Holidays Archives - New Liuna Station

Classic Holiday Traditions

PLAY — Thu, 21 Dec 2017 18:37:30 +0000

‘Tis the season to be jolly! Here at Liuna Gardens we have been busy elves hosting holiday work parties and family dinners. From small to large winter festivities, we have had the privilege to host many different holiday traditions throughout the years. To get you into the spirit, we have put together some of our favourite holiday traditions. Let us know what you think, and feel free to comment on traditions you and your loved ones participate in.
Caroling door to door with family and friends is a classic! What better way to get into a the holiday spirit than singing with loved ones?

Decorate the Christmas tree while listening to classic holiday music while sipping on eggnog.

Build a gingerbread house – It’s a fun and creative way to get into the festive spirit and a yummy tradition for all.

Make a snowman or snow family! This tradition gets you out of the house and active in the cold winter months. Caution: a friendly snowball fight might occur!
Holiday lights adds a little sparkle to your street. Whether it’s the last week of November or the month of December, decorating your home with festive lights is a fun tradition that brings the neighbourhood together.

Helping the needy is important during the holiday season. Gather your loved ones and volunteer at a soup kitchen or donate winter gear to the needy, it makes a difference and is the essence of the season.
Make your own advent calendar! Skip the chocolate and get creative. You could have each day contain a special festive activity to do together. Some families also make it about helping others by devoting each day to extending a helping hand in the community. Help the elderly by shoveling their driveway or perform a random act of kindness for a stranger!
Bake holiday goodies! Get into the kitchen with loved ones and bake your favourite goodies. Whether it’s a batch of shortbread cookies, peppermint bark or butter tarts this delicious tradition is a perfect way to spend time with one another and a great gift idea!

Taking photos with Santa is a must after the kids have written their wish list. Make memories with Old Saint Nick, and if you don’t have any children, we have seen fur babies make an appearance.

Marking your house for Santa is another fun tradition we have seen. Families will decorate the front entrance with a mixture of glitter and oats outside the house in the snow to guide Santa.
If you are looking for holiday food inspiration, check out our sister blog Liuna Station’s post. Whatever you decide to do, we wish you and your loved ones a wonderful holiday season!
Stay tuned for weekly blog updates and make sure to connect with Liuna Gardens on Instagram and Facebook as we deliver fresh, new content to inspire, excite and assist as you plan your dream event.
From all of us at Liuna Gardens, thank you for following along!

The post Classic Holiday Traditions appeared first on New Liuna Station.

Traditional Holiday Meal Ideas

PLAY — Thu, 21 Dec 2017 18:36:00 +0000

‘Tis the season for never ending holiday gatherings and meals upon meals! Honour the holiday season with a roundup of some of our favourite holiday meals. We have linked out Food Network’s recipe to follow during this busy season. Remember if you can’t simply find the time or energy to prepare a lavish holiday feast, let us host one for you! Liuna Station’s Executive Chef specializes in fine, Italian cuisine, but can accommodate other customized menu requests. Spoil yourself and loved ones over the holiday season with the below holiday meal ideas:

Main Dishes

The classic turkey might be daunting for some, but luckily our good friend Jamie Oliver has put together a simple recipe to follow to ensure everyone enjoys this classic over the holiday season.

Roasted beef tenderloin with roasted pepper and black olive sauce this twist to the traditional turkey meal will still give the gift of comfort and a full belly! Click the link to review Food Network’s easy recipe to follow.

Mushroom-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin is a great option for readers who don’t like red meat. If you need a recipe, click here.

Holiday Pasta is a great alternative, check out Rachel Ray’s recipe that mixes three different types of meat.

Red Wine Risotto with Peas is a great option for our vegetarian readers or test out the classic shepherd’s pie without the meat!

Holiday Sides

Add a twist to the traditional mashed potatoes and try Chestnut-Potato Puree.

For a a great side with any holiday meal make a Cheese-Crusted Squash the salty and crunchy crust on seasonal acorn squash is a great option and can also be served as an appetizer.

Stay healthy with making a side of Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic and Cranberries.

Baked Goods

The holidays wouldn’t be complete without some good old fashioned sugar cookies. Get creative and cut in festive shapes and decorate with colourful sprinkles!

Why not bake your own gingerbread house and get loved ones together to decorate it!

Chocolate fudge is another great treat to have over the holidays. Whether you keep them to serve to loved ones or give as a thoughtful gift. This simple but classic holiday treat will brighten everyone’s day.

Remember there is nothing wrong with having hors d’oeuvres for supper. The holidays are a busy time, and if you are not going somewhere for a big holiday feast, throw a bunch of your favourite hors d’oeuvres in the oven and voilá dinner is served!

