian table setting to recreate an authentic Japanese dining experience. Use bamboo placemats, chopsticks, pretty China bowls and an Asian-style centerpiece.

Why Proper Food Presentation Is Important

We all have our 5 senses, sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch. With food, isn’t it that we all use these five senses? We see how beautiful and presentable foods can be, we smell the aroma and the flavor even before we eat it, we hear how crunchy a fried dish can be, taste how all the ingredients blend well and how it taste; we touch our food to see if it’s still hot before we take a bite. Indeed without these senses, how could be appreciate how delicious our foods can be? Isn’t that before we choose what food to eat, we base it first on these senses? What does proper food presentation have to do with the five senses? Here’s why:

The Importance of Food Presentation
When you go to a party and of course there is food prepared, which of those dishes will you try first? Don’t smell, taste or go near them yet. Just use your sight. The one that will surely catch your attention is the one that is in the most noticeable table. Let’s face it, if it looks good we would want to try it!
Proper food and table settings will surely attract the guest’s attention and not to mention their appetite. Decorating your dinner table for a simple get together or a party isn’t easy. It takes sometime to get used to it but once you do, you can do it in short period time.

Food Presentation Ideas
There are dozens of ways on how you can start decorating your dinner or your buffet table. The Internet hosts dozens of help tips and even video examples for you to get started. A few of the tips that you’ll find are these:

- Color scheme
Make sure that you blend the tablecloths, silverware, china, and the napkins as well. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you will need to use one particular cloth color, but instead make sure that the colors that you will be using will blend well, like red and gold, blue and silver and so on.

- The Centerpiece
Try to find a cheap but elegant centerpiece. Consider what time of the day will the get together be? If it’s for a dinner party, find something that is sophisticated but won’t overwhelm the food or your guests. It just has to blend well.

- Enjoy what you’re doing
Just relax and avoid being stressed out. Remember that this is supposed to be a fun event and being stressed out won’t do you any good. Tell yourself, would this solve my problems? Then just breathe and go back to work.

To summarize, if you want your family or guests to really be tempted with your food, don’t just focus on the dish itself rather try decorating your dinner table or whatever table you’ll be using. In this way, it’ll add up to your over all food presentation. Table settings can be easy and fun to do; don’t be afraid to try it.

Know How To Prepare A Dinner Party In A Flash

If you have children, you will know how hard it is to feed them once they have their own favorites. This is where one’s creativity comes in; one can start making cute shaped chicken nuggets, stories about vegetables and about how flying carrots will land on your kid’s mouth. Its fun and time consuming but sometimes, we forget how this creativity can be used through other things and not just for our stubborn little kid. Think about hosting a dinner party and instead of hiring someone to do the theme, invitation, table setting and napkin folding for you, you can jut do it yourself. Are you curious but also afraid of starting this all by yourself? Here are some steps:


Ideas
Ideas are working mom’s best friends, why? Because when you become one, raising your child is indeed tough, from making faces to make him laugh to designing food on his lunchboxes so he’ll eat it. Creativity just begins to come out naturally, something most moms don’t even realize. Now for your dinner party, if you’re not that confident yet, you can start with your own family gathering, something that only has a few numbers of people. Start of with an idea and then work from there. Plan everything first.

Help from the Internet
No ideas yet? Search through the Internet. There are dozens of ideas in the Internet that can help you come up with your own concept. Once you find something interesting, it’s important to take note of them. There are hundreds of table setting styles and not to mention napkin folding tutorials too. Gather all the ideas that will catch your attention and after that, it’s time to incorporate your own idea or mix and match them according to your theme.

What's Important
What’s important is that you stick to the budget and be a wise shopper. If you have old table cloths, you can use them instead of buying them brand new; you won’t really use them everyday. You can also use your reserved silverware too just make sure that you clean and polish them days before so on the day of the dinner party, you will just to wash them lightly. Make a list of the things to buy and the things you need to get from your attic or basement. Do the latter first, because that takes time and is a lot messier. Once done, finalize what you need to do and your theme too. There is no room for changes because like any other working moms, this has been scheduled and it’ll greatly affect you if there are unwanted changes. Shop for the things that you need that won’t easily spoil, like seasonings and ingredients for the dishes (if you’ll make them yourself) but if you won’t, you can just buy everything on the scheduled time.

This is a lot to take and a bigger adjustment for you too. Remember to be ready for some problems if you want to start with this sideline. It’s important for you to stay calm and happy. Enjoy what you’re doing and don’t let it get into your nerves.

