Tips for Throwing a Fabulous New Year’s Eve Party: Part 2—the Food

There’s so much to worry about when entertaining from home, but one of the most important things is the food. What should you serve? And how much? Here are some delicious food tips from me to you:

Tip #1: Make sure you know if your guests have allergies or food preferences.  If you are doing a formal invite, have a section where they can note this on the reply card.  Otherwise, make sure you speak to them about it or let them know they should contact you to discuss.  Having that brief conversation ahead of time makes everyone feel at ease on the day of the event.  You know you won’t have to run out, or make substitutions at the last minute, and your guests already feel taken care of!

Tip #2: One of my favorite tricks for creating unexpected décor is to use fruit.  You can also fill different sized clear glass vases with monochromatic fruits- I love the look of black cherries, plums, and figs- for a fresh, easy centerpiece. (They make delicious snacks too.)

Tip #3 Always make sure you have extra food!  You never know when an additional guest may show up.  I always like to have a course I serve at room temperature and so I can set aside extra portions and have them ready should an unexpected guest arrive.

Tip #4 One of my most prized possessions is my juicer. When you are entertaining you can pick a combination of fruits and vegetables that will compliment the food you are serving.  Fresh juice is a great way to spice up a party.  People can drink it plain, or mix it with alcohol for a light cocktail.

Also, check out this article from People magazine (the picture above is from the article) about some of the sweets I love to serve at New Year’s Eve. Do you have any food tips to share?

Photo by: Jim Franco

Tips for Throwing a Fabulous New Year’s Eve Party: Part 1

Now that Christmas is out of the way, we have one more big event before we step into 2010 (can you believe it’s already 2010?): your new year’s eve party. At this point, you might be feeling partied out. It’s okay. These tips can apply to parties big and small.

Tip #1: For an evening affair, you can decorate the whole room with candles. I like to mix and match, using pillars, tapers, votives and even candelabras.  You decorate the whole room with them and it creates such a warm, intimate glow.

Tip #2 : I love to put gardenias in the bathrooms.  I float a few in a decorative bowl.  They have such a wonderful scent and it such is an unexpected treat.  I also always do really nice linens in the bathroom.

Tip #3: For smaller, more intimate gatherings, I greet my guests and then let the party flow naturally--making sure everyone has enough to eat and drink and someone to talk to. However, for any gathering larger than 10 people, I think it is very important to seat people so that no one has an awkward moment.  The best way to do this is with simple place cards, ideally ones that match your décor.

Tip #4: Another element I use at almost all of my parties is the “rose bowl.” (Pictured above.) The arrangement is easy to make, but creates an intricate, delicate look.  To make the “rose bowl” at home, you fill a low glass bowl with water and then float rose petals in it beginning on the outside edge and working your way towards the center.  When you are done, you will have what looks like a beautiful oversized rose!

Tomorrow, I’ll have more tips for you—mostly about food and how to entertain your guests. Do you have any tips for how to throw a fabulous New Year’s eve party? Let me know in the comments.