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Home for the Holidays

Wine, dine and get entertaining tips from Austin’s best lifestyle bloggers.

We all love spending time with family and friends during the festive holiday season, and if you are a homemaking, bake-up-a-storm, Martha Stewart type, you get excited about the creativity that is flowing out of your brain and right onto the table. Whether it be food, drink or décor, this is your time to shine.

This year, instead of getting stressed out and flustered during the holidays, remember that you, as the hostess, set the tone for the party. If you are stressed out, your guests will feel it and the party will be tense. Remember to take a moment to breathe, and always answer the door smiling. This is the time to put your best foot forward, and you’ve prepared for it all year. Take the opportunity to think outside the box, and let your creative juices flow. You can be that ethereal creature everyone envies, the one who makes entertaining seem effortless. Take note of these tips and you will have everyone looking forward to receiving their next invitation to your party.

 

Top 10 Tips for Stress-free and Elegant Entertaining

1. Be mindful of space.

 There is a difference between hosting guests properly and squeezing as many people as possible into a space. A crowded room will likely cause mingling, but not the pleasant mingling you are probably envisioning. Rubbing elbows and knocking chairs will cause a subtle atmosphere of frustration and tension, thus ruining the perfect mood you are trying to create. Use the following formula to determine the perfect number of guests for a cocktail party: Divide the square footage of your home by 10. That number equals how many people can fit nicely in your home. Remember that your guests are there to mingle, relax and have a good time without having to draw out a plan in their heads for how they will reach the bathroom before they get up from the table.

 

2. Dress up unexpected areas.

For an overall festive and welcoming feeling, make sure to put thought into those places others may not really think to decorate. After all, you are the ultimate hostess. Dress up your powder room and the entryway with small, festive touches. You don’t need to spend a lot, as a little goes a long way. Cruise the produce aisle for ideas; big, red pears and apples, and other textured vegetables, such as artichokes, look gorgeous in simple bowls. Take a look through your home for unique vessels, and fill them with cinnamon sticks, cloves and dry leaves, making the space smell amazing without breaking the bank.

 

3. Scents make memories.

The simplest yet most effective way to make your guests feel like they have entered holiday heaven is to appeal to their nostalgia. Nothing does this quite like the sense of smell. One of the easiest things you can do is simmer a little water with cinnamon sticks on the stove. Start about an hour before guests arrive, and keep an eye on it throughout the evening. You can dress up the recipe with other spices, such as cloves, apples, cranberries and nutmeg. This is a fun chance to experiment and find your recipe, which guests will associate with your home and recall memories of your fabulous party when they encounter that scent again.

 

4. Consider the furniture.

When it comes to entertaining, if you don’t have a ton of furniture, not to fear. Ample square footage means more space for mingling and moving about. Just skip the seated dinner and host a standing-room party with heavy hors d’oeuvres and a signature cocktail to take advantage of the casual setting. That doesn’t have to be your only option, though. Creative ways to set up an entertaining space can come in many forms, such as renting cocktail tables and setting up chairs in corners, which is fairly inexpensive, or setting up plastic tables and covering them with fabulously festive linens. When good food is available and good wine is flowing, no one will notice what that decorative cloth is hiding. Another option is to skip tables and chairs altogether and choose a unique theme for your party. Seat guests on fluffy pillows on the floor, or make it a winter-wonderland theme and set up baskets filled with blankets for everyone to cuddle up in. While all these ideas work well, make sure to be considerate to your guests and ask them to wear appropriate and comfortable attire.

 

5. Stock the bar.

Whatever type of party you are hosting, within the very first minutes upon arrival, your guests will be looking for the drinks before they really start mingling. A good hostess can foresee this immediate need for refreshments and sets up an easy and accessible area for the drinks. It’s not necessary to have a bartender for parties on the smaller side, but if you are hosting more than 40 guests, it is a good idea to have someone serve drinks or even walk around serving pre-poured wine and Champagne to avoid a line and therefore, frustration. You should also devote a space for the alcohol. To avoid traffic jams, pick a corner and find something like a dresser or tall table to set everything on. Guests will find it, so don’t worry about putting it front and center.

 

6. Do a little math.

Now, I know the holidays are a time for fun and happiness, not math. But the last thing you want is to run out of food, or worse, alcohol, in the middle of a fabulous party. So pull out your calculator and get ready for a little math lesson. For cocktail parties, assume your guests will drink two drinks in the first hour and one drink per hour for the rest of the party. For food, plan on 10 appetizer bites per person and about four if it’s a dinner party and more food is coming. The more, the better, and, in this case, it’s preferable to have leftovers than not enough.

 

7. Be mindful of centerpieces.

This may seem like Entertaining 101, but most people actually forget that in order to create that lively, interactive and fun environment they want at their dinner party, easy conversation is the key element. What makes conversation easy? Alcohol (You got that part down.) and actually seeing the other person across the table. When you obstruct the view with a really elaborate centerpiece, guests will certainly look at it and appreciate it, but they won’t be able to chat with the other guests across the table if their view is blocked. This creates lulls in conversation and kills the mood you are working so hard to create. Keep centerpieces short or spare and tall to avoid obstructing guests’ sight lines. And if you must let your creativity run wild, place a beautiful, giant arrangement in a corner, perhaps by the bar.

