entertaining

party pantry hostess cupcake soireé preparedness

“Hostess Cupcakes” always have a stash of provisions that render them ever party-ready. Nothing wears you out faster than chasing down clever party favors and other paraphernalia at the last minute. Be ever on the prowl for odd finds and funky favors to add to your entertaining cache. Ethnic markets, import stores, and flea markets are great places to hunt and peck, as are après holiday sales where you can stock up on next year’s paper plates, napkins, and decorations at huge discounts. Some of our party pantry standards are:

Glasses and drink accessories: Sets of wine, martini, and basic drink glasses, one to two drinkshakers, ice bucket with tongs, and festive cocktail picks.

Games to spice things up in a pinch. Twister for more limber crowds, Trivial Pursuit for the thinkers, Balderdash for the tall-tale set, Scrabble for a literary crowd, Pictionary for all ages, and a deck of good ol’ playing cards to really get down with after-hours.

Disposable food containers or take-out boxes so you can send your guests home with leftovers. A stash of nibbles that will mollify drop-in guests until you can order in or whip up something more substantial. An assortment of jarred olives, nuts, pretzels, frozen filo appetizers, and wheat crackers fill the bill. There should also be salad dressing or vegetables in the fridge to toss into the mix.

Candles to set a mood, infuse the house with a pleasant scent, or to obscure the dust on the mantel. Birthday candles, for those guests who happen to mention that it’s their birthday today, as if it were no big deal. Hah!

Music to set the mood. Nothing sinks a gathering faster than the wrong tunes, or worse, no tunes at all. So put some effort into cultivating an eclectic musical library for myriad situations and tastes: romantic couch cuddling (Josh Groban), dinner with your parents (Frank Sinatra), a chick’s night in (The Go-Gos), a swanky cocktail party (Nora Jones), a play date for the kiddies (Raffi), pizza and beer with friends (The Soul of John Black). . . you get the idea.

Paper grape leaves for lining platters and dressing up a boring cheese plate.

Festive paper napkins, plates, and cups for various occasions and plenty of plastic forks, spoons, and knives for those big bashes.

Paper guest towels for the bathroom.

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Hospitality—it’s not about obsessing over things like perfectly polished silver, time intensive recipes and spotless floors. When it comes to entertaining friends and family it’s all about turning your attention away from the stuff and onto the people you love to spend time with. We’re more interested in licking the frosting off the spoon and than whether or not the spoon needs polishing! To that end, we’ve talked to every chick we know to get some great entertaining short-cuts. Easy, crowd-pleasing recipes and little tricks free up your time so you can mingle with your guests and even squeeze in a pre-party manicure. Nesting: It’s a Chick Thing® is chock-full of them but here is a little sample.

BL-Teenies, a crowd-pleasing appetizer from page 103 of Nesting: It’s a Chick Thing® was featured in Family Circle magazine. With the classic flavors of a BLT sandwich in an easy to eat hors d’oeuvre form, it’s a hostess’ dream. You can dress it up (spread it on melba toasts and garnish for bite-size chic) or dress it down (serve it as a dip with crackers and pretzels.) Either way you serve it, your guests will eat it up! BLTeenies Recipe ©2004 Nesting: It’s a Chick Thing®

BL-Teenies

1/4 cup mayonnaise

3/4 cup sour cream

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

9 slices of cooked bacon, cooled and crumbled

2 finely diced medium tomatoes (drain off the liquid)

1 cup (approximately) of chopped arugula with stems

removed (other lettuces work as well)

1 package melba toast or thin baguette slices, toasted

1. Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic powder, onion powder, and bacon in a medium-sized bowl. Cover and chill for at least 5 hours and up to 24 hours. Remove from refrigerator one hour before serving.

2. Just before serving, mix in the arugula and half of the tomatoes. Dab or spread onto Melba toast or toasted baguette slices and top with crumbled bacon and diced tomato. Serves 10 to 12

Variation: To make this as a dip, double the recipe to yield 4 cups. Just before serving, mix in both the arugula and tomatoes and crumble the bacon on top of the dip. Serve with breadsticks, crackers, melba toasts or pretzels.

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