by Furnishly | Dec 19, 2022 | Design Inspiration, Style
When throwing a dinner party, it’s easy to get swept up in the multicourse-ness of it all. And when it comes to dinner parties, the holiday season is arguably the most popular time of the year to host — and it’s all about the food.
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If you happen to be one of those ethereal, sparkling hosting wizards, you probably already know that hosting is hard work (especially if you’re making it look easy!). When I was reading a hostess guide book from 1952, for example (there are so many!), I learned that to be a good hostess, everything has to be homemade, everything has to be perfect, and your dress has to have an a-line silhouette. Luckily today’s standards have changed: Wearing pants is now an option, and hosting doesn’t mean making everything from scratch. In fact, smart hosts know when to take clever shortcuts so they can spend quality time with their guests.
As every good host knows, you never know when or where inspiration will strike. For me it was in the aisles of Costco that I stumbled upon a clever shortcut — in the freezer, betwixt boxes of 72-count toaster waffles and giant six-pound sacks of Italian meatballs. Cuisine Adventures French Onion Soup immediately caught my attention, for two main reasons.
What’s So Great About Cuisine Adventures French Onion Soup?
First, French onion soup calls for a ton of onions. While onions aren’t expensive, there’s a lot of labor involved in halving, peeling, and slicing 10, 12, 50, or one billion onions (I don’t know how much soup you make). Second, a good French onion soup takes time: Letting broth, a bit of wine, some herbs, and all of those onions become friends in the pot can take at least a few hours. At only $10.99 for six portions, this Costco version is nearly cheaper (in some cases, literally cheaper!) than buying all the ingredients to make it yourself.
I don’t know about you, but I prefer hanging out with people over onions. So I imagine for Thanksgiving, or your birthday, or any celebration where you’re having people over, this frozen French onion soup would make the perfect hands-off first course. I was delighted to find that this soup came packaged in individual, vacuum-sealed cylindrical portions, perfect for placing in a bowl and microwaving, which is one of the preparation methods listed on the box.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the flavor of the soup — hearty and savory, with slight sweetness from the onions. Unsurprisingly, however, the croutons placed on top didn’t really get crispy in the microwave (perhaps they would if you prepared this in the oven), but that was nothing some supplementary toast couldn’t fix.
If You’re Going to Make Cuisine Adventures French Onion Soup, a Few Tips
What holiday shortcuts are you buying at Costco this year? Tell us in the comments.
by Furnishly | Dec 14, 2022 | Design Inspiration, Style
Kristen GaraffoContributor
Kristen is a Washington, D.C.-based freelance writer and homebody. She specializes in home and lifestyle content, and loves helping others live their best lives at home and beyond. Romanticizing her life since 1987, you can probably find her sipping on iced coffee, crushing a Crossfit workout, designing her next dream space, or blasting Taylor Swift.
by Furnishly | Jun 24, 2022 | Design Inspiration, Style
As someone who still does everything from home — work, exercise, entertain… trust me, the list goes on — I’m no stranger to making the most of a surge protector. An easy, effective way to maximize your outlets without blowing a fuse? There’s no wonder why my fiancé and I have power strips in practically every room of our apartment. But recently, I had a surprising realization: A surge protector might be one of the most functional accessories in my home, but it’s by no means attractive. In fact, it’s kind of an eyesore.
For as long as I can remember, I’d buy those traditional power strips that would sit idle on my floor, dresser, or media center. Practical? Yes. Stylish? Well… not quite. Not only would my power strips of yesteryear hog up some valuable square footage, but they would also make my cables look unkempt. Almost like Medusa’s mane, and I don’t mean that in a glamorous, mythological way. “There must be a better, less cluttered way to stay plugged in,” I thought to myself.
Turns out, there is. A few weeks later, I went to a friend’s apartment when I saw the perfect solution in her bathroom: a surge protector… that’s mounted to your wall. I immediately picked up two from Amazon and am convinced it’s the game-changer my apartment needed.
