Janice Benoit's Blog

Posted by Janice Benoit

I was watching Food Network's The Next Food Network Star, when I realized how much information I could gather from these wonderful young cooks. Kelsie, the self-proclaimed queen of homestyle cooking, has an ease about her that radiates as she is preparing the dish du jour. The lesson learned here is that regardless of how the food tastes, Kelsie makes you feel comfortable and welcome at her table -- GREAT hospitality lesson!

Aaron is a teddy bear of a man who creates buttered, barbecued and fried comfort food that is phenomenal. His passion for his work is intoxicating, and the joy he gets when people sample his food indicates that his work is an expression of love for the lucky recipient. I would LOVE to be a guest in his kitchen!

Adam understands that a host can be an entertainer, however, it's important to NOT be the center of attention at your own event. To truly be a great host or hostess, you need to make the guests feel special, and that is difficult to achieve when you are drawing attention to yourself.

Posted by Janice Benoit

I've just found a wonderful tool that will compost all your organic scraps, in a clean, efficient, and quick manner. Nature Mill makes a home composter that will change the way you deal with all the kitchen scraps generated at your next function. Check out their website and see if it's something that will work for your family!

Posted by Janice Benoit

Once your guests have left, you've cleaned up the majority of the party items, and you're about to go to bed, don't forget to treat yourself to a post-event spa pampering!

Arbonne International makes the most phenomenal products that can be used in your own home, to relax, rejuvenate and inspire you to take on your next entertaining challenge! Follow these simple instructions to create an amazing foot spa in your own home.

Fill the bottom of a dishpan (about $1 at any discount store) with marbles (can be found in the craft section of the same discount store). Pour hot water in to a depth of 2 or more inches. Stir in a scoop of Arbonne Aromassentials Unwind Bath Salts and two squirts of Arbonne Aromassentials Unwind Massage Oil, and swirl the products into the water.

Soak your feet, massaging them over the marbles until the water cools (about 15 - 20 minutes). Towel off your feet and apply a light coating of Arbonne Aromassentials Unwind Body Lotion or Arbonne Intelligence Herbal Foot Cream. Enjoy the fact that you're now relaxed, your feet feel phenomenal, and with Arbonne's everyday wholesale pricing you can purchase your products at 35% off the catalog/internet price.

Email me at Janice@ChezBenoit.com for more information.

Posted by Janice Benoit

Whenever you have a group of more than eight people to dine at your home, it's always a great idea to consider serving the meal buffet style. Even for a more formal dinner, unless you have help to serve the pre-plated meals, a buffet set up will work wonders for minimizing the time spent filling a plate and maximize the time spent enjoying one another's company at the dinner table.

For best efficiency, check out my previous article on Effective Buffet Design, and remember to walk through the buffet line before the guests arrive to make sure that everything is within a comfortable reach, is intuitively ordered, and the appropriate serving spoons, forks or tongs are handy.

Posted by Janice Benoit

The other evening, I hosted a group of female friends for dinner. Rather than slave over a hot stove (or a buzzing microwave!), we all divided and conquered and ended up with a totally enjoyable menu.

Here's what we did --- half of the women brought appetizers (all cold) and the other half brought salads. I prepared the buffet set up, incorporating levels and decorative elements. Once the dishes were placed, I added a basket of sliced french bread, a couple of dessert options, and pitchers of iced tea, water and lemonade.

We each got to make up our own custom plates with all the different food options, and not one person spent more than 20 minutes creating their dish to share. What a great use of time and resources! You should try it yourself.

Posted by Janice Benoit

If you're hosting any summer parties for larger groups, consider swappping out the assorted soft drinks for a more economical option that is equally simple to offer. Rather than filling a huge cooler with ice to chill individual cans of soda or leaving out 2 liter bottles of pop to gradually heat up and explode, it's a great idea to offer lemonade, iced water and iced tea. All three of these beverages can be made ahead of time, put into the large dispensing coolers filled with ice (like the ones NFL teams use) and set out for the guests to serve themselves.

You can rent these large coolers at your local rental center, or you may wish to consider purchasing 2 or 3 of the coolers at Walmart, Target or your local sports store.

Posted by Janice Benoit

The other morning, I received a 9am distress call from my husband. In Chicago for a business meeting and working lunch, he had forgotten to plan any type of meal service. The group was at the office, and couldn't spare the time to go out for lunch.

While most people would've stressed about what to do, I merely responded, "Try Panera." Within 5 minutes, I used Panera's website to locate the nearest restaurant, called the "Via Panera Catering Manager," and confirmed delivery of a working lunch for the group. Simple, delicious, cost-efficient, and absolutely painless! Try it yourself, the next time you're in a pinch!

Posted by Janice Benoit

It's already the end of baseball season for my son's town recreational league, and we always love to celebrate the players' accomplishments with an informal get together. You can do the same thing, without stressing too much. Just click here for some great resource articles.

