As we usher in the holidays, we turn to our own food writer and contributor, Mary Abitanto, a 4-time celebrity-endorsed cookbook author, food stylist, food photographer, and entertaining expert for some great party planning tips.
Here are a few of my holiday party planning tips to keep things streamlined and well-organized during the holidays. Creating beautiful and long-lasting memories is in the details.
- Start with a THEME, for instance a color theme like green and red paired with neutral tones linens and napkins. Have the theme going throughout your entire home: fireplace mantle, the staircase, Christmas tree, and the tablescaping.
- Keep track of your guests RSVPS, so you know how many guests you are serving.
- Build a MENU including appetizers, mains, sides and desserts. Consider enlisting the help of family and close friends and have them bring a dish and note dishes they are bringing. Doing everything yourself is a momentous task.
- Make a SHOPPING LIST of all the ingredients you will need. Buy what you can in advance – things like jarred pickles and olives, crackers, and specialty cheeses etc.
- Set the dining room table the week of the event. For tablescaping, I like using neutral-toned linens with red and green (color theme) Christmas ornaments and varying heights of mercury glass candlesticks with a slight patina paired with flameless candles and eucalyptus with berries as a table runner. Welcome guests with PLACE CARDS – it’s a sophisticated touch.
- Set out serving bowls and spoons and write down the name of the dish that goes into each bowl– so you don’t forget to make it!
- MAKE AHEAD DISHES like holiday breakfast casseroles, baked pastas like lasagna, cookies, cakes and freeze them. The key is to properly wrap the dish, so no air gets inside. This saves precious time. Cookies can be made a month in advance. Everyone loves a holiday cookie exchange with friends and family – so you will be ready early!
- If you are hosting the Feast of the Seven Fishes (an Italian tradition) have someone help you the day before to prep components of the meal. (Start soaking the baccalà a few days early.) Growing up Italian, I remember eating eel, baccalà, shrimp, clams and pasta dishes prepared by my Italian grandma and my aunts.
- If you don’t have a bar, set up a table with a crisp white linen to serve drinks. Consider creating a hot cocoa bar with marshmallows, candy canes, white chocolate chips, and whipped cream – it’s festive and fun for everyone! Pre-make cocktails in pitchers for easy serving things like sangria or espresso martinis.
- Use cast iron skillets when possible – they keep things warm for hours. AND you can warm them in the oven OR even on the stove top if the oven is in use.
- Large parties consider enlisting a service to help with passing appetizers, prepping cocktails, and cleanup. Be sure to get a referral here.
- Enlist the kids’ help when it comes to holiday traditions, so they can one day carry on the family traditions and have precious memories spent with you in the family kitchen for years to come!
- Keep a running list of things to do like polish floors, polish glassware, clean bathrooms, and other essential chores. Mark them off as you go.
My Italian grandmother used to make hot peppers and mashed potatoes as a holiday side dish on Christmas eve – it’s easy and a HUGE hit!
Grandma’s Hot Peppers and Potatoes
Serves 10
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
1 (5lb.) bag of Yukon potatoes
1 ½ sticks of salted butter (softened)
A few drizzles of a good extra virgin olive oil
1 (12-ounce) jar chopped hot peppers (or less)
Salt to taste
Other essentials:
Large pot
Potato masher
Scrub the potatoes and rinse them. Cut the potatoes into chunks. Add the potatoes into a large pot with enough water to cover the potatoes. Boil the potatoes until they are soft and fork tender, roughly 20 minutes.
Next, mash the potatoes and add the butter and mash again. Drizzle in the oil and add a good dash of salt. Then add the hot peppers and mix well. They are very spicy, so start with half of a jar. As always, taste as you go and adjust to your liking.
In my cookbook Gather For The Holidays I offer many tips on party planning, hosting for the holidays, and including delicious recipes to feed a hungry crowd. I even have a Turkey Roasting Guide. All my cookbooks are available on Amazon. Follow me on Instagram @marioochcooks and tag me with your holiday creations!
Enjoy the joy and holiday cheer that this season brings. As always, drink responsibly to keep everyone safe.
