Holiday

Nothing on this list costs more than $24.

"It is considered rude to attend a holiday party empty-handed!"

A couple of weeks ago we had a handful of lady friends over to Geraldine’s apartment in Brooklyn to celebrate Valentine’s Day. We embraced the cheesy with lots of pink drinks, stinky cheese, Mariah Carey, and over-the-top decorations. So far this week we’ve shared the party planmuffin tin apple piesflower alternatives Want to see how everything came together? Here’s what we made, how the party went down, and the special board game that brought the whole thing together.

Today Islam is no longer a religion that is just in the Middle East or Arabia. Generations have moved north, south, west, and further east. There are converts around the world; my husband being one of them, and with each person choosing Islam as their faith, another layer of culture and customs is added to the religious holiday, bringing more vibrancy, diversity, and color. Ramadan for me has changed so much from when I was younger and celebrated the month with my parents and siblings in London.

Yes, you still have time!

We’re not going to say that we’re anti-roses; after all, these iconic perennials may be the most classic expression of romance (especially on Valentine’s Day). In fact, it’s estimated that growers will produce 250 million roses just for this lovers’ holiday! And while a dozen long-stems are never a bad idea, there are more thoughtful, not to mention more affordable, alternatives.

For our over-the-top girly, Cheesy Valentine’s Day to-do, we knew we wanted to go pink for our color scheme — and I have to hand it to Ariel: My apartment looked like my five-year-old niece’s dream come true. (If only Princess Sparkle had been there, it would have been perfect). But I digress … to go with the balloons and streamers and overall profusion of fuchsia- and flamingo-colored decor, we also wanted to serve pink drinks.

Q: I’m going to my boyfriend’s family’s seder and I heard there won’t be any real drinks (only wine?). What’s the deal and what can I do about it? Sent by Anonymous The Gefilteria’s Liz Alpern: It’s true. There are many food and beverage rules during Passover, and lots of booze is off limits. Consuming grains (like barley, wheat, rye, etc.) that have come into contact with water (and potentially leavened), is strictly prohibited.

Important: Keep the wine flowing.