Nearly every year since we were married (we moved once or twice and had a Christmas-week baby), my husband and I have hosted our annual holiday party. We consider it our Christmas gift to friends we so enjoy spending time with throughout the year. It’s also the true kickoff of the holiday season around our house! Nothing gets you ready to enjoy the rest of the month – all the way through the New Year – like a great soiree with friends!
We toast, we chat, we sip and we eat! In sharp contrast to the cold and snow of winter here in the Midwest, it’s warm both in temperature and in feelings inside this house when each one of our invited friends walks through the door and shares a little of their time with us during a season that can become hectic with shopping, decorating, baking and other errands. Truly taking time to just enjoy one another’s company is something important to us!The food-format for our party is quite a bit different than our monthly Dinner Club meetings. This is a tradition that was borne and developed with my mother and father. They hosted a yearly party for as long as I can remember. They still do, and my husband and I loved it so much we created our own incarnation when we were married. This party is all about finger foods – hors d’oeuvres sounds fancy, but not all of the food is fancy. It’s walk-around-sip-your-drink-pop-a-bite-in-your-mouth good food!
It’s the kind of food that’s beautiful laid out on the table in a presentation that (I hope) says “Merry Christmas!” and “We appreciate you!” to our attendees. Its work, but I do love the work of cooking after all and it is rewarding to try something new each year and also to have people enjoy the “old favorites” that they’ve come to look forward to each time! Yes, I’ve done this party when I worked full time, when I had babies and toddlers, etc. It can be done with PLANNING! Plus, the fun is worth it!
We have people at the party who are here for the first time alongside those who have been coming for close to fifteen years! I love the tradition of it and the festivity! That being said, there are some hints and tips to an hors d’oeuvres only feast that definitely make the planning and the execution so much easier (fifteen years of doing this and years more of helping my mother out before that have taught me well!).
Here are a few of the tricks you can apply to your own finger-food fest next time, no matter how large or how small your spread! Watch this blog in the next week or so for a few more tips on buffet-style serving for any occasion and follow-up pictures of the food from this year’s party. Then, in January, it’s back to all things Dinner Club! Yeah!
1) Don’t worry too much about how much food you have. I plan a pretty huge spread, but that wasn’t always the case. Start small, with just a few things, and work your way up each time you host an event. It’s not really the amount that counts, it’s the flavor (and the thought)!
2) Don’t plan everything as a hot hors d’oeuvre. I split my list right down the middle between hot and cold items. The cold or room temp items are a nice contrast and keep it finger-foodie instead of feeling like a meal. Plus, the cold items can be put out on the table earlier, freeing you up for any last minute heat and serve items.
3) Make lists! I mean lists of everything! The more organized you are, the easier it is! I make a list of the foods I plan to serve and keep it from year to year. I hold off a few each year and substitute them with new items. Sometimes I reintroduce an item from long ago. I also make a very detailed grocery list, organized by areas of the store (fresh produce, meats, freezer, dairy, canned/other). Finally, a list of what you need to complete and when. There are always foods that can be prepared days in advance and a few that can’t be held as long so they need to be done specifically the day before or day of. I simply check things off my list as I go so there aren’t any last minute “Oops I forgot to do that!” moments.
4) If you do ruin something or it doesn’t turn out the best, don’t beat yourself up about it. Pull it off the table and throw it away (yes, I have) or hold it back for your family for later to be reinvented into something else. Your guests are appreciative of whatever you HAVE prepared for them. They won’t miss it!
5) Set the table ahead of time and label where you intend to place each item. This saves me a ton of time. No last minute re-arranging the table to squeeze something in. I simply put out small pieces of paper with each item’s name on them. When it’s time to put the food out, I remove the paper and fill with the food. This also makes it easier for someone else to help you put the food out – self explanatory!
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