Seasonal Hospitality: Chapter 1 - Causes We Support

I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. 

 ~ Charles Dickens

In the midst of all of the chaos that accompanies every holiday season - from travel, busy party schedules, end-of-year business, and, of course, the ENDLESS ads encouraging us to BUY everything in sight - it is inspiring to observe true hospitality in our community of friends, family and business colleagues.

Hospitality ~ the quality or disposition of receiving and treating guests and strangers in a warm, friendly generous way ~ is key to our lifestyle, and a trait we value in others.

We highlighted a lifestyle mindset of entertaining hospitality before - peek at The (Louisville) Art of Hospitality for a refresh.

For the next few weeks, please share some holiday spirit as we shine a light on the hospitality that we see around us this season, and the hospitality we wish to share with special friends.

Music To Be Grateful For!

With not one but TWO Thanksgivings to plan for, we're scurrying about getting our gameplan in gear.

One of the most fun - though often overlooked - entertaining essentials is creating ambiance.  Music, key to ambiance in our opinion, is such an easy way to add a little something to the gathering.  The right music gets toes tapping, can trigger a smile, and can fill the room.

For Thanksgiving, we're pulling out a few old favorites - and some new musical friends - to set our stage.  Take a listen (directions below) and see if your hearth fires burn a little more brightly.

Go-To Gifts for the Season | Holiday Workshop

Fusion Lumieres

And what is The Savvy Host offering in the way of holiday entertaining know-how?  Read on...

Go-To Gifts for the Season
Mid-October through early January, there's seldom a few extra minutes to spare.  We always like to be prepared (yes, there is Brownie-turned-Girl-Scout training in our past).  Not that this happens regularly enough - no we're not THAT good - but isn't it an alluring concept?

With so many dinner parties, cocktail events, family gatherings and holiday merrymaking, it is hard enough to coordinate schedules, hosting details, and sassy attire!!  Often overlooked - and then a source of discomfort - is how best to prepare for unexpected or last-minute gift-giving needs.

This is not a lesson in the etiquette of gift-giving (see Don't Forget a Gift for the Host!).  Instead, we offering our list of Go-To Gifts to keep on hand to ensure that WHEN (never IF unfortunately) you unexpectedly need "a little something", YOU are PREPARED with an appropriate gift for the host, teacher's gift, special co-coworker, Secret Santa, ... remember last year?

Six Go-To Gifts - along with savvy tips to help budget while you stock up -  can be pulled together whether your budget is $100 or $15.

Save yourself a little bit of frantic this season - keep a few tucked away in a "gift closet" (or pantry - or guest room...)

AND, the best way to make any gift a true success is to customize...even just a little bit.  MAKE IT SPECIAL with special accents or pairings to create an interesting, tailored gift-set.  Highlights the savvy-ness of the giver.  Brings an appreciative smile to face of the giftee. Take a look...

1. Wine

An ever-traditional host or thank-you gift.  Red, white, pink or SPARKLING champagne, we always enjoy receiving a special selection to enjoy around the holidays.

Napa Vines Spreaders

SAVVY TIP - Now's the time to watch the store specials to find an extra-special VALUE you'll be proud to share.  Buy a set of 6 or more and often you'll save an additional 10%!!


MAKE IT SPECIAL - Feeling festive? Add an ornament or other seasonal decoration tied around the neck with holiday ribbon.  Prefer functional? Wine charms, champagne stoppers, or other specialty wine tools add a little something extra.

2. Spreaders
Ever-so-useful for any entertaining occasion!  We love the diversity of styles, colors and shapes of cheese and other spreaders.  Use for spreadable hors d'oeuvres or to pass with the butter or to serve certain condiments at the table. 

SAVVY TIP - Often packaged as a set of four, look for sets that you can break into pairs, perfectly appropriate to have on-hand for a Go-To Gift (and allows you a little budget to make it special!)

MAKE IT SPECIAL -  Add a specialty mustard - preserves - or even jam to a package with two spreaders for a unique pairing.  Trader Joe's, iGourmet and Gourmet Delights are all offering wonderful gourmet additions to fit any budget.

3. Salt Server or Condiment Bowls
Something a little elegant, we love the trend to serve fine sea salt, or other specialty condiments, from specialty serving dishes.  Salt pigs, salt servers or specialty condiment bowls are a unique gift - often made of stone or olive wood.


