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Tips for holiday hosts
Thinking of hosting a holiday party? Here are tips and a few recipes to help make it a major success:
 1. If it's a big party, keep fuss to a minimum. Set out food as a cocktail buffet for guests to help themselves, such as a side of salmon with sauce, cheese board, paté loaf, bowl of shrimp and dip, pork tenderloins or beef filets or baked ham to slice and serve on French bread, big platter of crisp fresh vegetables.
2. Keep a few items on hand for impromptu gatherings. Suggestions
include a jar of TABASCO
brand pepper jelly to spoon over a bar of cream
cheese and serve with crackers, salsa and corn chips, and
Peppered
Pecans. Be sure to have cocktail napkins, mixers,
white wine, beer, and a quick source of ice.
3. Develop a signature party special, such as a new hot dip
like Chicken
Jalapeño Spread, a mixture of chopped chicken,
cream cheese and minced peppers spiced up with TABASCO
brand Pepper Sauce and served with pita bread triangles.
Or prepare a chafing dish of Sausages
in Wine, or a fancy looking (but easy) shrimp or
paté mold. Try to avoid messy foods which can drip
on friends or rugs.
4. Since many people watch fat intake, include lower calorie foods like fresh
vegetables with a piquant and pretty Roasted
Red Pepper Dip and bowl of cherry tomatoes, or fresh endive
leaves with a savory dollop of pesto on one end.
5. Serve only dishes you've tried and know will turn out well.
6. Pay attention to taste, color and textures. Balance spicy food with a blander counterpart like cheese; add bright touches of fruits, vegetables or flowers; include a variety of textures from soft to crisp and crunchy.
7. Don't over-garnish. A simple stem of green or red grapes royally enhances a cheese platter; snippets of fresh herbs, like rosemary or tarragon, add elegance to a dip.
8. Serve foods that require little last minute attention, so you can enjoy your own party.
9. Consider including prepared foods, such as stuffed grape leaves from a jar or Chinese dumplings with a spicy sauce, available fresh or frozen.
10. Plan plenty of food, especially for an open house or cocktail party. Assume people will eat seven or eight appetizers and consume at least one drink per person per hour, even more if champagne is served.
11. Top off the evening with a memorable dessert like
Peppery Pecan Pie, with its
customary sweetness excitingly offset with a dash of pepper
piquancy. Or add
TABASCO Sauce to an orange bundt cake and end your
holiday meal with panache. Remember, to lend taste excitement
to nibbles, sides, main dishes or desserts, nothing does the
job better than TABASCO
brand Pepper Sauce. It's a party stand-by relied
upon by seasoned party-givers and professional chefs and caterers.
Holiday Party Recipes:
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