2.26.18
February, a month usually associated with bitter coldness and Valentine’s Day. But for me, it’s actually a little more special. Not only does it contain the birthday of my sweet, hunky husband, it’s also my anniversary of moving to New York City. And this year is a big one. It’s the 10 year mark of moving to Manhattan. So it called for a small celebration. I partnered up with Paperless Post to create the invites for the occasion! This post won’t have a recipe, but since Phil and I have started hosting friends at our apartment more often, I thought it’d be fun to give a little domestic lesson on how to organize a small shindig for friends. A little advice on food, booze, and decorum. So next time you want to host, you’re not stuck feeling overwhelmed. You shouldn’t be spending all your time in the kitchen preparing snacks, you deserve to mingle just like everyone else!
The older my friends and I get, the more we enjoy conversation, drinks and games in a living room instead of scream-talking in loud bars. It makes for a much more memorable and fun night. I’d suggest sending the call to arms about two weeks in advance. Sending it out before that, people tend to forget they agreed to come, and sending in under two weeks runs the risk of people already having plans. For something like this, Paperless Post is a perfect choice, because online invites are a bit more casual, but they can still look chic. The hassle of putting together physical invites is taken away, so you can just enjoy designing it! And the delivery is instant.
The best part about Paperless Post is the choices. There are designs and categories for every type of gathering. There are tons of gorgeous and funky templates, but some favorites were from Kate Spade and Rifle Paper Co. There are plenty of free choices, but if you’re willing to spend a few bucks those options open up even further in design, text, and the “envelope” it’s sent in (WORTH IT). I ultimately fell in love with the “Fete for Friends” invite, complete with some fun text and a NYC skyline background. It was simple but bright and fun, which was exactly what I needed!
Overall, it’s just so user friendly. It takes you step by step; from picking the look of the invite, to setting up your invite message and guest list. There’s even a comment wall for your guests to leave words of excitement or regret if they can’t attend. Paperless Post is the option to send invites when you normally would just send a boring email or, gasp, a Facebook invite that no one pays attention to. Going this route makes it more personal and fun. I look forward to making up reasons to celebrate in the future so I can create some cute invites for it!
Now, when it comes to hosting at your home, there are ways to make your life a whole lot easier. I’ve discovered some tips to take the stress off hosting, because it should be fun! Ideally when people start arriving, the only thing you have to do is plate and set out, preparation should be done! Some of these tips may sound a little obvious, but guess how many times I’ve forgotten to buy ice………
Food
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Figure out what can be made at least a day in advance. For this party, I made Phil’s cake from his grandmother’s recipe. The instructions say to let the flavors marinate for three days in the fridge, perfect. Other great dessert options: fruit pies, cupcakes and tarts can all easily be made a day ahead and then brought to room temperature before serving.
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Deviled eggs are one of the easiest and diverse appetizers you can make! Boil the eggs ahead of time (I do it the day before), and prepare the dish an hour or two before the party starts. Keep them in the fridge and garnish right before setting them out. It also allows you to make different fillings, so it’s like have a few different appetizers, but you only had to prepare one. THIS is my favorite filling. They are inhaled by my guests.
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I have one word for you, Crockpot. It’s a tool that helps make a no fuss, delicious dish to serve a crowd. Recently, I’ve made kielbasa in a maple and brown sugar based sauce. It’s an all ingredients in, set it and forget it type of dish. And if you make a ton, you can keep the reserves warm while the first plate is out for your guests. I love this recipe.
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DIPS! This goes along the “make ahead of time” category. Dips can be stored in an airtight container for days ahead of your party and are easy and fast to make. A bright acidic tzatziki dip and a homemade roasted red pepper hummus have been my go-to’s recently. Have you made hummus at home yet? Because it’s so easy and so delicious I may never go back to store bought. These can be served with crackers, pita chips or fresh veggies.
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It never hurts to throw some unique chips or popcorn in a bowl where everyone is hanging out. When everything else is homemade, no one is judging you for putting some chips out for snacking. Serve them in nice bowls instead of setting the bags out.
Booze
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My rule of thumb is provide some booze, but encourage others to contribute. You’re opening your home to a party, providing food and some drinks, it’s perfectly ok to ask others to help out a little. Booze can get expensive, fast.
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Mixers! I would encourage you to provide the mixers. That way anyone who brings liquor doesn’t have to worry about bringing anything else. Club soda, ginger ale, tonic, and one fruit juice should suffice. And if you really want to be fancy, splurge on good mixers. Fever Tree tonic is my favorite and makes all the difference when I pair it up with gin. And good god don’t forget to get a bag of ice!
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You can provide a solid foundation of booze without spending a million dollars (In my humble opinion). My friends know me, so they are aware that gin and bourbon will always be stocked at our apartment. We will also get a few inexpensive bottles of red wine, a bottle of white wine and one or two six-packs of beer. When you provide a good spread, there’s plenty to choose from and I find that people appreciate the variety. Friends are more inclined to volunteer for a beer run when you already spent money on plenty of booze to begin with. It’s like a tactful BYOAB: Bring Your Own ADDITIONAL Booze.
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Plastic cups with a sharpie to write names on drinks is always a safe choice so no one breaks a glass.
Entertainment
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Have music playing quietly in the background. It helps the atmosphere, and it’s weird how no music makes things feel static.
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My friends love playing games. A favorite is Dixit, which if you’ve never played, I highly recommend!! Other obvious favorites include Cards Against Humanity, Scategories, dominos, and Farkle. For a smaller group, it’s a great way to get everyone involved or break the ice with newer friends. And everyones truth comes out during competition!
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And don’t forget the basic things like plastic cutlery, plates and napkins (but you knew that).
We had so much fun toasting to ten years of NYC and Phil turning another year older. It was just a great excuse to bring together some of my favorite people and use a super cool service like Paperless Post. I called the evening “Cheers to the Years” and I look forward to celebrating many more to come.
I see one of those amazing Sour Cream Coconut Cakes! Yes, they are much better if you can hide them in a refrigerator for 3 days. It rarely happened when Grandmommy made them because Granddad would find them. I love your ideas!