Dining & Gift Guide
A Blank Slate Media Special Section November 22, 2019
30 Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, November 22, 2019
Cooking for a holiday crowd D ecorations and shopping draw much of the attention come the holiday season, and rightfully so. But many people’s fondest holiday memories occurred around the dinner table during meals with friends and family.
of meal one plans to serve. For example, if the holiday gathering is an after-dinner cocktail party, hosts can get away with offering very little food. However, hosts of holiday dinners have a lot more food to prepare.
Holiday foods tend to be rich, flavorful and time-consuming to prepare. However, all the effort is usually worth the satisfied smiles on the faces of loved ones.
To get started, consider these general guidelines, courtesy of Allrecipes.com and The Spruce, a home living resource.
Planning holiday meals is challenging, and hosts often doubt if they have enough food for everyone. No one wants guests to leave feeling hungry, nor do they want to have tons of leftovers, much of which will inevitably end up in the trash. Determining how much food to serve involves figuring out a few key items, including the mix of guests (ratio of children, men and women), the length of the occasion, the timing of the event, and the type
Think about which foods you plan to serve. Popular foods tend to go more quickly than other items, so serve more than the general portion guidelines suggest. Shellfish appetizers, roasted or mashed potatoes, wings, and slices of rich meat are examples of popular fare. The more foods you offer, the smaller the portion sizes can be. But because guests will likely want to try all the offerings, expect the average person to consume more food
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per individual when several foods are offered. Most people will eat two to three portions each of appetizers or snacks. In fact, appetizers (for a hungry crowd) may be consumed in greater abundance than subsequent courses. Average portion sizes for each guest include: 3 ounces of dips; 3 ounces
of salad; 6 ounces of meat or main entrĂŠe; 5 ounces of starch; and 11â „2 pieces of dessert. These estimates can be used to calculate how much food will be needed. Think about adding “safetyâ€? items to the menu that can be pulled out in a pinch and don’t require much prep work. These can include cheese and crackers, extra
bread, nuts, olives, or pretzels. Hosts who are overly concerned that guests may go overboard can tame portion sizes by hiring servers who can oversee buffet lines. Otherwise, serve guests plated meals directly from the kitchen, from which hosts can dole out the right amount of food to ensure everyone gets enough to eat.
Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, November 22, 2019
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simplify
32 Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, November 22, 2019
hosting
Holiday in small spaces
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atherings of family and friends are a big part of the holiday season. Hosting such gatherings can be a great way to show loved ones how much you appreciate them, and hosting also saves hosts the trouble of traveling during one of the most hectic travel seasons of the year. When hosting a large crowd at home, space can be a difficult hurdle to clear. However, a few helpful strategies can help spacestarved hosts pull off a holiday soiree where everyone is comfortable. Pare down the menu. Holiday feasts don’t have to resemble medieval banquets with excessive amounts of food and drink. Hosts with small kitchens and tiny dining quarters can pare down the menu, limiting offerings to just a single entree and a few simple side dishes, so everyone feels comfortable at the table and has ample room to eat. A small menu also gives hosts more time to spend with their loved ones during the festivities. Don’t overdo it on drinks, either. When planning the drinks menu, avoid offering cocktails, which take time to prepare and often require guests to visit the kitchen for refrigerated ingredients. Limit drinks to
How to holiday hosting on the day of the party
wine, beer, water, and soft drinks, storing cold beverages in a cooler kept outside on a front or back porch or in an area outside the kitchen so cooks can work without interruption. Move some furniture. If your main living space is small, consider moving some bulky furniture into a bedroom or office where guests won’t be spending time. Then make better use of the open living space by placing folding chairs or other accommodations to ensure there’s ample seating for everyone. A single recliner can only be enjoyed by one person, but removing it from a room may create enough space for as many as three folding chairs. Go small on decorations. If you know you’ll be hosting in advance of the holiday season, decorate with guests in mind. That might mean skipping a six-foot Christmas tree in favor of one that takes up less space. Avoid leaving any fragile decorations out, as adults or overexcited kids may knock them over as they try to navigate a cramped space. Holiday hosting can be fun, even in small spaces. A few simple tricks can make even the smallest spaces accommodating.