For such a simple switch, it’s amazing how much of a difference it’s made. Instead of having a power strip awkwardly on my floor — and trying to find a semi-creative way to mask it — this new-and-improved surge protector blends into my wall. And, with six outlets and two USB ports, my wall mount has ample space to power up my phone, the television, our sound bar, and my fiancé’s gaming console.
Of course, a wall-mounted strip is about more than just aesthetics. Now, all outlets rest nicely above the floor, making my cables less taut than they used to be. And, since my cords have more give, I don’t have to worry about my precious office lamp getting hurled off my desk at the slightest movement. (Yes, it’s happened before.)
The only downside? The surge protector I bought from Amazon Basics is currently unavailable, but don’t worry: there are still plenty of options. If you want to stick with Amazon’s signature brand, Amazon Basics has a wall-mounted option with six rotating outlets. (That way, you can pivot you cable in the direction of your device.) Looking to plug in your smartphone? Belkin’s take has over 75,000 reviews, a near-perfect rating, an “Amazon’s Choice” badge, and two USB ports. Or, for the more budget-conscious, Cable Matters has one for less than $10.
Make no mistake, my chaotic cables still have a long way to go. In fact, I’m even looking for the perfect cord ties to keep the Medusa vibes to a minimum. But, if you’re also tired of looking at the same power strip cluttering your floors, this is a great place to start.
Kelsey Mulvey
Contributor
Kelsey Mulvey is a lifestyle editor and writer. She has written for publications like Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, Wallpaper.com, New York Magazine, and more.
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by Furnishly | Jun 5, 2022 | Design Inspiration, Style
The freezer section at Costco is legendary. It’s the first place I turn to stock up on frozen fruits and vegetables in the cold winter months. It’s also where I go to find crowd-pleasing appetizers and the best dinner shortcuts. Turns out, one of those dinner shortcuts has become such a hit in my household, it won over my picky daughter and my even pickier husband. Honestly, I never would have guessed it. Mostly because I didn’t even know what I was buying at the time (more on that below). That’s how good Costco’s frozen finds are! You can kind of just trust that whatever you’re buying is going to be good! Allow me to explain.
Tattooed Chef Organic Riced Cauliflower Stir-Fry, $9.39 for 48 ounces
I first discovered this massive bag during a rushed Costco run. I saw a picture of the enticing stir-fry from one of my favorite plant-based brands and tossed the bag into my cart … without actually reading the label. I got home, unpacked my latest haul, and planned to make this rice dish for dinner one night that week.
Because everything comes pre-cooked, I simply heated the contents of one of the bags with some warmed oil in a pan for about six minutes (there are four 12-ounce bags within the larger bag). I topped it with some leftover chicken strips from the night before, a drizzle of teriyaki sauce, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds before serving. After the first bite, we all realized that we were not eating rice, but riced cauliflower instead! (I should have known!) Unfazed, we kept eating; the riced cauliflower was seasoned so well and prepared so nicely that we didn’t even miss the grain.
Made of only organic frozen vegetables, Tattooed Chef Organic Riced Cauliflower Stir-Fry has become a permanent staple in my freezer. It’s filling enough on its own, but it also makes for a delicious base for cooked tofu, steamed edamame, grilled chicken, poached eggs, or any other quick (or leftover) protein. It’s a meal that we all love — and I can make it less than 10 minutes. Maybe I should start blindly throwing things into my cart more often. Who knows what else I might find!
Do you have a Costco frozen find you buy on repeat? Tell us about it in the comments below.
Lauren Manaker
Contributor
Lauren Manaker is an award-winning registered dietitian, book author, and freelance writer based in Charleston, South Carolina. She has an abnormal love for sparkling water and enjoys digging into the latest healthy food trends.
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by Furnishly | Jun 3, 2022 | Design Inspiration, Style
Ever Meister
Contributor
For the past 20 years, Ever Meister has been a journalist and a specialty-coffee professional, focusing on making great coffee more accessible to everyone. She is currently the director of education for the green-coffee importing company Cafe Imports, the author of New York City Coffee: A Caffeinated History, and the host of the podcast In Good Taste. She lives and brews in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
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