THE LATEST FROM FRAN BERGER
Lifestyle
Recipe for a Quick Pickle
An easy “pickle” recipe that’s great for home or as a gift. I had a great Bloody Mary at Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, and they served a simply wonderful vinegary/garlicky green bean as one of the vegetable garnishes...
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A Handy Tipping Guide for the Holidays
The easy “how-to” for tipping during the holidays. We all have service people that help us throughout the year, but sometimes it’s confusing on how much to tip or even whether you should tip at all during the holidays. I’ve...
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Tips for Wrapping Presents for the Holidays
Isn’t it time to change up your Christmas wrapping skills? I was always the gift wrapper at my house while growing up. The rest of my family thought it was a big chore, but I loved it. I turned every...
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Holiday Home Entertaining Tip – Stocking Stuffers!
A fun update for an ancient holiday tradition. I think one of the most fun and endearing holiday traditions is Christmas stockings. When I was a kid, it was a way to get a lot of candy. By the time...
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Holiday Appetizers: hors d’oeuvres and finger foods, yum!
Tips for making your holiday appetizers truly appealing. Planning a holiday party? Start with all the ones you’ve seen – the good, the bad, and the ugly. Why remember the bad and the ugly? Because, we don’t want to do...
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Time Management for the Holidays
My Top 5 Tips for sane and safe planning during the holidays. This is one of my favorite times of the year, I can plan all the holiday parties I want and not go crazy. It’s the one time of...
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How to Plan Your Holiday Shopping
SIX SHOPPING TIPS to help you from being “cyber-crazy” this holiday. It’s that time again – time for the year-end holiday traditions: the Christmas office party, finger foods, holiday decorations, and gifts. OMG, did you forget the Secret Santa...
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The Perfect Holiday Gift Guide for Women
All you have to do is think about what you’d want as a present. We all want to give the perfect holiday gift to our friends – especially our girlfriends. Last week, I posted a holiday gift guide for our...
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The Perfect Holiday Gift Guide for Men
Don’t settle for predictable – get an early start and go for the unexpected! One of the most difficult things to do is to find the perfect holiday gift for the man in your life. Maybe you’re thinking, “OH, it’s...
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Setting up a home bar? Keep it simple!
10 Simple Tips for setting up your home bar for a holiday party. Home bars do not have to be and, quite frankly, should not be complicated affairs. I mean, unless you’re a professional bartender, why go out and get...
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Hosting a Stress-Free Holiday Party is easier than you think!
The best part about a Holiday Party is a Relaxed Host – seriously! I’ve seen it more times than I care to remember: I attend a party or gathering, and there’s a host who looks like she’s been put through...
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Healthier drinks for the holidays?
Two KEYS for healthier choices from your holiday libations. I’ve been a home entertainer all my adult life. My friends have always thought of me as an expert at entertaining guests and throwing good parties – just ask any of...
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The Making of an Elegant Halloween
The easy way to make your Halloween Party an elegant event. If you know anything about me, you know that I love this time of year. It’s the best season for home entertaining. The absolute best time to have parties...
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Tips for Hotel Tipping and Then Some
Tips help make your trip more enjoyable – in more ways than one! I have done quite a bit of traveling in my lifetime and I’ve picked up tips and tricks along the way. The big one for all international...
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How to Prevent a Holiday Party Nightmare
Five things you can do RIGHT NOW to prepare for any holiday gathering – for the rest of the year! The whole group was coming to my party. I was so happy that I found myself literally grinning from ear...
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What about those Meal Kit Delivery Services?
Review of the top 5 meal kits – for pleasure, convenience, and flavor! A friend of mine goes on frequent camping trips with her family. There’s one thing that she does before every trip – no matter if it’s a...
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The Delicate Etiquette of the Last drop of Wine
Some customs just make the whole art of entertaining that much more fun! When I was very young, my parents were pretty serious about teaching customs and manners to me and my siblings. We learned how to be polite and...
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Etiquette for Tipping
Yes, there is such thing as proper manners for tipping! A friend told me a story about going out to a nice restaurant with a small group of eight people who were traveling together in Hawaii. It was one of...
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Rosé is a Rose by Any Other Name?
There’s just so much more to your wine than just a name! First, a little story. I was with a friend who is a real muscle car geek. This man knows every make, has details about every model, knows things...
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Summer Skin Lifestyle tip: Gently and Regularly Rain or Shine
It’s never too late to start taking care of your skin. When we were little kids we never thought about skin health. I never wore sunblock (nobody ever thought about that). When we became teens, we were more worried about...
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