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Impromptu Dinner Party Plan #1

partysugar — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 13:18:33 -0700

To encourage you to host more dinner parties, I'm starting a new series where I plan an impromptu dinner party and take you along for the ride! If you love to cook and get an itch to entertain, call up your friends and invite them to dinner tonight. With my tips, recipes, and ideas, you will find that a fabulous party can happen without hours and hours of planning.

Start by choosing a location and menu. We decided to make a big green salad and two pizzas: One Greek style vegetarian and another Spanish style meat.
Create a grocery list. Shop for ingredients. Keep it hassle free. We picked up pizza dough from the neighborhood pizzeria.
Create a game plan and delegate tasks. I was in charge of the pizza sauce and dough. Sasha was in charge of pouring wine and making the salad, Erica was in charge of setting the table and inviting friends, and my sister was in charge of music and mood lighting.
Remember an impromptu party is not supposed to be stressful, it's supposed to be fun!!

To take a look at the recipes, pictures, and a video from the dinner, read more

For simple appetizers, we served slices of manchego cheese and black olives.

Green Salad
From PartySugar

4 cups fresh arugula, washed and spun dry
1 avocado, cut into chunks
1 cup kalamata olives, pitted and cut in half
1/2 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
juice of one lemon
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons vinegar of your choice
1 teaspoon mustard
1/4 teaspoon each: dried dill, salt, and fresh ground pepper

Toss the arugula with the avocado, olives, and tomatoes.
In a small jar combine the oil, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, and spices. Shake vigorously.
Pour dressing over salad right before serving. Toss to coat leaves.

Serves 6.

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Party's Chunky Pizza Sauce
From PartySugar

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine
3 tablespoons fresh herbs (such as basil, parsley, thyme, oregano)
1 teaspoon dried herbs (such as basil, parsley, thyme, oregano)
salt and pepper to taste

In a large saute pan heat olive oil over medium heat.
Add onions to the pan and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute 2 more minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and saute stirring often for 4 minutes.
Add the wine and simmer until the wine is almost completely evaporated.
Add the tomatoes, fresh and dried herbs and mix to combine.
Simmer, stirring often for about 15 minutes. If you prefer a smooth sauce puree in a food processor or blender. But if you don't mind the chunky sauce spread on pizza.

Makes about 2 cups.

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Greek Inspired Pizza
From PartySugar

1 small ball fresh mozzarella
1 container crumbled feta
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 cup shredded fresh basil
1 cup Party's chunky pizza sauce
dough for 1 large pizza

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Roll the dough out to fit the pans that you have on hand.
Precook the dough for 5 minutes. Flip dough over in pan.
Top with the pizza sauce and a sprinkling of mozzarella and feta cheese. Evenly top with tomatoes, basil, and the rest of the feta.
Bake in the oven until cheese is bubbly and melted and crust is crisp, about 12 minutes. Slice into pieces and enjoy!

Serves 6-8.

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Spanish Inspired Pizza
From PartySugar

1 small ball fresh mozzarella
1 cup manchego cheese shavings
1 large red pepper sliced into 1 inch matchsticks
2 chorizo or hot sausages
1 cup Party's chunky pizza sauce
dough for 1 large pizza

Remove the casing of the sausage or chorizo and crumble into a heated saute pan. Cook the sausage over medium heat, stirring and crumbling into just cooked through about 8-10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Roll the dough out to fit the pans that you have on hand.
Precook the dough for 5 minutes. Flip dough over in pan.
Top with the pizza sauce and a sprinkling of mozzarella and manchego cheese. Evenly top with red pepper, sausage, and the rest of the manchego.
Bake in the oven until cheese is bubbly and melted and crust is crisp, about 12 minutes. Slice into pieces and enjoy!

Serves 6-8.

