How To Make Guacamole

Miss Cindie did the food styling for this super cute stop-animation video for the Hass Avocado Board. So helpful! Now I want a margarita...

Food Styling Course In Paris

Source

To continue the international theme, Denise is returning with Cindie to the Paris Cookbook Fair to eat, teach, and eat. So. Excited!

Here and here you will find some of the adventures had last year. Can you say Le Big Mac? Denise is the Mother of all invention...

And here are the details for this year. Please join us!

Food Styling Love From The UK

Happy New Year, everyone! If you have ever put blood, sweat, tears, and copious amounts of red wine into something, you know that any acknowledgment of your efforts is met with a unparalleled glee.  I loved receiving this letter and wanted to share with those who want to get their food styling start but don't have hundreds of dollars to spare for classes. Look no further!

From one Denise to another!
 
I have worked for many years here in the UK as a cookery presenter/demonstrator. I bought your book, "The Food Stylist's Handbook"earlier this year, as I was keen to break into food styling.
 
The book is fantastic! Such a goldmine of practical information and clever tips. I have learned so much from it. I couldn't really afford to attend a food styling course, and to be honest, I don't feel I need
to now that I have your book! I have already had some interesting bookings, and hope to build this
side of my portfolio in 2012.

All good wishes for your continued success. 

Denise
UK

Click here to get The Food Stylist's Handbook today!

Denise Talks Caring For Friends And Family With Food!

The Cindy Laverty Show is the only radio show dedicated to Care, which we find so refreshing and lovely to listen to. Denise joined Cindy just before Christmas to discuss entertaining as an expression of love rather than the stressful ordeal we can sometimes create.

Grab a warm mug of tea, your favorite blanket, and tuck in to listen to the show. It's not too late to make your New Year's celebration as fun for you as it is for your guests! Remember, the best hostess gets a little crazy at her own parties...

Click here and enjoy.

Calling All Caterers

Heather Gill Photography

I just got this sweet note from an up-and-coming caterer:

The 6th edition of ‘How to Start a Home-Based Catering Business’, which we have on Kindle, is chock full of updated suggestions for catering software.  If I had delved a little further I would have answered my own question.  

You’ve done a great job in describing the software; your analysis is very helpful.  The software tends to be on the expensive side though.  Totalpartyplanners even arranged for us to take part in a one-hour on-line tutorial of their software’s features using both the internet and the telephone.  The other customer on the line was in Alaska, which put us more than 5,000 miles apart!  It was professionally done and the software does everything you’d want for catering, and a lot more.  But it costs north of $1000.  

We decided to wait until our catering business is well-launched and to see in what direction it is going before investing that kind of money.  As you say, much cheaper solutions are available, and besides, much of what the automated software does can be done manually, the old fashioned way.  

We have our own state approved business license, but the big problem we’ve discovered is finding rental facilities in an approved kitchen or ‘commissary’.  In this down-turned economy they are in short supply.  Thanks for getting in touch with us again.

What tricks are caterers doing to make ends meet in this tricky economy? Are you investing in software? How about commercial kitchen space? Would love to hear your experience!

Real Stylist's Of Beverly Hills

How Lisa entertains. Check it.

The most fun shoot ever. We met the Giggster! He's simply divine. And Lisa ain't bad either. Her cookbook has some very fun tips!

Truly Free Gift Wrap, by Cindie Flannigan

If you are anything like me, you have quite a few brown grocery bags (because you always forget to put tote bags in your car when you go grocery shopping) and old magazines hanging about. Why not use these items to make gift wrap? It’s very easy and will save money that can be better spent on the actual presents themselves.

The bow is made from magazine pages and string. Use pages with pretty photographs for a colorful bow or use pages with lots of text; a great look for wrapping books!

I use the inside of the grocery bags for this project. If your bags have holiday designs printed on them, use them right side out.

Truly Free Gift Wrap

What you’ll need:

1 brown grocery bag

Scissors  

Tape

6 magazine pages

4 pieces string, about 6-inches long

How to make the wrapping paper:

Cut bottom off of grocery bag.

Cut grocery bag open along the seam in the back.

Iron bag flat at medium-high setting.

How to make the bow:

Stack 6 magazine pages together.

Cut into thirds.

Fold each paper packet in half and cut into a leaf shape or circle shape, leaving folded end attached.

Keeping pages in their packets, open cut pages and fold in half lengthwise, pinching center together.

Wrap a piece of string tightly around the middle of each paper packet, tying into a knot to secure.

Gather packets together and tie together with remaining string.

Gently pinch and twist each “petal” of paper to spread open. A few petals may tear off, no worries, your bow will still look beautiful.

Place tape over strings to attach to package.

And for extra credit, you can make this!