Ringing in 2014

I know I must be getting older because I no longer care about going to an all-inclusive rager for New Years Eve.  Don't get me wrong, I still love the excuse to get hammered in a party dress, but I don't need to spend $150 to do so with strangers.  That's what we call maturity.

This year, I hosted a party at my apartment that migrated to a karaoke bar shortly after the ball dropped.  We still got wild, but on our own terms.  And my #1 term was that this party would be easy to pull together considering I was just getting back from a week-long ski trip with the fam.  The best way to make sure a party comes together with little effort is to take some help from the store.  More than half the food was homemade but I supplemented the spread with cheese wafers from my hometown's Byrd Cookie Company as well as 5-layer Mexican dip, mini chicken pot pies, sea salt brownies, and doughnut holes from Trader Joe's.  

Now for the stuff I made myself:  

First, I whipped up a cocktail because a signature drink always sets the party mood.  I mixed vodka with grapefruit soda and then added frozen blueberries.  The blueberries kept the drink cold without watering it down and also added some crazy color.  

Because New York has gotten quite chilly (I finally broke out the puffy coat), I thought everyone would love for the first thing they see as they walk in from the cold to be warm soup.  I bought tomato bisque from Trader Joe's but then made it my own by adding fresh basil and a homemade cheesy crouton.  For the crouton, I had the bakery counter slice up a baguette for me and then I just topped it with shredded gruyere and stuck it in the oven until it was nice and toasty.  The toppings took as much time to prepare as it took for the soup to warm (about 5 minutes).  

Next, I took a cue from my Mom.  My mother has thrown plenty of parties and no one ever leaves disappointed.  One of the ways she ensures such a result is by serving baked salami.  Mix brown sugar and mustard (dijon or whole grain) - there are no proportions, just mix it til it tastes right.  Pierce a salami (Oscar Mayer, Hebrew National) and then spoon the sauce over the top, reserving some, and bake in a 325 oven for 30-45 minutes.  Baste midway through with more sauce.  When it's done. slice it and then quarter each slice.  You don't even get your hands dirty and every piece will be gone by the end of the party.  My Mom made this every time my Daddy had poker night and now my brother makes it for his cigar club so in a world of mini quiches, this app is definitely dude-approved.

Caprese skewers have become a big hit over the last few years (I make them all the time), but I would like to recommend miniaturizing another Italian salad, prosciutto and melon.  Just crumple up some prosciutto and skewer it on a toothpick with a cube of cantaloupe.  This one was also gone by the end of the party, I think because it's so refreshing.

When I saw a sale on phyllo cups at the grocery store, I bought three packages.  They take no time to thaw and if you pick an easy filling, the entire appetizer will be complete in five minutes.  I stuck a piece of brie inside each cup and placed them in the oven for a couple minutes - just until the brie melted.  When they came out of the oven, I topped each one with a candied walnut.  It looks much fancier than it is.  

You know what else will make anything look fancy?  Caviar.  Caviar and champagne go hand in hand when you're rich and famous.  Since it was New Years, I knew there would be champagne so I seized the opportunity to pretend I was one such rich and famous person and got some caviar.  Robin Leach would be so proud...until he learned I bought the cheap caviar instead of the good stuff.  How bougie.  Anyway, I found blinis (mini savory pancakes) at the grocery store that required nothing more than three minutes in the oven and topped those with a little crème fraîche and the caviar and I had a lovely, festive appetizer.  The hardest part about that dish was opening the caviar jar. 

Champagne wishes and caviar dreams to all of you in 2014!

Home Sweet Apartment

Since it would be the only time my grandmothers would come to New York and a bunch of out of town friends were coming for a visit, Matt's wedding weekend was the perfect time to unveil my apartment to all my friends and family.  I had put so much time, effort, and money into this apartment so I wanted it to be absolutely perfect before anyone came over.  That's a big secret to keep for 4.5 months!  It all paid off because although it wasn't perfect (this is real life, after all), it was pretty dang close.  I know everyone's facebook feeds are overcrowded with engagement and pregnancy announcements, but this apartment is the closest thing I have to a child and I was touched so many people came to help me celebrate my major life moment, even if it doesn't involve a diamond ring.

