The Month of December has opened its doors and with it comes the festive season and the urge for all to start their Christmas party entertaining. While many of you will attend your staff or company Christmas party many of you enjoy inviting friends and neighbors over for a little Christmas cheer and nothing builds the cheer like tasty tidbits from the kitchen.A few tips here.
Make your snacks light and bite size. There's nothing worse than a huge hand-full of a tasty bit that drips on not only your guest but also on the carpet you just cleaned.
Spread the goodies throughout the evening. Loading the tables right from the get go will have everyone thinking its a meal and cause them to load up. If they do, the goodies will soon be gone, the guests will be stuffed with rich, high calorie food and they will hate you in the morning. (Diet shot to hell if you know what I mean - not to mention their increased cholesterol count.) Remember you're entertaining so keep it light and it will be easier on you.
Don't get your guests loaded. As in tipsy, with too much booze. Have an assortment of wines, and a few liqueurs and basic bar drinks with lots of ice. Here's a tip to save on mix - use medium size cocktail glasses that hold up to 6 or 8 oz. Big mugs tend to drain the mix larder in a big hurry. Remember its all about entertaining not creating a drunken binge.
Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
1 pound large mushrooms
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons prepared Dijon−style mustard
6 1/2 ounces crabmeat
1/4 cup chopped water chestnuts
2 tablespoons chopped pimento peppers
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 400F. Remove stems from the mushrooms, retaining the caps.
Chop the stems. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Brush the mushroom
caps with melted butter. In the remaining butter, cook and stir the chopped
mushroom stems and onions until tender. Gradually mix the cream cheese and
mustard into the saucepan. Continue stirring until smooth. Stir in the
crabmeat, water chestnuts and pimentos. Heat until warm. Stuff the mushroom
caps with the crabmeat mixture. Sprinkle the stuffed caps with Parmesan
cheese. In a shallow pan, bake the caps at 400F for 10 to 15 minutes or
until hot. Let these little beauties cool for a few minutes and then serve on large platters with colorful little side plates available to catch the drips. They can even be disposable but make sure they are colorful.
Celebrate Christmas in style but make sure you are prepared to ensure your guests get home safely or perhaps even spend the night if they've had a little too much cheer. By winding down the flow of alcohol and bringing out some tasty coffee or specialty coffees you'll still be providing beverages and just maybe prevent someone from having an accident or worse.
Another idea that can pump up your party is to Give to Others.
Plan a party to benefit the needy. Your job will be to get everything organized. You and your guests might make things, such as blankets, toys, or socks. Or collect things as admission to your party, like canned food items or toys to give to the needy or a food bank. Or do a craft project and share it with residents of a retirement home. Put together food baskets and distribute to a shelter for the homeless.
Keep the joy in your Christmas entertaining, keep your friends safe and help others who are less fortunate. Till next time enjoy life! Dave
