Blog Posts by Kaboodle.com

With cocktail party season comes the inevitable dilemma of figuring out how to create a delectable cocktail-party spread without killing yourself in the kitchen. Luckily, we've got nine delicious bite-size appetizers you can make and proudly serve without ever turning on the oven. Offer them with one or two hot items or solo and you can focus on what's really important-having a good time with your guests.

1. Smoked Salmon on Cracker with Lemon and Dill

Easy elegance

If you've got a box of crackers, a bit of smoked salmon, a little sour cream, and some fresh dill, you've got a perfect appetizer. To glam up your ingredients, spread crackers on a platter, add a forkful of smoked salmon, mince the dill and mix it with the sour cream, add a dollop of the herbed cream on top of the salmon, then finish with a small sprig of dill. Beautiful!

2. Open-Face Mint Finger Sandwiches
One of the easiest and most elegant appetizers ever, all you need to do to make these delicious morsels is mix

Read More »from 9 Glamorous No-Cook Cocktail Party Appetizers

Getting clear winter skin just got easier

We're used to scrubbing, smoothing, and swiping our skincare on our skin, but right now, we're all about sticking! That's because the following pre-fab products, infused with powerful skincare ingredients, actually adhere to your skin-and work wonders while doing so. You apply them directly to problem areas, wait for the instructed amount of time, then remove them to reveal results. They're innovative, effective, and totally make you rethink the meaning of "patching things up."

Which are you dying to try?

Tighten the Eye Area

Aquatic Marine Crystal Eye Swirls

Macro Vintage Stretch Eye Sheet

Sue Devitt Aquatic Marine Crystal Eye Swirls ($60) boast a medical grade formulation developed to heal, hdtrate, and help restore the cellular structure of the delicate skin around the eyes.

Soothe Stressed-Out Eyes

Most Moist Water-Full Hydrogel Mask

Koh Gen Do Macro Vintage Stretch Eye Sheet ($60) is formulated with rich moisturizing ingredients and botanical extracts to heal the area around the eye for a brighter, refined and charismatic

Read More »from Trend Alert: Press-On Skincare

He likes to get good presents too!

Men can be impossible to shop for-particularly during the holidays. Cologne is too expected, tools are too casual and ties are too boring. Finding something he'll appreciate and use is a tricky task. After scouring the malls and online shops, we present you with eight gifts he'll love, and most importantly, not want to return.

Powerbag Messenger Laptop Bag

A bag with form and function

If your man loves his gadgets, he'll adore this messenger bag that not only transports his gear in style, it also charges all his devices on the go! That's right, this bag comes with an internal battery system that can simultaneously charge up to four devices at a time, so your man never has to worry about finding a power source for his Smartphone, tablet or MP3 player. Priced under $100, this is one high-tech gift that won't break the bank. Available at Best Buy.

Macallan Single Malt Scotch

The scotch lover's scotch

For the man who appreciates the finer things in life, skip the new fancy blazer or loafers and instead

Read More »from 8 Holiday Gifts Your Guy Won’t Return

Proofreading
While we can count on spell check to catch glaring errors, a computer can't pick up mistakes if you've simply used the wrong word. Homonyms-words that share similar spellings and pronunciations but have different meanings-are a big cause of unintentional embarrassment in written language. That's why it's so important to double- and triple-check your writing and not just rely on a computer program to proofread for you-especially considering so much of our professional communication is now done via email and not the telephone. The following 10 spelling errors are the most likely to be missed by spell check-making a less than ideal impression on the reader.


Its versus It's
According to a copy editing instructor for California-based copy editing service Edicetera, confusing "its" and "it's" is the most commonly made error in the English language. That one little apostrophe (or lack thereof) drastically changes the meaning of the entire sentence. "It's" is a contraction of "it is,"

Read More »from Common Spelling Mistakes Spell Check Won’t Catch

You can raise a glass while lowering calories!