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Preparing menu items in the days leading up to the party can make the day of the festivities that much easier for holiday hosts.
ome the holiday season, many people look forward to gatherings gs with family and friends. ds. Such gatherings are often ft held in private homes, and that means someone must take on the task of hosting.
There are many advantages to hosting holiday gatherings. Hosts won’t have to travel during a notoriously busy time of year to take to the roads and sky. Hosts also won’t have to book hotel rooms or arrange for other accommodations, saving them money and time during a season that tends to be expensive and packed with social engagements.
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As the day of their holiday parties draws near, hosts can take several steps to make the day of the party easier, allowing them to spend more time with their family and friends. Choose the right menu. The right menu can go a long way toward making hosting easier on the day of the party. Various factors, such as food allergies and the size of the guest list, must be considered when planning a holiday menu. As hosts scour cookbooks for the right foods, look for recipes that don’t require everything to be done on the day of the party. Prep work tends to take as much, if not more, time as cooking the foods. So look for recipes that allow you to do most, if not all, of that prep work in the days leading up to the party. Clean the common areas. Guests likely won’t be spending time in every room of your house during the
party. So when iti comes time to cl clean, focus on the common areas wher guests will be. where Living rooms, ro dining d restrooms should areas and garner the bulk of your attention when cleaning. If guests might be wandering outdoors, make sure leaves and dirt have been cleaned off of patios and decks. Plan a playlist in advance. Expect to be busy on the day of the party, even if the party is catered or all the food prep was done long before the first guest arrived. Because you will be busy welcoming guests, you likely won’t have time to set the musical tone for the party, so do so in advance of the big day. If you want to stick to holiday music, many streaming apps offer various stations that play holiday music exclusively. Simply choose a station you like and then begin playing music when the first guest arrives. Make a list of supplies and check it twice. About two weeks before the party, sit down and make a thorough list of everything you expect to need. Include food, beverages, dining needs (i.e., plates and silverware), and entertainment. A couple of weeks before the party, purchase items that won’t spoil, such as beverages like water, soda, wine, and beer and extra utensils if necessary. Doing so saves time during your grocery store trip the week of the party. Holiday hosts can take several steps in the days leading up to their parties to make hosting easier once guests arrive.
34 Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, November 22, 2019
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How to approach
gift exchanges at the office
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ift giving is a big part of the holiday season. While people typically exchange gifts with relatives and close friends, it’s not uncommon for coworkers to exchange gifts as well.
Office gift exchanges are not as simple as giving gifts to friends and family members. Gifts that might be entirely appropriate to give to relatives and friends may raise eyebrows if given to coworkers. To avoid awkward situations, professionals can consider the following tips before purchasing gifts for coworkers. Contact your human resources department. Many companies have established protocols that govern office gift exchanges. Some may prohibit gift-giving altogether, while others may place dollar limits on gifts or restrict gifts to certain items, such as food or gift cards. Contact human resources before organizing an exchange or purchasing gifts to ensure you don’t violate company rules. Keep it simple. Even if your office has no rules governing gift exchanges, keeping things simple and placing a dollar limit on gifts can avoid hurt feelings and awkward situations. No one expects an elaborate gift from a coworker, so something as
simple as a $20 gift card should suffice. Reach a consensus regarding gifts for supervisors. Discuss exchanges with your coworkers before purchasing gifts for supervisors. Workplace environments can become awkward and uncomfortable if one person appears to have spent more on a gift for a supervisor than his or her coworkers. When gifting supervisors, decide on a dollar amount that everyone is comfortable with and agree to only purchase gifts for a supervisor if everyone can afford to do so. Someone may not be able to afford a gift, and that person should not be made to feel bad. Supervisors must think before buying gifts as well. Supervisors who intend to buy their subordinates gifts also must take steps to avoid potentially awkward situations. Giving the same gift, such as gift cards to local stores and restaurants, will avoid giving the impression that you’re playing favorites. Office gift-giving is common during the holiday season. Such exchanges should be handled delicately and be respectful of everyone in the office.
Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, November 22, 2019
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36 Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, November 22, 2019