Modern Hostess

One of my New Year’s resolutions is to use less plastic. Some plastic uses are hard to live without, but there are few habits that are pretty easy to change, especially in the kitchen.

FOOD STORAGE
Food stored in glass usually taste better and left overs in glass containers can go straight from the fridge to the microwave, often saving an extra dish to wash.

These classic Italian glass containers with clamp lid and rubber seal, keep dry good fresh for a long time and are on clearance at Crate and Barrel for only $3-$8, even with shipping costs, a set is pretty reasonable.  The thick glass 3L was not nearly as heavy as I thought and have a classic style that will work in my kitchen for years.

I have used the Pyrex glass storage with glass containers with plastic lids for a few years and love them. They are the best of both worlds, available at Amazon and Target. I usually wash the lids by hand to prevent warping. Heavy glass container are less likely to break. I have dropped several on my wood floors and haven’t cracked one yet. Tattered plastic food storage containers have found a new home organizing the garage.

Old School Waxtex paper bags are great for sandwiches and run about $3 at Drugstore.com, but I found them in my local store for about $2. And I feel better that when they get throw in the trash, I know will eventually compost.

CLEANING
While cleaning supplies still come in plastic, there are a few ways to reduce using so much plastic.

Seventh Generation Dish Soap is in a 90% post consumer recycled plastic bottle, and I love, love the new Fresh Citrus Ginger scent.

Buy in bulk. Mrs. Meyers All-Purpose cleaner is concentrated and comes in 32 oz bottle for $8, reducing the number of plastic bottled products I used to buy.  This is one of the greener and less toxic cleaning products out there and comes in Basil, Lavender, Geranium and Rosemary, but they don’t exactly smell like those, so maybe smell them first. I also buy 2 gallons of white vinegar at Costco for $4; it’s great for glass doors, soaking casserole dishes and disinfecting sponges.

SHOPPING
By now most of us have reusable grocery bags (we often forget in the car) or opt for paper grocery bags. Where I tend to get a lot of plastic bags is in the produce aisle or at other kinds of stores.

Washable Veggie bags are available at washableproducebags.com $7 for 5 or $20 for 15. Buy the three sets and give one away as a hostess gift. The bags are great for rinsing vegetables and can be wadded up and used to scrub potatoes or veggies from the garden.

I try to keep a foldable, reusable bag tucked in my purse for the pharmacy, make-up counter and other small shopping trips. Baggu bags come in dozens of AWESOME colors and patterns and can double as a purse in a pinch. They start at $9 each, but more you buy the more you save.

Steel drink containers, lunch containers and bamboo cooking utensils are also great additions to the kitchen to reduce your use of plastic. Also save glass jars for use both in the kitchen and little loose items in drawers. I’d love to hear any other tips you have!

Cheers, Chris

We have been SO busy over here at Modern Hostess.  One of the things we celebrated was the 6th and 3rd birthday for Logan and Lucy.  They had a combined gymnastics party ay Pacific Coast Gymnastics.  It was a great venue for a party, especially if you are worried about the party moving along.  They have two people there helping and running the show.  To make it work for both a boy and girl Lori chose a red, white and blue star theme with a little help from a Modern Hostess inspiration board.  Here are a few highlights from a VERY successful party.

The layout of goodies

Centerpieces were vases filled with rice dyed with food coloring and a couple pinwheels finished off with a cute ribbon around the top.

Party favors: Bouncy ball, gymnastic medallion and a lollipop in a small cellophane bag and star ribbon.  Along side of the bowl of favors are a few extra lollipops and stars and strips Tootsie rolls.

These cute mini beach balls were lying around the floor for the kids to play with and then take home with them at the end of the party.

Cupcakes complete with red, white and blue wrappers and sprinkles!  Yummy!

And last but certainly not least the two cute birthday kids,  Logan and Lucy!

If was a great time had by all!  Way to go Lori and thank you for sharing with Modern Hostess!

Inspired by Sunset Magazine’s article 11 Great Ways with Roasted Chicken, I created my own quick roasted chicken recipe – 3 ingredients and 5 minutes hand-on time. This chicken is really flavorful, but not spicy. And enough for 2-3 nights of dinners.

1 whole chicken. Have it quartered by the butcher, backbone removed.
Kitchens of India paste for Butter Chicken, available on Amazon.com
1 cup dry white wine +/-

Heat oven to about 375 degrees.
Place chicken in a dutch oven roaster and rub the curry all over the chicken, both sides, tucking a little underneath the skin on each piece.

Pour the wine into the bottom of the pan. Cover and put in the oven for about an hour. (You can adjust the temperature to a lower heat and cook longer or vise versa.) Check to make sure liquid is not absorbed once or twice. When done, chicken should easily pull off. Turn oven off, keep the chicken in the oven and keep lid on, letting rest for about 30 minutes, locking in moisture.

Serve this chicken with Basmati rice and sauteed greens or make a quick chicken soup with sauteed onions and carrots, peas, wide egg noodles and chicken broth. Also pour up the rest of that bottle of wine!

Cheers! – Chris

The celebratory tradition of a toast transverses virtually all backgrounds and cultures.

My husband and I hosted a small brunch at our house this Sunday. We made Mimosas – always brunch favorite. When make a toast, we not only express the jubilant spirit of the season, but can do it in a way that includes everyone. Our small family gatherings include several diverse beliefs – Atheists, devout Catholics and Pagans and so I have especially come to enjoy our holiday toasts, when we all take a moment together, raise our glasses and pause to acknowledge this special occasion – for which ever reason we find it special!

The fun stuff – Mimosas!

Champagne, Sparkling Wine, Prosecco or Cava, select around a $10-12 bottle. You want something that you won’t feel bad about mixing, but something that is still tasty enough for those who prefer to for go the juice and just sip the bubbly. Skip the Brut and try a Blanc de Noirs or something of a similar style. The slightly less tart profile mixes better with the acidic orange juice.

For the juice, when you can go for fresh squeezed orange juice. Fresh juice has more flavor than juice from the carton, so you may want to use a smaller amount. We are fortunate enough to have two orange trees, loaded with sweet fruit and used this occasion to break out our juicer. Also try juice blends like Santa Cruz Organic orange-mango or orange-pineapple, for a slight twist.

For the presentation, a rimmed metal tray is an excellent choice. It makes for easy clean-up and prevents soaked table cloths if your bubbly happens to bubble over!

I really enjoyed designing the invitation for our backyard S’mores Party. Yum!

50's style S'mores Party invitation

The sun is shining, and my family and I are starting to plan our camping trips for the summer. It reminded me of our S’mores Party we had at the end of the season last year. This was a simple yet fun party. We had a bonfire in the back yard, bundled up, roasted marshmallows and drank hot chocolate. My favorite s’more was definitely the Nutella-banana s’more! Check out a similar recipe at Sunset Magazine

New twist on an old favorite

This will definitely become an annual tradition at our house. A desert-only party made for easy prep and clean-up, and fun for the whole family.

Cheers,
Chris at Graphic Bungalow