Canada Day Party quick and easy

July 1st is Canada Day and you can celebrate it Big or Small.  I have a few tips to have a small get together on a dollar store budget.   A couple of years ago we blew the budget at work but this year was scaled way back and it still worked out.

First thing to do is scope out your local Dollar store and pick up anything you can find with Canadian Flags on it or Maple Leafs or even Beavers or Moose if you like.


Must have:

Plates- If you can find Canada Day plates great, but if not just get red and white or just red even.
Cups - I found Maple Leaf cups at Party City
Cutlery - Just get clear or white to keep it simple.
Tablecloth *optional - you can use a Canadian Flag or just use a white tablecloth and add a big paper Maple Leaf on it if you like.

Food and Drinks:  There are lots of options including these things:

• Coffee Crisp chocolates
• Maple Leaf Cookies
• Tim Horton's coffee and donuts
• Crush drink
• Caesar drinks are Canadian
• Canadian Flag Cake
• Ketchup Chips
• Butter Tarts
• Canadian Craft Beer
• Wine from the Niagara Region

Make a simple dessert in a snap with fresh local strawberries and whipped cream by layering them in little mason jars.  Who doesn't love strawberries in cream when the berries are at their peak at the end of June.  Recipe for the butter tarts is in a previous Canada Day blog post.

Props and Decor:

This is where the budget goes from small to big.  You can go nuts on props and decor and here are some ideas if you can't think of what to get.

• Canadian Flag,  large, small, medium, hand held
• Hats with Canadian flags, from caps to headbands
• Signs,  you can use a lightbox or a DIY bristol board sign that says Happy Canada Day
• Canadian symbols,  you can get things like statues or stuffed toys of Moose, beaver.
• Canadian pillows with whatever designs inspire a Canadian Vibe.  I have a Sorry Pillow from Colin and Justin designs
• Maple syrup bottles.

Games:

• Canadian Trivia - Music, Famous People, Geography
• Word Search games
• Jeopardy like questions, someone can be Alex Trebek who is Canadian.
• Justin Bieber or Drake Trivia, that could take a while.
• Basketball games because now that we are the Champions and the Basket was invented in Canada it's the perfect game.

Music:  Pick your vibe, 80's, country, current, chill etc.

• Shania Twain
• Justin Bieber
• Drake
• Michael Buble
• Sarah McLaughlin
• Tragically Hip
• Honeymoon Suite
• Loverboy
• Platinum Blonde
• Glass Tiger
• Jann Arden
• on an on .... you get the picture.

Whether you have a party or just get together with friends you can still celebrate Canada Day in little and big ways or however you choose to do it.

Here are some past Canada Day fun with friends.

HAPPY CANADA DAY!!

Superbowl Party Food Tips - Save time have fun

Superbowl Party Food Tips even if you aren't a football fan you will love them.

I am not a football fan but there are so many people that will be glued to their TV's watching the Superbowl so I thought I might provide a few tips to make your party a bit easier and you can either watch the game or enjoy the food.

Typical foods eaten at Superbowl parties include:  Pizza, wings, burgers, nachos and chili.  I have a few tips for you to make things easier so you can prep ahead and spend more time with your friends and family.

1.  Prep as much as you can a day or couple of days beforehand or even a week ahead and freeze some things.  

Example 1.

I made Pita dough last week and portioned out the dough and put them in small freezer bags and stored them flat in the freezer.  You can pull them out the day before and either cook them up then and just warm them up before your party or just serve them cold as they will still be pretty fresh if you store them properly.

Example 2.

Chicken Wings are a staple at Superbowl parties because they are handheld and easy to eat but can be a bit messy so make sure you have lots of napkins scattered around.  You want to make chicken wings but you don't want to spend the whole time watching the wings while everyone else is watching the game so you can start this process a week in advance too.  Start by taking a large pack of pre cut wings and pat them dry and then add seasonings,  I added salt, pepper and chipotle powder.  Bake them in an oven at about 375 degrees for at least 25-30 minutes depending on your oven.  My oven is slow so it always takes longer but what you are looking for is for the wings to be just cooked and lightly browned.  You will cook them again when you are ready for the party.  I had a pack of 24 wings and baked them all and then as you can see I split them into 2 freezer bags below.  In one bag I left them just with the seasonings and they will cool in the fridge and then I will place them in the freezer for another time.  You can do this with the whole batch of wings and then defrost the day before and bake until they are warmed either just with your favourite seasonings or you can add a sauce. In the second bag I added some bottled Chipotle BBQ sauce and I also added some Maple Syrup to sweeten it up a bit more.  I will bake these off again later to get them all hot and sticky in the oven.  You can also freeze them this way but I would suggest freezing them plain and then adding the sauce when they are defrosted or warmed up again. This will save you a lot of time the day of your party and baking the wings cuts the frying calories you would normally get with pub style wings or processed wings.

  

2.  You don't have to make everything yourself.

Example 3. 

There are some things you can buy that will save you a lot of time and you will still be a hero at your party.  You can buy the wings, you can buy the pita and you can pretty much buy it all these days but pick a few things that you want to do your own way and a few that just take up your time and taste the same to buy.

