5 Events in Boise & Beyond - November 22nd - 24th

Photo credit to Pexels   5 Events in Boise & Beyond 1. Boise Wintry Market Where: Boise Convention Centre downtown Boise on the Grove Plaza When / Time: Friday, November 22nd, 4 - 9 PM  Saturday, November 23rd, 9 AM to 5 PM Vendor Map EVENT DETAILS HERE   2. Ste Chapelle: Winery After Hours Where: Ste Chapelle Winery - 19348 Lowell Road, Caldwell When: Friday, November 22nd Time: 5:30 - 9:00 PM EVENT DETAILS HERE   3. All Saints Annual Holiday Bazaar Where: All Saints Episcopal Church - 704 S. Latah Street, Boise When: Friday, November 22nd - Saturday, November 23rd Time: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM EVENT DETAILS HERE   4. Winter Wonderland Opening Weekend Where: Indian Creek in Caldwell When: Friday, November 22nd - Sunday, November 24th Time: 6:00 - 9:00 PM EVENT DETAILS HERE   5. Idaho Small Business Fair Where: Expo Idaho - 5610 N Glenwood St, Garden City When: Saturday, November 23rd Time: 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM EVENT DETAILS HERE

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5 Events in Boise & Beyond - November 15th - 17th

Photo credit to Unsplash   5 Events in Boise & Beyond 1. Gather & Paint - Pet Portraits Where: 404 S 8Th St, L100 When: Friday, Nov 15th Time: 6:00 - 8:00 PM EVENT DETAILS HERE   2. Studio Social Where: JUMP Room 5th Floor When: Friday, Nov 15th Time: 6:00 - 8:00 PM EVENT DETAILS HERE   3. The Capital City Public Market Where: The Grove Plaza & 8th St When: Saturday, Nov 16th Time: 9:30 AM - 1:30 PM EVENT DETAILS HERE   4. WalkAbout Boise Historic Walking Tour Where: Basque Museum & Cultural Center, Inc - 611 W Grove Street When: Saturday, Nov 16th Time: 10:00 - 11:30 AM EVENT DETAILS HERE   5. Tito's Second Annual Espresso Martini Week 2024 Where: 8th Street Promenade - 8th Street between Main St & Bannock St When: Friday, Nov 15th - Sunday, Nov 17th Time: 6:00 PM - 2:00 AM EVENT DETAILS HERE

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Your Guide to Stress-Free Hosting Over the Holidays

Photo courtesy of Ziga Plahutar With the holidays nearing, hosting family and friends at your home can either be the highlight of your year or a daunting task. Regardless of the scale of your event, your culinary skills, or the size of your home, hosting can... and should be enjoyable! So here are a few tips to make the most of hosting this year.    Prepare. Hours feel like minutes on the day of any event. You can take 70% of the stress off your plate simply by creating a game plan and knocking things off your list days in advance.  One week before Gather a guest count, design your menu, outline your to-do list, tidy up the yard, replace light bulbs, and tackle those lingering tasks that you have been putting off for months. Your home doesn’t have to be perfect, but tackling these things will help you feel more at ease come guest arrival.  Two days before Deep clean your house, or better yet, hire a cleaning service. Make a thorough grocery list and get your shopping out of the way. Buy more than you think you need so you don’t risk an emergency trip an hour before the party.  One day before Prep as much food as possible beforehand. Cut the potatoes and veggies, refrigerate the casserole, and marinate the meat to establish a ‘plug and play’ system the day of. Set the table, pick out your outfit, and set out the flowers—you get the idea.    The menu is less important than the experience.  The funny thing about hosting is that the food is often the primary source of stress during the holidays; however, a happy host and a good ambiance have a far greater influence on the success of any event. Whether you’re a culinary aficionado or not, here are a few tips to prioritize simplicity in the kitchen.  Stick to your strengths. Choose dishes that you have successfully made before, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. If cooking isn’t your forte, focus on the main dish and ask guests to bring sides. In most cases, people will reach out and offer to help—so let them!   Choose dishes that get better with time or are good served at room temperature. Coordinating the perfect timing for multiple dishes with guest arrival can be challenging, so put out some appetizers and drinks for the early birds, and select a menu that allows flexibility in timing.    Set the ambiance. The ambiance of your home is arguably the most important factor in a successful gathering. Besides ensuring tidiness, create a warm welcome by dimming the lights, lighting candles, and queuing up a dinner playlist. When music is on in the background, the energy of the party is in place before any guests arrive, ensuring there will never be an awkward silence (even for the early birds). Spotify has a ton of great playlists depending on the mood of your party.  Crafting a simple cocktail is an easy way to make a great first impression. Beer and wine is a no-fuss alternative, but always have something prepared and ensure to have non-alcoholic options. Depending on your group, prepare some table topics if the conversation needs a nudge.  Set the table with elegant place cards that have thought-provoking questions on the back. This not only sparks hours of engaging table talk but also relieves you of the pressure to steer the conversation. Here are some good ones: What’s one unpopular opinion you have? Lessons and blessings from the past year? If you could choose any invention for your house, what would it be? What tradition would you most want to pass on to your children? Enlist someone to take photos of the night. Everyone you love is in one room dressed up, and it is a perfect time to document how big the kids are getting and the individual families. While you are in the frenzy of hosting, you will most likely forget to take photos... and no matter the group, I'm sure you haven’t been able to get together as much as you’d like to. Even if it’s forced, everyone will be glad to have them!     

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