Posted by Janice Benoit

Rush out to your discount stores and party stores today and tomorrow to take advantage of clearance sales on Memorial Day and patriotic supplies. American flags and red, white, and blue materials abound this weekend, and with the Fourth of July and Labor Day still upcoming, plan ahead for your Party Closet!

Posted by Janice Benoit

Memorial Day is right around the corner, and with the price of gas, everyone is contemplating staying home. Take advantage of this opportunity to invite a couple of neighbors over for an informal barbecue. Fire up the Weber, grill some dogs and burgers (I always use frozen -- so much easier!), and set out the condiments. Ask your guest to bring a selection of chips, pretzels, cookies, brownies and cupcakes. Add some iced lemonade, iced tea and pitchers of water, throw in a cooler full of popsicles, and you've got a quick picnic that's effortless!

Posted by Janice Benoit

I realize that it's ridiculously early to start thinking about shopping for Christmas presents and Christmas cards, but to avoid the last minute rush in November and December, why don't you take advantage of some summer piggybacking?

While the kids are all home from school, plan a portrait sitting with your favorite photographer. You can use the lovely summer flowers as a colorful background, or opt for a more traditional studio setting. Which location you choose, realize that you can keep a chronological record of your family with a good quality portrait every 5 or so years. Plus, you can use the portraits as the basis for your holiday cards and also Christmas presents for your closer relatives.

Say Cheese!

Posted by Janice Benoit

May and June are traditionally the months that parents host parties for their recent graduates. However, if you live in an area like I do, you will probably be subjected to an onslaught of party invitations all for the same weekend or two. Don't let that deter you from planning your own graduation party. You can still celebrate your child's accomplishment, without infringing on all the other events. How to do it? Just plan your event for later in the summer! Take advantage of the post-graduation sales of paper products and decorations, to stock up on your supplies, and then host the actual event shortly before the students head off to college! What a great way to end the summer with some meaning!

Posted by Janice Benoit

As your spring perennials are starting to bloom, you may notice that some are appearing overgrown, and look like they'll need to be divided at the end of the blooming season. Rather than just dividing and replanting them, take this opportunity to chat with your neighbors and plan an afternoon to swapping perennials.

Choose one house in a central location as the party location. Each gardener can bring dug-up perennials to be divided and split amongst the guests.

Set up a table of driveway location, where guests can choose the plants they wish to take home. Add some baked goods, lemonade and iced tea, and you have a party!

When you get home and plant each of the different varieties, you'll have fond memories of an enjoyable afternoon.

Posted by Janice Benoit

Forsythia a blooming everywhere right now! Take advantage of Mother Nature's plenty, but using flowering forsythia branches to decorate your front door. Several handfuls of yellow forsythia branches will add life and vibrancy to the dreariest porch. Just tuck the flowering branches into a pot filled with dirt, and add some colorful blooms that are shorter, for a lovely, natural and easy display

Posted by Janice Benoit

If you're looking for the best way to store your tablecloths or napkins, consider the following solution: use a mailing tube or plastic PVC pipe. Loosely wrap your linen around the PVC pipe and then thread a long ribbon through the tube, before tying it on the outside of the linen-wrapped tube. This method assures you of having a wrinkle-free tablecloth instantly!

Posted by Janice Benoit

Are you looking for something more creative than the hand scrawled “Happy Birthday” written on butcher paper to announce your child’s birthday? There are other options that will let you be creative, but still result in a professional-looking banner. Check out your local Kinkos or AlphaGraphics print shops. They can enlarge your personalized banner (done on any standard software and even incorporating graphics) and print it out in full color. Prices vary depending on size and the type of banner paper selected. In any case, this neat service can add real punch to any event!

Posted by Janice Benoit

Birthday Party season is upon us, as the summer months approach. Are you looking for clever items to fill your birthday goodie bags, but you don't want to break the bank? Now is the perfect time to start collecting those perfect treats.

Take inventory of your extra school supplies from the fall. Do you have extra pencils, erasers or crayons that could double as goodies? Have you shopped at your post-holiday sales all year long? If so, check your holiday inventory -- perhaps those black plastic spiders from Halloween could work for outdoor/camping/science themed parties. The noisemakers purchased from the New Year's Eve sales would be great for any kids' events! Just think outside of the box and repurpose kid-friendly items from throughout the year.

With these goodies as a base, fill in the holes with candy and inexpensive toys that are theme-specific for your event.

Posted by Janice Benoit

I love to greet the spring with a fresh facelift to the exterior of my home. The pine greenery is long gone, and spring is the time to bring out the colorful blooms that indicate warmer weather is on the way!

Try selecting a bunch of colorful silk blooms from your local craft store -- I use some realistic looking forsythia branches, some tall pussywillow branches, and a selection of silk hydrangeas, crocuses, and daffodils in a an assortments of blues, violets, pinks and yellows. Artistically arrange the stems in large planter pots (I use the faux concrete ones) filled with dirt.

Place a pot on either side of your front door or your front stoop, and tuck in some some feathery green grasses (real or faux) to fill any holes in the display.

Posted by Janice Benoit

Have you read the latest article on creating a Soda Fountain Experience? To add to your enjoyment of this event, here is a little historical tidbit surrounding the Soda Fountain.