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Simple Tip: Turn Leftovers Into Dip

partysugar — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 09:01:38 -0700

It's easy to make too much food when hosting a party. It happens to the best of us. You over estimate guests' hunger or people who rsvped don't show. If you don't want to spend the next week eating leftover enchiladas from your Mexican fiesta, or a surplus of goat cheese frittata from your Sunday brunch, simply turn the leftovers into dips to serve at a future date:

Blend or process the enchiladas/frittata/leftovers in a blender or food processor.
Thin to the desired consistency with sour cream/yogurt/mayonnaise/condiment.
Bake in the oven for a hot bubbly dip, and serve immediately with tortilla chips, crackers or croutons. Or freeze and unthaw at your next impromptu dinner party or when guests unexpectedly visit.

No Fail Impromptu Party Menu

partysugar — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 08:01:38 -0700

I ended up throwing an impromptu dinner party last Wednesday. Instead of panicking, I took a deep breath, came up with an easy, manageable menu, and wrote out a grocery list. If you ever find yourself on the hosting end of an impromptu dinner party, be sure to check out my no fail planning tips.

For appetizers make one dip (I made a quick Sun Dried Tomato Dip that involved no chopping) and round it out with store bought goodies. Bowls of burst-in-your-mouth blueberries, salty black olives, crispy flatbread, and buttery french bread crisps can be plated in a matter of minutes. Chunk a few pieces of smoked gouda or other cheese and slice up some salami.

Choose a menu that is quick, easy and meat-free in case any vegetarians unexpectedly show up. Fresh Basil Pesto with pasta and a Green Salad With Citrus Vinaigrette is a simple meal that can be put together in under an hour.
For dessert, have everyone help out and make ice cream sandwiches.
Ask your guests to bring a bottle or two of wine.

What do you cook for your last-minute dinner parties?? Share your menus with me below!

To take a look at a gallery of images from my middle-of-the-week dinner, read more

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The Impromptu Dinner Party

partysugar — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 02:53:32 -0700

I've said this before and I'll say it again: I love dinner parties. I love intimate family dinners, elaborate planned meals with a group of select friends, and last night I was reminded of how much I love impromptu dinner parties. My mom ran into one of her best friends from college who asked us to come by her house for a quick drink. She lives in a beautiful house overlooking the bay and when we arrived, the house was filled with wonderful aromas of something delicious in the kitchen. Wine was poured, we got to talking and it turns out her husband had made a fresh pesto dish with basil fresh from his garden. He had the fixings for salad too and my dad happened to have a fresh baguette in his car that he had picked up at the Ferry building. I set the table in their dining room and BAM! instant dinner party! It was absolutely wonderful, good fun paired with fabulous food and company. But not everyone is like me and my hosts from last night, Dave and Michelle - so to learn a few tricks to pull off a successful last minute surprise dinner party, read more

When guests unexpectedly show up at meal time, look carefully through your fridge and pantry to get an eye for what ingredients you have and what you can make.
Choose pasta because it's filling, simple to make, and you can create a sauce with whatever components you have found: fresh herbs, canned tuna, tomatoes, or beans, leftover vegetables.
Use day old bread to make crisp toasted garlic bread.

Stock your pantry and fridge with dried goods, sauces, and vegetables. This way you will never be caught off guard on the nights when fate brings you a surprise guest. Have several bottles of wine on hand for effortless entertaining.
The most important thing is to not freak out, keep things uncomplicated: it's more about spending quality time with long lost friends or visiting family members.

Butterscotch Pudding Is Shockingly Easy, Sinfully Scrumptious

partysugar — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 08:00:25 -0700

Last week I got a text from an old college friend. She would be in town one night only and wondered if I wanted to get together for dinner. Since I'm a huge fan of impromptu soirées, I invited her and two other gals for dinner. With six hours to the dinner party, I frantically began to create a menu with appetizers, entree, and dessert. I wanted a dessert that was rapid, unexpected, and downright delicious. A dessert like Gourmet's fast butterscotch pudding.

From start to finish it takes less than 20 minutes to make. At first I was worried about it not setting quickly enough, but after chilling for three hours, it was thick, rich, and creamy. The girls were pleasantly surprised when I pulled the puddings from the fridge and totally satisfied after eating them.

