Host a Pumpkin Carving Party

This past Friday, I invited a small group of friends over to my house for cocktails and pumpkin carving.  Since none in this group (myself included) has kids, which is typically the most compelling reason for carving pumpkins, we had been missing out on this fabulous holiday tradition for quite some time.  So as you could imagine, the response from my guests to this party invitation was an enthusiastic "yes!".  After extensive plotting and planning, I came up with a pumpkin carving party that struck a perfect balance of sophistication with splashes of festive Halloween accents thrown into the mix. Below is a breakdown of the various elements from my recent pumpkin carving party, filled with great ideas and tips on how you can recreate this holiday tradition with your own group of friends!

Pumpkin Carving Station

Since there were a fair number of us carving pumpkins, I decided to transform my dining room table into the pumpkin carving station.  Here is a list of the supplies I used to create this space:

• Disposable Painting Tarp
• Pumpkins
• Set of Assorted Foam Brushes
• Carving Knives (I just used my favorite Victorinox Steak Knives)
• An assortment of paints (see this post for more details)
• Glitter 
• Glue
• Tea Lights
• An assortment of Halloween candies (to keep everyone's energy levels up)
• Free Pumpkin Stencils courtesy of Better Homes and Garden (so many fabulous options!)

Pumpkin Trivia

Instead of just sitting around the table carving pumpkins in silence or with generic conversation, I thought it would be a fun idea to take this time to share a little pumpkin trivia with my guests.  Not only was it fun to see what my friends knew about pumpkins, but it also added an extra element of fun to the party.  This site has everything you need to know about pumpkins. 

Food and Beverage

What cocktail party of mine would be complete without a cheesescape?!?  Here is a breakdown of what I served at this party:

• Cheeses: Jasper Hill Farm Clothbound Cheddar, Cypress Grove Midnight Moon, Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog
• Chutney: Virginia Chutney Co. Balsamic Fig Chutney
• Crackers: Raincoast Flats Kale and Walnut, Dr. Kracker Pumpkin Seed Cheddar
• Ina Garten's Tomato Crostini with Whipped Feta
• Other Nibbles: Edamame, Somersaults, Assorted Nuts, Veggies and Hummus
• Wine: Napa Cellars Pinot Noir

Goody Bags

What Halloween party would be complete without a little Trick or Treat!  Well, in our case it was more of a nod to Trick or Treating.  Each guest received a goody bag and mini bottle of Prosecco at the end of the evening  to take home along with their carved pumpkin. See my post on Halloween Treat Bags for more details.

This party was a huge hit with my friends and the perfect culmination of the various projects I had been sharing throughout this past month.  Even though it may seem at times like pumpkin carving should be more of a kid centric activity, there are so many ways to enhance the sophistication level of this activity, ultimately making it worthy of adults and even a cocktail party!  

Tips & Strategies for Hosting a Weeknight Party

Last night we hosted my husband's uncle for cocktails and dinner at our house.  While    it would have been easier to simply go out to dinner, I wanted to host him at our house because: a) he had yet to see our new home, b) he and his wife have hosted us numerous times, so naturally I have looking for an opportunity to reciprocate, and c) the Pope is in town, so traffic throughout DC is a nightmare.  

Hosting a cocktail and dinner party on a Tuesday did get me thinking about how I go about preparing for weeknight entertaining.  Weeknights are typically viewed as more difficult nights for hosting because you are at work all day with a very limited amount of party prep time and often a feeling of fatigue from spending the day using your brain at the office.  On weeknights, relaxing on the couch with dinner and a favorite TV show couldn't be a more perfect way to spend my evening.  As wonderful as it may be to relax at home after work, there are occasions where hosting on a weeknight is necessary.  So today I wanted to show you that despite being at work all day, coming home to host a weeknight dinner party is not as hard/impossible as you might think. Here is a breakdown of my process for successfully hosting a weeknight gathering.  

Create a To-Do Timeline

The key to successfully executing a weeknight party is organization - lists and timelines!  The more that you can prepare in advance of the party, the easier it will be.  

