cheers to 2011

christmas was almost a week ago, and the new year is just over a day away.  tomorrow night my parents' are hosting their annual new year's eve party (with a twist).  this year they're not only celebrating the approach of 2011, they're ringing in our wedding year and inviting friends and family to toast craig and me as we enter into the official countdown to 11.5.11.

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my mom is the ultimate hostess and can make a party for 50 seem like a walk in the park.  and she's "trained" me and my sis, hannah, well.  the three of us can seamlessly maneuver around the kitchen prepping, chopping, cooking and baking with nary a word.  we can anticipate the others' moves and just know what needs to get done.  but this year, because craig and i are the "guests of honor", i don't know how much helping they'll allow me to do...

with my mom's natural hosting ability, i often take for granted that it's a true (and coveted) skill to host a good party.  here are some tricks, tips & techniques i've learned from my mom (a.k.a. the nice martha stewart).

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-plan out your menu - pick your recipes & review ingredients needed, and grocery shop a few days beforehand.  make whatever you can in advance.

-set up a bar - (not in the kitchen) when guests arrive make sure the bar is set and ready to go, that way they can get a drink even if the food isn't out yet.  don't have room for a fully stocked bar?  no problem.  get a few bottles of wine, some beer and do one signature cocktail.  guests will love it.  oh, and don't forget to buy extra bags of ice for the ice & wine/beer buckets.

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-take shortcuts - if people offer to bring something, let them!  if you're concerned about the cohesiveness of your menu, suggest they make something specific and send them the recipe.  trust me, it'll simplify their life too!  also, stick to a few good recipes that you do well.  no experimenting with new stuff.

-get in the flow - if you're doing appetizers/hors d'ouevres before dinner, put them around the house (again, not in the kitchen) to encourage people to move around and mingle (as they search for food : )

-set the mood - never underestimate the importance of music and lighting.  candles and low lighting put people at ease and music sets the tone for the party.  are you a classical or classic rock group?

-beautiful buffets - though sit down dinners are great, they're sometimes hard to pull off (i.e. more stressful).  instead, consider a buffet.  guests like the laid-back feel but that doesn't mean it can't be fancy.  add candles, crystal and silver to glam it up.  no aluminum chaffing dishes, thank you very much!

i hope you have a fabulous time ringing in the new year.  cheers to 2011!

have any fun plans?.

happy (birthday) hour

friday was my 25th birthday. that's right...i'm officially closer to 30 than 20. very strange. but anyway, i decided that i wanted a low-key birthday (but still wanted to celebrate) so craig and i invited friends and family to join us at our favorite local watering hole, bobby simone's, for happy hour(s). i mean, with 1/2 price cocktails and $3 guinness, who wouldn't have a good time?!

the bar was super crowded (way more crowded than usual), despite the fact that we got there at 5:15pm for the 5-7pm happy hour specials. even though it was packed, we managed stake our claim in a small corner and slowly expanded our territory as more and more of "our people" arrived. we visited (and drank) and ordered food (and drank some more). if you ever make it to bobby's, their cosmos are amazing - my personal fave of the countless that i've enjoyed over my 4 legal drinking years.

we all had an awesome time catching up and visiting and the time passed quickly. so, after 3 cosmos (i usually only get one or two because they're rather strong), happy hour was drawing to a close, so we headed out. when we pulled into our driveway, i realized there was an unexpected vehicle - my cousin's, who hadn't been able to make it to the happy hour celebration. (to my credit, much earlier in the night, i told craig i thought something was up, but i didn't know what exactly. his goofy smile and attempt to deny that anything was going on confirmed my suspicions...)

craig & me

i got out of the car and walked into a lovely party. there were streamers and balloons and my favorite people. erin and brian, cate and chad and my sis, hannah. the girls had made a delicious spread of gourmet pizzas, antipasto salad and a feta and mushroom tart. everything was so yummy and the cosmos (slowly) wore off as we enjoyed girl talk at the table while the boys talked about who-knows-what (probably sports and work would be my guess) in the family room. it was a great birthday with great friends. thank you guys! you're the best!!!

