Ideas & Tips — Ideas & Tips

Although technically made-from-scratch aioli is just flavored mayonnaise, it's a far cry from what you'll find in a bottle at the supermarket. Serve it on gourmet sandwiches or as a dip with crudités, good bread or French fries. The best part: Aioli is easy for anyone to make at home in the comfort of their own kitchen! Real Simple magazine explains that aioli's unique creamy texture is the result of emulsification. That's when two liquids that naturally repel each other, such as oil and vinegar, are whisked together until they are combined. By adding one substance to the other in...

An ice cream social is one of the easiest and most fun parties you can throw, especially during the hot summer months! Here are our top tips for a successful and sweet bash that guests of all ages are sure to love:  Flavors: Offer guests at least a few flavors to choose from, such as vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. Offbeat flavors like pistachio can also be fun! If you have any guests with special dietary restrictions, try to offer something they can eat as well.  Ice cream cups: Be sure to purchase attractive-yet-sturdy dishware like these lovely ice cream cups! Stainless...

Food industry experts agree: the days when ketchup, mustard and mayo were the only sauces you were expected to provide are long gone. According to Food Product Design magazine, incorporating more complex "gourmet" sauces into home cooking is becoming more popular, and therefore, "chefs and product developers are showing [condiments] as much respect as they do anything else they put on the plate." For a more compelling condiment experience this holiday season, consider serving up some of these less-common sauces: Chimichurri: A tangy, zesty, sweet-and-sour sauce from Argentina made with chopped parsley, vinegar and red pepper flakes, this sauce is...

If there was to be only one rule for appropriate utensil placement it is that everything has to be neat or, more specifically, geometrically spaced with the centerpiece consummately controlling the center and the placements sitting at equal distances from each other. So long as this rule is recognized, it is difficult to create an unsightly dinner presentation.  There are several other general decrees. The knives are always situated with the cutting edge pointing toward the plate. Dessert spoons and forks are catered in with the dessert. Also, never place more than three of any utensil. If there are more than...

Making your own soap is a great way to be creative and thrifty at the same time. Throughout its long and colorful history, soap making has taken on a life of its own as a sub-culture with numerous enthusiastic participants. Ann Bramson, a handmade soap pioneer and author of Soap, writes in her book, "Where the hard pastel-colored bars sold at the drugstore are anonymous and indifferent, homemade soap has character. It charms…it smells good…feels good…is comforting in ways which manufactured soap can never be." When the process is broken down to its most basic elements, soap is merely the outcome...