• Week Before-Decide on a Menu.  Regardless of whether you are hosting a cocktail or dinner party, make a list of what you plan to serve that evening.  Detail out every ingredient that will be used to create your spread (even if a recipe calls for olive oil to grease a pan, include it in the list!).  Then take your complete list and cross reference it with what you already have in your pantry.  That way you can come up with a fine tuned list to take to the grocery store.  
• Weekend Before- your golden opportunity to get the bulk of the grunt work prep done.  Here are the major areas to focus on: 
  • Cleaning - The deep clean of your home should occur the weekend before when you have the most time.  Cleaning the floors, deep cleaning the guest bathroom/powder room, dusting and polishing should all take place over the weekend. 
  • Grocery Shopping- Purchase your entire grocery list for the party over the weekend.  That way if one store doesn't have a particular ingredient you may need you have time to look for that item at another grocery store.  The only item I would really advise against purchasing until the day of is fresh bread from a bakery.  If you are planning to serve a sliced baguette or dinner rolls, purchase those the day of during your lunch break or right after work.  
  • Applicable Food Prep- If you are serving cookies for dessert or a homemade dip during cocktail hour, this is the perfect opportunity to get these items made and off of your to-do list.
• Night Before- this is probably where the heaviest lift in terms of party prep occurs.  You need to make sure that the majority of all work is completed by this point in time, because the night of the party you are going to need to be with your guests and won't have very much time to take care of any prep work aside from setting out
  • Prep all food - any and all food prep should be taken care of the night before.  Your dessert should be ready to go, all veggies should be chopped and all work for your main course should be complete minus actually cooking it.  
  • Set Out Serving Pieces- by setting out all of your serving pieces the night before you can eliminate the last minute scramble to figure out which food with go in which dish.  Once I decide on which food to serve in which dish, I label the dish with a sticky note that details the food assignment. 
  • Set the table- Whether you are setting up a cocktail or dinner table, have everything assembled and laid out the night before.  You don't want to find out moments before your party is set to start that a glass needs to be washed or your linens are wrinkled and in need of ironing.  Give yourself piece of mind and additional time to focus on food and your guests by taking care of the table setting the night before (or earlier if possible).  
• Morning Of- this is the time when you want to take care of the last minute details aside from food prep and plating.
  • Give the bathroom one last clean up
  • Make sure all food is defrosted and ready to go
  • See my post on 5 Ways to Prep Your House for Entertaining

Flowers

Fresh flowers are an entertaining must in my opinion and the timeline for prepping the arrangement(s) is circumstantial.  

• If you are opting to use a more low maintenance flower like hydrangeas, carnations or stock greenery, you can prep your flowers more than a week in advance of the party (just make sure to keep the water looking fresh by changing it every 2 days).
• If you are planning on using lilies or roses, you will need to buy and arrange them at least 3 days prior to your party in order to give them ample time to open their blooms.
• If you are looking for great last minute flowers that are ready to go, but need to be purchased within a day of your party, I would recommend either calla lilies or zinnias.  Both are sold in bloom and easy to arrange last minute.    

Menu Ideas

• Dinner Party- my mantra for a dinner party menu is simple…"Heat and Serve."  For last nights dinner I served the following menu:
  • Homemade Lasagna- this is a great entree that can be made ahead of time and quickly popped into the oven when you get home from work the day of the party.  Here is a link to my all time favorite lasagna recipe. 
  • Simple Side Salad- Make the dressing the day before and have all the veggies chopped and ready to go.  This way, the only thing you have to do when you get home from work the night of the party is throw everything in a bowl, toss it all up and serve.  
  • Warm Homemade Apple Pie Ala Mode-  I made my favorite apple pie recipe over the weekend, lightly covered it with foil and placed it in the refrigerator.  Before we sat down to eat dinner, I heated the oven to 250 degrees fahrenheit and placed the pie (still lightly covered in aluminum foil) in the oven to warm up while we dined on our main course.  When it was time for dessert, I simply removed the pie from the oven and served it up with a scoop of ice-cream. 
• Cocktail Party- I am a huge fan of Ina Garten's philosophy on cocktail party food featured in this House Beautiful Article.  In sum, she state the following:
  • 1 Specialty Cocktail and 1 Hors D'oeuvre if planning on serving a full dinner as well.
  • If this is strictly a cocktail party, 4-6 hors d'oeuvres (ex. 1 chicken, 1 fish, 2 vegetable and 1 starch).  
  • For additional ideas and information on cocktail party preparedness, see my previous posts here and here. 

Regardless of weeknight or weekend, party prep at its core is all about organization and planning ahead.  In the end, the goal is to create an evening that is enjoyable for both you and your guests.  When you take the time to put the necessary pieces in place in advance of the event, you can rest assured that your party will most likely run smoothly.  Take time to think through the logistics and you will easily be able to host a dinner or cocktail party any night of the week.

