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Holiday Entertaining: Ideas for the Rest of Us
Oakland Tribune, Oct 21, 2005 by Bev Bennett
You may describe your hosting style as glamorous, casual or trendy. But if you have an inner meltdown because you're so stressed you'll miss half the pleasure of your own bash.
You need to ease up and enjoy yourself, says Brini Maxwell, the queen of party panache. "So many people forget to relax and have fun. If you're relaxed your guests will be, too," says Maxwell, a Manhattan resident who hosts The Brini Maxwell Show on the cable television Style Network.
Don't get swept up in a fever of cooking and decorating if you don't have the time or energy. Your guests aren't going to notice whether your menu pays homage to cable television's Iron Chef or the carryout next door.
When it comes down to it, what you serve is secondary. "Bringing people together is what it's all about," says Maxwell, author of Brini Maxwell's Guide to Gracious Living (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2005).
In fact, the simpler the better. You don't want to be hostage to the kitchen and your guests don't want to fuss over the nibbles. By planning a menu you can make in advance with a few ingredients from the supermarket your inner party animal can be as calm as the one your guests see.
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Also, if when you need those cocktails for your favorite time of the year, just go to Your Recipe Drink Guide For The Holidays & Special Occasions
And the following are some books that you you may want to buy, as well :-
What to Drink with What You Eat: The Definitive Guide to Pairing Food with Wine, Beer, Spirits, Coffee, Tea - Even Water - Based on Expert Advice from America's Best Sommeliers
Wine Atlas of Australia
The Cocktail: 200 Fabulous Drinks
Hemingway & Bailey's Bartending Guide to Great American Writers
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Here are some tips to start.
Cruise your local supermarket or upscale food store and check out the instant party fare. You can set out an appetizing spread of pates, cheeses, artisan breads and olives without doing a lick of cooking. Seasoned nuts are a fabulous nosh. Look for packages of chile-dusted or honey-glazed nuts in your supermarket's snack aisle.
Set up in advance. Organize your favorite serving pieces so you're not searching for the right bowl at the last minute. Buy a set of cheap bar glasses to have on hand. Keep your decorations simple. You can't go wrong with a flower arrangement, and if you're strapped for time, get the bouquet delivered from a florist.
(As an aside, if you're concerned with kitchen or pet odors, put stargazer lilies on your list. The dazzling perfume will mask any unpleasant smells.) Serve buffet style. If you have the space use one table for savory foods and a second one for desserts so guests aren't jammed together.
Include plates at one end, followed by platters of food and ending with napkins and tableware. Make one drink the house special. That way you don't have to juggle as many beverages. Old- fashioned drinks, including glogg, rum punch and wine punch, are fashionable now.
Got a Minute? Get a Theme
Having a theme can help you streamline your planning and pull party elements together. Even during the holiday season, you can choose any theme that pleases you, from a New Orleans shrimp fest to a chocolate and brandy tasting party.
Inspiration can come from the most unlikely place. Round shapes inspire Brini Maxwell. She creates cocktail party menus around balls: ham and egg balls, cheese balls and cheese dough wrapped around olives.
"Cocktail party food should be easy to carry with a drink. You need food you can hold on a plate while you're standing. Balls are perfect for that; they stimulate creativity," says Maxwell.
Her favorite edible in the round is a blend of cream cheese and blue cheese rolled in nuts or corn flakes. Her lettuce-covered topiary of round Styrofoam balls is both a centerpiece and a food holder.
To make the topiary, buy Styrofoam balls, wooden dowel rod, a flowerpot and plaster of Paris. Stand a dowel rod upright in a pot and fill it one-fourth full with plaster of Paris. Allow the plaster to firm up. Gently press one or two Styrofoam balls into the dowel rod.
Paint the dowel rod or cover with ribbons. Cover the Styrofoam balls with lettuce leaves and pin with toothpicks. Cover the lettuce with cheese balls or olives on toothpicks.
Easy on the Hostess
These recipes are so festive and effortless to make you'll be the life of your own party.
WINE PUNCH
3 bottles (750 ML each) dry red wine, chilled
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups brandy, chilled
1 cup Triple Sec, chilled
1/2 cup lemon juice, chilled
Block of ice
In a cup stir together 1 cup of red wine and the sugar until the mixture dissolves. Pour into a punch bowl. Stir in the remaining wine, brandy, Triple Sec and lemon juice. Stir well. Add a block of ice. Serves 14 to 20.
Note: You can also serve hot wine punch. Don't chill the ingredients. Heat the ingredients to a simmer in a large saucepan, then pour into a slow cooker and keep at a low setting during the party.
CURRIED WALNUTS
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon hot curry powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Grated rind of 2 oranges
2 cups walnut halves
Butter
1. In a small heavy-bottomed pot combine sugar, salt, curry powder, cayenne and orange rind. Stir well. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally with wooden spoon until sugar melts and turns golden, about 15 to 20 minutes. Do not allow the mixture to boil or it may burn. Stir in the walnuts and coat with sugar glaze.
2. Generously butter a cookie sheet. Spread the walnuts on the sheet. Set aside until the candy hardens and cools. Using a buttered knife break the nut mixture into bite-size pieces. Makes about 20 servings.
Note: You can make the nuts a day in advance and store in a container with a tight-fitting lid.
