Hosting Two Dinners

This season, I will host at least two special dinners at my house in AU Park. The first one is held on Christmas Eve. It's a formal sit-down dinner with my husband and two small children. (Although formal is a relative term when one of your dining companions is a 14-month-old who eats with his hands, when he's not throwing the food on the floor.)

We also invite friends who are not going home for the holidays or friends who are Jewish and not celebrating Christmas. Either way, it's the one day of the year we use my grandma's fine china and my mom's damask linens and cook up a rich meal that almost always includes puff pastry, chocolate ganache and cream, cream and more cream.

The other dinner is three days later and far more informal. The occasion is my daughter Maggie's 4th birthday. We haven't had a kid birthday party for her yet because, Washington being such a transient place, too many people are away for the holidays. Usually a subset of cousins comes over for a buffet. On the menu: soup and a roast. Every year there is a different dessert for Miss Mags, who likes ice cream cake and cupcakes. We stay away from the traditional sheet cake because she always scoops the icing off her piece, eats it in one bite and then demands another slice.

Each year I do a few things differently and vary the menu a bit to improve my entertaining skills. This year, I have saved the two-day package of stories that ran in the Food and Home sections this week and I keep referring to it as I plan food and music for these two events. Please check it out if you haven't already.

Also worth a look are our daily tips. Many of them are about entertaining too. Happy planning!

By Liz Seymour |  December 5, 2006; 8:30 AM ET  | Category:  Eating
Previous: Progress? Not much | Next: Late Night Entertaining

Name:

Comments: