Vintage Kitchen Vixen

Gatherings

The Liquor Cabinet: What to Stock it With

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A lot goes into preparing for a party, including stocking the liquor cabinet. The question is, what should you always try to keep on hand to make things easier?

decanter of whisky in the liquor cabinet

WHY SHOULD I STOCK THE LIQUOR CABINET?

Stocking the liquor cabinet is such a vintage thing to do, did you know?

Fixing your guests a drink is an easy way to get them to feel welcome and comfortable in your home.

More often than not we plan for our parties, but sometimes an impromptu gathering crops up, or there’s something special to celebrate, like a promotion at work.

When this happens, you’ll be grateful that you have a well-stocked liquor cabinet. Best of all, you don’t need very much!

Here are seven bottles I try to keep in the liquor cabinet at all times.

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Hosting a Soup Swap Party for Winter Warmth

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On a chilly day, a soup swap party is a wonderful place to be. When the days are short and it feels like winter will never end, organizing a soup swap party is just the thing to invite warmth and cheer into your home. 

getting jars ready for a soup swap party

HOSTING A SOUP SWAP PARTY: THE VIDEO

If you’d rather hear me chat about how to host a soup swap party, here’s the video. Want to see more videos like this one? Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel!

This post may contain affiliate links, meaning that if you choose to purchase something after clicking on one of the links in this post, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

SOUP LOVERS UNITE!

If you’ve never been to a soup swap party before, don’t worry; it’s exactly what it sounds like. It’s a unique opportunity to gather your fellow soup fan friends and neighbours, uniting everyone over a shared love of soup. Since soup isn’t generally served at this kind of party, even non-soup fans can be included in the festivities as long as they adhere to the number one rule…

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La Chandeleur: International Day of Crepes

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While North Americans celebrate Groundhog Day on February 2nd, there are many families that celebrate something called La Chandeleur. It’s a day of weather prediction and feasting on crêpes. Let me tell you more about it…

ham and cheese crepe

LA CHANDELEUR: THE VIDEO

Do you prefer watching to reading? Here’s the video where I talk all about La Chandeleur. If you like what you see, make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel!

This post may contain affiliate links, meaning that if you choose to purchase something after clicking on one of the links in this post, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

WHAT’S LA CHANDELEUR?

As you may have gathered, Chandeleur is a day for making and eating crêpes. It’s an annual tradition in many families (such as Big Papa’s) and marks the end of the Christmas period. On this festive day, crepes are served up in the evening instead of for breakfast, and there are a couple of superstitions to go along with it. Why let the groundhogs have all the fun?

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A Raclette Party for Cold Winter Nights

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A raclette party is a wonderful way to gather around your favourite people for a fun and delicious communal meal. Learn how to throw one of your own for an evening to remember!

sausage bacon and yellow peppers

This post may contain affiliate links, meaning that if you choose to purchase something after clicking on one of the links in this post, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

THE VIDEO ABOUT RACLETTE PARTIES

If you’d rather listen in to my raclette party wisdom, check out the video, but make sure to scroll down for more tidbits. By the way, if you like what you see, I hope you’ll subscribe to my YouTube channel!

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How to Make a Cheese Board for Your Next Wine & Cheese

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Cheese plates are a classic element at any French dinner table. Traditionally served after the meal, they’re the perfect way to wind down. Learn how to build a simple cheese board that will have your guests diving in with gusto.

how to build cheese boards

LIFE IS BETTER WITH CHEESE

I didn’t grow up with cheese boards.

I was a small town girl, so there was nary a cheese shop in sight. All we had was what we got from the grocery store. The standard was processed cheese slices, havarti, and the occasional brick of Black Diamond.

The fanciest it got was a wheel of camembert and limburger cheese.

It’s not that we weren’t cheese people, we loved cheese, but we just didn’t know anything about it. That changed when I met my husband’s family.

Out of respect for their privacy, I won’t say much about my in-laws, but when it comes to food and wine, they have exquisite taste.

The first real cheese board I encountered was at their table, which comes out every time I’m there for an evening meal.

Usually, a cheese plate counts as the dessert course, but having a terrible sweet tooth, if I was given the option between cheese and cake, I’d be reaching for the cake fork!

I’m so thankful that they don’t make me choose between the two, because we have both… And so can you!

A VIDEO ABOUT MAKING A CHEESE PLATTER

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Easy Cheese Fondue: Everything You Need to Know

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Cheese fondue parties are as hygge as it gets. Master this delicious communal meal with these  simple tips and tricks to throw a stellar fondue party and to make a store bought bag of fondue taste incredible. 

how to make cheese fondue taste amazing

WHAT’S CHEESE FONDUE?

Cheese fondue is up there on my list of things I love.

Fondue is a French word that translates to “melted”, so a cheese fondue is a cheese that’s melted.

A pot of it.

It’s the perfect meal to gather your favourite people around the table to dip various food items into the melty, cheesy goodness.

Like raclette and hot pot, it’s an intimate communal meal that’s special and unique. Knowing that, is it any surprise that fondue parties were all the rage in the ’60s and ’70s?

By the way, cheese fondue is just one type of fondue. There’s also meat fondue and chocolate fondue, but we’ll talk about those another day.

Also, this post may contain affiliate links, meaning that if you choose to purchase something after clicking on one of the links in this post, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

If you need more hygge in your life, you’ll want to host a fondue party! And in case you missed the hygge train, it’s a Danish mindset about creating cozy comfort. If you want to learn more about it, Meik Wiking wrote a book about hygge in 2017.

A CHEESE FONDUE VIDEO

If you like my video, make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel!

Related: Hosting a raclette party

Related: How to host an oyster party

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