SAVORY PARTY TWISTS
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (see note)
2 egg whites
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Unfold puff pastry sheet and thaw at room temperature about 20 minutes or until pliable. Cut into 3 (about 10-inch long) strips. Cut each strip into 10 smaller strips, about 3 inches long, 1 inch wide.
2. Beat egg whites in a bowl. On a plate stir together cheese, chile powder and garlic powder. Dip each puff pastry strip into the egg white, then into the cheese mixture to lightly coat. Make one twist in each strip and place 1 inch apart on well-greased cookie sheet. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool. Makes 30 twists.
Note: You'll find frozen puff pastry in packages weighing about 17 ounces with two sheets per package. Use one sheet and return the second to the freezer, or double the coating to make 60 twists.
Setting the holiday bar
Sunset, Nov, 2005 by Molly Watson
Caterers and party planners know the key to a successful event is keeping things moving. Establish a separate bar area away from the food to encourage mingling and free up the traffic jam that tends to form around the buffet. Then use our tips to create a party-worthy holiday bar.
Choose a signature decorative element. In spots throughout the room, we displayed sugared fruits and greenery (lemons, kumquats, cranberries, and rosemary). Lightly brush the items with beaten egg white, cover completely with sugar, shake off excess, and let dry. (Note: Sugared fruits and herbs are not edible.)
Skip the full bar. Offer your guests beer, wine, and a cocktail, such as our Cranberry-Mint Infusion (recipe on page 79). For a four-hour party for 12, plan on serving one round of cocktails, and have a case of beer and about 5 bottles of wine on hand (one bottle serves 4 to 5).
Garnish cocktails with seasonal fruits. Cranberries, currants, citrus, and pomegranate seeds add a festive note. Garnish nonalcoholic beverages too (try pomegranate juice concentrate mixed with club soda and garnished with a thin slice of lime). And don't forget the ice: 1/2 to 1 pound per person is a good estimate.
Make the bar self-serve. Welcome your guests by pouring their first drink, then invite them to help themselves. Protect furniture by placing wooden trays or brightly hued placemats underneath bottles, ice bucket, and glasses. Provide extra napkins and glasses, and check on the bar every 30 minutes to make sure things are in order.
Cocktails to start
Sunset Nov, 2005 by Molly Watson
Cranberry-Mint Infusion
Mint tea and cranberry syrup combine in a glowing aperitif. To make enough for 12 cocktails, start by pouring 4 cups boiling water over 2 cups fresh mint leaves. Let steep 10 minutes. Strain and cool. Mean-while, in a 1-2 quart saucepan, bring to a boil 2 cups cranberries, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup water over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and let cool, then strain.
To make one cocktail, combine 1/3 cup fresh mint tea, 2 tablespoons cranberry syrup, 1 tablespoon limoncello, 2 tablespoons vodka, and 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice in a cocktail shaker full of ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a sprig of mint.
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Cocktail: fluted ruby
Sunset, Dec, 2004 by Abigail Peterson
Add good cheer--and a few antioxidants--to your next holiday event with pomegranate champagne cocktails. They couldn't be easier to prepare, so plan to mix a trayful at a time and enjoy.
For each drink, place a sugar cube in a champagne flute and add two tablespoons of pomegranate juice. You can use bottled juice (look for the Pom Wonderful brand in neighborhood supermarkets; www.pomwonderful.com for locations) or fresh (press sliced pomegranate halves on a citrus juicer, then strain juice through cheesecloth).
Fill the flute the rest of the way with chilled sparkling wine and stir gently.
As the holidays approach, most people often think of their favorite drink recipes. The seasons are a good time to get together and party or spend time with friends, and drink.
The types of drinks we usually have in mind are related to the jovial times. There are plenty of special occasions throughout the year, and different drinks depending on the special time.
Take for instance Christmas. This is a very special occasion, and for a good reason. During the Christmas season, we get together with our friends and family and have a good time.
With this season, eggnog is associated. A good festive drink recipe for Christmas would be eggnog supreme.
To make eggnog supreme, you will need the following:
24 separated eggs, 2 cups sugar, 1 quart bourbon, 2 cups brandy, 1 quart heavy cream, 2 quarts of milk, 1 quart vanilla ice cream, Nutmeg
Beat the egg yolks and sugar until thick. Add bourbon and brandy and stir thoroughly.
The liquor will cook the eggs. Add cream and milk and continue whipping.
Break up the ice cream and add. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold in. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg. This recipe will make about 30 servings.
Every festive time, offers its own unique drink; and Eggnog is the best when it’s the Christmas time. If you use eggnog for any other celebration, it wouldn’t be as good, because it’s generally associated with Christmas.
If you were to pull out eggnog at a 4th of July party, everyone there would probably look at you like you lost your mind.
The 4th of July also produces good drink recipes. The liberty cocktail is an example. To make one, you need:-
1 ½ oz apple brandy
¾ oz rum
a dash of simple syrup.
Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. This is an excellent recipe.
New Year’s Eve is another good time to celebrate. This is an occasion when people like to get together and have a good time
Most people likes to use alcohol as a way to bring in the New Year. And an excellent drink would be the Morning Glory.
To make this cocktail, you need:-
Champagne
Orange Juice
A
½ oz of triple sec.
Fill champagne glass with ¾ champagne, add orange juice and triple sec, and then garnish with an orange wedge.