In the case of the photo above I bought the Hummus and Tzatziki from the grocery store because I can make them but the Hummus requires a food processor and the Tzatziki requires a lot of grating and straining to do it properly.  If I had lots of time I would make them myself for sure since I can control the flavour that way if I want more garlic and less salt I can do that.  For this it cost me $3.49 for each of these containers and saved me a whole lot of cleanup time.  

I also picked up this cute Taco Dip and chip container.  Since I am not having a party but wanted to have a taste of the foods eaten at this kind of party this caught my eye.  It would be costly to buy a whole bag of Tortilla chips and the individual ingredients to make the taco dip and hard to do for 1 or 2 servings so for about $4 I got this ready to go so I don't have to spend time chopping, cleaning and there is less wasted food.  And yes I would probably make it if I was having my friends over and it's one of my friends special items to bring to parties.  Costco also has a great layered dip in a large container.  We had that at one of our last potlucks at work and it was a favourite dish.

I made the Baba Ganoush because it doesn't require any machines except your own muscle power and a chefs knife and chopping board.  

Baba Ganoush recipe:

After I roasted the Wings I cranked up the oven to Broil and added a whole eggplant and broiled it until it was charred on all sides.  It steams the inside and it's really easy to make it this way.  

Cut the eggplant open and scoop out the soft eggplant centre and transfer to a cutting board that has about a tablespoon of diced white onion and a smashed garlic clove.  Chop it all up together and if you do it while it's still warm it will soften up the onion and garlic and make the whole thing smooth.   Add salt and pepper to taste and I added a pinch of smoked paprika and a squeeze of a bit of lemon juice.  You can add either a tablespoon of tahini (sesame seed paste) or mayo.  The sesame seed is healthier and you don't have to worry about it staying out as much as mayo.   If you have fresh parsley add some and drizzle the top with olive oil for flavour and creaminess.  No food processors to clean up.  Just the roasting pan, knife and cutting board.  That's not too bad.

Example 4.

You can pick up some great heat and eat appetizers at your local grocery store these days.  I really like these Presidents Choice Chicken Empanadas because they are little bites full of flavour and you don't need to do anything except heat them up in the oven.  Let your oven do the work for you.

  

3. Make it easy for people to serve themselves.

Invest in a Crockpot or if you like to cook but don't have the time then pick up an Instant Pot if you can find one on sale.  Or you can pick up chafing dishes from party supply stores.

An Instant Pot or Crockpot are amazing for dishes like Chili because you can cook and serve in them and keep the food warm.  Your guests can serve themselves if you set up a Chili Station.  At my work last week we had 3 different chilis and we had a bowl and spoon in front of them to rest so they wouldn't leave a mess on the table and beside the crockpots were the bowls, napkins, cutlery and the fixings for the top like cilantro, cheese and sour cream and bags of chips as you can see in the photo.  My beef chili was so popular there wasn't any left and I even had another container in the fridge that was eaten.  It was a good chili but Chili is a great thing for a party because you can keep it cooking for a long time and it's still good.

  

4.  Set it up pretty and keep it simple

Set up your dishes in nice containers and place everything needed nearby.  If you are worried about things like double dipping dips you can serve them in shot glasses or have everything in one container like the dip and veggies in a glass or other type of container or add little spoons to every dip so people know to serve it up with the spoons.  What I have learned is that people don't think they just eat so you have to make it easy for them.

5. The dollar store and party supply store is your friend and will kick up your party if you think outside the box.

Everyone at the office knows that I spend a lot of money at my dollar store where I live.  That's because you can really get so many of your celebration items there. 

For a Superbowl party see if your dollar store has some fake grass pieces and you can set that up on your table and place the food on it.  Or maybe they have football mats for kids or mini footballs that you can place around the room.  Sometimes you can find football containers for things like chips and dips and all kinds of sports related items.  If you have the cash go nuts.  I don't have anywhere to store a lot of these things so I try and find things I can repurpose for different events.  I should get some fake grass because that can also be used for Easter or summer time events.  

What ever you decide to do whether it's catering the whole thing or a Potluck or making it all from scratch remember to organize it all around leaving time to spend with your friends and less time in the kitchen.  I keep trying to do this more and more but sometimes I end up in the kitchen anyway.  

Make it fun and spread the tasks out.  If you have some help that's great.  I usually have to do it all myself and sometimes my friends help clean up at the end.  

What I have learned from watching Ina Garten, Martha Stewart and Giada De Laurentis over the years is you don't have to do it all and the point of having people over for parties is to have fun with them.  So find a happy balance and enjoy the game as they say.

Royal Tea Party Events

Who:      Royal Tea Party Events

What:     Royal Tea Party Launch

Where:   Marche Restaurant - Toronto 

Why:      Launch of the New Tea Party Events Company

Date:      Sunday, March 26, 2017

A new company called Royal Tea Party Events launched their new company with a Free event held at the Marche on Front Street in Toronto recently.  I love Tea Party events because they are simple and inclusive.  Tea is something that people all over the world can have because it can be a simple cup of tea or a custom blended organic loose leaf tea that can be a lot more expensive.  All sorts of flavours for all sorts of occasions.  It's a very relaxing way to get together with people and talk about anything in a relaxing way.

I am no stranger to afternoon teas and Tea Parties so I was interested in this event.  There were 3 seatings which were an hour each.  A bit short but it was just a promotional launch so it was meant to showcase their Fine China and the concept of the company.  Royal Tea Party Events will bring their fine China to any location to set up a Tea Party for a group of 10-16 people.

