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guide to

new year’s dining

a blank slate media / litmor publications special section • december 25, 2015

28 guide to new year’s dining • News Times Newspapers, Friday, December 25, 2015

ring in the new year with festive party ideas Although New Year's Eve parties tend to be similar from year to year, hosts can explore the many ways to make their celebrations stand out from those of years past. This handy guide provides ideas to your get creative juices flowing. · Establish a color palette. Many people equate New Year's Eve with the gold and silver hues of champagne. However, you can use any festive color for your party. Use the same colors on everything from invitations to dinnerware to takehome favors. · Encourage guest input. Guests understand the cost of hosting and the amount of planning necessary to throw a festive party, and many will likely reach out to ask what they can do or bring. Figure out in advance which aspects of the party you want your guests to take care of so you have a ready answer when the inquiries start rolling in. · Keep musical tastes in mind. A

fun party usually includes an array of familiar songs and music that appeals to the masses. When compiling a party playlist, choose songs guests are sure to know and love. Mix these in with a few of your favorites. You can even ask guests to provide the names of three favorite songs when they RSVP. · Dim the lights. Bright lights can make guests feel intimidated and awkward. Set the mood by turning off overhead lights, opting for ambient lighting instead. For a fun effect, string holiday lights around the room or use a portable disco ball to spread sparkling colors on the floor and ceiling. Candles are another option for intimate affairs, but should be avoided as a safety measure if you're having a large crowd. · Set out New Year's fill-in-the-blank cards. Encourage guest participation with an entertaining idea. Print out small cards that guests have to complete. Phrases like, "The bad habit I want to quit is ___" or "____ was the silliest thing I did last year,"

can be fun to do and share. Guests can take turns guessing whose card is being read. · Have the party catered. Unless you want to spend the evening in and out of the kitchen, invest in catering.

Guests of a late party won't expect a three course meal. However, platters of sandwiches, appetizers and other little munchies will fit the bill. Remember, caterers may book up fast this time of year, so be sure to reserve service well in advance of your party. · Create a specialty drink. In addition to toasting champagne or sparkling wine, serve a specialty drink creation. This can be a beverage that ties into your color scheme or the theme of the party. Dessert drinks, such as chocolate martinis or

vanilla cake-flavored vodka mixers, may be the right flavor for your affair.

As the host, you should remember to provide non-alcoholic alternatives as well. · Consider more substantial food after midnight. Encourage guests to eat more and drink less once the clock has struck midnight.

Casseroles and other baked dishes are easy to make in advance and have on hand. A breakfast buffet of pancakes, toast and omelets also will fill guests up with something more substantial than chips and dips.

New Year's Eve parties are a great way to reflect on the last year and look forward to a new one, and hosts can take steps to make their parties memorable for all the right reasons.

News Times Newspapers, Friday, December 25, 2015 • guide to new year’s dining

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30 guide to new year’s dining • News Times Newspapers, Friday, December 25, 2015

how to set H the taBle for casual & forMal gatherings

osts have a lot on their plates when planning dinner parties.

Choosing the menu is a big responsibility, as is taking steps to ensure guests feel welcome.

One area novice hosts may overlook is how to set a proper table. Eating on the go or quickly between commitments means individuals often grab meals wherever they can, and that rarely leads them to the dining room table. But a properly set table can impress guests and improve the ambiance at a dinner party.

Begin by choosing a matching set of dinnerware. You will need to invest in extra dinnerware if you do not have enough items to accommodate all your guests.

If dishes and utensils have seen better days, you may want to upgrade to a new set.

Wash any plates and glasses that have not been used in a while before setting the table. A quick rinse through the dishwasher can freshen them up and remove any accumulated dust.

Select a table linen that fits with your decor or theme. It will be the base for your table setting. The dinner plate should be front and center for each guest. Place a napkin directly on the center of the dinner plate or off to the left side.

Utensils will flank the plate in order of use. The experts at Emily Post Etiquette suggest using the word “FORKS” to

remind yourself which order to place the utensils. Begin on the left side of the plate. “F” is for forks, “O” represents the plate itself, “K” is for knives, and “S” is for spoons. The “R” is not used, but the word serves as a pneumonic device nonetheless.