The pure essence of butterscotch is apparent in each bite, and the pillowy whipped cream is a luscious accompaniment. The only thing I didn't like about this recipe was that it made exactly four portions and I was hungry for more! To delight your friends with this uncomplicated and nostalgic dessert, read more.

Butterscotch Pudding
From Gourmet

Ingredients

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons plus 2 tsp cornstarch
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
lightly sweetened whipped cream, for serving

Directions

Whisk together brown sugar, cornstarch, and 1/4 tsp salt in a heavy medium saucepan, then whisk in milk and cream.
Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking frequently, then boil, whisking, 1 minute.
Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla. Pour into a bowl, then cover surface with buttered wax paper and chill until cold, at least 1 1/2 hours.

Serves 4.

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Casa Quickie: Use a Beach Towel For Casual Summer Dining

CasaSugar — Thu, 14 May 2009 08:00:00 -0700

Leave it to Target to come up with yet another cool option for Summer dining. Partnering with event planner David Stark, a new collection of Americana-tinged outdoor tableware is ready to amp up your outdoor dining in the Spring and Summer months to come. I’m particularly fond of Stark’s idea for an on-the-fly outdoor dinner party. In House Beautiful he suggests using one of his Bandana Beach Towels ($12, available in June) for a tablecloth, saying, “Summer makes me think of spreading a towel on the ground for an impromptu picnic. So why not put one on the table?”

Find out how to get the complete look of this table at House Beautiful.

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Come Story Telling with me!!! The Completed Story

DearSugar — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 11:09:49 -0700

I hope you all enjoyed this new feature as much as I did! Your wild imaginations made for a great story line! To read the completed tale you all helped create, read more

This short week keeps throwing me off, I thought to myself as I unlocked my front door. Pushing the door open, I took my heels off, relieved. "Hmmm..." I said to myself. Today was Friday, time to relax! I made my way into the kitchen and poured a glass of water, and looked at the calender. "Meeting with client, check. Doctor appointment..check." I said. My eyes trailed to Friday, today. "OH NO!" I shrieked... I stared blankly at the calender, staring at the words "Boss coming for dinner at 6:45." It was already 4:20. what was I going to do?? Wait! I remembered reading something about hosting a no fail impromptu dinner party on YumSugar earlier at work! I ran over to my computer to open firefox when an email notification side tracked me. My gmail notifier was telling me I had an email from John, asking if 7:00 was good for dinner tonight. Apparently this was going to be more complicated than I thought! Normally I'd just cancel, but this was a date I'd been looking forward to for two weeks, and the ONLY chance I had to see him before we both left for vacation!

I cant cancel on my boss, and I cant cancel on him so I guess the only thing to do is to really turn it into a dinner party. I clicked the reply and typed in "6:30--my apartment, I want to cook something special," I didn't want to make it too conspicuous. I immediately ran over to my purse and grabbed my blackberry to send out immediate invites to some coworkers and some friends to make it seem like a real dinner party. It wasn't long before I had 7 RSVP "Yes's" and 5 "No's." I ran to the freezer and searched through to find ingredients for something tasty.

The choices were scant. Microwave burritos, microwave pizzas, and ice cream were all that lay lonely in my freezer. I frowned and closed the freezer. "What a predicament I've gotten myself into," I sighed. I stood still for a minute with my hand to my forehead. I walked to the phone. I couldn't believe I was doing this, but I dialed my mother for help. She picked up and of course "Of course ill help you," she said. "Meet me at the grocery store and we will whip something up." I grabbed my keys and bolted out to the car. I drove down the street with the trees passing by and the thoughts on my mind. What did I get myself into? I pull into the busy parking lot. The mesh of car stereos and summer heat mesh into my head. Gangster rap, Avril Lavigne, and my guilty pleasure Madonna all collide. I see a vacant spot. I parked the car, but before I ventured outside I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "I can do this, I can do this."