You can have your own catering or they can arrange catering from their preferred caterer Marche.

With so many people living in small condos and not investing in fancy fine China sets it's a great way to have the experience without having to invest in the China or storage of it.

I attended with a group of my foodie friends and we used it as an excuse just to get together at a fancy quick event.  It was a lot of fun and oh so pretty.  It's a great idea for a little girl's Birthday Party or a Bridal or Baby Shower or a milestone Birthday even.  It would even be great for a corporate event to launch something important.

Fore more info and to book a consultation: www.royalteapartyevents.com

Email: info@royalteapartyevents.com

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/royalteapartyevents

Instagram @royalteapartyevents

Pinterest:  pinterest.com/royalteaevents

#royalteaevents

#myteapartyisbetterthanyours

*Disclaimer:  The event was complimentary but the opinions and photos are my own.

Hosting an Afternoon Tea Party

Here's how this Tea Party happened and a few tips that you can try to host your own Tea Party.

It started as an idea from a gift that I received from a gift that I received from my blogger friend Mary (Maryshappybelly) at a pre Christmas Gift Exchange dinner with my other blogger friend Natalie (cooking quidnunc).  It was supposed to be a bigger group but because of a snow storm we were down to just the 3 of us.   We had a great time anyway and in between dishes we exchanged gifts.  I got a gift of Pepperidge Farms jams and shortbread from Mary and I said that would be great for a tea party and they both thought it was a great idea.  I like having tea parties because it can be a relaxing Saturday or Sunday afternoon thing and simple or elaborate.  That began the idea and Mary said she wasn't available until the beginning of February so that's when I decided to do it but I decided to wait a bit to invite everyone else to see how the weather would be this time.   I decided to have it at my place because I am on the subway line and if everyone cancelled I didn't have to go anywhere for nothing.  I also had so many food gifts from Christmas that I couldn't possibly finish that I knew I already had the makings for a great tea party, plus I have lot's of teas because I like different teas.

As is turns out Mary wasn't able to make it because she fell the week before and her family plans got pushed to the weekend of the Party but I decided to go ahead because a lot of other people were available and the weather was going to be not too bad.

(Nimu, Sue, Martina, Amanda, Natalie, Loren, Cliff, Domenica, Denise, Adam & Jenny)

It started as an idea to get some of the bloggers together but I decided to invite the ones that I know pretty well and some that were close to where I live.  It was also Superbowl Sunday so a few weren't available so I opened it up to other people.  I decided to include a couple of friends other than food bloggers but ones that would really enjoy the party.  One of my friends works with one of my blogger friends and one of my other friends' daughter works with them.  One of my Tiff friends works in a hospital and one of my Gastropost friends is a radiologist.  There were all sorts of connections I didn't even think of.  I invited a couple of my Tiff Entourage friends and a couple of my best friends, some who have met each other and some who had some sort of connection in one way or another.   One of my friends lives in the same area as one of my blogger friends and as it was pointed out many of my friends at the party were Gastropost contributors who I met through Gastropost or otherwise.  It was kind of ironic that there were so many as days later Gastropost announced that they were ending.  It was almost like a farewell party.

TEA PARTY TIPS

TIP 1.
What made it work was that they were all friendly people who love food and can chat without me having to make the connections.  I was the connection but some knew of each other already.
The other thing that worked was that there wasn't anyone who dominated the party.  Everyone just jelled really well.

TIP 2.

Because I live in an apartment I had to buzz people in and then open the door to greet them so I was constantly answering my phone and busy so I tried to set up as many things that could be self serve as possible.

I opened the closet door so that people could hang their coats if I got distracted by other things.

TIP 3.
I set up stations for different things so that people could help themselves to the Hot water and Tea in the kitchen and the table with the plates and utensils.

TIP 4.
I placed white linens on 3 tables where the food was being placed.  I also had 2 3 tier stands to elevate the food vertically to save space. It's good to have things at different levels to present better.

TIP 5.
I tried to have all sorts of platters and utensils at the ready for anything that people would bring to the party.

TIP 6.
Prepare as much as you can in advance but know that there will always be something that happens to throw off your timing.
One of my friends decided he wanted to bake his frozen appetizers at my place earlier but of course I had to set him up with trays for it.
Another friend offered to pick up any last minute things I needed but he arrived as people were coming in so I had to stop and cut the ends of flowers to put in a waiting vase and transfer milk and orange juice into other containers.  I also tried to set up water and I had a Hot water thermos beside the kettle to keep the hot water flowing.

TIP 7.
The Tea Cups.  I asked everyone to bring their own tea cups for a couple of reasons.  I thought it would cut down on the amount of dishes that would accumulate in my kitchen along with all of the serving platters after the party but also I thought it would be a good ice breaker hoping that everyone would bring interesting cups or mugs that would get conversations started and it did.  Of course there were a few people that didn't bring cups so I had to provide them with one and I wish I had the time to set a few up around the tea area but time got away from me as usual.

TIP 8.
Don't do what I always end up doing.  I try and do too much.  Make too many things, plan to make too many things and then run out of time and energy to do them.
Case in point.  I wanted to make finger sandwiches but I didn't want to make them too far in advance because they become stale quickly and I didn't end up making them until most of the people actually left because I didn't have the time and there wasn't any room to put them.
I also made Tea Pot shaped cookies that I would have liked to decorate but that takes a lot of time to do so I skipped the decorating part.

