Setting the Table | Holiday Entertaining

Comfy Company | Holiday Entertaining

If you have guests staying with you for the holidays, nothing will be more relaxing for them and you than if you plan a few details ahead of time. You should make sure that your guests have tasty meals, fresh bath items and a comfy place to sleep.

You plan should start with a menu, but remember to be flexible. You may want to go out for a day of fun. So, as you plan your menu think about a meal that might be easy to pack up for a yummy picnic or take a break and introduce your guests to your favorite local eatery. For times when you are hanging around the house, stock your shelves with plenty of tasty snacks. Goodies for late night movie watching might include hot cocoa mix, assorted teas (be sure to have milk and sugar on hand), a couple of different kinds of cookies and some microwave popcorn.

We like to start with a big breakfast on days at home. Recently we discovered Trader Joe's Pumpkin and Waffle Mix. With holiday spices like fragrant cinnamon, these pancakes are perfect for the season and delicious, especially with a great maple syrup and a side of Canadian bacon. It's so good that we had it for dinner the other night!

If you're making dinner for your guests, you may want to prepare a something that is easy and plentiful. Check out the Silver Palate cookbook's L'inverno Pasta. Rich with walnuts, olive oil, garlic ham and a melty cheese, you leave the flavors to blend for several hours. When its time for dinner all you do is boil the pasta and toss it together. You can add a crisp green salad and buttery French bread for a wonderfully scrumptious and quick meal.

After your delicious dinner, you can have movies on hand for everyone to watch. A couple of my family-friendly favorites are the Princess Bride and Some Like it Hot. You can also leave some magazines or local newspapers on the nightstand for folks who like to read before bed.

Whether your guests are in a guest room or on the couch, make them a comfy place to sleep.  Clean sheets and a stack of extra blankets are a must. Let you guests know which bathroom to use and point out the fresh towels you've left for them, Think about putting a basket of travel size bath goods on the bathroom counter too.

When you plan ahead and let your guests know where to find what they need, you can kick back with a cup of coffee or a glass of wind and and catch up with visiting friends and family this holiday season.

Candle Power

 Years ago during a blustery dark rain storm our power went out for several hours. Our daughter, Allegra, was in elementary school at the time and after a few scary minutes of searching out a flashlight in the dark, she happily helped us gather up a bunch of candles. We filled our fireplace with many of them, added a few more on the mantle and elsewhere around the living room. After the glowing candlelight filled the room we made a snack and gathered around the coffee table to play a board game. Allegra was in seventh heaven. So when all of the lights and the TV came back on, we turned them off and went back to candle power.

A few weeks later Allegra asked if we could have another "No Electricity Night." As you may have guessed, we continue to have the occasional night without electricity. Usually turning the clocks back in the Fall and the dark evenings prompts us to have a No Electricity Night. The cozy warmth of candlelight creates a wonderful sense of togetherness.

These days we have moved on from playing Chutes and Ladders to dominoes or gin rummy. I imagine we could even have a No Electricity Night party with our friends. Think of the energy we could save if if everyone held a party by candlelight once a month. Try it!

Invite the Whole Neighborhood! | Entertaining and Family Fun

We had our annual block party a few weeks ago and as always a great time was had by all!  Once every year, after school starts and before the coastal autumn turns into chilly winter, we have a neighborhood block party in our cul-de sac. Everyone from preschoolers to our 90-something neighbor, Flo, shows up. These days its not really surprising that when I tell people about our annual party they tell me that they don’t really know their neighbors. If you want to get to know your neighbors, a block party is a great way to start and keep connections and it builds a sense of tradition and community. When we first moved into the cul-de-sac we didn’t know a soul on our street. Our now-friends and neighbors on the corner Rick and Colleen started the tradition with a potluck in their garage. The street we live on is only two blocks long so it was easy to make room for everyone! As our tradition grew so did the crowd and several years ago we moved the party into the cul-de-sac. Here’s how you can begin.

The first way we stay connected is through a list of names addresses and phone numbers that Kit, one of the neighbors, puts together. Kit contacts each household on the street and creates a list with the names and ages of everyone in the house. She then makes a copy for each house and the street and brings them to the block party. Its just one way we can look out for each other.

When school starts we sit down with our calendars and pick a date. I make the invitations and Rick and Colleen walk door-to-door and deliver them. If it is your first neighborhood party it will probably be best if you introduce yourself and let people know what you are planning. We keep it really simple and just ask that folks bring an appetizer, side dish or dessert to share. Rick and Colleen are beer connoisseurs so they bring a small keg of a small batch brewery beer. Other items that people contribute are: pop-up shade tents, card tables, patio chairs, table cloths, napkins, utensils and name tags. I suggest that people write their name in permanent marker on the back of any serving dishes they bring. I went to a kitchen outlet store and bought a couple of plastic platters for just this kind of purpose and they have come in really handy (sometimes we use them for hors d’oeuvres night at home, but that’s another story).

The day of the event people start pulling into the cul-de-sac about an hour before the party is to start. One year it was our next-door neighbor girl’s birthday and they rented a bounce house. That was a big hit. You can plan activities if you have the time. We simply set up the food under one pop-up and a table and chairs under another and the people and food just start pouring in. The adults sit and chat and the kids play. You could give out an award for the family who has lived on the block the longest or to the youngest and oldest guests.

We all eat some wonderful food. This year, our friends Kathy and Russ brought a fantastic marinated shrimp dish. Kathy marinates the shrimp overnight in brine with ginger and spices. The result is plump and flavorful and she adds a chili dip on the side to go along with it.  I’ll try and get the recipe!

I found a fun web site from the UK from an organization called Streets Alive. You may find some fun ideas here http://www.streetparty.org.uk/ . If you visit the site you will notice that they are big on “bunting.” Bunting is a stringer of flags that you hang to make the area look festive. I am going to look for some for next year.

Let me know if you have a block party and please share any ideas for fun activities. Finally, I want to send a big thank you to Rick and Colleen for beginning a neighborhood tradition that has become an event that many of us look forward to every year!