In a basic table setting, there may only be one fork, knife and spoon. In more formal settings, additional utensils are provided for multiple courses. The additional utensils are placed in order of use. Therefore, a salad fork would be on the end and the dinner fork closer to the plate. All knives should be facing in toward the dinner plate.

Beverage glasses are placed above the dish and utensils to the right side of it.

Bread-and-butter dishes and/or small salad plates appear to the left.

Many hosts do present dessert well after the main course, so you will not need to have a dessert plate, beverage cup and saucer or dessert utensils on the table initially. They can be brought in later on.

Buy a centerpiece to complete the table.

Keep in mind the height and size of the arrangement so that it does not impede guests’ views or take up so much space that diners feel cramped. Proper table setting can make any meal feel more special.

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News Times Newspapers, Friday, December 25, 2015 • guide to new year’s dining

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32 guide to new year’s dining • News Times Newspapers, Friday, December 25, 2015

What to do with all those holiday leftovers

With a few creative ideas, anyone can turn leftover holiday foods into new meals.

The food cooked during the holidays is often enough to feed an army. Too often, hosts and hostesses prepare and serve much too much food, only to find themselves left with a refrigerator full of leftovers when guests don’t eat as much as hosts had suspected.

In order to avoid wasting food, many people attempt to create new meals from their excess holiday ingredients. Putting leftovers to good use can take a little ingenuity to disguise the reality that you’re eating turkey or ham for the third consecutive night. All it may take is a little inspiration to create delicious meals with repurposed holiday foods.

The first thing to keep in mind when using leftovers is food safety. Any food remaining after the holiday meal should be packed into storage containers and refrigerated or frozen no more than 2 hours after the meal has ended. This ensures that bacteria are not able to proliferate in the food and cause foodborne illnesses. Choose shallow containers, which will enable the food to chill more uniformly and not create warmer spots that take longer to reach a safe storage temperature. Do not save any foods that have remained at room temperature for too long or seem questionable, especially dairy products. It is adviseable to discard leftovers (even if refrigerated) after 4 days. Use it or lose it!

Now that leftovers are properly stored, you can think up some creative menu ideas for using them in the next few days.

• Turn stuffing into croquettes or burgers by mixing chopped turkey with stuffing or adding a new meat to the equation, like sausage.

• Dice ham and potatoes and add to the morning helping of eggs for a country-style omelette.

• Promptly boil the turkey carcass to make homemade stock for soups and stews.

• Turn leftover mashed potatoes into a creamy potato soup, with the addition of cream, bacon & scallions.

• Use cranberry sauce in place of butter on bagels or toast.

• Mash up leftover sweet potatoes and bake into a moist and delicious sweet potato loaf bread.

• Create open-faced sandwiches for lunch by layering ham or turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and gravy on top of a thick slice of bread.

• Diced meats, vegetables and onion can be added to a batter of pancake mix and turned into an easy quiche.

• Host Mexican night and use leftover turkey meat to make spicy fajitas, complete with sour cream and salsa.

• Use stale bread to make homemade croutons for salad or use in a bread pudding recipe.

• Add cranberry sauce to boxed muffin mixes for a tart treat.

• Turn leftover holiday meats into an Asian stir-fry with the addition of water chestnuts, bean sprouts, soy sauce, and mixed vegetables.

• Grind meats to make a hearty meat loaf.

• Make leftover potatoes into hash browns.

• Cube leftover cake and serve on skewers and fruit for dipping into chocolate fondue.

• Use pie crust and small ramekins to turn turkey or ham into savory pot pies.

There are so many ideas for using leftover holiday foods this season. Experiment with flavors your family will enjoy.

News Times Newspapers, Friday, December 25, 2015 • guide to new year’s dining

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34 guide to new year’s dining • News Times Newspapers, Friday, December 25, 2015

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News Times Newspapers, Friday, December 25, 2015 • guide to new year’s dining

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Arrange transportation for guests for safe entertaining

arty hosts are tasked with a number of responsibilities as they try to coordinate successful events.

Although planning menus and entertainment might be a host’s top priority, consideration also should be given to keeping guests comfortable and safe, particularly at parties where alcohol will be served.