TIP 9.
Prepare things that you know might be safe for people with restricted diets.  I made mini quiches using prepared tart bases but had some extra filling mixture so I made fritattas using the mix in a muffin tin so they were single servings without crusts which would be great for people that can't eat gluten products.

TIP 10.
I never seem to have enough time to sit and chat with everyone because my friends stagger in and out at various times even though I try to get them all to come at relatively the same time.  This is why I try and prepare as much as I can in advance so that I can have some time to enjoy the food and the people.

And not so much a TIP but an FYI... know that there will be people that might be offended because you didn't invite them to the party.  My place only holds about a dozen people comfortably and although I would love to invite all of my blogger friends, film fest friends and other friends there is only so many people that can fit in a small space so try and choose people that will bring something to the party and make it fun for everyone.

Starving Foodie's top 10 Party Hosting Tips

My Top 10 Tips for Hosting a Party

I thought I would put together a list of my Top Tips for Entertaining that I have learned over the years hosting parties in my home and also things I learned attending other people's parties, blogger events and in studying Event Management at Humber College.

1. THEME
Pick a Theme or a reason to host a party.  People will ask and it will give them a better idea of what to expect.  Example:  I just had an Ugly Sweater Party (post to come).  That indicated that it was a relaxed party and people were encouraged to wear something festive and I even offered a prize for the best effort. And make a list.

2.  DECOR
Try and set the mood with the decor as much as you are able to.  Arrange the furniture if you can to let people sit or stand and have space to move around.  For the holidays I really like the battery pack LCD christmas lights.  Especially the white ones that are little and can be tucked into things to create sparkle and ambiance.  Might not be great for selfies but it's very festive and adds great ambiance.
Try and keep colors to a maximum of 3 main colors otherwise it looks like you just threw things you could find together.  Safe colors are always, silver, gold, white and red.  Red can be for the holidays and valentines day and even Halloween if you know what I mean.

3.  BEVERAGES

I can't tell you how many parties I have gone to that have only had beer or wine.  I don't drink either and always appreciate it if people have bottled water or other beverages available.  I always like to have an assortment of Beer, wine and plain water and I like to do a fruit infused water and a juice.  I also have a whole assortment of flavours of tea.  I could make coffee but it seems like people prefer cold drinks with their food.
Set up a bar area where people are able to get refills on their drinks or water and also if you are busy greeting people or organizing the food they don't have to wait for you to serve them a drink.

4.  APPETIZERS
What I have learned over the years is that nobody shows up at the same time and you need to be able to have some food set up and ready for people to nibble on when they arrive and wait for all the guests to arrive.  I love a good cheeseboard but don't forget that there are a lot of people that are gluten intolerant, lactose intolerant or don't eat pork products for religious reasons.  So if you are going to set up cheese and charcuterie make sure you add some assorted nuts and dried fruits.
The cheese is best when it is softened for about a half an hour but don't leave soft cheeses out for a long time as they can develop bacteria very quickly.   Sometimes it's hard to judge.  The last time I had the cheeseboard ready and people didn't show up until an hour after the start time.  This time I didn't have time to set up all the cheese but got help from one of the guests to set the rest of it up.

5.  HOT/COLD FOOD SAFETY
After taking a food handlers course I learned how important it is to keep food at the proper temperature.  Don't leave your party food out for hours.  Try to not leave hot or cold food out for more than an hour.  You don't want to be that person that makes your guests sick from the food.
Take the food away and serve up the next course after no more than an hour.  For my Holiday party I borrowed a Pro Catering sized Chafing dish that could fit 2 large try inserts.  I had one with Mac and Cheese and one with Lasagna.  I also had a Crockpot that had meatballs and guests were able to return for seconds and the food was kept warm.  One thing I really dislike is where people cook it all in different stages and then just place it all on a table like a Potluck and half of the food is cold. Not only does it taste bad it's a food safety thing.

6.  SERVING DISHES/UTENSILS
Try and have all of your serving dishes and utensils ready for your food.  Also have some platters, bowls and serving spoons and knives handy in case people bring things that they need a dish for.  Case in point.  My friend brought a chickpea salad and needed a bowl.  Another friend brought a cake and it needed a serrated knife. Be prepared for unexpected dishes.  Lay out the appropriate utensil for the dish it is supposed to be used for.  Cheeseboard has special cheese knives and spreaders.  Casseroles require large spoons.  Bread, don't forget the serrated knife.  It's common sense but you would be surprised on how many people forget about this. It happens a lot more when you host a Potluck because most people just bring the food and don't think about the serving part.

7.  FOOD SELECTION
Try and see what dietary restrictions people have and try to accommodate as much as you can or inform them what the menu is so that they can bring something or are prepared in advance.
I like to make things from scratch but I always seem to run out of time to make all the stuff I want since I have limited space in bother my fridge and counter.  It's ok to use some store bought convenience items to simplify your prep and make your time management easier.

