We have had some toasty days around here lately - so the "Bold Berry Granita" (recipe below) sounds super yummy right about now...!! If you have any cool and refreshing drinks/recipes/desserts to share, please let me know and I will include them in a future newsletter!!!

This month I come to you with an URGENT REQUEST.(Please bear with me!)

I am continuing to work on my "social media"... which basically includes my Creations Facebook page, a new Creations "Blog site" and a Twitter account. These are all independent of each other; for example, you don't have to be part of Facebook to subscribe to my blog or follow me on Twitter. A lot of people get confused about that. I would sure love to have you follow me on any or ALL of my social media sites - Simply click on the links in the box above ("Quick Links"). I know that it may be a little "out of the box" for some of you. Trust me - I understand - but here's a bit more information!

My goal is to keep my Creations Facebook Page updated every other day or so with new items, recipes, and other "fun facts". Simply click on the link above and the click on the "like" button when you get to my page. Simply go to my Facebook page whenever you want an update!! My Creations "Blog" will be more of short little "articles" about "random stuff" that will loosely revolve around cooking, entertaining, gifting, creating... whatever strikes my fancy. My goal is to get a Blog out about once/week. We shall see... Once you subscribe to my blog, it will simply email you any new blogs that I write. It's that easy!! Twitter is fun because you can simply "follow" other people (celebs, movie stars, me...) or you can step it up a notch and start sending "tweets" to other people and have people follow you as well! Simply click on the link above to follow me on Twitter - You might even see people that I am following that you might want to follow as well!

OK - so there is my plea. Why so "URGENT", you wonder?? Two main reasons, really. First of all, this will change the way I am able to communicate with YOU, and that means so very much to me. Whether you are a customer/friend that I see regularly (every "First Thursday" at Trendz?), or a customer/friend that lives halfway across the US - these are all ways that I can "talk" to you and share info that I think you might enjoy. I will definitely continue to send out this monthly newsletter, but it will probably not be as long as they have been in the past (Ha - stop cheering...!!). No worries - I will just be spreading it out over different venues of communication, rather than just one!! The second reason for the urgency is numbers. If you "like" me on facebook or follow me on my Blog or Twitter, then the other people that you are connected to might connect with me, and then people that connected with them might connect with me... and on and on it goes. YOU have the power to really help me here - and I am so incredibly grateful for your help!! Really. I apologize for being so LONG with this letter - It's just a lot of information!! See the coupon at the bottom of this newsletter for my way of saying THANK YOU for all of your help!!!

Big hugs to all...

Cheers!

Cathy

"Fruitini"

ZigZag Martini Glasses

Set/4 $44

Don't forget fruits & veggies at your next party! A big veggie platter surrounded with plenty of ice cold fruit...Appletinis, Orangetinis, Lemon Drops, and Cosmopolitans!

Bold Berry Granita

From Good Housekeeping

triple-tested at the Good Housekeeping Research Institute

Frosty, fruity, and fat-free, this heat-beating Italian ice doesn't require any special equipment - just a metal baking pan. Fill with a mix of pureed raspberries and strawberries and sugar syrup, then freeze. Scrape with a fork into prechilled dishes to serve.

Ingredients

1 cup(s) water
1/2 cup(s) sugar
1 lemon (up to 2)
1 pound(s) strawberries, hulled
1 1/2 cup(s) raspberries

Directions
Make sugar syrup: In 2-quart saucepan, heat water and sugar to boiling on high, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, from lemon(s), grate 2 teaspoons peel and squeeze 1/4 cup juice. In food processor with knife blade attached, blend strawberries and raspberries until pureed. With back of spoon, press puree through sieve into medium bowl; discard seeds.
Stir sugar syrup and lemon juice and peel into berry puree. Pour into 9" by 9" metal baking pan.
Cover and freeze mixture 2 hours or until frozen around edges. With fork, scrape ice at edges into center. Cover and freeze until completely frozen, at least 3 hours or overnight.
To serve, let granita stand at room temperature 15 minutes or until slightly softened. With fork, scrape across surface of granita to form ice shards and spoon into chilled wine goblets or dessert bowls. Serve immediately. Makes about 5 cup

DIY Tomato Scrub

A little something different to try this summer while tomatoes are in season... This You Tube video has had more than 1.5 million hits! C'mon - think outside the box!!

NEW ITEM - Drinking Straws!!!

Aren't these just so fun...?!

Available in a rainbow

of colors...

Sold as a set of 25/color

$4.75

Also available @ Trendz

Glass Straw Dispenser

$8.50

PARTY PLANNING IDEAS & TIPS

ICE,
more complicated than you thought, and one of the most important parts of any good party

Most Important hint

Have enough ice! Carefully plan what you think you will need and go buy or prepare double that amount. A good guideline is 1 pound of ice per person, for drinks only, for a three hour event. For summer events where the blender is being used and your beer is being cooled in a large container, you will need more ice.

Decorative Ice

Making decorative ice is a fun (and trendy) and easy way to add color and flavor to your drinks. Add small pieces of colorful fruit into the ice tray spaces before adding cold water to the tray (don't forget to boil and cool the water first - see above).

Choose the fruit you want to use based on the drink you are making and the effect you want to achive. Fruits that freeze well and look good include raspberry, strawberry, melon, pinapple, lemon and orange pieces (or twists).

Want to try something really different? Edible flowers can also be used to add color to ice.

