As a stay-at-home mom without any helper, I've always been refusing to host lunches or dinners at home for family or friends and find myself volunteering other people's homes as an alternative venue.  I feel overwhelmed instantly just thinking about the food I have to prepare, home set up or decor, tidying up the whole place and also the pressure of my guests' impressions about our home and the food served.  These things stress me out.

So to be able to be present during the meet up was indeed a treat for me.  I am thankful to be one of the selected moms to be there to learn, to dine, to connect with other moms through sharing of stories, tips and hacks, struggles, and the world of social media and how it affects kids these days.  

Anyway, I am writing because I had a wonderful experience and I learned so much that day.  I want to share them with you.  I learned a lot from Stephanie about how entertaining guests at home could be a breeze, to preparing and selecting what food to serve, to cooking, to beautifying the home.
Here are my key takeaways:

Food Preparation, Cooking, and Serving

• You just need 2 star recipes on your menu. You don't need to super impress guests by cooking too many, you own a home not a restaurant.  Make sure these two or at least one recipe is your specialty or signature dish, which your guests will talk about.

• When cooking, especially frying, put a hand towel over the arm you use to handle tongs or other cooking utensils.  So you won't get burnt by hot cooking oil when frying when it accidentally pops out.  Or be burnt by hot steam of boiling soup.  This is also the reason why chefs wear long sleeved uniforms - for protection.

• No to food wastes.  Regularly check your ref for about to spoil vegetables.  Take them out, chop in bit sizes (or however you want them) and put in a pot for a healthy vegetable soup.  Up to you if you want it clear or creamy thick soup.

• Herbs get longer ref shelf life if kitchen/paper towel is used to absorb moisture. Put in in a glass container too. Choose a product produced from safe materials such as Sanicare.

• Use Sanicare kitchen towels or paper towels in absorbing excess oil of fried foods before serving them to your guests.

• Wine is optional, but opt for it.  It is best paired with your slow cooked chicken or tender steaks and ribs.  There are many types of wines which are good and not too expensive. 

Beautifying Your Homes

• Have a signature scent so people will remember your homes well, the conversations and the experience.  Your party will be one for the books. 

• Keep kitchen ALWAYS clean. Kitchen towels are very useful in doing this job well.  Paper towels are convenient to pull, but kitchen towels are thicker and have better coverage.  Make it a habit to always CLAYGO (Clean As You Go)

• Be intentional in keeping your toilets lovely smelling and guests-friendly.  You will have guests over and they will frequent the toilet. Be generous in having Sanicare paper towels, tissues, and toilet papers. Make sure you also stock on extra packs of these in the toilet.  Also, put these other essentials too such as perfume, Sanicare foaming hand sanitizer, soap, powder, and lotion

The Experience
It was an amazing experience to be there in the meet up and join conversations with other moms who I discovered have the same struggles and triumphs as I do as a wife, a mother, and a homemaker.  I had a short but meaningful me-time because

• I savored every bite of the food Stephanie cooked for us
• I learned so many home, kitchen, toilet, and party hacks with the help of Sanicare products.
• I connected with both old and new mom friends I usually just see online.
• I took home a bagful of Sanicare home and kitchen products for personal use.  We've been using Sanicare at home so this was a big blessing to me. :)

Here's one exciting news, the intimate mom meet up will be featured in Stepahie Zubiri-Crespi's Feast With Me YouTube channel.  I'll tell you all more about it when the video is out.  Meanwhile, here are more photos from the lunch mommy gathering.
To get updates from Stephanie's recipes, books, feasts, and even her fashion follow her on Instagram and subscribe to her YouTube channel as well.

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