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Make holiday get-togethers more interactive with specialized activities
Clockwise from left, caviar, sour cream and roasted potatoes constitute a simple, elegant appetizer you might want to make for a progressive holiday dinner. Try having guests decorate cookies that already have been baked. Fruited brie on a pastry shell is beautiful and not at all difficult to prepare, and if children are coming to a party at your house, they’ll enjoy having something to do.
With a little planning, Karen Blum of Kingston says, you can throw an enchanting party and have time to enjoy your guests as well.
fred adams photos/the times leader
With a little planning, Karen Blum of Kingston says, you can throw an enchanting party and have time to enjoy your guests as well.
fred adams photos/the times leader
With a little planning, Karen Blum of Kingston says, you can throw an enchanting party and have time to enjoy your guests as well.
fred adams photos/the times leader
Karen Blum of Kingston takes a loaf of broccoli bread from her oven. Planning the food is key to the success of holiday entertaining, she said.
FRED ADAMS/THE TIMES LEADER
Food is a central part of just about any party, said Karen Blum, who set a table of attractive hors d’oeuvres as an example.
FRED ADAMS/THE TIMES LEADER
If you fill a few bowls with dried cranberries, licorice bits, chocolate morsels and rainbow sprinkles, young guests will revel in the chance to decorate their own cookies.
That holiday advice comes from Karen Blum of Kingston, who entertains with such aplomb that she won the coveted title “Our Very Own Martha” in a 2004 Times Leader contest named in honor of the famous Martha Stewart.
A domestic diva in her own right – she even runs a consulting business advising people how to organize their homes – Blum came through when we recently asked her for suggestions about planning parties for various groups.
How would she entertain colleagues? Multiple generations? The playground set?
Her answers were simple, especially for entertaining young guests who might be inclined to be restless.
Give them something to do.
“If you’ve ever watched children make crafts, it’s very much a group activity, with lots of socializing going on,” Blum said.
By the way, if you decide to go the trim-a-cookie route, it’s best to have a few dozen baked and cooled in advance so young attention spans won’t be overly strained and little fingers will have no chance to burn.
Naturally, you’ll encourage the children to take the goodies home.
If you prefer a less-sugary project, the kids can make sachets from oranges with whole cloves or ornaments from Styrofoam balls, sequins and beads.
“Just remember to keep it age-appropriate,” Blum said.
Refreshments could be cut-up fruit with a dip or decorative sandwiches with the bread cut into fanciful shapes. “You can’t go wrong with chicken fingers and French fries or macaroni and cheese or some kind of soup – and let them add their own toppings to that,” Blum added.
“The whole point is to engage the children.”
As for a multigenerational family gathering, Blum can think of plenty of activities to appeal to all ages.
“Go caroling throughout the neighborhood or at an assisted-living facility or nursing home,” she suggested. “Afterward have some hot chocolate or cider.”
“Some people might enjoy a Christmas tree-decorating party,” she said. “As families grow, new traditions emerge. Maybe each person could add an ornament and explain where it came from, if it was something Grandmom or Grandpop made back when they had no money, or if it’s a Disney character from a movie a child enjoyed.
“Someone might say, ‘I really like (“The Little Mermaid”) Ariel, and so I’m putting her on the tree’.”
And don’t forget the getting-to-know-you-better interaction of old-fashioned games.
“I’ve known families that get together to play board games or pinochle,” she said. “It’s amazing how children will watch this and want to learn to play.”
Of course, a focal point of just about any holiday gathering is food. One way to make the preparation easier – and perhaps, to solve the problem of which relative’s house to visit – is to have a progressive dinner in which every course has a different host.
“Try not to make it too elaborate, because you want the opportunity to go to the other houses and to enjoy your guests,” Blum said.
On a recent Monday afternoon, Blum set her dining-room table with several plates of hors d’oeuvres, all of which she described as simple.
One was an arrangement of sliced, roasted potatoes topped with sour cream and caviar. Another featured baby shrimp cocktail with a sauce for dipping. A third was a wheel of brie topped with fruit and eye-popping leaves made of pastry.
No, you don’t need a leaf-shaped cookie cutter, Blum said. You can cut a pastry leaf freehand with no trouble at all.
The fruited brie dish, for which we’re publishing the recipe today, can be prepared in advance and ready for its 10 minutes in the oven when your guests arrive, Blum said.
Another possibility Blum favors for a savory hors d’oeuvre is a chicken and broccoli braid that comes from a Pampered Chef recipe. (We’re publishing that today as well.)
When you’re hosting colleagues, Blum said, it’s important to “remember the party is an extension of work.” To keep everyone on their best behavior, it might be best to limit alcohol and focus on a fun activity that will give your guests something to do other than talk shop.
With a “white elephant party,” for example, each person brings from home an item he or she would like to get rid of, and numbers are pulled out of a basket to determine who walks away with each gift.
A “murder mystery” evening also can be great fun for the co-workers, Blum suggested, and you can order a kit from an online company, then watch your colleagues turn into Sherlock Holmes.
WARM FRUITED BRIE
1 package (15 ounces) refrigerated all-ready pie crust
2-pound wheel brie cheese, about 8 inches in diameter
2 apples, cored and sliced
1 cup seedless green grapes
? pint raspberries
1 cup apple juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. On a large baking sheet, unfold one piecrust. Place brie in center of piecrust. Turn under edge of piecrust to within ? -inch of cheese and decoratively flute edge. Remove brie and set aside.
Prick piecrust with a fork to prevent pastry from puffing while it is baking. Place baking sheet on center rack of oven and bake piecrust for 10 minutes; remove from oven. Lightly flour a wooden board, marble slab or other work surface.
Unfold second piecrust and place on floured board. With tip of a paring knife, cut out four 2-inch-long oval-shaped leaves, mark veins on leaves with the back of the knife. Place leaves on a baking sheet; bake 5 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Place brie on fluted pie crust. Arrange apple slices around the top edge of cheese. Place grapes and raspberries in the center. Return fruit-topped brie to oven and bake 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, blend apple juice and cornstarch. Bring mixture to boiling over moderately high heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute or until mixture is clear and thick, Remove saucepan from heat.
Remove brie from oven and arrange pastry leaves on top. Brush leaves and fruit with apple juice glaze. Allow to stand 15 minutes, until cheese softens. Carefully transfer to a serving board. Cut into wedges to serve.
Makes 24 wedges.
CHICKEN AND BROCCOLI BRAID
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1 cup broccoli, chopped
? cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, pressed
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (1 cup)
? cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons dill mix
? teaspoon salt
2 packages (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons slivered almonds
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Chop chicken, broccoli and bell pepper. Put in a mixing bowl. Press garlic over vegetable mix. Shred cheese and add to vegetable mixture; mix gently. Add mayonnaise, dill mix and salt.
Unroll 1 package of crescent dough; do not separate. Arrange longest sides of dough across width of 12” x 15” baking stone. Repeat with remaining package of dough. Roll dough to seal perforations. On longest sides of baking stone, cut dough into strips, 1 and ? inches apart, 3 inches deep. There will be 6 inches in the center for the filling.
Spread filling evenly over middle of dough. To braid, lift strips of dough across mixture to meet in center, twisting each strip one turn. Continue alternating strips to form a braid. Tuck ends up to seal at end of braid.
Brush egg white over dough using a pastry brush. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake 25-28 minutes or until golden brown. Cut and serve.
