It can get boring just to gather a group of friends who regularly spend time together, for your basic meal. Instead, I have found real fun in gathering my friends for Theme Entertaining meal events. In addition to the standard holidays of Christmas, Passover, Easter, Thanksgiving and more, here are some that have been real entertainment favorites in the past year. These “extra” party days give you a chance to set a theme and you can have fun with themed prizes and more Entertaining Gifts and Supplies.
Besides, think of the wine combinations! Theme Entertaining lets you try so many different types of wine.
Altogether New Year’s Eve: Try a formal dress Downton Abbey (Remember that on TV and the movie?) or a Roaring 20s Formal Party – complete with as many courses as my friends and I can concoct. Sure, there are Downton Abbey cook books, and we use those, but we also like to experiment with various things. Fanciest dress required. Our last Downton Abbey theme dinner even featured a flaming desert! (Fire Extinguisher nearby.) And while it can be an expensive undertaking to host this food-intensive fancy dinner, it is a joy when everyone brings a course and the cost is spread between us all. Besides, it is real fun to find out who chose to cook what for which course. How’s this (each course was a surprise to everyone but the person who cooked it):
- Cream of artichoke soup
- Smoked salmon appetizer
- Pineapple sorbet
- Steak with yorkshire puddings and gravy
- Peas and carrots
- English “pudding” with flaming brandy sauce
Well, none of us ate the next day just to get over the caloric intake!
Here are other holidays you can use as theme entertaining events:
Mid-January: The Scots make a big deal of celebrating their national poet Robert Burns’ birthday. They cook something called Haggis, which none of my friends will touch. But instead we try to do a game meal, or at least things like lamb or a beef stew with a Scottish ale sauce. Everyone has to come ready to recite a poem of their choice. (It can get rowdy.)
Undoubtely, Mid-winter when everyone is stir crazy: A Chef’s competition meal. Each chef gets an apron and toque and a portion of the kitchen counter. They bring their raw ingredients and we try to split who gets what burner on the stove and who gets the oven (and counter top ovens) for how long. Everyone else stands and cheers and has a glass of wine (or two) while the competitors work away. We have prizes for each course, voted on by all present! Don’t worry: everyone gets a prize. Last year, the duck strogonoff almost won first place except our chef-hunter friend who shot, cleaned, and cooked the duck left a bit of split shot in it!
Cinco de Mayo. It goes without saying. Bring on the limes and the avocados and ask everyone to bring their tried and true Mexican favorite dish. Carnitas, Mexican shredded chicken and more. Barbeque Competition. We borrow grills and have four or five competitors ready to go.
Other Food Party Holidays
January 2 ( if you are ready for more food and fun) National Buffet day
February 9 Super chicken wing day. (Now THAT gets the competitors going!) This is definitely a kitchen party with lots and lots of paper napkins.
Basically anytime in April: National Garlic Month. Every dish on the table has to have some way to celebrate garlic. Including desert.
Anytime in June: National Soul food Month. If you want truly great food, this is the party to ask everyone to bring their family favorite. Prizes everywhere! Be sure the tables are large enough for all that incredible food! Mac and cheese, collard greens, shrimp and grits – food doesn’t get better than this. And this is another great party for everyone to contribute to.
A great cocktail or wine party day: National Tapas Day, June 20. Try a mixture of Spanish foods, from cheese and meats – jambon of course – as well as a great Spanish potato omelet, some croquettes, and seafood that is as bold as you want.
Overall, my sons’ favorite in which everyone has to create something wonderful: National Burnt Bacon Day, June 28. Now just how do you cook with burnt bacon? His favorite is burnt bacon ice cream……But the truth is that burnt bacon is actually the ends that have been barbequed and carmelized with barbeque sauce. They taste fabulous.
July 4: Burger and brats cook-off
September 13: much loved as a multi-family gathering. Kids Take Over the Kitchen Day!
Fall Festivities
October: National Chili Month
November: We’ll keep it at Thanksgiving
December: How many cookies can you bake! I grew up in a household that was cookie-bake-off crazy with the count inching up each year. As long as you could bake, up til midnight and beyond, old favorites and new tries alike. It was insane. And tasty. And caloric. All that butter….
Morningmountainview
We are happy to be Available for Contact Regarding This (or anything on this Community Information System) See How by CLICKING HERE to Contact Us.
Response Magic 