St. Hubert Poutine Bites

There are a lot of fun appetizers you can pick up that you can just heat up and serve.  At my Holiday Party I tried St. Hubert's new "Appy Hour" Poutine Bites, #insideoutpoutine, mashed potatoes with cheese and gravy inside them.  They were very quick to heat and serve and something different and bite sized.  Even my friends 1 year old was able to eat one.
Don't forget to have a variety of foods here too for the people with restricted diets.  But also you are not a restaurant and you don't have to make 20 different meals.  Just make sure you provide options if you can.

8.  PEOPLE
I have found that the best parties are all about the people and if they are like minded even if they have different backgrounds and ages.  Invite people you know but sprinkle in new people but make sure that you either introduce the new people to each other or let people know who the people are in advance and how you know them so that everyone feels comfortable.  Also if people can't respect your time and show up at the end of your party and expect everyone to accommodate them then it's your choice to not invite them to other parties.  Also if people like to be the centre of attention or dominate all conversations it sort of puts a damper on everyone feeling like they are participating.  It's challenging if they are friends and family but hopefully it will all work out if you get the mix right. And what about kids? Can you keep you space safe for them?

9.  KEEP IT CLEAR
This applies to 2 different areas.  Keep the details of your event clear.  With your start and end times, the location and how to get there.  TTC or Parking info if needed.  What to bring or wear if it is a themed event.
Also keep your space clear.  I have a small space and I try really hard to clear things away before the next courses now because it leaves a lot less of a pile up at the end of the night.  If you have space to store the dirty dishes and deal with them after the party or you can get rented dishes or hire help then that's great but if not consider disposable dishes and cutlery.  They are a lot nicer than they used to be and trust me you don't want to spend hours washing all the dishes and serving platters by hand after the party.  The older I get the more important this becomes.  People don't care that they had their food on a disposable plate if it's a nice one and the food is good.  People remember a mess and bad food and people they don't like but if you have a small gathering under 6 then go for it and you can do a sit down with all the proper place settings.  Consider the space and the amount of people and if you are going to be doing the cleanup all by yourself or you have a bunch of people to help.

10.  THE END OF THE PARTY
At the end of your event there are a couple of things that you need to keep in mind.
Are they ok to get home or are they intoxicated or extremely tired.  Consider a way of dealing with this.  If you are having a house party sometimes you have a lot of food left and some people would love to take some home.  Have ziploc bags, tupperware or aluminum foil at the ready in case they want to take something home.

This happens a lot with dessert because people are too full.
Make sure you say goodbye to everyone when they are leaving and thank them for coming.
A nice touch is if you have a small token gift for them to take when they leave.  I always forget because my friends come and go at different times.  I had candy canes and little baggies with tea on a small table in the hallway and still forgot but if everyone leaves at the same time it's a lot easier.  It never happens in my case and as one friend put it there is an "after party" of stragglers that will hang out after most of the people have left.

I could probably write a whole lot more things I have learned over the years but these are pretty important to making a party seem like it's a snap to host.  My friends have come to expect me to have a Holiday party and start to ask me about it  weeks before December.  Last year I skipped it because the year before I spent 2 weeks prepping and days afterward getting things back in order.  That's why I keep trying to change it up and find better ways so that I can enjoy the party too.

And yes the most important thing is that you are able to enjoy the party that you are hosting or what's the point of doing it.

I would love to go all out and do as much as I can and as much as my body will let me do.  I like to entertain when people enjoy it and appreciate the effort that goes into trying to create a great meal and a great party.  If people are ungrateful stop inviting them or just stop doing it.

I wasn't going to host a party this year but I had a reason to that made sense for me.

So I hope these tips are helpful.  I know it's a long one but I think these things are common sense until I see that people don't know how to do them.

One last tip from my guests comments.  If you bring beer or wine to a party or food you don't take it back with you unless the host tells you to take it.

And one last from me.  Don't bring the host things they don't have space for or don't need.  Find out what they need and bring that.

Go forth and Party and Enjoy!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS and Don't drink and Drive.

*Disclaimer:  St.-Hubert's Poutine Bites were sponsored by Group St.-Hubert, Retail Division and I have been compensated for the product but the opinions expressed are my own.

Oscar Party Food

OSCAR PARTY GOLD

Sunday February 22nd is the 87th Annual Academy Awards.  I have been going to an Oscar Party at a Restaurant/Bar for the past 10 years with my Toronto Film Festival Entourage Team and I will be bringing a few things to make the party a little more interesting during commercial breaks.  A couple of those things are in this blog post.   But if you love the Academy Awards and prefer to stay at home or have a private Oscar Party with friends and family then these Golden Theme Foods might help set the mood at your big Oscar Bash.

Think GOLD like the Golden Oscar Statues that the winners will be taking home and look for foods that fit into that theme.

You can set up a snacking station with homemade or commercial popcorn and even set up a seasoning bar for guests to customize their popcorn toppings.

Suggested toppings include:

Salt and Pepper
Parmesan Cheese
Truffle Oil
Cinnamon Sugar
Cajun spices
Smoked Paprika
You can also make colored sugar like golden yellow to sprinkle on for a sweet taste
Caramel Corn if you are skilled or you can just pick some up.

There is also a local Popcorn Company in Kensington Market called The Toronto Popcorn Company who make popcorn in all sorts of flavours and colours.

You can also scatter about things like Gold Chocolate Coins or the already dressed up in Gold wrapping classic Ferrero Rocher chocolate.

