Betty says:Avoid post-holiday letdown with an easy dinner party
"To avoid post-holiday letdown, my husband suggested that we have a few friends over for supper. All I needed was a quick and easy entreé, such as the pan-seared chicken breasts topped with tomato tapenade" - the recipe is found in the link..
This article by Candice Choi offers some excellent suggestions on how "think creatively in the year ahead to play host to friends and family on a tightened budget." Here's an example of Candice's interview with Lizzie Post, an etiquette expert with The Emily Post Institute:The Associated Press: There's a recession, but don't party like it
"Serving only appetizers or desserts is another way to keep spending in check. Setting time parameters might help gently drive the point home that you're not serving a meal.
For a cocktail gathering, the invitation might state the party will be from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m."The indication is that they go elsewhere for dinner after," Post said.If you're worried that a potluck screams "low budget," spruce it up with a theme. You could even make it a recession party and cap how much people spend on their dish. This might bring out your guests' inner "Top Chef" and give them a good conversation starter.
Quite an interesting dinner party article by Alex Williams of the New York Times..Let's party like it's 1929 - San Jose Mercury News
"I heard a jingle. No, it wasn't an angel getting its wings. It was my iPhone, carrying word that David Monn, the celebrated New York event planner, was on his way to meet me at Kmart.
I had called Monn with a challenge: to see if he could design a transcendent holiday dinner party for eight at my apartment on a recessionary budget — say, $30 a head (or less than one-hundredth the budget he's sometimes used to) for food, decor, everything."
This story caught my eye - "Want the recipe for a perfect New Year's Eve party? Let your guests do the cooking."The Canadian Press: Cook at the table for a fast New Year's Eve dinner
Now is a great time to be planning that New Year's Eve dinner don't you think?
Try out this table top cooking idea by Larry Crowe - recipe ideas and all!
An interesting dinner party idea by Nicole L. Gill:Celebrate the season with a tree trimming party | www.jconline.com | Journal and Courier
One fun way to celebrate the season is with a tree-trimming party. As the centerpiece of the Christmas season, the tree and the holidays can come to life with a little help from your friends.
If you love dinner parties as much as I do you will enjoy reading this story about the first Ontario farmers’ dinner party at the at the Paul family farm as published in Toronto Life..Toronto Life: Opening Soon: The first Ontario farmers’ dinner party
"There is something special about cooking food for the people who raise and grow the ingredients. This was a five-course meal cooked on the wood-burning stove with everybody sitting around the kitchen table."
"Nights like Sunday strengthen and inspire me. I get fired up to open Union so that I can bring nights like that into the city—nights with the simple beauty of good, clean food, all of it cooked with the belief that it can bring people together on snowy nights, warm them up, and allow them to be who they are. Great things can come out of nights like that. When everybody had left, the bottle of scotch Frank had brought was sitting on the table half-empty. Chase walked by, picked it up and said, “That’s a sign of a good night.” Damn straight."
Read the whole story here..
"Chris Kimball, editor-in-chief of Cook's Illustrated magazine and host of "America's Test Kitchen," shares a menu that can be made in the days leading up to your party, so you're not juggling everything in the hours before guests arrive. "A Make-Ahead Dinner Party, Recipes For Stress-Free Holiday Entertaining - CBS News
And I've got to say that I have made a variation of this Rustic Caramelized Onion Tarts with Blue Cheese and Walnuts (recipe and all) and it has been a huge hit...A Make-Ahead Dinner Party, Recipes For Stress-Free Holiday Entertaining - CBS News
