Jordan Reid, halfway to her master’s in hospitality, thinks dinner guests have responsibilities!

She answers a reader’s petulant bortching about having to do the dishes after she hosted a dinner party with a long list of excuses about why SHE didn’t help the host of the last party she attended. Basically it reads like a big OMG IM SORRY FRANNIE post, rather than Jordan nutting the up and telling Reader Becky to shut up and do the dishes like an adult hostess.

Commenters telling her that her excuses of  long term friendship aren’t needed since grown-up hosts do the prep and clean up at their parties got this response from Jojo:

And I do think that there is a social expectation of expressing gratitude for being invited to someone’s home by bringing a token gift (nothing fancy necessary) or helping out in some small way.

No Jordan. There isn’t. Your social obligation as an invited guest is to be pleasant and polite, compliment their spread, and say your thank yous and leave at an appropriate time. You can send thank you cards or a bottle of wine or flowers the next day if you had some sort of extraordinary experience.

I think Jordan has this problem of confusing “dinner party” with “having one or two friends over to hang out with pasta”. It’s not the same thing, Jordan. Sure if Becky and Melissa want to come have another dress up party and eat some Ragu, yes, it would be nice if they brought over their own two buck Chuck. But if you are hosting an actual dinner party where you INVITE 4-12 people over, set out a dining spread, and serve dinner, you are expected to provide the viands and vino, clear the table and wait until your guests leave to do dishes and clean up.

Not every “dinner party” is a patio meal with guac and pasta, Jordan. How you could grow up in NYC moving in the crowds you move in, and expect your GUESTS to help you clean is beyond me. Then again we are talking about a woman who brags about the fact that she can fold a napkin into a uterus shape.

Jordan Reid, famous interviewee and founder of Reblogging Mediocre Homemaking Tips, has more invaluable tips to share! Seems Jojo is going to be travelling a lot soon; “Canada, Los Angeles, and San Diego”. Instead of just staying at a hotel, she will be treating her friends and family like free hotels. But hey, she’s not a rude cow! She intends to bring amazing, useful, thoughtful gifts!

HOSTESS GIFT SUGGESTIONS

– A treat (or two) from your hometown (e.g. Buckeyes if you’re coming from Ohio, salt water taffy if you hail from Cape Cod, or some Cajun spices if you’re from down New Orleans way).

– Some simple, chic stationary embossed with your host’s first or last initial (I lovethese from Crane, and use them for everything).

– A cookbook or decor book that you really think they’d enjoy (the more personal and tailored to their individual tastes, the better).

– A neat kitchen item that they’re unlikely to have (like this Ebelskiver filled-pancake pan or this Urban Outfitters Snoopy Sno-Cone Maker).

– Anything at all from Lush (incredible bath & body products, including the famous “bath bombs”).

– And if you have no time to shop around, a gift card to the movies or a local restaurant is always appreciated.

Yes, inspired by her Ohio friends lugging some mason jars to NYC for her, Jojo is going to bring you some stationary and Snoopy Sno-Cones. Which hey that’s very nice or whatever, but why not save the geedee money and just stay at a hotel? You can see your pals without moving into their space.

An URBAN OUTFITTERS Snoopy Sno Cone maker. I just….I can’t.

While us plebes wait for healthcare reform and survive on cheap fatty food, Mary Rambin has gone where the health is:

With a fresh pineapple margarita. Case and point: Mexico is healthier than the States.

I get that she loves Mexico, but has she seen any part of it beyond Rich White Guy’s House And Town? I mean, the WHO website doesn’t make Mexico sound like a total third world, but it’s not exactly a nation full of organic vegans who walk 5 miles a day because they are concerned about their health.

Attention: Jordan Reid, woman who treats dumpsters like a ramshackle Ikea, does NOT have bedbugs! (We do not know this, but our lawyers  want us to say that.)

Woke up this morning to the charming discovery that I spent the night cuddled up with a mosquito. Fortunately, I remembered this little tip for instant itch relief: just dissolve a couple of Alka-Seltzer tablets in some water and apply the mixture to the bite. Alka-Seltzer is presently fizzing away in a glass on our kitchen table while I smack at my ankles (no scratching!) inantici…pation.

It is very likely that waking up from your bed with bites on your body could have resulted from a very determined mosquito biting you multiple times as you slept. (Our lawyers suggest those of you in central Texas can totally confirm that mosquitos regularly get under your covers and bite you several times while you sleep through the stinging carnage.)

We repeat: Jordan Reid Berkow does (probably) NOT have bedbugs. Right?

Ok.

Jordan Reid, lifestyleanista, took time out from her busy job to share some AMAZING info:

Because he knows me quite well, Matt brought me just about the perfect gift when he visited from Ohio: a case ofBall Mason jars. I adore these things, both because they can be used in about a billion different ways, and because they’re just so simple, old-fashioned, and gorgeous. I plan to use a few as drinking glasses (I have a little habit of breaking mine, and could use some extras), a few for fruit infusions, and a couple as vases.

More ways to use Mason jars:

– Storing jams and jellies (check for cracks and chips first; only perfect-condition jars can be used for food storage)

– Loose change jar

– Storing sewing supplies/cotton balls/odds-and-ends

– Storing homemade vanilla extract

– Creating recipe-in-a-jars

– Candle vases

– Storing dry goods (sugar, flour, pasta, etc)

– Catching fruit flies (just fill them with a mix of sugar and water, and punch holes in the top that are just big enough for the flies to get through)

– Elegant beverage service at a party, as pictured above (image via FarFlungFiancee)

The best places to find Mason jars are at your local thrift stores and flea markets (you can find some really gorgeous colors and patterns), but they can also be purchasedonline, or at pretty much any hardware store.

Did you know you can PUT STUFF in jars? IN JARS, PEOPLE. You can use jars to STORE STUFF. You do not need to be an Appalachian housewife with an overgrown currant bush and a penchant for pickled crappie to use glass jars as containers in which to contain things.

You guys, the game is getting so A that I just may have to shut RBRG down. There’s just nothing to snark here.

My dad just cleaned my computer. Now it looks like a bold fresh piece of machinery. #foxfan #oydad26 minutes ago via TweetDeck

Sklarge is a  truly an independent woman doing great things for gender equality!

Jordan Reid, wifemaster of Kenny and founder of a website that apparently reblogs Real Simple, gives us a fascinating lesson in how frozen water works:

Too pretty: Instead of dumping a whole mess of ice cubes into your punch bowl, freeze some water in a Bundt pan, and then pop it out to create a beautiful ice ring that keeps your punch chilly without diluting it.Image via RealSimple.

Yes Blissers: if you don’t want your ice to dilute your punch, don’t use REGULAR ice; use special ice made in Grandma’s Mahjong Party Cake Mold! Keep your liquids cool with a frozen liquid dumped in that at room temp will obviously hold its integrity thanks to its FUN SHAPE! Thanks Reblogging Real Simple!

(Note: Not included were tips like freeze with lemon and orange slices, or even edible flowers in the mold to add colour or freeze some of the actual punch so when it melts, more punch! If she read Reblogging Partypants’ Grandma’s Ladies Club Party Tips she would know this.)