Happy New Year

Wishing Spiral Style readers all the best in the New Year.  

Thanks for following along and for taking the time to comment.  

Photo taken from my new apron purchased in Paris

Happy New Year!

I'll be back to regular posts starting Wednesday.

Joyeux Noel: Images from Paris

A very Merry Christmas to my Spiral Style readers.  

Blessings of the season and peace to all.

Merry Christmas

Pinterest DIY: Solutions for Holiday Dilemmas

Almost Christmas.  Relax, serve this pretty, festive drink on Christmas Eve or for Christmas brunch.

Source: simplygluten-free.com via Sara on Pinterest

Just two ingredients, pomegranate juice and champagne.  

Are you having house guests for the holidays and no bed to put them in?   Here is an idea from Pinterest

Source: kwejk.pl via Amber on Pinterest

Need a small gift box?  Here is an idea.

Source: gedane.over-blog.com via Ryan on Pinterest

Make some pretty votives to set the mood.

Source: thehyperhouse.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

A quick gift idea...make a personalized door mat.

Source: bhg.com via Katie on Pinterest

Need more ideas and inspiration?  Visit Pinterest.

Holiday Party

Last night we hosted our annual holiday party for about 45 guests.  Hubby and I made all the food...a few old time favorites and a few new recipes.

This is the dining room table with about 3/4 of the food.  I never get a chance to take all the photos I want as I'm busy up to the last minute.

Sesame crusted salmon with orange-miso sauce

This is a recipe I've made before and it is a winner.  Couldn't be more simple. 

Just cut salmon into 3/4" cubes and mix with some olive oil.  Dip one side of the cube into a mixture of white and black sesame seeds.  Fill a foil lined baking sheet with the salmon and bake at 400 degrees F for 6 minutes. 

 Seve with an orange-miso dipping sauce.  Done! 

Click here for recipe.

Baked Camembert with thyme and garlic

A new try this time was a baked Camembert.

 The cheese was baked in the box it came in but with foil lining the box.

Garlic slices were inserted into the cheese and then the top was sprinkled with thyme leaves and a tablespoon of maple syrup.  The cheese was served with bread and cornichons.  I used a slate for presentation. 

Party over for another year.  

Party Time

My annual holiday party is on Sunday and I'm close to frantic getting ready.  I have lists and timelines for everything.  My refrigerator is packed and I have tins and containers all over the dining room filled with party food.

Rather than flowers I decided on a colorful centerpiece of bright ornaments hung from curly willow branches.

Some shot glasses of chocolate mousse waiting for whipped cream and toasted slivered almonds.

I hope you have a joyous and jolly weekend.

Mailing Packages

My car is on auto pilot for the Post Office.  I make at least daily trips to drop off packages, shipping my jewelry to all parts of the world and sending presents and goodies from my kitchen to friends and family.  

Dymo 5 lb scale

One tool I couldn't be without is my 5 lb scale.  I can weigh packages to calculate shipping fees.  Using the USPS.com site it is a piece of cake to print out shipping labels at home.  Set up an account and you can print out shipping labels for packages and avoid the lines at the post office.  

The post office even supplies boxes.  I keep a variety of sizes of the various shipping methods at home so I am prepared when I need to ship.  You don't pay for the box until you ship, it's part of the postage fee.  Flat rate boxes are the way to go if you have heavy items.  Anything and everything that fits in the box will ship for a flat rate.  

I've found that Etsy and ebay have great shipping systems that will print shipping labels for your packages and charge to your account.  Often, the cost is less than you would pay if you stood in line at the post office.  I've sold books on Amazon.com and they have the same shipping plans.  

So, no need to waste time in line at the post office.  Do a little checking online and you'll find it easier and cheaper to ship packages and you'll save your sanity too.  

Bottle Brush Christmas Trees

I'm enamored by bottle brush tress as Christmas decor.  

Source: etsy.com via Deborah on Pinterest

These sweet little trees are decorated with vintage glass beads and sit in vintage tart tins.

Source: etsy.com via Deborah on Pinterest

Door knobs serve as tree stands. 

Source: flickr.com via Deborah on Pinterest

I love the snow globe idea with bottle brush trees under glass.

Source: the-feathered-nest.blogspot.com via Deborah on Pinterest

Source: poppytalk.blogspot.com via Deborah on Pinterest

You can easily bleach the green trees purchased from craft stores and then dye them any color you wish.  Then decorate with glitter, beads or ribbons.

Source: artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com via Brenda on Pinterest

Click on the link above to access the site for a bleached bottle brush tree tutorial.