Whatever you decide to prepare, we wish you and your loved ones a wonderful holiday season! If you need inspiration to get into the holiday spirit, check out our sister blog Liuna Gardens post.

Stay tuned for weekly blog updates and make sure to connect with Liuna Station on Instagram and Facebook as we deliver fresh, new content to inspire, excite and assist as you plan your dream event.

From all of us at Liuna Station, thank you for following along!

The post Traditional Holiday Meal Ideas appeared first on New Liuna Station.

Spruce Up Your Corporate Holiday Event

PLAY — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 15:29:43 +0000

Here at Liuna Station, we make it our business to create extraordinary events. Keeping up with event trends, and creating lasting memories for all our guests is what we do best. As a preferred venue serving the GTHA, we come together and creatively brainstorm ways to make our clients vision become a reality.

Now with the weather changing, the holiday season is fast approaching, and the idea of your upcoming corporate holiday event might be top of mind. We are approaching the time of year that brings us closer together, a special time to give thanks and show appreciation. What better way to express gratitude than having a cool corporate holiday event?! Nobody can stand to attend another boring suit and tie event.

Three easy ways to spruce up your corporate holiday event:

Be sure to include some social elements for your event to stand out.
Think of fun branded items that you can give as parting gifts.
Create a unique theme. If you are struggling to think of a cool concept, check out this amazing blog from Social Tables that highlights winter trends to keep in mind.

We’d love to host your function at Liuna Station, so get in touch with us today to start planning. If you need advice in planning a social holiday event, be sure to check out our post in Liuna Gardens for some friendly tips.

Stay tuned for weekly blog updates and be sure to follow us on Instagram @Liuna_Station as we deliver fresh, new content to inspire, excite and assist as you plan your dream event. From all of us at Liuna Station, thank you for following along!

The post Spruce Up Your Corporate Holiday Event appeared first on New Liuna Station.

Easy Holiday Sugar Cookie Recipe

PLAY — Tue, 22 Dec 2015 20:18:36 +0000

Liuna’s Easy Holiday Sugar Cookie Recipe!

With the crazy warm weather Hamilton has been having it doesn’t quite feel like winter or the holidays. Today our staff shared our fondest and most hilarious holiday stories. All the stories involved quality time with family: cooking up a storm, recovering renegade Christmas trees that have decided to bail from the roof of the car, almost setting the house on fire, skyping family overseas, family snowball fights, slipping into a food coma after family dinner to loud and bilgerent family members (we all have ’em). It was very heartwarming. Not surprisingly, a lot of stories involved cooking, hosting and favorite recipes.

We decided to get into the holiday spirit by sharing a super easy and delicious sugar cookie recipe! We also tossed in a bunch of tips on how to make them look “pinterest worthy” and how to make it a painless and easy for kids to get involved.

Have fun and enjoy making memories!

Cookies

1.5 cups butter softened (Yes, I know. Try not to think about it)
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract (or almond/peppermint)
4.5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Frosting

2 cups powdered sugar
2-3 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract (or almond/peppermint)
Food coloring

Directions

Mix Butter and Sugar together. Add eggs and extract. Slowly add in your dry ingredients. Don’t over mix. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for an hour or two. Flour a table and roll dough. Cut out shapes and cookies. Lay on tray lined with parchment paper.

Bake 8-10 minutes at 350. If you have never made sugar cookies before, they tend to not look “done” they will be soft to the touch but harden once pulled out of the oven.

Let cool and prepare the icing.

In separate bowl mix 2 tbsp milk in icing. Add more milk if you like it runnier. If you are piping or doing intricate details – keep the icing thicker. It will stay better and can be manipulated easier. Mix in different bowls and add food colouring. Put icing in piping bags or plastic squeeze bottles (so much easier and less messy for kids!)

Tips:

“Flooding” – to fully ice the cookie, start by piping a border close to the edge of the cookie (but not so it falls off). Then slowly start filling in the cookie, the icing will settle and blend into itself. If you are doing layers of coloured icing – like decorating a Christmas tree – make sure to let each layer dry so the colours do not blend.
Squeeze Bottles – So much easier to clean and handle for both adults and kids alike! Use safety pin to make smaller openings for details.
Make sure to let each layer of icing settle and dry before using another colour. Otherwise the colours will run.
FUN TWIST: For Cinnamon Bun Sugar cookies – add cinnamon and nutmeg to sugar cookie mix. Frost with Cream Cheese icing and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from all of us here at Liuna Station!

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