Organized Holiday Soiree

A few months ago, my Mom asked me to fly out to Connecticut to help her prepare the food for a Christmas party she and her husband Jim were throwing.  Well, the party was last weekend and it was a great success.  I spent quite a bit of time preparing the food for the party, but I was able to organize the preparations enough so that I had plenty of time to relax with my Mom.  I knew that appetizers for a cocktail party of 75 guests would prove to be daunting, so before arriving I created a food prep timeline to helped me stay organized. I also designed a menu where many components could be made in advance.  

Rosemary cookie and blue cheese cracker doughs were prepared three days early, rolled into logs, refrigerated and sliced to be baked off just before the party.  Dates for the "devils on horseback" were stuffed with Manchego cheese and wrapped in bacon the day before the party.  A local butcher shop roasted and sliced four beef tenderloins and supplied brioche rolls sent in from New York. Grilled cheeses were the last things to prepare and they were griddled in a pan with sage butter the afternoon of the party and reheated in a screaming-hot oven just as guests arrived.  Salted cashews, candied bacon and store-bought caramel corn was poured into bowls and placed around the house for guests to nibble on while sipping cocktails.  The dining room table held all of the food and behind it Willy, the bartender, poured various tasty libations which were neatly arranged on a beautiful wooden bar.  

The evening was perfect and ended in a chorus of Christmas carols around the piano.  Because most of our menu was either prepared in advance or store-bought, I was able to spend plenty of quality time with my Mom and that, after all, is what the holidays are all about.

Menu:

Candied bacon

Various marinated vegetables

Cheese and meat platters

Gorgonzola and walnut crackers

Devils on horseback

Shrimp cocktail

Mini grilled cheeses 

Beef tenderloin with brioche rolls and horseradish sour cream 

Rosemary sugar cookies

Brownies 

Garbage bars 

Crispy, candied bacon stacked in glasses.  Always the hit of the party.

Jarred vegetables from a local Italian deli.  Peppers, artichokes, fava beans, mushrooms and zucchini.  Delicious, savory and as easy as opening a few jars.

Various cheeses and cured meats arranged on cake plates.  A leafed clementine added a festive pop of color.

Gorgonzola crackers with walnuts.  One of the most delicious recipes and oh so easy.  They were adapted from this recipe.    

Dried dates filled with manchego cheese and wrapped in smokey bacon.  Baked until crispy and then poked with toothpicks.  "Devils on horseback" are always a party favorite.  

Dainty grilled cheeses, filled with sharp white cheddar, parmesan and fried in sage butter.  Finished with a sage leaf, these were warm, gooey and delicious.

An array of desserts with something for everyone.  Cut into two-bite pieces so that guests could taste all three.  Sweet endings to a magical holiday party.