Things To Consider For The Right Table Setting

When you are attending a party, one thing you always notice is the decoration or the setting of the venue. It allows you inhibit something that the host wanted you to feel. That is also the reason why proper table setting is important to every party, event or occasion whether it may formal, semi-formal or the usual celebration. Everything should be coordinated, from tables, chairs, dishes and silverwares down to the menu and the program itself. The following are some ideas you may consider for you to set up the right table setting for your party:

Kinds Of Table Settings

In choosing what kind of table settings you prefer, you would have to sort things out like what theme you would like to create. From there, you could narrow things and set up a table setting that is appropriate to the theme you have chosen. If you are putting a religious festival like Halloween, you may want to check seasonal décor ideas to make the theme convincing. For Christmas, you may set up your Christmas Day Table setting. You may also prepare your table setting base on what your guests love to do or anything that relates to your guests. For example if your guest is a sports enthusiast, you may create a table setting that is related to sports.

Color Combination

If you want your party to be successful, have your table look appealing and appetizing to your guests. Make sure that the color scheme that you will choose will match with your theme. You should be very strict about the colors as it enhances the totality of the party. For example, if the theme of the party is for Valentine ’s Day, you should be eyeing for red color as it pertains to love. If you are making a 4th of July dinner party, you might want everything to be red, white, and blue. On the other hand, if the theme is not so definite, you may plan your color scheme on how the rest of the room looks.

Number of Guests And The Materials Needed

Setting the right table for the guests depends on how many people you will have. Think about how much time you want to spend on building up your dinner table. Time is also important to come up with a great idea.

When it comes to the materials for table setting, it is not just as easy as napkin folding. You would have to prepare your dishes and silverwares if it is enough to handle the party. It is recommended to buy disposables with good quality for these days. It would be preferable than using your own dishes at home which can look amazing and even more beautiful compared to what we already have at home.

Creativeness

Proper table setting needs creative mind and an artistic touch to make eye-catching centerpieces. There are lots of ideas you could choose in table setting but what makes you unique is on how you have put up your own style and make it appealing to your guests. Setting a table may seem to be very easy but once you have started it, you will need most of your time so proper research and planning is needed.

Proper table setting is very important to every occasion. Not all people have the gift of putting things up with style and creativity. The event itself can never be successful without a good table setting. For someone who has the talent to create a masterpiece on a simple table, one can be considered as an artist on his way.

Rekindle Your Relationship – Create The Perfect Table Setting

In today’s modern world, people are in great need to express their feelings in the most possible way at the soonest possible time. Gone are the days where you keep your thoughts from within. Martyr is not the right word for today’s generation. We all have the latest technology to voice out anything and express it as much as we wanted to. We have mobile phones and the Internet to talk to someone and catch things up. This is one of the factors that seem to be lacking for someone who is in relationship and starts to crumble particularly in marriage. A typical wife who chose to be in silent and accept all the heartaches that the husband brings can end up one day to be a total wreck and cannot figure things out anymore. This adds the statistics of divorce rate.

Of course no one would like to end with broken marriage. Almost all of us dreamed to be someone who we can grow old with. Why don’t you start it today and get in touch again with your partner to revive your relationship and catch up with your lapses? Nothing can be sweeter talking things about the good memories you have shared. Start rekindling the dating days and create a perfect mood for your partner. Here are some of the table settings suggestions that you can do on your abode. You do not need to go to a fine dine restaurant and spend too much, just be creative and take the initiative to patch things up like creating a proper table setting. It will definitely win your partner’s heart out.

The Dried Flower Table Arrangement

To create a romantic ambiance in your home, this kind of table setting is just right for you. Here are the things you need:

• Romantic rose petals
• Burgundy napkins
• Bottle of red wine
• Scented candles
• Your partner’s favorite dish
Scatter the rose petals on a cream cloth with the arranged burgundy napkins and a bottle of red wine. Dim the lights and use the scented candles in the middle of the table to create a romantic mood. Having this kind of table setting can create a little tease to your partner and inhibits romantic ideas for the both of you. This date is just only for the two of you. Make sure that all telephones, mobile phones and televisions are switched off. This is the kind of date that allows you to be intimate and talk things over in a romantic way.

The Tropical Setting

For someone who prefers the conversation to be light and fun, this kind of table setting is the perfect fit for the two of you. Here are the things you need:

• Cocktail Umbrellas
• Pineapples and tropical fruits
• Bright colors for table cloth, napkins and table mats
• Exotic fruit drinks
• Favorite food of your partner that matches the setting

Tropical setting allows you to converse in a lighter way if you find the first table setting too intense. Use bright color scheme such as cream table cloth, yellow napkins and orange table mats. Make the pineapples and tropical fruits as a centerpiece on the table and put your cocktail umbrellas on your prepared exotic fruit drinks. The creativity you have given on this kind of setting will certainly bring an impact to your partner. Catching things up in a relaxing way will definitely be a lot of fun and memorable too.

