My husband and I love opening our home to friends and family, particularly during the holidays when we can include a festive meal. We enjoy exploring our foodie sides, experimenting with new recipes or fresh takes on the familiar. While we’ve had many opportunities to host people at our home, it’s not often that we plan a formal party, given the fact that our children are so young.
Whether you are planning on hosting a holiday party, or simply looking for a way to take your gift giving up a notch, celebrity party planner Rachel Hollis has a wealth of knowledge, experience, and tips to make your next party a success. I had an opportunity to speak with her in Los Angeles recently, and along with providing party planning inspiration, she showed us some easy ways to use products from Cheryl’s and Mrs. Beasley’s.
Party planning inevitably causes varying degrees of stress. Here are my favorite take-away tips from Rachel Hollis:
1. Get creative. Rather than simply placing cookies on a holiday plate, utilize dessert as an opportunity to end your party in a festive way. Experiment with themed displays.
2. Make your drinks sparkle. You can use seasonal ingredients and festive glassware to take a conventional drink and turn it into something that shines. Check out Rachel’s recipe for a Holiday Cider Sip:
2 quarts apple cider
1 tsp. aromatic bitters
2 sticks cinnamon
1 tsp. whole allspice
3 Cardamum seeds
2 orange studded whole cloves
1/2 bottle of brandy
Combine all ingredients in pot and heat on medium flame for 1 hour. Reduce flame to warm 2-6 hours. Serve Wassail juice with chilled Champagne or sparkling wine. Garnish with orange twist and fresh cranberries.
3. Plan a no-fuss menu. Rather than spending the entire time in the kitchen, serve foods that can be eaten at room temperature so you can spend time with your guests.
4. Find new ways to use items you already have. Serve those gourmet cookies and mixed nuts from holiday baskets to your guests to keep them satiated until meal time or use those items to bulk up the food items you have already prepared.
5. Make time for yourself. Simply put, schedule in a time for you to make yourself look fabulous.
One of Rachel’s brilliant ideas was to take Cheryl’s buttercream cookies and set up a cookie decorating station with the kids. Taking away the “baking” step can truly help avoid the boredom, impatience, and mischief that kids are so notorious for.
Mrs. Beasley’s, Miss Grace, and Cheryl’s offer a vast array of baked goods and gift baskets. Mrs. Beasley’s has been a staple in LA for over 30 years and is famous for their truffle cookies and teacakes. Miss Grace is known for their handmade Lemon Cake and Cheryl’s is known for their buttercream frosting which can be found on cookies, and brownies. For more information, just visit each of the respective websites.
No compensation was received for this post. I attended a media event which helped facilitate this review.
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