I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of my family, friends, colleagues and clients a very Happy and Healthy New Year! For those close to me, I know you have grown tired of hearing about my blog idea. Finally, here it is! My hope is to share ideas, tricks and advice related to entertaining and to the ultimate opportunity to entertain, a wedding!
On the topic of weddings, my go to rule from the beginning, that still stands strong today is simple; focus on what matters most to you as a couple, do it well and relax about the rest of the details.
Here is a good example about keeping it simple. A few weeks ago, my husband and I hosted an impromptu holiday party with our closest friends. There were eight adults and three children under the age of three. (Already an overflowing group for our small bungalow house) We received word that our newly adopted puppy had a ride from the shelter an hour away and the thought of her spending another night there was too much, so I had her added to the mix. We had to keep the meal easy since we were busy puppy-proofing the house. I gave simple requests to my friends; someone bring an appetizer, another a salad and the last couple a dessert. I would handle the main course. Years ago, I would have stressed about coming up with the perfect meal, handing out long researched assignments, cleaned for hours and worried that our house was not big enough nor comfortable enough for this large of a group. Now, I didn’t have the time or the energy to worry.
As our guests arrived, they were handed a festive Pomegranate Fizz (Sparkling wine, pomegranate liquor such as Pama with a squeeze of lemon. DELICIOUS!) Our friend Charlotte had made stuffed mushrooms (great Ina Garten recipe) that was warm and substantial and one by one I introduced everyone to our new family member, Lola.
Seeing that my living room and dining room are all in the same space, it was a short move to our large square dining table. (Love the table, we just need a bigger room!) It unbelievably can seat eight adults, two toddlers and one baby all together. The next course was a simple and fabulous caesar salad. Debbie made the dressing from scratch. (Simple, but what a difference!) The romaine hearts were left whole and artfully displayed on the plate with a few cherry tomatoes. The dressing was so thick that it was spooned across the top with some fresh shaved Parmigiano Reggiano. Fabulous!
The main course was Bolognese that had been simmering all afternoon on the stove. I served it over good pappardelle pasta “nests”. This is a great main course as all of the work is done earlier so you are free to be with your guests and then assemble it right before serving. Of course the kids loved it but it was still elegant enough for the adults, especially with some delicious Italian wines.
To end the fabulous meal, my friend Heather made a chocolate cake, but the difference was she made it from scratch. It was not sweet the way we are used to from a box, it was pure and simple with a layer of her homemade berry jam spread very thin in the middle and then the entire cake was covered in a rich chocolate frosting. Perfect with a strong cup of coffee or an after-dinner port.
I know this may sound like a complicated evening but when you really look at each course and the amount of work every person did, it was really quite simple. Of course it helps to have very good cooks as friends, but I am confident even a beginner chef could prepare every single course if they took the time to buy the best ingredients they could and prepare them as simply as possible. The food was fabulous but what made the evening such a success was a wonderful group of people just wanting to relax and have a good time. Not so different from a wedding.