Other Ice Tips

Keep extra ice cubes in a cooler.
Make sure you have an ice bucket and at least one pair of ice tongs. Remember that guests are often eating with their hands, so tongs will avoid "double dipping" into everyone's ice.
If you lack refrigerator space, use an iced tub (the kitchen sink or even a bathtub, in a pinch) to chill ingredients.
"Crushed ice" can be easily made by sealing ice in a large heavy plastic bag -covered with a heavier material- and then hit with a rolling pin or mallet. (don't use a hammer- takes too long - you want a broader striking surface)
Use blocks of ice in a punch as the ice will last a lot longer.
Try using a mold to create unique ice blocks for use in punches.
Consider ordering ice through a delivery service (check the yellow pages under "ice"). It's less hassle and much less expensive than you think.
Remember to use crushed ice in recipes that call for crushed ice so that you get the right texture to your drink
Don't use crushed ice in recipes that call for ice cubes as the crushed ice will melt far faster.

Wind

Do these cheeseballs say "Summertime" - or what...?

A "must have" for those summer parties and BBQ's

$4.50

Patriotic Pinwheel

Here's a little something fun to do with the kids - a free printable from "Family Fun", my favorite magazine when my kids were little!!

Grilling Tips

	Marinating quickly tenderizes meat and also adds additional flavor. Use roughly 1 to 2 cups of marinade for every 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of food. The marinade should completely surround the food. Cooked meat should never be returned to a cold marinade.
	A secret to tender, moist,tasty meat and fish is the cut you choose. The best cut for grilling steaks is a full one inch thick.
	Trim beef steaks to 1/8 inch fat--this reduces grease drippings to help minimize open flames. If you like your hamburgers juicy, go with ground beef that is about 15 to 20 percent fat. Have fish fillets cut from 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick--anything thinner will dry out too quickly. Pork chops should also be at least 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick--this cut is ready when the meat is no longer pink along the bone and when the juices run clear.
	For direct cooking on a charcoal grill, make sure there is enough charcoal to extend in a single layer 1 to 2 inches beyond the area of the food on the grill. Pour briquettes into the grill to determine the quantity, then stack into a pyramid for lighting. For indirect cooking, food is placed over a drip pan and the briquettes are banked either to one or both sides of the pan.


	When roasting or grilling with a BBQ pit closed, open a can of beer and place the beer over the hottest part of the fire. The beer will boil and super saturate the air inside the pit with water vapor, beer flavors and alcohol. This will help in keeping the roasting meats moist, while adding flavor to the meat.
	Whenever barbecuing, use tongs to turn the meat. A fork should never be used as it will punch holes in the meat and allow the natural juices to escape, causing the meat to lose flavor and become chewy.
	When grilling meats, it is usually best to turn the meat only once. When grilling meat to a medium or greater doneness, use the lid to assist in cooking. This will decrease the cooking time by applying heat to all sides of the meat at once.
	Tomato and/or sugar based BBQ sauces should be added only at the end of the grilling process, since these products will burn easily and are seldom considered an internal meat flavoring.

How about some great little appetizers - hot off the grill...!

Beef skewers with peanut dipping sauce

Beef Skewers with Peanut Dipping Sauce

grilled tomato bruschetta

Grilled Tomato Bruschetta

A little of this; a little of that...

First off - A great big THANK YOU to everyone who stopped by the Trendz booth at the "Just For Her Expo" last month!! Met a lot of great new people - and I would like to extend a big, warm welcome to all of my new Email Newsletter friends!! Everyone who signed up to recieve the Creations Newsletter at the Expo was entered in a contest for some "freebies". As promised, here is a list of the WINNERS!!

Karin Lynchmeyer, Robin Dublin, Judy Turner, Holly Messerschmidt, Christine Nichols, Jeanean Mitchell and Lori Sanders

If you were a winner, please reply back and indicate that you recieved this newsletter. I will then take your gift up to Trendz, where you will be able to pick it up at your convenience during store hours (See below). CONGRATS!

Our Trendz First Thursday- "Ladies Night Out" event is just around the corner - next Thursday, July 7, from 5(ish)-8(ish). Our theme this month will be Hawaiian - so get ready to get tropical, ladies! Come on by for some cocktails, appetizers and, of course, great SAMPLES in my Creations booth!!! Aloha!!

"SAVE THE DATE"... Yep - I'm talkin' Christmas in July!! I will be participating in the new "Holiday Boutique" this year, November 10-13, that will benefit the Merillac Center here in Kansas City. For details, click here Holiday Boutique Info. and stay updated through the "Holiday Boutique" Facebook Page

Creations @Trendz Market

151 & Nall (SW corner)

Leawood, Kansas 66224

Open Monday-Saturday 10-6

Thursdays 'till 8

Trendz Website

Trendz Facebook

Save 20%	Creations Facebook / Blog / Twitter Join me on 2 (or 3!!) of the 3 above, and you will recieve a "thank-you" coupon worth 20% off one regular priced item from Creations - including hand-painted glassware!! Once you have joined, shoot me an email and let me know!! cathy@creationsbycathy.net
Does not apply to UPS shipping charges

Bold Berry Granita

Frosty, fruity, and fat-free, this heat-beating Italian ice doesn't require any special equipment - just a metal baking pan. Fill with a mix of pureed raspberries and strawberries and sugar syrup, then freeze. Scrape with a fork into prechilled dishes to serve.

PARTY PLANNING IDEAS & TIPS

ICE, more complicated than you thought, and one of the most important parts of any good party

Most Important hint

Decorative Ice

Other Ice Tips

ICE,
more complicated than you thought, and one of the most important parts of any good party