Kick off the Holiday Season - Part 3 of 4

So far, I have talked about five steps to take to ensure that you are stress-free on the day that you entertain others:
~Decide on a date, time, and venue.
~Create a theme.
~Make a budget and try to stick to it!
~Create your guest list.
~Choose your invitations.

The sixth step is to choose the style of dining. Will you have a breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, informal dinner, or a formal dinner?

Then the seventh step--choose the style of service:
~Buffet Style--guests pick up part or all of their meal from displays on a dining table, sideboard, or countertop.
~American-Plated--the food is portioned on plates in the kitchen and served directly to guests at the dining table. Food is served from the guest's left side and removed from the right side. Beverages are served and cleared from the right side.
~Family-Style--guests serve themselves from large bowls and platters placed on the dining table. This style of service originated in the South.
~French Style--the food is partially prepped in the kitchen and brought to the dining table on a cart (French gueridon). The food is then fully cooked in front of the guest. This type of service is considered to be very fashionable.
~Russian Style--all of the food is cooked and portioned in the kitchen and then presented at the dining table on silver trays. Each guest is served individually from the trays. This is a very impressive style of service.
~Butler-English Style--the food is portioned on trays in the kitchen. The trays are held by the Butler and guests at the dining table serve themselves by using tray utensils.

The final step of this post, the eighth step, is to plan the menu. When you are planning your menu, consider the season and occasion. An inviting menu is a balance of bland, strong, sharp, and sweet tastes, with foods of different textures, temperatures, and colors. Be careful not to duplicate tastes; i.e., if cheese is served in a hors d'oeuvre, do not include it in another dish. Serve crunchy with smooth foods and don't forget to be colorful in your selections. Stay in your culinary comfort zone. If pigs-in-a-blanket are your specialty, serve them--I certainly do and they are always a hit with my guests!

Remember, there are no set amount of courses you must have, formal or informal; there are suggested courses you may have. Your table setting will allude to what you will be serving. An informal menu may include as few/many courses as you choose. Here is an example of a formal dinner menu:

Fruit Cocktail

Sherried-Base Bisque (Serve with a glass of sherry)

Turbans of Scallops & Petite Potatoes (Serve with a glass of white wine)

Crown Roast and String Beans (Serve with a glass of red wine)

Herb Salad with Vinaigrette Dressing (Serve no wine with a salad)

Pecan Pie ala Mode (Serve with Champagne)

I hope that this information is useful to you in planning your event.

Kick Off the Holiday Season - Part 4 of 4

So by now, you should be feeling pretty good about your party planning skills. You have decided on a date, time, and venue. You came up with a theme, made your budget and you're sticking to it! The guest list is set and the invitations are in the mail. You chose the style of dining and the service method you will use.

The next step is setting stage--

Dinnerware, flatware, glassware, linens, napkins rings, place cards, menu cards, flowers, candles, decorations, party favors, and music all work together to create a memorable event.

If you are holding a casual event, china may be used or you may use plastic/paper dinnerware. Obviously, you should use formal dinnerware, flatware, and glassware for a formal event. For informal occasions, placemats and runners may be used instead of a tablecloth. For formal and elegant occasions, crisp, starched, white damask linen is my favorite choice, with ivory being my second choice. Napkin rings are another way to bring a decorative touch to the table and may be used at breakfast, lunch, tea, or an informal dinner. Place cards help to bring the theme together on your tablescape, while making guests feel special. You might want to have a menu card on the table to coordinate with your place cards.

Flowers and candles add to the festive atmosphere of any event. Avoid heavily fragrant arrangements or candle scents at the dining table. All sorts of vessels may be used to contain your flowers or candles; i.e., teapots, vases, glass cylinders, buckets, compotes, etc. Just be sure that guests will be able to see each other during the meal. Music, whether it is lively or background tunes, is a very important element in creating a relaxed atmosphere. Try to match the music with the theme of your event. To complete the ambiance of your event, use any other party decorations that will accent your theme; i.e., balloons, streamers, beads, flags, etc.

Party favors are a nice way of thanking your guests for coming to your event. I always try to give party favors that coordinate with the theme of my event.

The final step in getting ready for your event is to prepare the venue or your home. Make sure that your home says "Welcome!" to your guests. Your front door area should be clean and well lit. The bathroom will get lots of use, so make sure it is clean and stocked with all the necessities: bath tissue, hand soap (I prefer pump bottles in a guest bath/powder room), hand drying napkins, a fragrant candle, and a wastebasket. Make sure your home is warm/cool enough for your guests and set aside an area for coats, handbags, or umbrellas.

Now you are ready to get the holiday season started!