Saving a relationship particularly in marriage does not need to be expensive. What is important is to get “in touch” again with your special someone and patch things up to create a stronger relationship. Open communication is one of that factors that can strengthen any ties that you have with someone. To understand and to respect each other’s beliefs and opinion is a joint effort and talking these things over can making a difference. For other kinds of table settings, you may ask for an advice or do some research for brighter ideas, what is important is that you have provided your effort to make your relationship last and the willingness to save your marriage is what you are aiming for.

Simple Table Setting Tips that you Can Use Even at Home

As a concept, proper table setting etiquette is the practice of placing the crockery and cutlery on the table in the right manner and position. These positions are very easy to remember once you understand the concept behind it. The proper table setting is in order that the cutlery is required, from the outside. As in, the outermost dishes will be the ones that are used first, during the starters. For us to have more tips on how we can make our table setting prettier and more elegant, here are some tips:

• One of the first things that we should consider is the table linens and centerpieces. To achieve a more elegant and classy look go for linens that has a tint of gold. You would always use a cloth tablecloth and a cloth napkin for a formal dinner.
• Don’t be afraid to experiment with colors for the table setting and napkin folding. What matters is that they all blend well together.
• A centerpiece should add design to the table and not overwhelm it. The centerpiece should be low enough that it does not interfere with people looking at each other on opposite sides of the table, and its smell should be faint.
• If you are setting a table for Christmas for example, find separate pieces of colors in red and green and then use your imagination to make a simple but elegant centerpiece.
• Now for the China, make sure that they are of good quality and that they blend well with the table and centerpiece. If starting with a salad, set the salad plate atop the dinner plate. Bread plates can sit alone to the left of the fork.
• The plates should be set centered with the chair and placed about 1 inch from the table edge.
• If you are serving different classes of wine, you should offer two wine glasses or depending on the number of wine to be served. Most commonly one for white and one for red.
• White wine glasses are smaller with a tall bowl; red wine glasses have a larger bowl and are larger than the white wine glasses. Don’t forget to always set a water glass or goblet as well.
• Now for setting silverware, the utensils are placed to the side of the plate with the fork on the left, on top of the napkin, and the knife on the right.
• Remember that the blade of the knife should be turned toward the plate. If serving a dish that requires a spoon, this should be placed to the right of the knife. If you will be serving soup or salad, an extra spoon or fork should be placed next to the dinner fork or spoon.
• The most important rule in proper table setting is “to always work from the outside going in”. Use the outside knife and fork for the first course (entrée), and then cleanly work inwards for each succeeding course.
• If you will be serving dessert, be sure to add a utensil for that. The dessert utensil can be placed horizontal above the dinner plate.

These are only some of the most common tips for proper table setting. One can still study to have more knowledge in this art. Also, be on the look out for new tips and tricks as with time, everything does change.

Great Ideas If You’re Planning To Have A Baby Shower

If you’re the one that has been assigned to plan a baby shower whether for a client, friend, family or your loved one you need to take everything seriously. Sure it’s less the stress and the planning but this is one of the best parties that a person can attend. Here we celebrate a new beginning, a new life and a whole future. Listed are some great ideas that can help you plan the best baby shower ever.

When to Organize
Most baby showers happen before the baby is born. Most often a baby shower is for a welcome entertainment toward the end of pregnancy. Usually you can set this around 8 months because it just doesn't seem real if the expectant mom isn't sporting a big belly. When setting the date for the baby shower, consult with the parents-to-be first so you know if the schedule is just right. You may also need to think about the schedules of grandparents, moms and other guests who have work. One planning nightmares is send out invitations only to find out that the most important people can't make it.

The theme
Having a theme at a baby shower doesn’t need to be an extra cost; actually it will only require a great skill so one can be able to come up with a theme that won’t really cost so much. One key feature in doing this is by knowing the gender of the baby. Most common themes for baby showers are the cotton pink for girls, powder blue for boys and mint green or purple for unknown gender. If you want to be different, you can try other themes like the noah’s ark, twinkle twinkle little star, candies, baby animal themes, umbrella, ice cream, the baby and the stork and other themes that you can think of or find in the Internet.

The Food Preparation
A party won’t be complete without food and baby showers can take really long so you must prepare different dishes too. Before this, it’s important that as you make sure that you food is great; you will also need to ensure that you have a proper table setting and a coordinated baby shower table arrangement. The tables, how it’s arranged and the food all go together. Once you’re done, you can choose the food you want. Depending on the time the party will take place you can just search the Internet for the recipes that will fit your budget and the people who’ll eat it.

The Program
It’s also important for you to know the itinerary of the program, make sure that everything has already been prepared and checked. Usually the games and gift giving come last after the food. Along with the program, food, beverages, game materials, prized and gifts are all separated and organized. As you have your baby shower table arrangement, it’s also advisable to keep everything in place.

Planning doesn’t need to be frustrating, ask help and opinions from other people because they can help. No need to be juggling through the workload or deadline, just as long as you have proper time management, you will do great in planning for the best baby shower ever.