Tastefully Simple Party

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I hosted a Tastefully Simple party last night.  Nyree dropped off a bunch of litttle packets with recipes on them and I cooked them up.  Each thing had a couple of ingredients for me to provide. I had a bunch of things to cook – I started cooking at 4:00 the day of ‘cause I wanted things to be fresh and the hot things to be hot.  There was a potato, green bean and chicken skillet, a baked penne beef and cheese dish, a spinach and herb dip, a bacon and cheese dip, apple cake with a cream cheese frosting, beer cheese soup, beer bread, hot chai- I could have probably started some things a little earlier, since the Chai and the Beer Bread were too hot and had to cool a bit before they could be served.

            Everything was just as advertized – very quick and easy to make, and pretty complete, with only a few ingredients to add.  I had two recipes to prepare that were based off of seasoning mixes – the Rustic Herb Mix in the chicken potatoes & green beans, and the Mama Mia Marinara Sauce Mix for the baked penne pasta.  Both were quick, you could make a family meal in around a half hour, and both were easy, with just a few additional ingredients.  The seasoning mixes were both very well constructed.  They had lots of flavor elements and packed a punch.  When I put the Rustic Herb Seasoning in the butter for the Rustic Herb Braised Chicken & Potatoes, the smell was incredible.  My son who was not staying for the party came into the kitchen and asked if there would be leftovers. (I promised I would save him some). 

            For those who haven’t had any Tastefully Simple products, these things are designed to make weekday dinners quick and easy to prepare.  They’re not super economical, unless you compare them to eating out.  They’re kind of boutique products, very high quality, your friend has already prepared them, and you’ve tasted them, so you already know if you like them, and can ask questions about preparation.  I would consider them an alternative to take out, or fast food – healthier and less expensive because they make a last minute dinner come together in the same amount of time it would take to order a pizza.  But like all convenience foods you sacrifice something in terms of cost.  I’m sure there are people who could afford to eat like this every night, but I can’t really.  Not every night.

            I think for people who are interested in this kind of thing for making money, this is a good idea.  Your friends and coworkers will run out of stuff and need to reorder, so additional parties are worthwhile.  Other kinds of parties that sell more durable goods (Tupperware or jewelry or whatever) can only sell the same community so much before everybody's tupper cupboard is full. 

For those of you who are curious or who have fallen out of communication with your previous rep, my rep is Nyree Spurrier tsnyree@gmail.com  and she can fix you up.