Just because you're watching your figure doesn't mean you can't enjoy a couple cocktails this season! Whether you're hitting the holiday party circuit or just having drinks with friends, knowing the most diet-friendly drinks to order ahead of time will help fight impulse choices and keep you slim into the New Year. Here we reveal six cocktails that won't hurt your holiday waistline. Cheers!

Skinny Pirate
This is a pretty basic twist on rum and coke: combine one shot of Captain Morgan Spiced Rum with 5 ounces Diet Coke. Add a lime slice and it's good to go. Don't worry about it tasting "diet-y"-the lime and rum will mask the pesky aftertaste. It's worth it: this cocktail has only 80 calories.

Gin and (Diet) Tonic

Gin and diet tonic, a waist-watchers dream
Tonic water is surprisingly high in sugar, so if you're hankering for a gin and tonic, ask for diet tonic water or just good old plain water. Since gin is low in calories (64 calories an ounce!) you'll be able to partake in several of

Read More »from 6 Diet-Friendly Cocktails for the Holidays

White elephant gift exchanges-where guests bring a silly gift and take turns opening and stealing gifts from one another-are some of the most anticipated events on holiday calendars. This year, ensure your present is the one being stolen most often by wrapping up one of these wacky items.


Giant Gummy Bear
Giant Gummy Bear
This giant gummy bear on a stick ($12 from FredFlare) is a whopping 88 times larger than a regular gummy bear. The extra-large treat also packs a whopping 6,120 calories! It's equally terrifying and awesome, making it a perfect white elephant gift!


Yule-a-Go-Go!
Yule-a-Go-Go! DVD
Sure a DVD of a radiant fireplace scene is nice for the hearth-less, but why opt for the standard video when you can give the gift of a Yule log ($15 from MusicSpace.com) that also features sassy go-go dancers shimmying to Christmas carols.

SEE MORE: Sexy and Slimming Cocktail Dresses

Star Trek Pizza Cutter
Star Trek Pizza Cutter
Even non-Star-Trek aficionados have to admit this Starship-Enterprise-shaped pizza cutter ($19.99 at ThinkGeek) isRead More »from The Best White Elephant Gifts Under $25

Celebrities and makeup artists have a dirty little secret: As they get red-carpet ready, many of the beauty tools and products they use are from the everyday drugstore-and they cost less than $9! Here we reveal the 10 drugstore beauty products that celebrities and their makeup artists swear by.

Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser

The perfect facial cleanser, $9.19
For less than coffee and a scone at Starbucks, you can use the same facial cleanser adored by Jennifer Garner, Natalie Portman, and Jessica Alba. It also tops many dermatologists' must-buy lists. $9.19 at CVS

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara

Celebrity-length lashes, $5.93

It's no surprise that Maybelline's Great Lash Mascara is a makeup bag must-have-almost every celebrity sings its praises at one point or another. Recently, Kate Beckinsale told InStyle Magazine, "A lot of fancy mascaras flake and get cakey. This is really cheap, and you can get it anywhere." $5.93 at Amazon.com

L'Oreal Colour Juice Lip Gloss

Juicy color, $6.78

Lucy Lui swears by her L'Oreal's

Read More »from Celebs’ Favorite Drugstore Beauty Buys

Core strengthen while you work.

Just because you're stuck behind a desk all day doesn't mean you can't sneak in a little exercise. From chair dips to side bends, here are just a few mini-workouts you can do right in your cube-most without breaking a sweat, but still burning those extra calories!

Chair Dips
This exercise tones your arms by leveraging the weight of your body to do some dips off of your chair! Before you begin, make sure you chair is stable. If you have wheels, lock them. Sit in your chair and place your hands next to your hips. Move your behind to the front edge of your chair. Then, placing your hands to grip sturdily on the front edge of the chair, pick your behind off the chair and dip it towards the ground until your elbows make a 90-degree angle. Push back up until your arms are straight. Do two sets of eight dips and let the arm-toning begin!

Afternoon Ball Game
Core strengthening while you sit? You betcha! Every afternoon, just replace your desk chair with a stability

Read More »from 6 Calorie-Burning Exercises You Can Do at Your Desk