I tried out Chef Lynn Crawford's new Frozen Shrimp line of foods created by Waterview Market with a bunch of different seasoning flavours I decided to choose their Maple Mustard flavour because it has a golden hue and it's kind of Canadian too.  I added a touch of Turmeric to bump up the color a tiny bit.  You can either serve it on a bed of rice or you can skewer them like I did here.

I also made a Fancy Salmon Spread with both Smoked Salmon and poached salmon.

Poach 2 pieces of fresh salmon fillets in a broth that has Onions, bay leaves, salt, lemon, peppercorns, mustard seeds, tarragon, parsley and celery until the salmon is opaque.

Flake the salmon into a bowl with 1 package of chopped up smoked salmon and 2 diced green onions, about 4 pieces of fresh chives, a tbsp of fresh parsley and zest of a lemon and the juice of half a lemon.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add a couple of tablespoons of sour cream and mayonnaise or you can use creme fraiche or yoghurt even.  Chill until ready to assemble.

I added a teaspoon of the salmon mixture onto a Rice cracker and topped it off with Balsamic Pearls that I found at McEwan Foods grocery store.  It's pretty easy and looks very luxurious.  If you have money to splurge you can top with expensive caviar but I bet a lot of people will love the balsamic pearls.

Want to have something a bit more substantial?  Why not eat what the Celebrities eat then.

What do a lot of the Hollywood Stars eat after the Academy Awards if they don't hit the after parties?  Would you believe it's IN-N-OUT Burger.   They love to hit that drive through and inhale an Animal Burger or whatever their favourite is.   Why not make In N Out Inspired Sliders for your party.

I made a Special Sauce with Ketchup, Mayo and Relish.  

I used some mini Ciabatta buns but if you can find mini slider hamburger buns use those.  Brioche buns might be good too.

Cut up some lettuce, I used some butter lettuce that I had.

Slice a great vine ripened tomato and add salt and pepper.

Have some sliced cheddar.

For the hamburger patty use fresh ground Chuck if you can get it or just the best quality ground beef you can get.  Just add salt and pepper to season it before you cook it in a frying pan.

To make it animal style add yellow mustard after you brown each side and let it crust on the burger.

To assemble toast the buns.  I have heard that they toast them on the grill and they get the grease from the grilled meat.  Either way make sure you toast them.  Then spread some special sauce on the bottom of the bun.  Add a slice of tomato and then a piece of lettuce.  Top with a mini burger slider and then add a slice of cheddar cheese.  Add the top of the bun.  Voila... you In N Out inspired sliders.

Another popular Governors Ball food by Chef Wolfgang Puck is his Chicken Pot Pies.  You can make some mini ones yourself and bake them in muffin tins.   I picked up this great Chicken Pot Pie at McEwans grocery store because I didn't have the time to make them myself.  This one was delicious.

And I also made some Golden Sugar Cookies that you could either give out as take home gifts or just have for dessert with some Mocha Ice Cream or something.

I had to search high and low to find some gold sprinkles and found some at Party City.  I also used a buttercream food color paste to glaze the cookie.   I used Butter Baked Goods Sugar Cookie recipe for the cookies. 

So get creative and see what else you can come up with.   I found a small red carpet at Marshalls the other day even that I would have at the entrance to my door to welcome guests.   I have a cheap party runner that I am taking to the bar we are having our party in.   I wanted to take my new little red carpet but think it might get ruined by the street salt and snow around town right now.  

I am also going to set up a Red Carpet for photos that we can pose our hearts out on and take some fun pics.   I did this when we had the party at a friends condo party room in the past and I am glad we did it because I took a photo of my friends husband who has since passed away.  Create memories and take photos so that you have those forever.

And now a few of my Oscar Picks:

Best Picture:  BOYHOOD

Best Actor:   Eddie Redmayne

Best Actress:  Julianne Moore

Best Supporting Actress:  Patricia Arquette

Best Supporting Actor:  J.K. Simmons

Best Director:  Richard Linklater

Best Documentary:  Citizen Four but I lived Finding Vivien Maier.

Best Foreign Film:  Will probably be IDA

I am still trying to figure out the rest of them.. The technical ones are tougher.

Good Luck in your Oscar Pools and hope you have a great time watching the Red Carpet Arrivals and the Academy Awards.

and the Oscar goes to....................

20 Holiday Entertaining Tips

For the past few years since I moved to my current apartment I have had a Holiday Party and various other parties throughout the year.  The Holiday Party was an idea I came up with a few years ago to try and clean house of all the stuff I had accumulated but didn't use or need at the end of the year.   I came up with this idea because when I moved from a house to an apartment I had to get rid of so much stuff that I had accumulated through the years but because I had a house they would just end up stored in the basement or get moved around the house.   Now that I don't have extra storage space I have to find creative ways of organizing my things.  

I have accumulated a lot of things in the past year from going to many food related events where I have gotten free food samples or sometimes gifts.  If the gift is relevant to me or useful then I keep it but if it has hasn't been used in a year or I know that I have no use for it then I will try and give it to either a charity or a friend that might need it.