my only request: next time you're planning a surprise for me, craig, reign me in a bit. i thought i was going home to pjs and pizza. had i known there was a party lurking in the wings, i would have passed on the 3rd cosmo and had some champagne with my girls instead : ).

dinner with friends (alternate title: champagne & jell-o shots)

champagne & jell-o shots

last night craig and i had 4 of our very best friends - cate, chad, erin & brian - over for dinner.  with summer weekends numbered, we decided to get together for one last warm weather hurrah before the fall craziness sets in.  erin & brian are getting married the end of october, so needless to say, they have a lot of busy weeks coming up.  (just to catch you up to speed, cate & chad are getting married in june of 2011, and craig & i are getting hitched november 5th, 2011!)  fun times ahead : )

well, back to the party.  we actually invited them over for a "bbq", but since i was working until 6pm, i had to make all the food in advance.  i decided to make sausage with peppers and onions.  ok, ok, i know that doesn't sound all that gourmet, but it turned out pretty good, if i do say so myself.  (i actually got caught squeegeeing my own plate last night to savor the last few remnants of sauce - good thing they're good friends!) 

i opted for chicken and turkey sausages - a spinach & feta, a mild italian and a white wine, parsley & garlic.  i sauteed chopped vidalia onions and red peppers in olive oil in a large pot.  i pan seared the sausage separately, chopped them and then added the sausage and pan drippings to the onions and peppers, added a jar or so of good marinara sauce as well as a can of chopped tomatoes and presto!  pot-o-sausage&peppers&onions.  to really make it a homerun, i made homemade bread.  (it's much easier than it sounds - but it always impresses.  thank you, hannie!)  i made a pesto loaf and also a garlic loaf.  yummy!  cate brought a fresh, delicious green salad with countless farmer's market toppings and erin made super good cauliflower & curry dip that she served with whole grain tortilla chips as an appetizer.  we ate well.  and drank well too...

i greeted my guests with two pitchers of fun summery drinks.  a simple sangria (and when i say simple, i mean simple) - one bottle of red wine plus (don't laugh) two 24oz cans of mike's hard lemonade.  yes, that's right.  i'm classy, i know.  but it did the trick.  i added fresh squeezed orange slices and added fresh peach slices and ice.  it was good and went down a little too easy.  the other pitcher was spiked iced tea.  sun tea + (don't laugh, again) two 24oz cans of twisted tea.  (don't judge, the large cans were leftovers from a fun trip to ohio to see my sis.)  again, i classed it up with some fresh lemon slices.  both drinks were refreshing and the guests had no complaints.

since i was at work all day, craig was at the helm for the day-of-party prep, and boy oh boy, did i train that boy well!  the cottage and yard looked beautiful.  the lights were on, candles were lit, dinner was simmering, music was playing, the yard was prepped with table and chairs and the fire pit was awaiting a match.  well done, craig.  well done.

after drinks & appetizers accompanied with wedding talk, girl talk and a few rounds of quoits (a yard game kind of like horseshoe but better), we enjoyed dinner at the dining room table inside.  the dinner was enjoyed by all and yes, as i mentioned, i did a hostess "no-no" and practically licked my plate clean.  (i know you've done it too at one time or another.)

on to dessert.  the boys headed outside to light the fire pit and we "prepped" dessert.  meaning i got the marshmallows, hershey's bars and graham crackers out of the pantry : )  i mean, honestly, is there anything better than s'mores on a cool summer evening?!  dessert was paired with champagne.  we uncorked the veuve clicquot that my parents gave craig and me when we got engaged and toasted to the inexplicable twist of fate that we're all engaged at the same time.  (erin, cate and i have been friends for years - i've known cate since i was two, and erin is my cousin.)  i don't think we ever would have imagined in all our childhood discussions that we'd all be at this life step at the same time.  it's wonderful and has been a lot of fun!

so what's the only thing that can make s'mores and champagne and summer and hanging with good friends even better?  raspberry jell-o shots.  chad seemed especially appreciative, but come on, what says "party!" and "fun!" more than good old-fashioned jell-o shots?!  it was a fun time.  a really fun time.

me, cate, erin

well, thanks to a brilliant team effort on all fronts, the party was a huge success.  the only one who didn't enjoy it (unfortunately) was little olive, our dog.  she hid in her crate all night.

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