Protecting guests begins with being a responsible party host. It is hosts’ duty to monitor their guests’ alcohol consumption and to recognize when guests have had enough. Having a designated bartender at the event can help limit how much people are being served.

Hosts also may want to have several transportation options at the ready to take party participants home after the festivities. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 30 people in the United States die every day in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver.

Preventing tipsy party guests from driving home can reduce the number of injuries and deaths on the road.

Explore the options for safe party travel and have a contingency plan in place if one of these options falls through.

Designated driver: Hosts can choose to remain sober at their parties and shuttle guests home if need be.

Otherwise, ask someone else to abstain from alcohol and drive others home at the end of the night.

Taxi service: Hosts can make arrangements with nearby taxi companies or car services to arrive outside their homes at the end of the party. If the party is being held somewhere other than your home, carry taxi business cards with you to arrange for pickup at the venue.

Van or bus rental: Party buses can be a safe and fun way to transport guests around. This can be the ideal option when bringing a large group of people to the same

venue or on a long-distance trip. Some party buses provide on-board entertainment, such as televisions or gaming options. Hosts also can rent extended vans from car rental companies or consult with a limousine service.

Public transportation: Public transportation is a safe and affordable way to get guests home safely. Buses and trains can be inexpensive choices and safe methods for getting people home. Have bus or train fare available in the

event guests do not have any cash on them.

Keeping guests safe is a priority for party hosts. Arrange for transportation if alcohol is being served so partygoers can get home safely.

36 guide to new year’s dining • News Times Newspapers, Friday, December 25, 2015

eco friendly ways to ring in the new year A new year is on the horizon and men and women across the globe are readying their New Year’s resolutions.

In recent years, more and more men and women have resolved to adopt a more eco-friendly lifestyle in the year ahead.

But you don’t have to wait until the new calendar year to go green. In fact, New Year’s revelers can turn their New Year’s Eve party into an eco-friendly affair in a variety of ways.

Forgo paper products. New Year’s Eve festivities typically feature lots of food and beverages, and hosts can use this to get a head start on their resolutions. Instead of serving food on paper plates and beverages in disposable paper, plastic or foam cups, use reusable glassware or even plastic cups and plates that can be washed and reused. In addition, replace paper napkins with cloth napkins that can be used more than once.

When forgoing paper products, don’t forget to abandon traditional invitations for e-vites. Invite guests via e-mail or through social networking sites instead of sending out traditional paper invitations that needlessly use paper and need to be transported.

Embrace eco-friendly beverages.

Adult beverages are a big part of many New Year’s Eve parties, and even these beverages can be ecofriendly. The growing popularity of craft breweries, or microbreweries, has made it easy for party hosts to serve eco-friendly drinks. Purchase

your party’s beer supply from a local microbrewery to cut down on the beer’s carbon footprint. Buying locally reduces reliance on transportation to get items from the manufacturer into your refrigerator, which in turn reduces fuel consumption and pollution.

But beer isn’t the only way to make your beverage menu more ecofriendly. Hosts can replace traditional vodka with organic vodka and traditional wine with biodynamic wine.

When the time comes to toast the past year and ring in the new one, do so with champagne or sparkling wine made from organic grapes.

Encourage guests to recycle throughout the night. When guests arrive, explain to them that the night will be an eco-friendly affair. Set up a separate trash receptacle for recyclable items, including bottles and cans. Think of ways to use discarded wine and champagne bottles as decorative items, be it for table settings or vases to hold fresh flowers. And when recycling, don’t overlook the smaller items. Corks from wine bottles can be recycled and reused for a variety of products, including flooring tiles, building insulation and sports equipment.

Donate food at the end of the night. Hosts often have food leftover at the end of the night. Rather than discarding all those leftovers, donate them to a local food bank or homeless shelter. Make these arrangements in advance so the following morning you can donate the leftovers before they spoil.

New Year’s Eve is one of the most festive nights of the year. And with a few simple steps, hosts can make their gathering as eco-friendly as it is enjoyable.

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News Times Newspapers, Friday, December 25, 2015 • guide to new year’s dining

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38 guide to new year’s dining • News Times Newspapers, Friday, December 25, 2015

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