The Holiday party that I have had for the past few years was called my Swag Swap party where I would get my friends to bring things for a gift exchange that they might have gotten at an event, film festival or who knows where or they just pick up a small gift if they don't have anything.   I always gather up all my extra things and put them into gift bags and then when my guests arrive I sometimes put their stuff into gift bags so that you can't tell what it is... like a wine bottle or box of chocolates etc.   Then closer to the end of the party I put all the gifts in one giant pile and we draw numbers and do the choose and steal but what usually happens is they end up trading with each other and going through the extra bags to get what they want.   I don't care because I hope that I get rid of the things that I don't need and they go to people that can use them.  They are happy because it's the fun of trying to get what you want.   It's the ultimate re-gift and recycle party.  I usually do this between Christmas and New Year's when things are a bit quieter around town and a lot of people are off work.  

This year I was going to scrap the party all together because it generally costs me a lot of money for the food and the gift bags and even the party supplies like disposable plates and such.

But I looked around my apartment and realized that I had accumulated a lot of food stuffs and there was no way I was going to be able to eat it all without making myself sick.   I was also send a case of Persimons which have a short shelf life so I thought it was a good time to throw a party and share the food wealth.   I scrapped the gift exchange even though it's really fun and an ice breaker it does take up a lot of space in a small apartment and you need people to arrive on time to make it work.

I decided to host the party before Christmas this time so that I could use the Persimons and have time to clean up everything before going into the New Year.  I would like to start 2015 with a clean and organized space and less clutter.

Because I hosted it before Christmas and didn't want to have a massive back breaking party a lot of people couldn't come and there were a few no shows which happens sometimes.

No matter how hard I try my parties and parties in general can be challenging.   This time I approached it in a different way and I will tell you some of the tips that I used to make it less stressful for me.

Here are the challenges that I have to deal with when I host one of my parties.

1 friend is Gluten intolerant.
1 friend is Diabetic
1 friend doesn't eat Pork for religious reasons.
1 friend has a dairy intolerance.
1 friend only eats chicken and no fish or other meat
1 friend is vegetarian and very particular on what she eats.

That's the food challenges.   But then the other challenge is that no one ever arrives anytime close to the time I set to arrive at the party.  
I called the party Sips & Nibbles and set the time to 7pm this time.  I figured since my friends are always late that a later start then usual would help.

The Sips and Nibbles theme referred to the fact that I was basically having a whole range of munchable types of foods and I had beer, wine and a non alcoholic drink that was a big hit.  It was fresh mint, pomegranate seeds, lime soda and water.   I told everyone not to bring any chips or munchies and said to bring whatever their favourite drink was because I didn't want to take up space with special drinks for everyone.

Here's how the party went down.

The time was set for 7pm.  I didn't post an end time because they never seem to happen anyway.

The first person to arrive was my best friend who normally can't attend my parties because of her busy family but she came early to help me get organized for the party.   She arrived at 6:30pm.   Great.. I needed the help.

Since I know that my friends can't seem to tell time i decided to wait until the last minute to make and put some of the food out.  When my friend arrived we chopped some vegetables and made a spinach dip and got a few other things ready.  I didn't put the cheese on the cheese platter until 7pm because it needs a bit of time to get to room temperature but too long and it dries up.

The next person to arrive was my chronically late friend who normally arrives after everyone else but always says she wants to come early to help.   She arrived at about 7:35pm which is early for her.
Another friend said he would arrive late and he arrived at the same time but came up in a different elevator than my other friend.  Another friend sent a text that she would be late and would arrive around 8:30pm.   Another friend sent a text that he wouldn't be able to make it,  he sent the text at about 6:00pm.   Another friend wanted to come but had to work downtown until 10:30 so she called when she was done work and then came for about an hour.   Two other friends arrived together after 8pm.
One friend sent a text to one of my friends saying "it's a long story" and she wouldn't be able to make it.   At 1:00am I got a text from another friend with an explanation of why she didn't make it.

So as you can tell a Potluck Party or sit down dinner was a bit of an impossible feat.  I have tried those in the past but my friends seem to like the drop in whenever they are free approach but some still want the sit down dinner food.

This year I really didn't care how many people showed up and was prepared for them to stagger in whenever and I knew I had to deal with dietary restrictions so I tried to plan for it with a new strategy.

Here are the tips I used:

1.  Prep all the tableware and platters a day in advance of the party and have a pile of extra bowls, platters etc. in case anyone shows up with anything that has to be put in a bowl or on a plate.

2.  Try and set out food that people can munch on when they arrive so that they aren't asking you when the food will be ready.

3.  I have to always make a huge variety of foods available to accommodate all the dietary restrictions so I know that I have to try and be organized as much as I can to present it all.

4.  I set up a bar station where people could pour their own drinks and grab their own plates.  I only have a table that can squeeze 4 people and that's without food so it has to be a more casual serve yourself style of food.

5.  If you have the space set up extra tables for drinks and munchies.   I had a small round table that I had a big silver punch bowl with ice for the beers.  I also set up munchies on my coffee table and had a console table as the bar table.

6.  Keep your dishes as simple as possible.   Make what you can in advance.

7.  Prepare some things when your guests arrive so there is no waste and things are fresh.   I made fresh pizzas using the Persimons that I was given but had to make a few different versions to accommodate the no dairy and no pork restrictions.  If I had made them in advance and if they hadn't shown up then the customized pizzas would have been wasted.  I also didn't have to reheat them that way.  My best friend helped me with the pizzas.  I would suggest if you have a large kitchen island to have everyone put their own toppings on their individual pizzas.


