THE LATEST FROM FRAN BERGER
Home Entertaining
Fran’s Party Etiquette Rules – For Guests (Part I)
6 Guest rules to keep you from becoming the party joke. I love good parties, both throwing them and coming as a guest. They can be great fun (at least for me)! The most amazing thing is that with all...
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A Different Friendsgiving
Take your Thanksgiving Dinner to a New Level – In 5 Easy Steps! When I was growing up Thanksgiving was always at our house. We had a very small family, just 5 of us and no cousins anywhere close by,...
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5 Rules for Throwing a Dinner Party That Never Ends
Have a party that they’ll be talking about for years. One of the best dinner parties I ever went to started at a normal hour, 7:30pm, but no one left until well after 1am! Nobody wanted to leave. The best...
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7 Best Places to Pick Pumpkins for Halloween!
America’s Best Pumpkin Patches For many of us Halloween means carving pumpkins. But the problem starts with where do you find the absolute BEST, most perfect pumpkin ever to showcase your carving talents? Here are my 7 best suggestions across...
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Let’s Talk About Halloween!
Halloween is not just for kids! Halloween has been one of my favorite holidays (just after Chanukah – presents – duh!). It’s been that way since I’ve been old enough to go Trick or Treating. Oddly, even though I’m not...
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Remember That Wine We Had?
Love wine, hate remembering labels? What’s a Foodie to do? I go out to dinner often and get to taste a lot of new wines with my friends in the process. The ‘always trying new wines’ used to be because...
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A Chinese Food Memory
It’s amazing what will trigger a Food Memory. I was speaking with a friend the other day about family dinners and we got to talking about our food memories growing up and what we’ve done with our own families to...
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Sparkling Tarragon Gin Lemonade
Time to Spice Up Your Lemonade Many of my best party food memories are from Sunday BBQs when the kids were growing up so when the weather changes and it begins to get hot outside I start thinking about those...
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How a Foodie Eats the Perfect Meal
I always find it funny when someone asks me if I’m a foodie. I guess I am, I love eating both at home and out. It doesn’t matter how close or far away, how casual or fancy the place is,...
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Pitcher of Convenience and Style
There’s a reason why it’s easier to serve wine at a party rather than staying in your bar and mixing individual drinks – you get to refill glasses by just carrying a bottle around the room so you can be...
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Date Night Wine from Gruet Winery
I love when I’m asked my wine recommendations because there are so many wonderful options to explore! Date night wines for a romantic dinner at home have been a popular discussion recently, so here are a few of my romantic...
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Wine Enthusiast's Delight: The Coravin Wine Preserver
I can’t say how many times I’ve made dinner and wanted to have just one glass of wine, but I knew that I wouldn’t finish the bottle so I didn’t open one. Seriously disappointing if your dinner would go perfectly...
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The 3 Essentials for Any Home Bar
Party at home? Better get equipped. I always love to learn simple tricks and I got lucky today!! I spoke with a good friend (a guy I’ve known for several years) about dating who told me a secret. He asked...
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3 Glasses You Need in Your Bar
There are only three types of glasses that you absolutely need in your bar at home: The old-fashioned short, squatty, wide base glass, that typically holds about 6-10 ounce drinks. Then there’s the highball glass (often referred to as a...
Read MoreThe Quest for Food Memories
As long as I can remember, I’ve loved reading recipes. I didn’t cook them often while I was growing up, but I loved reading them. Reading cookbooks was a favorite too. While I was reading a recipe that caught my...
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Recipe for Personal Dining: Wine Blends
Back to Wine Basics with “Blends” All of my friends know that my wine of choice always includes bubbles – pink ones if I’m to be completely honest about it. But, having said that, I just love a good bottle,...
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