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Wonderful ways to prepare fondues

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It’s a long cold winter, but it doesn’t have to be boring, too.  Beat the blahs with a warm winter party. It’s a perfect time to reconnect with friends and have fun.  Or maybe you’re already planning an event such as an anniversary or sweet 16 celebration.  If you’re looking for inspiration for a big occasion in January or February or just a casual get together,  here are sixteen ideas to get you started.

1. If you’re having trouble finding a great winter party invitation, then look for a company that can customize one of their Christmas invitations or cards that is filled with snowflakes, snow, or a snowman.  Ask them to eliminate the holiday aspect of it and make it just a winter theme.

2. Decorate with tons of white and accents of silver and icy blue.  Use fabrics like chiffon, gossamer and other shears to create a winter fantasy feel.

3. Scented candles can enhance the atmosphere of a winter party.  Try scents like evergreen, hot cocoa or apple pie.

4. Do you own a sled?  Clean it up and use it as a decoration or even on top of the table to hold platters of food. 

5. Make a garland of mittens.  Attach every pair your family owns to a ribbon and hang it across the room.  If you don’t have enough gloves, you can pick up some extras at the dollar store.

6. Raid your box of Christmas decorations in the attic for your winter theme party.  Snowflake ornaments, white twinkling lights, silver garland, plastic icicles and snowmen can work both at Christmas and at your party in January or February.

7. Have a fondue party.  When your guests gather around the fondue pot to dip their bread cubes into the warm cheese sauce, the conversations will flow.  Plus, since they’re doing their own cooking with the sauces you prepared ahead of time, you’ll have a chance to join in the fun, instead of being stuck in the kitchen.

8. Cook up your famous chili recipe.  Nothing warms your guests more than your homemade chili, French onion soup or beef stew.  A winter party is a great time to serve those stick to your ribs, comfort foods.

9. Feature gourmet hot chocolates in a variety of flavors.  Don’t forget the whipped cream and marshmallows!

10. Make your own ice sculpture.  You can buy inexpensive reusable molds on the internet in a variety of shapes.  Simply fill the mold about 90 percent with distilled water, freeze for 48 hours and unmold.

11. Winter party favors can be anything with a snowflake motif.  How about magnets with a snowflake background and personalized message like, “Your friendship warms the coldest winter – Jane and Barry Parker”? A quick online search and you’ll find lots of products that can be customized with your words and even a photo.

12. Plan your winter party around a seasonal activity such as sledding or ice skating.

13. If you don’t want to remind your guest of the cold, ice and snow, why not have a luau or Caribbean theme? Borrow some CD’s from the library of Hawaiian or reggae music.  Decorate with fake palm trees, seashells and flowers.  Blend some coconut drinks.   Break up the winter by going tropical and your guests are sure to think your party is hot.

14. Build your party around a holiday or event.  Have a Valentine’s Day party or a Super Bowl bash.  Turn President’s Day, Groundhog Day or Chinese New Year into a fun get together.  Check the internet for obscure special days to celebrate like Elvis’ birthday on January 8th,  Winnie the Pooh day on January 18th or National Gum Drop Day on February 15th.  Plan a party to watch the Grammy’s or the Academy Awards.  And don’t forget Mardi Gras!

15. Throw an ugly sweater party.  Invite your guests to wear their most hideous winter woolen-wear.  It might be a gift they received from a well-meaning relative during the holidays.  Or it could be a 20 year old impulse buy hanging in the back of their closet with the tags still attached.  Whoever makes it to the top of the worst dressed list, wins a prize.

16. Consider including a “snow date” on your invitations.  If you live in an area that gets a lot of bad winter weather, you might want to add an alternate date for the party, in the event that the forecast is for slippery roads.  Explain that you will call them before the party to change the date.  If you decide to go this route, make sure you plan your menu around make-ahead foods that you freeze.  In the event that the party is postponed, you won’t have to buy or make new party food.

So send out those invitations and get ready for a great winter party.  Your guests will be thrilled that you planned something fun and memorable to break up the cold weather blues.

Fondue is possibly the most delicious and fun food ever made. Who doesn’t like dipping yummy things into drippy, melted cheese?

Or, if you’re ready for desert, how about swirling cool strawberries into a warm, creamy pool of chocolate? Sounds like fun doesn’t it?

The term “fondue” comes from the French word “fondre” (“to melt”). This, of course, refers to the contents of a fondue pot. Fondue is enjoyed by spearing dipping ingredients with a fork and then dunking them into the cheese or chocolate mixture. Dipping ingredients for cheese fondue include: chunks of French bread, meats, and vegetables such as broccoli, potatoes, and peppers.

Some great dipping ingredients for chocolate fondue are: strawberries, bananas, chunks of pound cake, cheesecake, and small cookies.

There are also Hot Oil Fondues for dipping meats like beef, chicken and shrimp. These are usually served with small bowls of sauces for dipping. Oil fondue is traditionally called Fondue Bourguignonne. It’s probably the most popular meat fondue, but there are other fondue’s such as Hot Pot fondue that uses broth instead of oil to cook the meat. Broth fondue is a great choice, it gives the meat a great flavor but it’s also very healthy.

So what do you need to start cooking fondue? A fondue pot of course! You can find a usually find a nice new fondue pot at any large department store for under fifty dollars. Fondue is so easy to prepare and so much fun to eat that it’s worth the investment of a fondue pot if you don’t have one.

Most fondue sets these days are electric, although there are sets that require liquid fuel. It doesn’t matter too much which one you choose, because you will greatly enjoy making fondue either way.

If you know someone that was around in the 60′s or 70′s you might ask them to borrow one. Fondue parties were so popular in this era that, odds are, they have one.

Somehow fondue fell out of fashion for a while, but fortunately it’s coming back big time. This year, especially, fondue has seen a massive surge in popularity. Chocolate and dessert fondue is the favorite, but cheese fondue is popular as well.

The appeal of fondue is easy to see. The food is delicious, and it’s also extremely exciting to eat without silverware for a change. The fondue pot also forces everyone to eat around one table. This makes for a fun and conversation filled evening.

Fondue is also a very versatile food. It’s perfect for a romantic evening, but also works wonderfully as a fun night with all the kids.

Ready to get started? You might want to start with a traditional cheese fondue recipe to see what everyone is talking about. After that, there are countless fondue recipes on the Internet and many fondue cookbooks.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a large party or for two people, if you decide to break out the fondue pot it’s going to be a smash hit!