Hot Crab
Artichoke Dip with Crostini ~ Barbecue
Meatballs ~ Eggnog ~ Wine
Spicy
Lasagna with Hot Turkey Sausage
~ Romaine,
Radicchio and Pear Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette ~ Toasted garlic
bread
Chocolate Caramel
Nut Tart ~ Gingerbread Folks
An After-Shopping
Buffet gives you a chance to pull out the stops on comfort and coziness.
Your guests have been shopping all day in the hum of the pre-Christmas
rush. Buying just the right gift for everyone on your list can be
fun, but let’s face it, it can also be draining. Your guests may
have been shopping for hours, coping with crowds, lines and noise, and
operating on nothing but inspiration and adrenaline. When they get
to your house, you want them
to sigh with relief and contentment the minute they walk in the door.
Greet them with a warm, cozy fire, candlelight, soothing Christmas music, and a
place to drop their things. Their blood sugar is probably staggeringly
low by now, so put out eggnog, wine, and some sustaining bites to eat so
they can help themselves first thing.
The food should be familiar
and comforting, and it should be something that can be kept warm for
stragglers. Hot Crab Artichoke Dip with Crostini and Barbecue Meatballs
are great starters. The main attraction is a spicy, cheesy Lasagna made
with hot Italian sausage. Garlic bread and a salad of romaine,
radicchio, pears and balsamic onions round out the menu. Finish with
Chocolate Caramel Nut Tart.
Send each guest home with a
personalized gingerbread man or lady wrapped in cellophane (wrap a few
extra un-personalized ones to send home with unexpected guests). You
can buy cellophane bags just the right size in most party supply
stores.
A really thoughtful option
would be to stock up on inexpensive wrapping paper, ribbons and other
package decorations. Hire a couple of local high school students and
set up a gift-wrap center where your guests can have their gifts wrapped
while they relax. To keep things organized and prevent mix-ups, have
plain tie-on labels available for guests to fill out and attach to each
gift when they leave it to be wrapped. The wrapper then attaches it to
the wrapped gift along with a gift tag that the giver can personalize
later. Have large plastic garbage bags in which to load the wrapped
gifts for each guest, marked with each guest’s name. This keeps all the
gifts for each person together and also keeps them dry when they take
them out to their cars.