SAVVY TIP - Keep your eye out for those servers and bowls that include a matching spoon. Typically at no additional cost, the tiny spoon is quite a value-add!

MAKE IT SPECIAL - As a starter, complete the set by adding a package of Fleur de Sel. Or specialty salt - we love Secret Stash Salt's Lavendar Rosemary and Bloody Mary Salt.  Or, consider adding another favorite - Truffle Salt.

4. Specialty Serveware
A special serving pair - soup spoons - cheese knives - or pasta tongs - elegantly boxed and tied with a festive bow, will fit the Go-To Gift occasion (whatever that may be!). 

High-Heel Cake Server

SAVVY TIP - Keep your eye out for serveware items already pre-packaged in box, saving you the trouble of trying to box and wrap.

MAKE IT SPECIAL - There are so many unique serveware items - consider investing in a decor theme that is meaningful to you in some way - or buy a few MUST-haves that you wouldn't mind having at your entertaining disposal.  Need a really creative idea under $20?  High-Heel Cake Servers (see left) never miss the mark in Decadent Diva - Gourmet Glam and so many other styles.  Also love gourmet cooking MUST-haves including NexTrend Garlic Twist Mincer and Sous Chef.

5. Tea/Coffee Service
A tin of gourmet tea or package of specialty coffee beans are an energizing treat! Added to a special cup & saucer, or demitasse set - this will forever be an afternoon break in your honor. 
SAVVY TIP - Buy a special roast or leaf in bulk - and then package in smaller portions for your Go-To Gifts.  Similarly, find a set of tea cups or mugs - and package individually or in pairs!


MAKE IT SPECIAL - There are so many new shapes, sizes and styles of coffee and tea service - seek out unique demitasse cup sets or glass coffee cups that work for both coffee and tea.  Design conscious pieces will pair well with a small portion of specialty tea or coffee to make a wonderful impression.  Take it up a notch by adding flavored sugar spoons.

Rondo Cappuccino and Espresso Sets

6. Votives & Candleholders
Hard to go wrong with a lovely glass or crystal votive or decorative candleholder.  Opt for something seasonal if you like or stick with an all-occasion style – be it contemporary, traditional or glitzy.  Perfect decorative element for dining décor - for the powder room - or bedside, your recipient will enjoy this special touch.  We find beautiful options at a full range of budget pricing.


SAVVY TIP - There are enormous savings to be had in buying sets of the candles in bulk - and then being generous enough to include more than one candle with your gift!


MAKE IT SPECIAL - If you are crafty (we're not), creating custom candleholders is a way to make it personal and unique - often on a very limited budget!  We rely on Martha Stewart for these types of how-tos. Another way is to include specialty candles. We love Oak Forest Designs festive square glitter tapers or the unique soy-based scents from Colette Candles. Another alternative is Bright Endeavors – beautiful candles that offer a special chance to support a great cause!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

May you remember to give as you would receive, cheerfully, quickly, and without hesitation; for there is no grace in a benefit that sticks to the fingers. ~ Seneca

We are thrilled to be part of this season's Holiday Workshop hosted by the ever-charming Housewife Bliss!  Drop in to pick up all you need to know to prepare for the holidays from some these favorite savvy resources!!

2010 Holiday Workshop - 10/6 Sessions

• Mindy Lockard Tips for Holiday Tipping
• Pemberley Collections The front door: Make a statement
• The Entertaining House
• Lily Lemon Tree Cracking the Code: The Blissful Guide to Dress Codes for Holiday Parties and otherwise...
• AB Home Interiors Holiday Survival Guide- 5 tips for effortless decorating
• Tatertots and Jello  Creating inexpensive and beautiful feminine gifts
• Lucky Life Parties Invitations 
• The Daily Basics Plan Ahead Hand-Made Gifts
• Housewife Bliss Planning the perfect gathering

Mark your calendar to check back next week to gather the insights from our fellow Holiday Workshop participants! 

Beets - Ruby Jewels for Fall Good Food Gatherings

Think the bright colors have departed with the summer wind?  Guess again.

Eggplant. Scorpacciata. GodBlessYou. Good Food Gatherings (Menus #18-#20)

Scorpacciata.

Don’t get offended – we didn’t just invoke some old Sicilian curse.  As we learned from friends at Eatocracy – and as Chef Mario spoke of today on CNN - scorpacciata refers to consuming large amounts of a particular local ingredient while it's in season. (Jill Billante, Scorpacciata – Farm Stands, Eatocracy). 