Hosting an Elegant Winter Cocktail Party

This party idea was inspired by the newest addition to my cheeseboard collection.  I recently found this fabulous new marble cheese board with glass dome at Crate & Barrel, and decided that it only seemed fitting to take it for a test drive (aka host a cocktail party) ASAP!  

My goal with this look was to keep everything sleek and sophisticated.  I kept the color palette to a minimum by only using black, white, gray and silver table accessories.  I wanted to have a low but full floral arrangement, so I decided to go with white hydrangeas in a low glass cylinder vase.  Instead of using a table runner, I lined up 3 of my square gray croc embossed placemats (similar to these). I also chose to accessorize my new cheese board with my simple but modern CB2 cheese knives. 

Unlike my previous cheesescapes, I kept this board fairly minimal.  The reason for this approach was two fold.  First, the actual surface area is generous but not overly abundant.  Adding in my cheesescape extras (herbs, fruits, etc.) would have created a cluttered/cramped look.  The second reason (really the main reason) being that I did not want to take away from the fabulous dome!  The dome is such a unique and sophisticated addition to this board, so I wanted to make sure that it remained the focal point.  

Cheeses for this board included: Cypress Grove Midnight Moon (a personal favorite), Aged Cheddar with Carmelized Onions and a classic Bucheron.  Stonewall Kitchen's Old Farmhouse Chutney accompanied these three cheeses under the dome.  All nuts, charcuterie, fruits and crackers were served along side the cheeseboard in both silver and glass bowls.  

This party was so much fun and I loved that my new cheeseboard forced me to go outside of my comfort zone.  In the past I would have thought to only include all cheese accoutrements directly on the cheeseboard, because that always seemed to be most practical.  This time I was forced to think outside of the box to find a functional yet aesthetically pleasing way to include everything.  All said and done, I would have to say "mission accomplished!"

Cocktail Party Preparedness - Food & Beverage

Have you ever run into a scenario where at some point during the day you might be talking with your friends about dinner plans for the evening and the opportunity for you to host an impromptu cocktail party arises?  Well, I have run into this scenario all too often.  

I hate the feeling of not being prepared (regardless of what the situation may be).  A pop quiz in school always made me sick to my stomach and that deer in headlights look that typically results from a stressful surprise has never been flattering on me.  

Wouldn't it be great to be able to say to your friends at a moments notice, "Why don't you come over to my place for a quick drink before we head out to dinner."  You're confident with offering up an impromptu cocktail party at your house, because you know you have all of the necessary supplies to entertain.  This is actually very attainable and in all honesty, it doesn't take a lot to adequately equip your home for simple cocktail entertaining.  

Over the years I have learned a great deal from hosting my various cocktail parties (both planned and impromptu).  This post breaks down what I consider to be the cocktail party pantry essentials.  A list of the cocktail party food and beverages to have on hand, so that the next time you offer to host an impromptu cocktail party at home it will be naturally effortless.     

Drinks

• Red and White Wine- If its a quick cocktail party (like an hour or two), I usually buy enough for the wine drinkers to have at least 2 glasses.  If its full on dinner party that I am hosting, I budget a bottle per guest to be on the safe side (Is it really a bad thing to end up with left over wine? Um no, definitely not a bad thing at all!).  A final note- Keep a bottle of white in the fridge at all times.  That way you won't be caught off guard if a guest asks for a glass of white wine (unless you are serving spritzers, white wine + ice cubes = suboptimal). 
• Beer- My first piece of advice with beer buying for a party is this…know your audience.  If you have a bunch of beer drinkers coming over, head to Costco and pick up a 24pack of Glass Bottles.  If theres only going to be 1 or 2 light beer drinkers, you can stick with a 6-12pk.  If I am buying 12 beers, I will usually break it up into a 6pk of Regular beers and a 6pk of Light Beers.  
  • Brands- Again, unless you know your guest's beer preferences, its best to stick with a more well known brand that is mid-priced.
• Liquor - I typically keep a bottle of vodka on hand because I find it to be the most widely liked by my guests.  Again, a mid-priced vodka would be my recommendation.  
• Water -Have a carafe/pitcher of iced water available for your guests.  Cocktails and salty snacks tend to make people very thirsty, so having water available is never a bad idea.  In addition, I also like to keep both sparkling and tonic water on hand.  Whether sparkling water is needed hydrating or tonic water is needed as a mixer for a cocktail, they are certainly entertaining must haves for my parties.  

