Just as you’ve caught your breath from all of the holiday parties, it’s time to get ready for Gasparilla and for Super Bowl XLV! Are all of you land-lubbers ready for the annual pirate invasion on Jan. 29?  How about for the year’s biggest football game, which takes place on Feb. 6?  Now is the time to line up your menu or book a caterer. Nothing can ruin a good party like running out of food or having your caterer not deliver the amount and the quality you were expecting. Some caterers take shortcuts like using frozen fish instead of fresh, or claiming they’re serving grouper when it’s …

It's a problem many of us face: How do you lose those extra pounds you put on during the holidays? The scrumptious meal at Thanksgiving is quickly followed by holiday parties, cookie swaps, pie-baking, Hanukkah celebrations, Christmas feasts, New Year's Eve buffets and New Year's Day football parties.     Now it's the New Year, and that brings with it new resolutions to look and feel your best.  Dieting doesn't have to mean eating only broiled chicken and salad.  When I wanted to lose weight – and lose inches – I started eating clean.  Here's what you do: Combine lean proteins and complex …

The gifts are unwrapped and the last of the turkey sandwiches are gone.  Are you feeling a little let down? Don't be! Instead, invite a few of your friends over to celebrate the New Year and toast the good fortune in your future. Here are some tips to help you create the perfect atmosphere for your last bash of 2010: Rearrange the furniture. Place end tables and low cabinets in the corners of the rooms to hold your delicious hors d'oeuvres, and create a bar to hold your bottles and glasses. Create conversation clusters. Consider moving a couch away from the wall and toward the center of the …