Good Food Gatherings starring ZUCCHINI (Menus #15 - #17)

Maybe we’re the last to know, but zucchini is one vegetable that gets around!  From savory to sweet – from brunch to dinner – we’ve decided to focus an entire Good Food Gathering feature – including 3 new GoodFood Menus (#15 - #17) - on this veggie that has a pizzazz of its own.

Think we’ve wandered a little too far off into the vegetable patch with our enthusiasm?

Enjoying a visit with Housewife Bliss...

Had to share what a fantastic time we're having getting better acquainted with lovely and charming Housewife Bliss.  If you don't know her already, she's a definite GO-TO for the finer points of nesting & the delights of a modern traditionalist housewife.

We're spending time with dear Mrs. Bliss this month (and each month through the holiday season) to plan together our approach for Fall Entertaining.  She's dubbed this "The Savvy Host Series".  We're thrilled!  Our first feature is Stress Free Fall Entertaining & a Giveaway.

To help fellow hosts along in September, we've focused on Fall Entertaining: Checklist for a savvy host...over a dozen items we're suggesting you might want to "squirrel away" to be prepared for whatever this entertaining season may bring your way...

AND...this month only there is a special giveaway to get help you along with your entertaining creativity.  You'll just have to wander over there to get the full story ;-)

Happy (Fall) Entertaining!

A Year of Celebrations (& a Giveaway)

September - Back to School

How lucky we are to have discovered the amazing celebration and party ideas available through PurpleTrail!

Talk about a key resource for a savvy host - PurpleTrail is a one-stop-shop for not only party details such as online invitations, printed cards, photo albums...but also a creative cornerstone for occasions to entertain with their holiday ideas, party basics, invitations wording ideas, and other celebration details!

We are thrilled to feature a FULL YEAR of celebration ideas that PurpleTrail shared with us as part of our series of Savvy Experts to rely on for your entertaining. Don't miss the very special PurpleTrail GIVEAWAY offering 3 prizes to our lucky readers.  So many reasons to celebrate!

August - Camping

We all know the major holidays to celebrate, but what about all those days in between?  Life is full of reasons to celebrate.  Even if there isn’t a holiday in sight, there is always a reason to gather with the ones you love.  In fact, at PurpleTrail, we think there are at least 12 reasons to celebrate every year outside of the holidays.  Starting now - this month - get inspired by these celebration ideas.

Serving up Bread & Sandwiches at Foodies' Night In

It's SANDWICH NIGHT at Foodies Night In (#fni) today, and are we ready to share so many different things you can do with bread, cheese, meat, veggies and condiments...with our sponsor, Kitchen Monki, you KNOW it's gonna' get a little crazy in the kitchen!

Do you know Kitchen Monki?

We raved about them in Monki-ing around is good for entertaining.  Kitchen Monki is THE Storage Unit and Power Organizer for all your recipes.  Similar to how iTunes organizes music, Kitchen Monki can catalog, sort and search personal recipes. Members can also use Kitchen Monki’s seamless integration with Facebook and Twitter to share recipes—or its convenient mobile application to have their shopping list delivered to their phone. Follow them on Twitter - @KitchenMonki.

Guest experts this week adding some meat & cheese between slices fo #fni fun include:
@kendurbin - sharing his perspective from training at The Midwest Culinary Institute.

Safari Plates - Zebra

@daisymaesmarket - an entrepreneurial market with a fresh approach to fresh produce.
@alouttecheese - with the motto "Slow Down & Savour", a favorite spread to class up our sandwiches!

Good Food Gatherings (Menu #12 - #14)

Some new plans for Good Food Gatherings in the works that we wanted to share.

Don't know about Good Food Gatherings?  This is entertaining at it's most basic - providing #goodfood, offering something to wet the whistle, but most importantly, allowing the time to share laughs, ideas, stories and life with those who have joined at our table. For this type of entertaining, we look for those recipes that emphasize fresh, seasonal ingredients - straightforward preparation - and interesting flavor combinations from different cuisines.  Take a peek at prior posts listing Menus #1-#11 for past examples.