That was my mantra for the day. Right in front of the grocery entrance was my mother, looking happy as ever. One would think she took a shot of botox in the face while she was smiling. I loved the woman and all, but as I walked up to her she was already criticizing me.

"Darling you know you should be more prepared for situations like this, didn't I teach you better?", she said staring at me up and down. "I hope your going to do something with that hair of yours", she said as she pointed out my roots. My mother is always quick to point out my flaws. We made our way through the store and my mother was going on, and on about some dinner plate recipe she saw on Martha Stewart. " I think you should serve your guests simple finger foods to start", she said while taking a sample of the gourmet cheese. "Something light and easy" She kept going on her own tirade of how she wants to prepare my dinner. Dealing with this my whole life I figured how to ignore my mother.

It felt like our trip to the grocery store had taken a lifetime as we walked up and down every single aisle, my eyes staring into space, envisioning the dinner disaster. I looked at my watch and we'd been there 30 minutes. The cart was already loaded with an assortment of fancy cheeses, bottles of wine, and a variety of random foods I never thought I'd find myself cooking. I rushed my mother to the checkout and the bill made my jaw drop. Thankfully, my sweet, sweet mother paid for everything. Progress had been made.

Back at home I got down to business. I remembered something I had read on YumSugar about setting up stations of food so I set the cheeses and salami on the island in the kitchen and the olives and blueberries on a counter at the other end near the entrance way. Next I turned to the refrigerator to get out the chilled wine. I put it in the ice bucket and glanced around. What am I missing? It's 6:15, crap I forgot to get dressed. I run to my room to slip on my red strapless dress that was hanging on the back of my door. I looked in the mirror ans gawked because I had forgotten my boss was coming over too, not just my boyfriend. I ran back to my closet and grabbed a black knee length dress that always flattered me, put on some black pumps and quickly ran to the bathroom where I had ten minutes to put on some makeup. Just as my lipstick was painted on I heard the doorbell. Crap! I took one last look at myself and decided to grab the hairspray flip my head over and give it a little volume. As I ran to the front door, I hit the stereo to play a little music to set the mood. As I got to the door, I stopped, took a deep breath and put on my biggest "So glad to have you over" look and opened the door.

Thankfully, it was Samantha, my work best friend. After a fit of laughs I filled her in on the situation. She said she would help me keep our boss occupied while I was able to put in face time with John. I don't know how but she convinced me to change back into the red dress. Although Samantha reassured me that the red dress was safe enough to wear for the dinner, I couldn't help thinking that nevertheless it was inappropriate for a work-related dinner. I surveyed myself in the mirror and pushed a piece of hair behind my ear. I kept the dress on.

About an hour after Samantha arrived, the doorbell rang time after time. It wasn't long before the seven guests, including my boyfriend and boss arrived. My boss walked in with a ruffled look on his face, seeing a group of other people. Then I realized I forgot to tell him that others were coming. 'Um.. er.. hi Rachel. How are you?" he asked, clearly perplexed with the other guests in my apartment. "Great. Thanks for coming." I immediately pulled him into the room and introduced him to the others. hen he asked if he could speak to me, "outside". I said sure, but was getting a bit nervous over why he seemed upset there were other guests here, and why he needed to speak to me outside. When we reached the back door he said "Rachel, the reason I wanted to have dinner tonight was because I wanted to discuss with you..."

"OMG" I thought to myself. Um.. OK.. calm down.. ".. that I think you would be perfect for the position. And I wanted us to talk about the process of applying and essentially transitioning as my right-hand person." I'm sure I must have looked like an idiot. I stared him in the eyes with my head slightly tilted, looking confused. He coughed in the midst of an awkward silence and that seemed to wake me up. I started. "Oh my. Well -- I had no idea. Thank you so much for the opportunity. I really do appreciate it." I glanced sideways nervously and said, "I apologize for the presence of the other guests. If I had known the importance of the dinner, I would have made sure that the environment was a bit more professional."