Unlike previous apartments, I took the time to plan out how I wanted to decorate before doing anything.  In the past, I would buy something like a curtain and find myself locked into a color scheme that wasn't my particular aesthetic.  This time, I did some serious pre-planning.  I scoured the internet, magazines, stores, and flea markets for inspiration and then searched and searched til I found the pieces that I truly wanted.  I will show pics of individual rooms and elements in subsequent posts (3 on Thursday, most likely), but for now, these are two items in my apartment that are indicative of both my style and decorating forethought:

I am preppy through and through and love monograms so I put a huge one on the inside of my door (left).  It's just very me and in my first grown up apartment, I don't have to be anything but the truest version of myself.  I'm no Martha Stewart, but I like getting crafty every once in a while as a creative outlet.  I knew I wanted to incorporate a couple DIY elements in my apartment because it would both save money and make my space unique.  I bought white nightstands from Ikea (so cheap and so easy to put together), sanded them, painted them (yellow with a gray gingham design on top), and added new hardware (adorable squirrels).  They came out exactly how I envisioned them!  

Now, onto the party itself!  When I sent my email invitation, I included a logo that I created (pictured below).  It was just a little hint of the party's theme, the iconic I Heart NY design.  I bought an apartment in this city so I better "heart" it!  I found this great print on Etsy (also pictured below) that was a play on the traditional logo stamped on a vintage NY map, and I taped it to the door so people would know they were in the right place.  In case they forgot about the logo in the email, this served as a little reminder of the theme to come.

All the food and drink was New York themed.  I made "I Heart NY" labels for everything just to hammer it home.  I even covered the wine bottles with new labels I made that said "New York State of Wine'd".  Other than the wine, the menu was as follows:

• Little Italy Antipasti Platter (prosciutto, olives, fennel salami, and mozzarella)
• Bagels and Lox (a dip made with cream cheese, sour cream, dill, lemon, and smoked salmon, served with bagel chips)
• Lower East Side Pickles
• Big Apple Brie (a wheel of brie, warmed in the oven, topped with chopped Granny Smith apples and honey)
• Black and White Cookies (a New York specialty, served in mini Yankees hats they use for ice cream at baseball games - I found mine on Amazon)
• New York State of Wine'd
• Concrete Jungle Juice (pre-mixed drink of your choice)

The party was a hit!  I learned a few things in planning it.  First and foremost, I learned that you don't have to slave away in the kitchen all day or buy all pre-made food to create something special and thematic.  I didn't have the luxury of spending all day prepping for the party.  My family and friends were in town, and I wasn't about to relinquish precious time with them to set out paper plates.  Here are my tips:

1. Pick one item that can be made several hours [or even the night] before the event.  For me, this dish was the lox dip.  Slow cooker dishes and baked goods are great for this, too.
2. Pick one item that is homemade but takes zero time to make.  In my case this was the brie.  There are plenty of things you can top brie with (pecans and brown sugar are a great combo) so you can basically do different versions of the same thing at each party.  Puff pastry tarts are also great, just give yourself time to let the pastry thaw.
3. Have one item that's "assembled".  Antipasti plates and cheese platters are life savers.  You may not be cooking anything, but you're picking each item out individually and using artisinal products (it makes a difference, trust me) so there's a personal touch.
4. Serving pieces make a difference.  Does it take extra time to put out the fancy red and white paper straws vs. plastic ones?  Nope.  It just took some advance thought.  The straws matched the I Heart NY color scheme and made people feel less like they were at a frat party.  I'm a huge proponent of disposable serving pieces because no one has time to do dishes for 50, but not all plasticware is created equal.  I ordered plastic wine glasses from Amazon so people didn't have to drink wine from Solo cups.  It doesn't cost much, and it will make your grown up guests feel like they're at a soiree instead of a hoedown.  Labels really tie everything together.  Invest in placecard holders (cheap on Amazon) - you'll use them over and over again.  
5. Offer wine, beer, and a signature cocktail.  This cuts down on the liquor/mixer bill and gives you the opportunity to stretch your theme.  I promise, people won't even miss the other liquor.  My Concrete Jungle Juice was cucumber vodka mixed with Simply Lemonade.  I don't even like vodka that much and thought this was delicious.  Garnish with cucumber slices for extra flair.  Huge thank you to my brother for working as bartender.   
6. Finally, set the stage with music and a movie.  I made a playlist of songs about New York and Home to set the mood (including "Empire State of Mind," "Nolita Fairytale," "Hometown Glory," and "Take Me Home Tonight").  I planned to play an iconic NYC movie, Breakfast at Tiffany's on mute in the background but, unfortunately, my DVR was broken.  Best laid plans...