THE LATEST FROM FRAN BERGER
Blogs
Sophisticated Living – What is it?
More important, how to I obtain it? I often talk about sophisticated living and how everyone can live their lives that way. But, I think many people are confused about what I mean and how to achieve it in their...
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It’s Summer So It Must Be Corn Season!
Corn etiquette: how to pick it, store it, and fix a bad choice. I look forward to summer every year for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is the fantastic produce that’s perfect and in season for...
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What’s the Best Summer Beverage in this Heat?
The simplest spritzer to help keep you cool in this heat. It’s summer. It’s hot, even in the evening. You have friends coming over and no one wants red wine. Even rosé just doesn’t seem cold enough. What to do?...
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Tips on Storing and Serving Wine
How do you know if you’re doing it right? Picture it: You’re at a good restaurant with friends and one of them is a self-proclaimed wine snob so you hand him the wine list. He chooses what he says will...
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Tips on How to Ripen that Rock-Hard Avocado
Can’t find a ripe avocado and you need one (or more) to make guacamole tomorrow? You invited friends over tomorrow night for a viewing party of the finale of your favorite TV show and you want to make your famous...
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Recipe for Summer Punch: Champagne, Fruit, and Fun Ice
An adult drink with champagne that only looks fruity sweet (it isn’t). It’s summer and that means outdoor or indoor fun with friends and family and usually in a group. I always recommend greeting your guests with an adult beverage...
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Kitchen tip: How to use raw asparagus.
It’s Summer and that means Asparagus in all its glory! Who knew? Some of my most favorite fruits and vegetables are in season right now – beans of all types, eggplant, tomatoes, carrots, stone fruit, berries, grapes, pears – the...
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Recipe Cooking Times Can Be Deceiving!
Often, they’re just a suggestion. Recipe writers can’t always be quite as precise as they’d prefer when they list cooking times in a recipe. So many variables enter into the equation. This Spring, a friend’s daughter was making her first...
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8 Fruits and Vegetables that Don’t belong in your Refrigerator
How to keep your fruits and vegetables tasting as they should. In a perfect world we’d shop daily and prepare what we purchased for that evening’s meal. But, we all know it’s just not that easy to get to the...
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How to set up a hot beverage station for your morning ‘brew’.
It’s so easy to create a place for coffee or tea in your kitchen. We all have our routines that we follow in the morning. It might be that you jump up and head straight to the gym with just...
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Use Your Move to Declutter your Entertaining Spaces
How to replace ‘pack and move’ with a little ‘edit and love’. I love my clients and I love my friends even more. So, when a great friend, who is also a client, calls me and says she’s sold her...
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Dress up your table with just the right placemats!
For every meal you host, there’s a place setting that’s perfect to celebrate the event and mood. When I think about all the best dinners I’ve attended or planned, I found that the tiniest details made a huge difference. That’s...
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Party treat: Champagne Jello Shots
This is the little party treat that will make a big splash at your next gathering. There are so many different ways to entertain guests: with mixed drinks, fun appetizers, and tasty finger snacks. This idea is an instant party...
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Get ready for a spring time treat—Roasted Asparagus
It’s a quick home recipe for roasted asparagus that’s perfect for any meal. I love the taste of fresh asparagus. And, the best way I know how to prepare them is roasting them with this very simple recipe. The first...
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Peel, Don't Snap! A New Approach to Preparing Asparagus
You’ll enjoy more of your asparagus stems by peeling them. I’ve always loved asparagus and artichokes. They remind me that spring is coming. But they also bring back so many great food memories because there are so many ways...
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Everything you need to know about your cast iron skillet.
The iron skillet is one of the most valuable tools in your kitchen and probably the one you take most for granted. After a lovely dinner at the home of a friend, a few of us walked into his kitchen...
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