"That is okay. I kind of like the atmosphere and it will be some nice mingling and networking with some of your fellow workers. Who else is here?"

Then I remember my boyfriend ws bringing over 10 of his old college buddies and a beer keg! OMG, I thought to myself....what am I going to do??? I frantically try to call my boyfriends cell phone....4 times, and no answer. I racked my brains to think, did I know any of his college buddies? Think, think! I called Samantha discreetly to my side and filled her in on John and the beer keg. "But I thought you said it was a date?" she said with a look of disbelief painted on her face. Yeah that's what I thought too! You need to stall them at the door...or better yet in the lobby downstairs. Tell John to come up, I want him to meet my boss but his friends cannot come in!" She laughed at the fact I was getting so worked up over this and replied with "Okay okay! Don’t worry, I am sure I can keep them all occupied downstairs with me." She sarcastically smiled and walked out of the kitchen. Samantha said she would be stepping out to the other guests and as she turned to the door I could see her spray some perfume on her neck and pull down the front of her dress a little bit...leave it to sam to be promiscuous in the face of an emergency.

After she left I grabbed the wine bottle and went around to refill glasses and to mingle. It wasn’t long before I heard the door open and saw John walking in. Thankfully walking in solo with some flowers and a big smile. He looked gorgeous, a pair of khaki slacks, a mint polo shirt and his sandy hair tousled with a little gel. I prayed to whatever God existed and thanked him/her that he hadn't shown up in a basket ball shirt and sneakers. At least he looked smart but casual! I came up to him with an obvious look of relief on my face.

"Sorry about the gang," he whispered sensually in my ear. "Forget about it!" I replied and hastily introduced him to my boss. "Joe?" he said. "Uh, you two know each other?" I said. "That's my son." My eyes opened wide. "OH.MY.GOD." I thought to myself. Could this ruin my promotion, or my relationship??

I just smiled, and Joe blurted in...
"Yeah Dad, she's my girlfriend, we've been together for a bit now." My boss kind of looked shocked, then said he couldn't of chosen a better girl for his son. I took a deep breath, so relieved.

The only way I could think to break the ice... "Well everyone, dinner is served!!"

Fun Ways to Get Together With the Girls

DearSugar — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 10:00:00 -0700

Sometimes it seems like we spend so much time focusing on new ways to go on a date or enjoy time with our guy that we forget there's an entire world of ideas for spending time with just our girlfriends. So in support of hanging with your ladies, I've come up with some ideas to make for a memorable time. But feel free to weigh in with other ideas of your own!

Host a good old-fashioned cocktail party with a signature drink and appetizers. Spice it up by asking your friends to each bring their favorite dessert. When you're not munching on finger foods, you can indulge your sweet tooth.
Get active. Slip on your tennis shoes and hit the courts, or pick a safe trail in your town and go for a hike. If guys can have pick-up football games, why can't girls have impromptu sunset strolls?
Take turns giving dinner parties and trading recipes. It's a fun way to bond and learn something new!

To see my other ideas, just read more.

Since most of us are trying to save money or can't take a few days off work for a vacation whenever we feel like it, try saving up to splurge on a cabin or house by the beach for a weekend together. It's a great way to actually relax for a while.
Try something completely out of your element! You can take a group self-defense class or sailing lessons. Exploring something new together is a great way to bond with your girls!
Throw an in-home dance party. You don't need a DJ or a full bar, just an iPod and your favorite bottle of wine. There's nothing like getting completely silly with your friends when there's no one around to watch!

And don't forget the Sex and the City night fall-back plan when all else fails. All it takes is a couple hours of good girl talk and a few hearty laughs to create the perfect get-together with your friends!

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Primer: Maximizing Space For a Party Part III

CasaSugar — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 06:33:17 -0800

If you read Maximizing Space For a Party Part I and Part II, you're almost an expert on rearranging furniture and maximizing space for a party, but not quite. So get the most of Home Entertainment month when you read more.

