Good morning, so happy to bring you yet another wonderful enchanted guest, say hi to Elizabeth from Pine Cones and Acorns. Another daily stop for me, Pine Cones and Acorns is a newer blog and Elizabeth always dishes about something wonderful, whether its a recent trip to Paris and her highlights or one of her many delectable recent baking conquests, she always has something beautiful cooking over there.....literally and figuratively! So I am happy to have her here today to share with us her ideas on holiday entertaining, and Elizabeth, a baker and entertainer extraordinaire fits the bill perfectly to do so. Thank you Elizabeth and take it away.............
I am excited and honored to be here at The Enchanted Home guest posting for Tina while she prepares to move into her beautiful, dream home.
I love the holidays and I love to entertain, so I thought I would put together an easy party that still has pizazz. The house is already clean and decorated and now all you need is a little preplanned menu, food, drinks and your guests. Then you can sit back and relax and enjoy your friends! The easy part about this party, is that if you want you can purchase the majority of the food at places like Costco, or Trader Joe's. It's mainly finger food and little bites!
I am excited and honored to be here at The Enchanted Home guest posting for Tina while she prepares to move into her beautiful, dream home.
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| Holiday Party Pizazz |
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| Traditional Home |
The Holidays are a beautiful, hectic, wonderful, stressful, time for everyone. We all want to have time to decorate, bake, buy and wrap presents, and of course entertain our family and friends, while working, attending Christmas parties, school plays, the theatre and many other holiday activities; and we have to do it all in the three weeks before Christmas. Often times there are so many other parties going on the weekends you might think there is not time for yours, that is why having a weeknight party is the answer!
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| via Tiny Prints |
Invite your friends to come for a holiday open house after work and serve heavy hors d' oeuvres, a few carefully selected drinks and of course lots of desserts!
Drinks
Champagne or Specialty Cocktail
Champagne or Specialty Cocktail
(This way you do not need to worry about a stocked bar and all of the rest)
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| Kir Royale |
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| Very Berry Champagne Cocktail |
Easy Buffet Menu
Holiday ham with either biscuits or mini rolls
Cheese tray with a beautiful selection of cheeses and fruit
Spinach, Artichoke Dip with crackers
Spinach, Artichoke Dip with crackers
Baked Brie with pecans and brown sugar praline or
Baked brie with cranberries
Caprese salad on a toothpick
Blue Cheese and Caramelized Onion Empanadas
Swedish Meatballs
Spiced Pecans
Blue cheese Walnut Crackers
Swedish Meatballs
Spiced Pecans
Blue cheese Walnut Crackers
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| Ham and Rolls via Southern Living |
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| Spinach Artichoke Dip |
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| Brie with pecans via here |
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| Brie with cranberries via here |
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| Empanadas via here |
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| Swedish Meatballs |
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| via here |
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| Beautiful Cheese and fruit tray via Food Whirl |
Chocolate Dessert Bar
Dark chocolate brownies
Dark chocolate brownies
Chocolate cake with chocolate ganache filling and frosting
Chocolate cheesecake with raspberries
Chocolate Scotcheroos
Chocolate marshmallow treats
Assorted Christmas Cookies
Assorted Christmas Cookies
A selection of fine chocolates; assorted truffles, Frango mints, Kohler Turtles
You can use any chocolates and people will be happy to sample them all.
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| Image via Bing |
I hope this gives you a few ideas for a great weeknight party! Remember the Holidays are about family and friends, don't let entertaining get you stressed, your friends are there to see and enjoy you!
Happy Holidays!
Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas!
Wow Elizabeth, I am seriously hungry now and my bowl of oatmeal is so not cutting it! Can we please start with the "chocolate course" first! Thank you for this absolutely fabulous spread, all the inspirational and yummy holiday entertaining ideas and for spreading good cheer and creative ideas this way!! And great minds think alike, Elizabeth, empanadas and baked brie are must haves for my holiday entertaining! I got some great ideas for our family party next week..... I bet being in your house over the holidays is a treat for all the senses! Thank you again for this lovely post and if you are not familiar with Pine Cones and Acorns, please click here to visit! She would love to hear from you and you can gush over how much you enjoyed her post! Wishing you a peaceful and happy day.......Jingle jingle!
This is a wonderful guest post. Elizabeth has offered some wonderful suggestions for entertaining during the holidays. I've never been this hungry so early in the morning!
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely Sunday, Tina!
~ Wendi ~
Fabulous post! Everything here looks delicious! Heading over to visit now.
ReplyDeleteTina- I hope that all is well with you and that things are coming along as planned.
Have a wonderful day, and try to relax.
Teresa
xoxo
I am suddenly so hungry, wow this woman knows how to entertain! Watch out Martha Stewart. The idea of a chocolate dessert bar would make my husband crazy happy! And all the appetizer/finger foods all look really really good.
ReplyDeleteSome wonderful ideas here. Thank you!
One week left to go,have a great Sunday.
Oh, I know I like this girl... I already plan on making that bake brie recipe and some sugared pecans! Off to check out her blog! Happy Sunday Tina! xo
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of heavy hors' de ouerves over a big fussy meal. I could eat like this every day, a great signature drink a bunch of fun foods and that chocolate feast....would be perfect.
