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Come Party With Me: Tree Trimming - The Look

partysugar — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 10:53:50 -0800

With lights, ornaments, and the tree, Christmas is a busy holiday in terms of decorations, but if you let the tree be your focal point, it's easy to create a clean look for any holiday cocktail party. Set a red table runner down the middle of a banquette. Place the appetizers on large gold chargers and arrange on the runner. On another table set out a clear punch bowl, wine, beer, and versatile stemless glasses. The minted brownies look scrumptious when displayed on a three-tiered dessert tray.

Stick the brownies on the bottom two trays and fill the top with candy canes. Stack shiny green appetizer plates and Christmas tree napkins near the food. Gold candles in various shapes and sizes and mini poinsettias are finishing touches to this elegant and sophisticated look.

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Come Party With Me: Tree Trimming - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:00:59 -0800

The holidays are a great time to break out the old punch bowl. I'll be dusting off mine Friday for a tree-trimming party and filling it with this sparkling pomegranate punch. Made with Prosecco and no hard alcohol, this red-hued concoction is a sublime blend of pomegranate juice, fresh squeezed orange juice, and limeade. You can mix the ingredients in advance and stir in the bubbly the moment guests arrive. Since it is the holidays, consider getting a sparkling jasmine tea for those who don't drink. Also have beer, water, and eggnog on hand. To look at the punch recipe, read more.

Sparkling Pomegranate Punch
From Food and Wine

Ingredients

1 quart pomegranate juice
2 cups fresh orange juice, strained
2 cups chilled limeade
One 750-milliliter bottle Prosecco
Lime and orange slices, for garnish
Ice
1 cup pomegranate seeds

Directions

In a punch bowl, combine the pomegranate juice, orange juice and limeade.
Pour in the Prosecco; float lime and orange slices on top. Ladle into 12 ice-filled glasses, sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and serve.

Serves 12.

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Come Party With Me: Tree Trimming - Dessert

partysugar — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:30:09 -0800

The best dessert for a holiday cocktail party? Something indulgent and chocolatey that can be made in advance.

This brownie recipe is perfect because it incorporates the festive flavor of mint and can be made the night before a party. To make the celebration even more sweet, I'll fill bowls with red and green M&Ms.

For the brownie recipe, read more.

Mint Chocolate Brownies
From Everyday Food

Ingredients

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
25 small (1 1/2 inch) peppermint patties

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on all sides; butter foil. Set aside.
Place chocolate and butter in a medium heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of gently simmering water. Stir occasionally just until melted, 4 to 5 minutes.
Remove from heat. Whisk in sugar and salt until smooth; whisk in eggs. Gently whisk in flour and cocoa powder just until smooth (do not overmix).
Spread 1/3 of batter in prepared pan. Arrange peppermint patties on batter in a single layer, leaving a narrow border on all sides. Top with remaining batter, and smooth surface.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 45 to 55 minutes.
Cool completely in pan. Use foil to lift from pan; peel off foil and discard. Cut into 16 squares (4 rows by 4 rows).

Makes 16.

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Come Party With Me: Tree Trimming - Menu

partysugar — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:41:43 -0800

I've invited some friends over this Friday for a holiday cocktail party. Since everyone (including moi!) will be attending a jewelry sample sale before, the snacks must be prepared in advance. Crostini with lentil and green olive spread can be made the night before the party. My dad will bake the brie with mango chutney twenty minutes before we arrive, so it's warm and gooey the second we walk in the door. A smoked salmon platter with dill sour cream waits chilled in the fridge and mini beef slider patties cook quickly.

To look at these recipes, which would be awesome for any holiday event, read more.

Crostini With Lentil and Green Olive Salad
From Food and Wine

Ingredients

1/2 pound lentils, preferably from Abruzzi, rinsed and picked over
1 small onion
1 garlic clove
1 bay leaf
1/2 dried red chile
1/2 pound green olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
1 large celery rib, thinly sliced
1 large shallot, minced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
24 small thin slices crusty country bread
1 small fresh red chile, very thinly sliced lengthwise

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°. In a medium saucepan, generously cover the lentils with water. Add the onion, garlic, bay leaf and dried chile and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Drain the lentils, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid; discard the bay leaf and chile.
In a medium bowl, mash 1 cup of the lentils with a potato masher, then stir in the remaining lentils.
Add the olives, celery, shallot, 1/4 cup of olive oil and the vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the reserved 1/4 cup of cooking liquid.
Arrange the bread slices on a cookie sheet and bake for about 8 minutes or until thoroughly crisp. Drizzle the crostini with olive oil and generously spoon the lentil salad on top. Garnish the crostini with slivers of red chile and serve.