8.  Set up as many things that they can serve themselves.  For dessert I had pre-made cut up Persimons that I had cooked and cooled and then I set up a station with disposable clear plastic cups, spoons,  the Persimon fruit,  coconut whipped cream, gingersnap cookies and my homemade granola for my gluten free friend to swap out for the gingersnap cookies.  They served themselves how they liked it and the portion they had room for and that allowed them to have seconds if they wanted more.

9.  Lighting -  I picked up some Dollarama christmas lights for $3 and strung them on my fake Ikea palm like tree.  I also had a coupon from Bernardin for some Mason Jars and I used it to get a six pack of festive green Mason jars.  I used an idea I had seen at a Sobeys party and other parties to make an inexpensive lighting trick and decor by adding cranberries to water and I put in some dill,  that's what I had.. and then added a floating candle on top.   Festive and nice cheap lighting.   I also had a string of LED lighted christmas ball lights that I got at the Gourmet Food and Wine Show that I had put on my TV cabinet to make it look like a Mantle.

10.  Festive decor on a budget.  I picked up a tiny Cypress tree from Whole Foods for $5 and then found some $2 mini ornaments from Dollarama to decorate it and used it as the centrepiece on my dining table with is a small 4 seater round glass table.   I had a couple of candles on the table as well.
I have a small fake Pointsetta plant and have wrapped gifts and bags scattered around the room but no overt Christmas decor really.   More festive.  A lot of things were things I already had around.

11.  Platters - I had a slate board that I used as a cheese tray and added fresh and dried fruits and crackers.   I had a glass filled with spreaders and knives for the cheeses and picks next to the cheese board.  I had another platter of crackers including gluten free ones which I indicated to my Gluten intolerant friend for her to choose.   I also used a small cake stand to elevate a spinach dip that I made.
My friend brought a casserole dish with Mexican layer dip and I had a platter and space left open for that.  I tried to leave a bit of free space on the table for anything that had to be added.

12.  Cleaning up a little bit during the party.  You need to be strategic when cleaning up during the party because you don't want to make your guests feel like it's time for them to go or that they need to have to stop their conversations to help.   I tried to take away unused cups and plates after they were empty and just saying you are just getting it out of the way will make them more comfortable.

13.  Be prepared for the unexpected.  People will show up late.  People will cancel at the last minute and people will just not show up.  I have learned to not stress out about it anymore and I just expect it to happen now.   They say you can train your friends but I have never figured out how to do that so if you can do it let me know how.

14.  Try and be your own guest at your party.  Because my best friend helped me in the kitchen and I left things for them to serve themselves it gave me more time to actually sit and eat and have conversations with my friends.

15.  Have lot's of ziploc bags, plastic wrap, tin foil and containers on hand if people want to take some food home after the party.  I think one of my friends thinks it's a take out restaurant when she comes to one of my parties.

16.  Try and keep it simple.  While I always try and keep it simple my parties aren't a simple thing.  I can't just order a pepperoni pizza and pick up a case of beer but I try and plan as much ahead of time and try and always find new ways of presenting different things. I tend to get carried away.

17.  Tea and coffee.  I have been finding that my friends don't usually want tea or coffee and I don't have a coffee maker but I always try and have a full kettle of water ready to boil in case they want tea or french press coffee.  If I had the space I would set up a tea/coffee station.

18.   Try and find out your guests food restrictions or allergies before the party so that you know how to accommodate them.

19.  Make sure you introduce people as they enter the party.  People will want to know who they are and how they are connected to you.  Also if they have only met once before it's a good name reminder. My best friend hadn't met my friends because she lives in Maple but she remembered everyone's names.  I am not as skilled as she is but it was great that she knew who they were from previous conversations that I had with her so she already felt like she knew some of them.

20.  Pace yourself.   When I do the larger parties it sometimes takes me 2 weeks of running around, organizing, cleaning, planning, cooking, setting up and then cleaning up afterward.  This time I only spent a couple of days before and less than an hour the next day.  My energy and fitness aren't so great so I would do some prep and then take a break then do a bit more and take a break.  The last time I had a party I was wiped for 3 days afterward so I know that I can't do that anymore so I try and work within my limitations now and that's why I didn't do the Swag Swap and full out entree dishes.

Some other things that you can do is to think outside of the box.   I picked up 3 small square glass vases that I loaded with cut up vegetables.  They can also be used for tea lights of for flower arrangements or even the cutlery.

And if you have a Best friend that is as helpful and fun as mine is then make sure they can come to your party because everyone will be glad they did.

I like to buy things that are red because they can signify Valentine's Day or Christmas or just add a color pop to any time of the year and it goes with my black and white and grey decor anytime.  It doesn't have to say Christmas to have a Christmas feel.  Candles, ornaments in a vase, a string of christmas lights in a vase or on a mantle can give off a festive mood.

But the most important TIP is to HAVE FUN.... It's not a GREAT PARTY unless EVERYONE is having FUN!!

Happy Holidays and I hope these tips are helpful for your future Holiday Parties.

One last thing.   Because I live right at a subway station it's easy for people to not to have to worry about drinking and driving.  Make sure you know how people are going to arrive and leave and keep an eye out for their drinking consumption.   I am lucky that my friend from Maple was dropped off by her husband and the rest of them all took the subway so I didn't have to worry about their safety driving home.

Stay Safe and Enjoy your Holidays!