ReplyDeleteWhat time should I be over?
Hi, Tina, thanks for stopping by! I sent you an email last week (to gmail acct.) & wanted to see if you got it. Love the progress on your house & I would love to put you in line for Feature Friday when you get moved in & settled. Let me know!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful ideas! Got me in the mood to throw a party! And I'm going to visit Tina's blog.
ReplyDeleteOops. I mean elizabeth's blog!
ReplyDeleteYUM! I was at a party last night that had a very similar menu:)
ReplyDeleteMmmmm! I often bake Brie, it sounds super with Pecans! Elizabeth's ideas are always wonderful.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I totally agree with purchasing pre-made food. There are so many great sources now!
ReplyDeleteTina, I had a dream about you last night - I know creepy, right!!! But thank goodness you know I am a normal non-stalkerish person!!! HA!
xoxo
You have my mouth watering with all these lovely visions of treats, Tina!
ReplyDeleteNo need for sugar plums to dance in head with pictures like this to replace them!
Wondering how you are doing.... gearing up for the holidays in your new and fabulous home.
Many blessing to you all.
Merry Christmas, friend!
xx
A
Everything looks so delicious!
ReplyDeleteWow this all sounds so delicious and easy! I've never visited Elizabeths' blog before but I will now. Thank you to both of you!
ReplyDeleteBaked Brie is always a hit and there are so many varieties - yum! But the chocolate really grabbed my attention. I love this approach to entertaining, so the host/hostess can just focus on the guests and having fun too! Great post!
ReplyDeleteOh my, this is incredible. I would so prefer a party filled with all these wonderful finger foods over a big fancy meal. I love eating like this.
ReplyDeleteWe throw a New Years party for about 20 close friends every year and I tend to go this route. I really love the idea of that chocolate tasting, and having one signature drink is also wise. I also like that it makes the job easier on the hostess! So many great ideas here....
Hello Dear Tina,
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful of you to feature the lovely and talented Elizabeth! She tempts me on a regular basis with her fabulous treats. :)
Wishing you a beautiful holiday week...joyful and exciting!
xoxo,
- Irina
Elizabeth is quite the hostess/chef! I copied a couple of her recipes for this week's open house. My favorite is her caprice salad on a toothpick! Looks great and Christmas colors too!
ReplyDeleteall great suggestions and very doable!! I am going to go and visit Elizabeth's blog, she sounds like my kind of lady!! Thank you for the introduction Tina!! xo Kathysue
ReplyDeletegreat easy ideas here. Thanks for introducing Elizabeth here. I will head over to say hello. I'm going to use some of these ideas for my Christmas Eve get-together.
ReplyDelete~Emily
The French Hutch
I AM HERE, and what a feast. My favorite? THE CHAMPAGNE. PINK, WHITE, BERRIED, YOU NAME IT, IT IS MY FAVORITE. Tina, you are a wonderful host. Elizabeth my dear friend, ONLY YOU could back to this degree! AND I LOVE TRADER JOES TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHAPPY CELEBRATION ALL OF YOU!!!! LOVE TO ALL, Anita
Tina,
ReplyDeleteThank you so very much for inviting me to guest post on your fabulous blog! It has been such a pleasure getting to see your dream home being built, as well as getting to know you.
I hope you have a wonderful day and a fabulous party this week! Looking forward to the details.
Thank you again my friend, eluzabeth
Can I come to your party to indulge in the chocolate bar...yum!
ReplyDeleteNow this girls knows how to throw a party! We went to a holiday party last weekend and all I wanted was these kinds of foods but instead I got a big plate of dinner foods that I dont' even really eat. This is my kind of party, including the amazing chocolates. The holidays are a time to indulge and let loose and a time to enjoy the best of everything.
ReplyDeleteWonderful post, has me in the mood to plan a party now!
GREAT tips and menu ideas. I'll be referring back to this post when planning my next party. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteOh I am hungry as well! What a fabulous menu! :) xoxo
ReplyDeleteLove all these holiday food ideas!
ReplyDeleteGTBB,
http://badjoan.blogspot.com
http://cookingjoan.blogspot.com
I can't wait to visit Elizabeth's blog! She sure knows how to throw a fun party. I like the drinks tray with the tiny apples and pine needles...little touches like that are so festive.
ReplyDeleteTina, this looks devine. Now this is the kind of party I think everyone enjoys, its more relaxing for the hostess and there is truly something for everyone.
ReplyDeleteLove htis idea....will have to hint around to my mother in law that her big stuffy dinners are not necessary:)
Elizabeth is the baking Queen of the planet earth! A beautiful guest post. Well don to both of you.
ReplyDeleteDi
x
All I can say is "Yum!" I'm headed over now to visit Elizabeth's blog.
ReplyDeleteEverything looks so delicious! Beautiful choices for a great party!
ReplyDeleteNow this lady knows how to entertain...how fun would it be to be a guest in her home. Great ideas and I agree that its way more fun to eat this way instead of a formal meal.
ReplyDelete