Savvy Entertaining

As friends and family gather in your home to watch the ball drop on New Year’s Eve, don’t be the one who drops the ball with entertaining. Do a little prep work now to be prepared to enjoy the evening with family and friends.

Even if you are entertaining on a tight budget, there are a lot of easy, inexpensive things you can do to create a beautiful celebration.

Entertain Buffet Style – Setting the food out in a buffet keeps you from being so tied to the kitchen and creates a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere in which your guests  are at ease to mingle and enjoy each other. Remember to incorporate height,  color and texture in your buffet. If your food is going to be sitting out for a while, be sure you are keeping hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Put ice in trays and cover with a drape. Nestle in those bowls of salads and foods that need to stay chilled. To keep hot foods warm, use crock pots, bricks warmed in the oven or tea lights under open trays to keep hot foods hot. Set hot foods and cold foods at opposite ends of the table.

Keep it Simple and Fresh – For a show-stopping look combine silver, white or cream and glass pieces. The new year is about new beginnings, so go for a clean, classy look. Use silver trays or bowls, glass pitchers and platters and cream or white accent pieces. Buy an inexpensive can of silver spray paint and go to town on flower pots, plastic to-go trays, anything that you may already have that can work as a serving piece. Add in a few glass pieces and some white flowers (you could even use white and silver Christmas balls which are now on huge clearance sales) for a centerpiece. Make sure you use white candles (also on sale in the holiday sections of stores) to create a warm glow on your table and throughout your home.

Offer a Simple Menu – After all the holiday over-eating, offer some lighter fare such as fruit and veggie trays. An easy buffet to pull together could include assorted fruits such as pears, figs, apples, grapes and berries along with an assortment of cheeses, nuts, meats and crackers. Have a few dips with assorted breads and veggies. For a super easy meal, offer a big pot or two of soup, a couple of bread choices, some fresh fruit and a delicious dessert. Have both hot and cold beverages available. Put on a pot of mulled cider to fill your house with a delicious inviting scent.

Fun Finishing Touches – Confetti is a great project for little ones and can be made out of discarded mail, newspaper or old christmas cards. Have them cut into little squres then set out in bowls. Or create little pouches of confetti made of white tissue paper tied with silver string and hand one to each guest just before midnight. Write or type out New Year toasts, making sure each toast fits on one line. Cut out each toast and wrap around a pencil until curled. Slip the curl on each stem of glassware for a fun surprise for your guests. Some toasts ideas are:

In the New Year, may your right hand always be stretched out in friendship, but never in want.– Traditional Irish toast

Here’s a toast to the future, a toast to the past, and a toast to our friends, far and near. May the future be pleasant; the past a bright dream; may our friends remain faithful and dear. – Anonymous

May we live to learn well, and learn to live well. May you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live. – Anonymous

Love to one, friendship to many, and good will to all.– Anonymous

May the friends of our youth be the companions of our old age. – Anonymous

Play It Safe – If alcohol will be served at your celebration, make sure there are designated drivers, guests rooms ready for last-minute use and the number of the “tipsy taxi” is by your phone.

Enjoy your celebration, be over-prepared and ready to go with the flow, be safe and may 2010 be your best year yet!

Happy Entertaining, Happy New Year!