Food

2 Armadillo Spicy Cayenne Chick Peas, Rosemary Marcona Almonds and Roasted Almonds Lightly Salted

• Nuts- The cocktail party staple!  A mortal sin (in my opinion) is to host a gathering where you are only "watering" them.  Meaning, if you provide your guests with only beverages, it won't be a very long party.  Snacks not only take the hunger "edge" off but snacks also keep your guests from feeling buzzed or ever so slightly inebriated after a single cocktail.  Nuts are a great snack to serve at a cocktail party.  There are so many varieties, they taste delicious and they can be stored in your pantry for months at a time without spoiling.  
  • A few suggestions- Marcona Almonds (Love Trader Joe's Truffle and Rosemary Flavors), Virginia Peanuts, Mixed Nuts (Roasted and Salted), Sahale Crunchers Almond Snacks

• Nut Alternatives- Nut allergies…people have them, they exist and it's not in your best interest as a host/hostess to ignore those needs.  You want your guests to feel comfortable in your home, which includes having a snacking option that meets their dietary needs.   All suggested snacks that I have listed below are delicious! 
  • A few suggestions- 2 Armadillos Crunchy Chickpeas, Somersault Snack Co., Doctor in the Kitchen Seedsters, Half Pops (Partially Popped Natural Popcorn)

• Frozen Apps- Trader Joe's Pastry Bites with Feta Cheese and Caramelized Onions, Edamame in the Shell, Flatbread Pizza (Love American Flatbread Cheese & Herb)
  • These are just some of my favorite frozen appetizers, but definitely go ahead and buy whatever you think that you and/or your guests would enjoy most.  

Entertaining Accessories

• Check out my post on Entertaining Essentials for Hosting a Cocktail Party to get a breakdown of my cocktail party accessory essentials.  

The goal of this post (like so many of my posts) is to let you know that even though you may be busy and not have a lot of time to plan, you can still easily host an impromptu cocktail party.  Hosting can really be nbd (no big deal).  Next time you are at the store for the weekly grocery shop, throw a few of these items in your cart.  Just like Rome not being built in a day, you can build your pantry over time.  Who knows, maybe the next time the opportunity presents itself you might surprise yourself and proactively volunteer to host an impromptu cocktail party.  

Easy Baked Brie

There are so many different schools of thought on the appropriate cocktail party menu in terms of both quantity and variety.  While I'm not a cocktail party expert (I just enjoy hosting them…a lot), one rule that I have always stuck with is that you should always plan to serve at least one or two hot hors d'oeuvres.  

This is definitely not a hard thing to do, nor should it sound intimidating.  I initially got started serving hot hors d'oeuvres because of the fabulous selection of heat and serve options available at my local grocery stores.  I now have a repertoire of my favorite heat and serve hors d'oeuvres, but as I have continued to grow (in the culinary sense), I have wanted to create my own hot hors d'oeuvre recipes that are easy to make and delicious (just like the heat and serve options I have loved for years!).  

A baked brie recipe seemed like the easiest starting point with the highest likelihood of recipe creation success.  I wanted to come up with something unique, delicious and full of tips on the best products and techniques to use so that I could share them with you!  Below is the breakdown of my Candied Walnut and Quince Paste Baked Brie Recipe.  

Ingredients

• 1 Brie Wheel
• 1 Sheet Frozen Puff Pastry Dough (thawed)  *Recommend Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry*
• 2 Tbs Chopped Candied Walnuts
• 1 1/2 Tbs Quince Paste
• 1 Egg + a splash of water (My Brie Egg Wash)
  • Bonus Info- Love this webpage on "Egg-Wash Cooking Techniques"

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Roll out thawed puff pastry sheet
3. Place brie wheel centered on puff pastry sheet
4. Spread 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Quince Paste on top of brie wheel
5. Add chopped candied walnuts
6. Gather pastry sheet and pinch closed over brie wheel and toppings
7. Brush pastry with egg wash
8. Bake on a lined cookie sheet for 20min
9. Remove from oven and serve hot

Hot hors d'oeuvres are a great addition to your cocktail party menu and while I am still a fan of the different store bought heat and serve appetizers, I love that I now have this baked brie recipe to add to my repertoire.