 

8. Remember the kids.

If you have been entertaining for a few years, chances are some of your fabulous guests have children by now. To be an extra considerate hostess, you might want to consider inviting their kids to the party as well. You can either hire a babysitter for the night, or if the kids are old enough, set a kids’ table next to the main table and serve kid-friendly food. Provide an activity to keep them focused (like covering the table with butcher paper and scattering crayons, or giving them games to play during dinner), and make them feel just as special as the grown-ups. This will make for an easier party and ensure their parents will want to come to the next one.

 

9. ’Tis the season to be giving

Guests want to feel like they are on a mini vacation when they go to a holiday party. They want to be fed and pampered, and not worry about a thing. What better way to make them feel special than to send them home with a little special something? A gift doesn’t have to be big or expensive: A simple ornament set on each of their place settings, or gifting arrangements of flowers from the centerpieces will do the trick.

 

10. The last and most important tip: relax.

Before everyone arrives, as the hostess, you should take a moment to get in your right mind. A holiday party is an opportunity for you to put your flawless taste on display, but no one will remember that if you are tense, anxious and stressed out. Take 20 minutes, sit outside and take 10 deep breaths while you sip a glass of wine. Get in your zone, put aside any stressors or annoying things that have gone wrong and forget the burned green beans. Entrust someone to be your attitude adjuster for those times of the night when things get overwhelming, put a smile on your face and go greet your first guest! 

 

Healthy Recipes for the Holidays

 

Roasted Rosemary Brussels Sprouts With Pear Balsamic Glaze

Serves four

Ingredients:
1 bag Brussels sprouts
6 slices low-sodium bacon
Rosemary Salt and black pepper to taste
4 red pears
1/2 cup honey-roasted walnuts
Avocado oil
1 cup balsamic vinegar

Directions:
Mix the balsamic vinegar with four to six slices of pear in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until the pears have softened or dissolved. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer until the glaze is reduced by half, about 20 minutes. The glaze should coat the back of a spoon. Fish the pear slices out and drizzle the glaze over the roasted Brussels sprouts.

Pear Balsamic Glaze

Directions:
Mix the balsamic vinegar with four to six slices of pear in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until the pears have softened or dissolved. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer until the glaze is reduced by half, about 20 minutes. The glaze should coat the back of a spoon. Fish the pear slices out and drizzle the glaze over the roasted Brussels sprouts. 

 

 

Pumpkin Spice and Maple-Roasted Whole Chicken

Serves six to eight

Ingredients:
1 whole large chicken
3 teaspoons pumpkin spice
3 teaspoons maple syrup
Salt and black pepper to taste
Avocado oil (enough to cover the chicken)
1 white onion
5 fresh garlic cloves
Fresh thyme sprigs

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Preheat a roasting pan. Rinse the thawed-out chicken inside and out with cold water, and pat dry it with paper towels. Quarter the white onions and stuff them inside the chicken, along with garlic cloves and fresh thyme. Tuck the wings behind the back and truss the chicken as desired using kitchen twine. Rub avocado oil all over the chicken and set aside. In a small bowl, mix the maple syrup, pumpkin spice, salt and black pepper. Rub the mix all over the chicken, making sure it’s evenly saturated. Roast the chicken for 40 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees and flip the chicken breast side up. Continue roasting for another 40 minutes until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast, away from the bone, registers between 165 degrees and 170 degrees. Transfer the chicken to a carving board, cover loosely with foil and let it rest for about 20 minutes before carving. 

 

 

Harvest Kale Salad With Honey-Thyme Vinaigrette

Serves six

Ingredients:
1 bag fresh kale leaves
1/2 cup dried sweet cherries
4 sliced cherry belle radishes
1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup goat-cheese crumbles

Dressing:
2 tablespoons honey
Juice from 2 limes
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Salt and black pepper
Lemon thyme leaves
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon yellow mustard

Directions:
Quickly roast the pumpkin seeds in a skillet at high heat until they’re browned. In a large bowl, mix the greens, cherries, thinly sliced radishes, roasted pumpkin seeds and goat-cheese crumbles. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Pour it over the greens and toss together well. 

 

Brown Sugar Baked Acorn Squash

Serves four to six

Ingredients:
1 acorn squash
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Dash of salt

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Using a sharp, sturdy chef’s knife, carefully cut the acorn squash in half from stem to tip. Use a sturdy metal spoon to scrape out the seeds and stringy bits inside each squash half until the inside is smooth. Cut the acorn squash into four to six slices. Place the squash slices cut side up in a roasting pan. Rub butter into the insides of each slice. Sprinkle with a little salt. Rub brown sugar into the center of each slice and bake in the oven for about an hour, until the tops of the squash halves are nicely browned and the squash flesh is very soft and cooked through.

 

 

Pumpkin Spice White Russian Cocktail

Serves one

Ingredients:
2 parts Kahlua
1 part vodka
3 parts 2 percent milk
Pumpkin spice
Cinnamon sticks
Piecrust

Directions:
Using homemade or pre-made piecrust, make lattice-woven piecrusts and cut them to a slightly bigger size than the tumbler glasses you will be using. Bake and refrigerate. Pour the alcohol into tumbler glasses and float the milk on top. Sprinkle pumpkin spice and stir with a cinnamon stick. Top with piecrust.

 

Photos by Adrienne Wing, sponsored by Pottery Barn and Williams-Sonoma Austin.

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