Serves 6-8.

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Brie With Chutney
From Better Homes and Gardens

Ingredients

1 8-ounce round Brie cheese
5 tablespoons mango chutney
Assorted crackers

Directions

Preheat oven to 325°F. Split brie in half horizontally.
Snip any large pieces of chutney. Place bottom half of cheese in a small shallow ovenproof dish. Top with 4 tablespoons of the chutney. Top with remaining cheese half. Spread remaining 1 tablespoon chutney over top of cheese.
Bake, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes or until cheese is softened but not runny. Serve with crackers.

Serves 4 - 6.

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Smoked Salmon Platter with Dill Sour Cream
From Bon Appétit

Ingredients

1 pound sliced smoked salmon
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
Crackers or bread

Directions

Arrange salmon slices on large platter.
Mix sour cream and dill in small bowl to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Spoon sour cream mixture in center of salmon. Sprinkle shallots and capers over salmon. Serve salmon platter with crackers or bread.

Serves 8.

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Mini Beef and Sage Sliders With Gorgonzola
From Every Day With Rachael Ray

Ingredients

12 mini dinner rolls, split
1 garlic clove, halved
Extra-virgin olive oil for liberal drizzling
1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
10 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1 large shallot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups baby spinach, thinly sliced
3/4 pound Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Directions

Preheat broiler to high. Place the rolls on a broiler pan and toast until golden. Rub with the garlic and drizzle with olive oil.
In a medium bowl, combine the beef with the Worcestershire sauce, sage, shallot and parsley; season with salt and pepper. Divide into 4 equal pieces and form 3 sliders from each piece, 12 mini sliders total.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with a drizzle of oil.
Cook the sliders for 3 minutes on the first side and 1 to 2 minutes on the other side for medium.
Top each bun bottom with some spinach, a slider and a few cheese crumbles. Place under the broiler to melt the cheese a bit, about 30 seconds, then set the bun tops in place.

Makes 12 sliders.

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Come Party With Me: Tree Trimming - Invite

partysugar — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:15:11 -0800

This weekend my girlfriend is hosting a holiday sample sale for her jewelry line. After the sale, I've invited everyone over to my house for a tree-trimming party. The event will kick off the holiday season, so I want it to be festive and fabulous in everything from the invites to the specialty cocktail. Since many of you are probably hosting your own holiday soirée, take my ideas and convert them into your own party. I've already made and sent the invites. To learn how I created the one seen here, read more.

To make a similar invite you will need the following supplies:

image of a Christmas tree
transparent paper
red cardstock
glittery red paper
rhinestone brad
scissors
glue
computer and printer

To assemble the invite:

Create a new document in Microsoft Word. Drag and drop the Christmas tree image into the document.
Insert a text box next to the tree and write out the details of the party. I used the font Big Caslon in size 14 Bold to write this message:

Please join me for tree trimming, cocktails, and hors d'oeuvres to celebrate the season!  Friday, December 5th, 2008  Party to follow the Robindira Unsworth holiday sample sale  
PartySugar’s House, Petaluma, CA

Print out on plain paper and have someone look over it, checking for grammar and spelling mistakes. Once satisfied with the look of the text, print on the transparent paper.

Cut down to size and set aside.
Glue the red sparkly paper to the cardstock and cut off any excess paper.
Stick the rhinestone brad through the transparent paper on top of the Christmas tree. Jam through the sparkly cardstock to attach the two pieces. Close the brad.

Cut the sparkly cardstock down to size. Slide into an envelope and send.

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Tree Trimming Invite: Step by Step

partysugar — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:54:45 -0800

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How Many Holiday Parties Are You Attending This Year?

YumSugar — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 08:30:08 -0800

Since corporate holiday parties are at an all-time low, I thought I'd take an unofficial poll to find out how many parties you'll be attending this season, if any. This count includes company-sponsored functions, house parties, tree trimmings, and Christmas Eve dinners, or any other holiday-related events. Did you still throw a party of your own? Did you and your friends party less this year?

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