Good Food Gatherings (Menu #9 - #11)

Here's the plan for our Good Food Gatherings coming up this week. Sharing some timeless favorites from our kitchen, modified a bit to suit our tastes and cooking style, the line-up includes:
~ Grilled Balsamic & Rosemary Marinated Florentine Steak,
~ Country-Fried Chicken, and
~ BBQ ribs (with our modified Southern Dry Rub)!!

Our concept of Good Food Gatherings shifts the focus away from party themes, decorations & decor details.

Instead, the focus is gathering people together over good food and beverage in enjoyable surroundings.

This is entertaining pared down from extravagance and fanfare.  These are the gatherings pulled together to provide #goodfood, offering something to wet the whistle, but most importantly, allowing the time to share laughs and life with those who have joined at our table.  Take a look at prior posts, including Good Food Menus #1-#4 and Good Food Menus #5-#8.

Featured #blogswelove in the recipes selected for these Good Food Gatherings - Smitten Kitchen, Southern Fried Chicago, The Pioneer Woman, Steak Perfection, The Perfect Pantry, Cooking with Amy, and The Hungry Mouse.

No-Fail Dinner Party #3 - Summer Pesto

One of the easiest ways to bring summer freshness to the table for dinner guests?  Pesto!  A sauce originally crafted of basil and garlic in Genoa, Italy (Pesto alla Genovese), the name itself references to the "pounding" or "crushing" of herbs and other ingredients.  Traditionally, pesto is made with a mortar and pestle - but it works as well in a food processor.

Pesto offers a no-fail approach to an impromptu dinner or lunch gathering in the summer months - especially as this treat can be made ahead of time and frozen until needed.

With the sun finally doing it's job (at least in our neck of the woods), the basil is finally bushy and plentiful enough that we're focused on pesto and sharing these variations with you.

For basic pesto, here's the how-to we follow (using our food processor!) to make approximately 2 cups of pesto:

Good Food Gatherings: in the Beginning...(Menu #1-#4)

So many of you have asked about what we cook every week – whether we’re hosting a small gathering, family dinner/brunch or an impromptu dinner party.

Overall, our focus is simply good food (#goodfood) ~ straightforward recipes allowing us to take advantage of the best flavors of the season.  We also like to allow for flexibility ~ to be creative, to deal with last-minute mishaps, or to permit us the short-cuts sometimes necessary (if only to maintain sanity).  Lastly, we're planners (or try to be ;-) so we set out a plan for the menus each week to stay focused and take advantage  of limited time and opportunity to get to the market.

From Rooftop to Table

Whether you appreciate the local food movement (we do), or think organic is important (we do), you must agree that the fresher the ingredients, the better the taste.  Whether from a farmers market, roadside stand, or your very own garden, the smell and taste always seem to be more intense.

In our personal style of entertaining and cooking, fresh ingredients are a must.  They offer a more healthful as well as tasteful foundation for cooking.  We think emphasizing the fresh ingredients is part of getting back to the basics of what makes food good.

But is planting and tending to your own garden necessary?  Of course not!!  But we thought we'd share a little of our zeal and enthusiasm for creating our own "rooftop to table" local food movement...

We didn't have to start an edible garden.  We're lucky to have Green City Market a mere 10 minutes away.  We belong to a most delicious CSA program through Simply Wisconsin (so delicious in fact that we purchased memberships for our extended family to make sure they got a chance to enjoy!).  And, our family has a home along Lake Michigan in Indiana with access to so many delicious farm produce throughout the summer.

But if you enjoy a little dirt under your nails, if greenery is visually appealing to you, and even from a budget standpoint, investing the time in event a small garden of herbs, vegetables, and fruit can yield much fun and produce.

One of the main reasons we bought our current loft was the private rooftop deck and what it offered ~  entertaining al fresco, space for masterful grilling, and a rooftop garden.  Please understand that we're the type to get jazzed about picking the tomatoes and basil just a few minutes before we craft an-ever-so-fresh Insalata Caprese!

Being city dwellers, we don't have the backyard option that many do.  We considered working with one of the shared garden projects, but weren't sure that we would have the time to get there to take care of it regularly.  Our rooftop provided the best option.

(We'll save the landscaping, furnishing & decor part of the rooftop beautification story for another post.)  

In terms of vegetation selection, we start with a few rules of the house:

1. Must be produce we use regularly in our cooking.
2. Can't require special handling (this is a hobby, not a full-time occupation).
3. Must tolerate the existing conditions - hot, dry, full sun and lots of wind.
4. Must yield enough to make the effort worthwhile.

