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Party Planning - Holiday Entertaining
Simple Tips Add Sparkle to
Holiday Entertaining
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(ARA) - This holiday season
make all your festive get-togethers sparkle by using simple
and innovative ways to entertain friends and family. Being
creative with items you already own and a few extras will
make your parties shine.
Jennifer Sbranti, co-founder and editor-in-chief of
Hostess With The Mostess offers a few easy and clever
tips to make your holiday celebrations sparkle.
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Set a Festive Table
* Fill oversized, clear glass vases with colorful elements
like fresh cranberries or white feathers for a modern,
monochromatic centerpiece. Large bowls of pomegranates or
green apples embellished with a few flower blossoms also
make quick and easy centerpieces.
* White twinkle lights and candles are appropriate for any
type of party theme and work wonders to put your guests in a
festive mood. Use unscented candles, so they don't compete
with the aroma of the food.
* Choose serving dishes that coordinate well with each other
for a consistent look. All-white serve ware is a good choice
because it ensures that the succulent food remains the
center of attention.
* When deciding on the menu, select seasonal items, such as
root vegetables, that are easily found in stores and at
farmers markets in the fall and winter months to make
great-tasting dishes.
Dress up Drinks
* Set a trend by offering a signature drink. Pick one that
matches your party theme or colors. For holiday festivities,
try a sparkling and refreshing Rize (recipe below). For
non-alcoholic options -- and to make an eye-catching
centerpiece -- try lining up colorful bottles of all-natural
IZZE Sparkling Juice.
* Get creative with garnishes. Dip the rims of cocktail
glasses in colorful sugars and complement the colors and
flavors of a drink with fruit or holiday candy. Freeze
fruits like strawberries or grapes and pop them into drinks
before serving for unique and delicious "ice cubes."
* For creative, simple and fun bar table decorations, think
sweet and savory. Line up martini or margarita glasses and
fill them with multi-colored candies, small fruits and nuts.
For a more cohesive look, use snacks that are similar in
color and coordinate with your food table decor.
In addition to coordinating your tables in a complementary
manner, James Beard Award-winning chef Lachlan Mackinnon
Patterson, chef and owner of Frasca Food and Wine in
Boulder, Colo. recommends paying attention to the beverages
you're pairing with the foods you're serving.
"Food can be great-tasting as is, but you take it to another
level when you enjoy it with an accompanying beverage," says
Patterson. "For a flavorful appetizer, buy smoked salmon.
Slice it and serve it up on small toasts or crackers with a
bit of cream cheese mixed with scallions. Salmon is
delicious paired with citrus-based beverages, so serve it
with IZZE Sparkling Grapefruit and your guests will enjoy
the complementary flavors."
Roasted Pork Loin and Root
Vegetables
Courtesy of Lachlan Mackinnon Patterson, chef and owner of
Frasca Food and Wine (Boulder, Colo.)
Ingredients:
3 pounds center-cut pork loin, trimmed and tied with butcher
twine
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
8 large shallots, peeled and cut in half
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 celery root peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 pound spinach
2 large rosemary sprigs
1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon finely chopped chives
1 teaspoon minced shallots
3 tablespoons grape seed oil
Sea salt and cracked pepper
1 lemon
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 325F and let pork stand for 30 minutes
outside the refrigerator.
Heat a large saute pan over high heat and add grape seed
oil. Season pork with sea salt and pepper and saute each
side of the pork until golden brown. This may take 10 to 15
minutes. Remove pork and add carrots, shallots cut in half,
parsnips, celery root, Yukon potatoes and rosemary sprigs.
Place the pork on top of the vegetables and place in the
oven for approximately 1 to 1 1/4 hours or until the pork
temperature is 120F in the center.
Pull pan out of the oven and allow the pork to rest for 15
minutes before slicing. Stir raw spinach into the hot
vegetables. Season the vegetables with sea salt and pepper
and drain any excess fat. Add chopped herbs and minced
shallots to the vegetables and pour onto a platter. Slice
pork loin and lay over top. Finish the dish with a little
squeeze of fresh lemon juice and serve.
The Rize
Courtesy of W Bar, W Hotel (Seattle)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 ounces white rum
1/2 ounce orange-flavored triple sec
2 1/2 ounces IZZE Sparkling Pomegranate
Splash of lime juice
Garnish: Pomegranate puree and colored sugar trim
Directions:
Dip the rim of the glass into pomegranate puree and colored
sugar trim. Combine above ingredients for a delicious
signature cocktail and enjoy.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
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