At any house party, it is highly unlikely that all of the guests will remain in one room. So make sure there is ample seating, lighting, tabletop space, food, drink, and general appeal in each room. For example, some people like to chat with the hostess while she cooks, so put some bar stools or arm chairs there—but obviously not anywhere in the way. Others want a place to play an impromptu card game, so put the coffee table in a smaller room.
If the weather is nice, and you have outdoor furniture, all of tips above should apply to your patio or deck as well.
If you're throwing a dinner party, make sure there are enough chairs to go around, and keep spare chairs nearby in case of a crasher. Break out the table leaf if necessary. Keep a buffet or console table in the dining room, so that guests can serve themselves seconds.
This probably goes without saying, but if you're going to be turning on Mark Ronson, make sure you have ample floorspace for dancing and chairs for guests who lose their breath.
Last but not least, unless you're throwing a movie night or Super+Bowl party, keep the TV off. Better yet, completely move it out of the way if possible, to make room for more drinks, etc., and nix the red-blooded temptation to turn it on.

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Come Party With Me: Chinese New Year Celebration

partysugar — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 13:58:12 -0800

Chinese New Year's Eve is tomorrow and it wouldn't be right if I didn't devote a little party planning to ring in the lunar calendar's first day of the year! Luckily Chinese New Year celebrations last for 15 whole days, so if you don't have time to throw an impromptu last minute party this weekend you can host one next week or weekend. Invite all of your friends to watch the local Chinese New Year parade (the one here in SF is March 3) and then head over to your house for a little fiesta afterwards. For the 411 on throwing this shin-dig, including invites, drinks, decorations and everything else you'll need, read more

Invites: Simplicity is chicness (and elegance) and make these invites simple but beautiful. On red paper hand write a message with gold ink along these lines

PartySugar Invites You To Welcome The Year Of The Pig With A Chinese New Year Celebration Dinner

If you have a pig stencil you could cut out the shape of a pig in gold foil and place it above the welcome note. On the back write the details of the event: when and where, what time and what type of dress, etc. Send the invites in pretty little red envelopes in honor of the Chinese tradition of giving money stuffed into red envelopes as New Year gifts.

Menu: The Chinese eat fish and dumplings on New Year to convey a sense of togetherness, abundance, and family. Start with YumSugar's pork and cabbage potstickers. For the main event offer Chinese style steamed fish with rice and noodles. If you're lucky enough to live near a Chinese store, you can purchase a Chinese New Year cake (or other pastries), or else you can take a stab at making Yum's westernized version: Chinese New Year Inspired cake, or else serve your favorite cake or pie from your local bakery. Buy a bunch of fortune cookies and have guests take turns reading their fortunes aloud. Sliced oranges are another customary after dinner treat. As a special party favor give guests a clear candy baggy filled with red Swedish fish candies tied with a satin ribbon when they leave.

Drinks: Shake up Chinese Cocktails for you and your guests. During dinner, a Riesling will gracefully complement the richness and spice of the Chinese food. For those who are driving mix a ginger and tonic mocktail. Don't forget to have lots of sparkling and still water on hand as well.

The Look: Red, gold, and pigs should be the underlying theme in your decorating scheme. Dress your table with a beautiful red tablecloth, gold napkins, and gold candles. Use fresh cut branches of orange or tangerine trees to create a centerpiece. Leafy orange trees symbolize the branching out of the family and good luck. Hang paper Chinese lanterns with tassels from you chandelier. Place red tulips or yellow chrysanthemums in low vases - don't use white flowers because they are affiliated with funerals in the Chinese culture. Add eye catching glinting gold details in the form of piggy banks, floating tea lights, and shiny coins.

Music: Create a playlist with music from you favorite Chinese themed movies like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon or In The Mood For Love. During dinner play Xiao Peng Jiang's Collection of Chinese Fesitival Music. For after dinner play big-time Taiwanese popstar (Yum calls him the Asian Justin Timberlake!) Jay Chou's Common Jasmine Orange (available on iTunes).

What are you doing to celebrate Chinese New Year? Tell me about it below!