Based on a few years of experience, here's what's growing upstairs and regularly available on our dining table:

Tomatoes - believe it or not, many of the heirloom varieties do VERY well - Cherokee Purple, Green Zebra, and Brandywine as well as Yellow Teardrop (image top left), Red Pear and Cherry Super Sweets (image above right).  Be forewarned that we've gotten the best results with fairly large containers, giving the plants room to take root.  Tight on space? The "Patio Tomato" containers available at most garden stores yield amazing results! 

Swiss Chard - (image to the left) such a beautiful, bright leafy addition to any garden, we also like the Rainbow version.


Kale - both Lacinato and standard love the conditions and grow well all season.  We frequently harvest for our Summer Minestrone, and the plants just keep growing all season long... 


Peppers (Bell, Jalapeno, Banana, Thai Chile and Habanero) - they didn't like the long cold Spring this year, and did need a little special attention. But they are already producing the buds that should make for a nice first crop of the season.

Zucchini - we LOVE having months of the baseball size orange blossoms available to us for frying, stuffing and quesadillas - such a delicious treat.  And, this plant requires so little effort (as long as it's in a BIG container... it has an extensive root base,)

Strawberries - (image to the right) a truly perfect container plant, the bonus is that ours come back EVERY year!  These plants propagate quickly during the season, so be sure to have a good, medium size container to accommodate growth enough for jam!

Raspberries - both a Golden and a Ruby Red grace our rooftop (see image below left).  These are a wonderful container bush that also returns each year.  Some types bear fruit early in the season, some are late-blooming.  From the number of blooms thus far, we're looking at a bumper crop!

Arugula - why pay for this at all during the summer when it grows and grows and grows on its own?  We love our "field of arugula" in its container box.

Lettuce - (image below right) it's so easy in any size space to grow your own lettuce.  Our garden includes Red Leaf and Green Leaf, along with Romaine.  The sweetness and flavor of the leaves is not to be missed.  Starter container kits are even available at Home Depot!  Imagine salads full of fresh baby greens every night of the week with only a little watering effort required...

Cooking Herbs - (image near top left) this is really a no-brainer - especially when the small packages of cut herbs are $2-$3 EACH at the store.  You can purchase starter plants - or even full-size plants - for $2-15 each and you'll have fresh herbs all summer! A small container of whatever cooking herbs you prefer can sit on a windowsill, or even a small balcony... At a minimum, grab some basil, dill, marjoram, thyme and parsley and enjoy the benefits!

Looking for some how-to's to get started?  A few expert sources we rely on to stay savvy are...

~ Growing a Greener World including Joe Gardener. Download his 27pp ebook, Abundant Harvest: Your Guide to the Home Vegetable Garden - it's FREE!

~ The Yarden, "spreading the edible word" has a wonderful post about teaching new gardeners as a part of the historical Peterson Garden Project in Chicago.

~ Get in the Garden, "sowing a better world...one garden at a time" has a great section on Vegetable Gardening 101.

~ Herb Garden Plants offers the best of both worlds - indoor and outdoor information to help your herb garden to thrive.

~ Organic Authority's 7 Easy Steps to Get Your Organic Garden Started details starting out in containers (which may be where you decide to stay put if you don't have a yard!).  Also read 111 Herbs, Vegetables, Edible Flowers, & Fruit to Plant in Your Garden.

~ Join the tweet-up "Garden Chat" (#gardenchat) on Monday evenings.  You can also follow @JoeGardener,  @TheYarden, @getinthegarden, @HerbNut and @OrganicAuthorit for regular tweets to help keep things growing. 

If we've inspired you to try your own hand at growing a little local food, please share your adventures.  We'd love to know what other savvy hosts are sowing as favorite edible garden crops ~ whether backyard, balcony or rooftop!

Celebrating Spring with Second City Soiree...

Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!"  ~Robin Williams

Over at Second City Soiree (a blog we love!) we've been considering creative ideas for dining decor that celebrate all that is wonderful about spring.  

Today's post, Dining Decor to Celebrate Spring, offers some of the ways we're setting the table for springtime entertaining.

Greenery ~ market produce ~ renewal ~ flowers ~ refresh ~ bright colors ~ rain showers ~ fresh flavors ~ textures ~ (and a little dirt under our fingernails ;-) 

Take a minute to hop over to grab some fresh spring ideas...and to share any you might have!