The Ice Cream Soda was invented in 1874 in Philadelphia by Robert Green. He was selling a beverage made of syrup, sweet cream and carbonated water, and when he ran out of sweet cream, he creatively substituted vanilla ice cream. And the Ice Cream Soda was born!

Posted by Janice Benoit

Have you read the latest article on creating a Soda Fountain Experience? To add to your enjoyment of this event, here is a little historical tidbit surrounding the Soda Fountain.

The Sundae was invented in 1890 in Evanston, Illinois when a creative soda jerk put the kibosh on a law forbidding the sale of intoxicating beverages (including carbonated water) on Sundays. This creative operator foiled the law by altering the recipe for an ice cream soda and just serving the flavored syrup over the ice cream.

Posted by Janice Benoit

I just discovered a new tool that will change the way I use my aging candles. In the past, I have unceremoniously reheated my old and ugly candles, so that I could repour the melted wax into molds and keep my candles looking pretty. Now, this task always took an afternoon, filled my house with melted wax smells, and inevitably, I would finish the day with at least one minor wax burn!

However, I've just discovered a new candle tool at Solutions catalog. It's called the CandleWand, it is virtually a heated knife. You can use this tool to slice through the top, half-melted ugly portion of your existing pillars and a new level burning surface. How cool is that? And for approximately $25, you will recoup your candle costs within a couple of months --- and no 3rd degree burns!

Posted by Janice Benoit

Yes, Valentine's Day is here and tomorrow it will be gone for another year. But don't pack up your hearts and red or pink items just quite so soon. Run out to your local party store, discount store or even grocery store to snag the discounted supplies that will stock your Party Closet for the coming year. You can use red tableware, napkins, etc. at a variety of upcoming celebrations -- Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day. You can employ anything heart-related when you celebrate upcoming anniversaries or Sweet 16 Parties. And don't forget that candles and candies can be used year round to fill out a tablescape.

Posted by Janice Benoit

Don't fret if you haven't decided on a terrific plan to show your honey how much you care for him or her on this Valentine's Day. Take a gander at my three part series of articles on Romantic Date Nights. I've included some tried and true concepts and some urban, funky and trendy ideas also.

Whether you want to celebrate in a private setting, in front of a cozy fire, in a public venue, or somewhere in between, my Valentine's Day Date ideas will get your creative juices flowing. I'd love to hear your feedback on your favorite romantic evenings. Please use the discussion forum to keep this topic lively!

Posted by Janice Benoit

Here's an alert to visit your local grocery store, discount store and party store tomorrow to take advantage of the post-Super Bowl price slashing that will occur on all the football-themed and team materials. You can pick up discounted plates, napkins, serving pieces and decorations that will be great for next year's team parties for your kids' football team. Store the sales goods in your ever-expanding Party Closet, and you'll be good to go in an instant!

Posted by Janice Benoit

What is the best way to show your appreciation to an extra helpful guest? I recently hosted a party at my home and I got a little behind schedule. Rather than having all of the food ready to go before the guests arrived, the bread still needed to be sliced and the salad tossed. So, when the first couple of guests asked if they could help, I readily accepted their offers. Within minutes, the bread was sliced, the salad tossed, and I was sipping a glass of wine!

To show my appreciation, (in addition to a heart-felt “thank you” at the party), I sent each woman a handwritten thank you note the day following the party. Don’t forget to show gratitude for even the smallest of things – it what makes you memorable as a gracious host.

Posted by Janice Benoit

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and now is the time to start thinking about your celebration of Cupid’s Special Day. Will you treat your sweetie to a full blown dinner at an elegant restaurant, sip fine wine in front of a cozy fire, or just have fun challenging your date to a raucous game of bowling?

Whatever you envision, start making your plans now for your ideal evening, so that you’ve got all of your ducks in a row BEFORE February 13th.

Posted by Janice Benoit

Need a sweet treat to conclude your quiet dinner for two, but you don’t want to blow your daily calorie count? Try chopping a Granny Smith apple (skin still on for color) into bite-sized pieces, and then dip the apple into pineapple juice to maintain its fresh color.

Finally, mince caramels into tiny tidbits using a chef’s knife or sharp kitchen shears, and then toss these with the drained apples. Plated in white bowls, this dessert is yummy, pretty and healthfully sinful!

Posted by Janice Benoit

Are you looking for an effective way to manage your table linens without having to iron them? Try this lazy man’s method to great looking tablecloths. (You must have access to a stairway with a freestanding banister to make this method work).

Machine wash the table linens according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Set the alert and/or use the wrinkle-free feature on your dryer, so that you remove the linens from the dryer before they have a chance to wrinkle. Immediately hang the linens over the banister, smoothing out any wrinkles. Leave the linens there until they cool down.

Once the linens are back to room temperature, use gravity to help pull any remaining wrinkles out and to fold the tablecloths. Yes, you really can fold a 108” tablecloth by yourself, as long as you employ gravity and a 2nd floor landing!