Holiday Red Dressing

Want to be a standout at a holiday party this season?  

Be Festive, wear RED.

Rethink the Little Black Dress this holiday season. 

I attended a dressy event recently.  The invitation read, "cocktail attire".  I wore a cute red dress.  It wasn't new and it wasn't fussy.  It was raw silk,  sleeveless and knee length.  The point is...I was the ONLY person wearing color!!!  The men were in dark suits and the women all wore black or other dark colors.  I stood out in a good way, looking brighter than everyone else and more like I was at a party, than a board meeting or memorial service.

Little Red Dress by spiralstyle

Valentino zipper dress, $1,985 / Hervé Léger bandage cocktail dress / Michael Kors sleeveless dress / Notte by Marchesa one shoulder sleeve dress / ISSA London plunge neck dress, $665 / David Meister sleeveless dress / Alice + Olivia alice olivia dress, $345 / GALA red formal dress / Lace dress / Zipper dress / Lace 
dress / Party dress

If you don't want to invest in a dress, how about topping black pants or a skirt with the festive color?

Holiday Red by spiralstyle 

Valentino red shirt / Alice + Olivia alice olivia, $600 / Embroidered t shirt, $160 / Nolita summer top, $24 / French Connection scoop neck top / Bardot tall shirt, $63 / Dorothy Perkins red shirt / Emilia Wickstead swing jacket / ESPRIT cotton jacket, $98

And what will you wear on your feet?

Party Shoes by spiralstyle 

Kate Spade / Karen Millen high heels / Ann Taylor strappy sandals
I suggest metallic, animal print or of course black.  Nude is a great option as well.

Healthy Holiday Party Food

Happy Monday!

Have you started the holiday party circuit yet?  

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It is hard to resist all the temptingly delicious food spread in a seductive manner on a gorgeous buffet table laden with candles and flowers.  How can one eat healthy or at least with a moderate intake of calories and alcohol?

Here are a few tips for healthy holiday eating.

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This little pink crustacean is loaded with protein and about the healthiest food on the buffet table.  Go easy on the cocktail sauce which is loaded with sugar.  

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Salsa with tomatoes, peppers, lime = vitamins A, C and fiber.

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Heart healthy fat in guacaole.  Enjoy!  Go easy on the chips and dip with veggies.

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Everyone knows sushi is healthy!

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Omega-3's in salmon make this a fantastic choice.

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Mixed nuts that aren't coated in sugar are a healthy choice with protein, vitamins and fiber.  Just know when to stop.

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Drink red.  Rather than just sugar, red wine (as opposed to white) has properties that promote heart health.  Cut the calories and make it a spritzer.  

For other healthy selections, click here to view the whole article in Fitness Magazine. 

Enjoy your day.

How are you doing with holiday preparations?  Hopefully you aren't too frazzled and can savor the beauty and joy of the season.

Source: sweetjessie.com via Deborah on Pinterest

My house is decorate and most of the gifts have been purchased and mailed.  In the past few years I've eliminated the task of Christmas cards and have started the tradition of emailed New Year greetings.  My big Christmas party is next weekend.  I've got it all planned so I can relax a bit this weekend.

Hubby and I have been listening to Christmas music during dinner prep and meal.  My all time favorite is this Mariah CD.  The arrangements are really fun and showcase her amazing voice.  I love to listen to this when I'm driving.  Keeps me from road rage in crowded shopping mall parking lots.  

Do you have a favorite Christmas CD?  I'm open to new suggestions.

Have a splendid weekend.  See you on Monday

Spinach Puffs

I've planned my menu for my annual holiday cocktail party.  I'm always searching for one or two bit finger food recipes and this year I've come up with several that I'll share with you.  

These little spinach puffs are a new twist on spanakopita, the savory spinach, feta pies in a phyllo-dough crust.

Buttery, crunchy, puff pastry is a lovely encasement for the spinach mixture.

Small squares of purchased puff pastry dough are filled with a the spinach mixture and then the edges are pinched together and sealed.  A little egg wash is applied before baking to ensure a glossy, golden baked pastry.

A 10 oz box of frozen spinach and a 1lb box of purchased puff pastry will yield 2 dozen mini-muffin size appetizers.  Make the puffs larger and bake in regular sized muffin cups and you'll have a great dinner side dish. 

Spinach puffs will be on the buffet for my holiday party.  Here is the recipe.  The recipe does not include oven temperature.  400 degrees F is the baking temperature.  The recipe calls for 6 regular muffin sized puffs.  I made 2 dozen mini sized.  

Here is a tip*  To squeeze the moisture out of frozen spinach, use a ricer.