My husband and I haven’t hosted a party in forever, probably since before the pandemic, but we’re forging ahead with a modest gathering on the 23rd of December (Christmas Adam).
You’ve probably seen my post about the thrifting I’ve been doing for additional Christmas decor–both for the basement/den and for the party, along with some glassware/pitchers for the party. If you haven’t, you can find those just a few posts back.
We’ll have some folks that have dietary restrictions, and some strong food dislikes, so I think we’ve put together a menu that accommodates gluten free folks and those that don’t like cheese.
Menu:
Smoked Ribs (obviously)
Shrimp with cocktail and remoulade sauces
Deviled Eggs
Spinach Artichoke Dip with tortilla chips (I am going to buy this at Costco)
Pigs in Blankets
Sundried Tomato Spread with Goat cheese and toasts
Gluten free brownies with dark chocolate ganache (I may put a layer of cherry or raspberry filling on these too) (These are from America’s Test Kitchen, and if I didn’t tell you they were gluten free, you wouldn’t know.)
Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Biscotti
From a serving standpoint, this is a reasonably easy menu to work with. There are only a couple of things that need to be served warm which I can do with a couple of chafing dishes (ribs and pigs in blankets). We will keep the bulk of the ribs warm in a large crockpot and move them to the chafing dish as needed and warm the pigs in blankets in the oven just before the party starts. Everything else will be served on platters or cake plates to add some height. I have a great 2 tier basket situation that I found at the thrift store in ATL that I will use for the toasts and tortilla chips. I will put out a small bowl of gluten free crackers for the sun dried tomato spread. All of these items can be prepared in advance, so there won’t be any last minute cooking required, and my kitchen won’t be a wreck when guests arrive.
One thing that a lot of people don’t think about is making a clear place for people to put their used dishes and utensils. I have a little dog that will be loose during the party, so I need to be sure that people are disposing of these items out of her reach so that she doesn’t decide to “help out”. I will set up a tray table with a bucket (for the ribs/scraps) on it just by the door to the deck for people to stack their plates and flatware on, so people don’t put everything in the sink. If you’ve ever had to sort that out at the end of a party, it’s not fun.
Drinks:
I will also have some batched cocktails ready. I like to give people options, so we’ll have a bourbon drink, a rum drink, and a vodka drink (and all of these can be put together ahead of time.)
Here’s what we’re serving:
Planters Punch (rum, grenadine, lime juice, and bitters)
Chai Ginger Old Fashioned (Chai infused bourbon, ginger simple syrup, and bitters)
Merry Mule (Orange flavored vodka, cranberry juice and ginger beer)
While I love a shaken cocktail served in a pretty coupe glass, I don’t think that will work with a group this size and I don’t want to serve as bartender all night. All of these drinks are either poured over ice and garnished, or mixed in a glass and topped with ice. That keeps things simple.
I’m thinking of putting out hot chocolate and mulled cider for anyone who’s wanting something cozy. I haven’t decided on that yet. Both can be made ahead and warmed up in the microwave and put into carafes. I’ll have to let you know the final decision on that. If I do, I will also set out some Amaretto and Frangelico for the hot chocolate, and some cinnamon whiskey for the mulled cider.
We will also have sparkling water, beer and wine. We will set the drinks up in the laundry room–putting the beers, sparkling waters, and white wine in the laundry sink with ice. We’ll set up the mixed drinks on the counter that we use to fold laundry. I will have tags on each drink and instructions for how to prepare it along with glasses, a huge bowl of ice, and garnishes. There will be plenty of cocktail napkins for the drinks. I will also put a recycling receptacle in the laundry room for cans and bottles.
Anyway, this is the starting point of the party planning. I have already starting making grocery lists for the various stores I’ll need to go to. As I get a little further along, I’ll post additional information on how we’ll pull this off without running ourselves ragged before the party, and enjoying the party when guests arrive.
Cathy At Home on the River 