Tag Archives: holiday dinner

Time Management for the Holidays

November 25, 2017 Fran Comment

My Top 5 Tips for sane and safe planning during the holidays.

This is one of my favorite times of the year, I can plan all the holiday parties I want and not go crazy. It’s the one time of the year that I can turn on all the great holiday party ideas that I’ve been storing up for the year. And you know me, holiday decorations, party themes, finger food, appetizers – you name it – I’ve got something I want to try.

But, this is also the time of year that we can lose ourselves in all the demands on our time. Considering that the usual demands don’t stop – work, the meetings, classes, a visit to the dentist, coffee with a friend, a drive downtown – we’re adding a lot of extra stuff. This is where all those years owning my restaurants comes in handy.

Owning a restaurant is all about planning. A well-managed restaurant is a little like a ballet. The key to making it easy? We never let up. We always plan ahead. And, we’ve always got a plan “B” – you know, just in case.

My Top 5 Tips for Holiday Planning:

Start early – like NOW. If you’re like me and sometimes think it’s a circus up there – write it down! Don’t rely on your memory to hold in all the ideas and schedules in your head. Use that smartphone that you’re carrying around. It’s got a calendar function in there that works pretty well.
Big time saver: make a list of everything that you need to do and update it on a regular basis. Include everything: shopping for gifts, shopping for food – your grocery list, Holiday decorations – whatever. Then consolidate the lists into shopping trips.
Match your calendar with your list. Set blocks of time for everything from your list. Pick a start time and how long you think it will take, but pad the time block a bit and expect delays. They are inevitable. Do as much early as you can i.e. – anything that doesn’t spoil try to buy way ahead of when you will need it.
Multitasking isn’t always the best idea any time of the year. But, it’s particularly true this time of year. In fact, multitasking too many different things often produces a disaster. Speaking for myself, I focus on one task at a time. Make it right. Then move on to the next.
Follow your plan and schedule as closely as possible. If, for some reason, something is delayed or postponed, reschedule it immediately or delete it entirely. Resist the temptation to “save” tasks that – for whatever reason – cannot be completed as planned. Reschedule or move on.

Along with my “TOP 5” holiday planning tips, make sure that that you always think about doing something nice for yourself each day. Whatever it is – some quiet time, a hot bath, watching your guilty pleasure – just take time in the day (or evening) to do something you like to do for only you!

And, most important of all, don’t forget to breathe. The bustle of the holidays may encroach on your space a bit. Some of the tasks may pile up – especially if you have kids (or friends and relatives with kids). The stress level may climb a bit. Remind yourself (if you can every day) that you’re in control. Your schedule is your key to getting everything you need accomplished for the holiday season.

Remember there are only 24 hours in a day. If you schedule too much for one day, prioritize and start taking things off your list – if you can – try to delegate what you can’t get to. You’re only human! It’s OK to say no.

Home Entertaining, Lifestyle

How to Prevent a Holiday Party Nightmare

September 17, 2017 Fran Comment

Five things you can do RIGHT NOW to prepare for any holiday gathering – for the rest of the year!

The whole group was coming to my party. I was so happy that I found myself literally grinning from ear to ear every time the doorbell rang. People were in such a great mood and everyone was engaged in conversation. The atmosphere in the room was lively, people were laughing, it couldn’t have been better. But then, to my horror, I realized that I wasn’t ready. Worse than that – nothing was ready!

I had no drinks to serve.

My dining room was a mess.

None of the food was ready.

I was in a complete panic. Then I suddenly realized something else that stopped me cold in my tracks. I was still in my swimsuit and I reeked of sun tan lotion! And, even worse than that, I had an inflatable swim ring around my waist? Whaaaaaat? Seriously? I don’t even sit out in the sun much less use suntan lotion or an inflatable swim ring!

That’s when I woke up and sat bolt upright in bed. It was all a horribly bad dream. I laughed. Of course. If you’ve ever wondered what a nightmare looks like to a home entertainment expert, this would be it. I’d been so busy this summer. I’d been up north, back east and in between. With that kind of schedule, who has time to think about the holidays?

But now, I am. In fact, part of this blog was written right after that silly dream – well, let’s call it what it was – a nightmare, okay? Now, this is my warning to all my fellow home entertainers – the time to prepare is NOW. The holidays are literally, right around the corner. As a friend of mine is fond of saying: The trick to preparation is getting prepared now.

There are FIVE simple things you can do – today – to get your home prepared for the holidays.

ONE: Start with easy-to-do accent changes: change out the couch throws for heavy knit ones and add a few accent pillows that say, “here come the holidays” like this pillow and this one from Crate and Barrel. You don’t have to start with the ‘jingle bells’ thing just yet, but nice warm colors will help set the mood just right.

TWO: Think about the “welcome beverage” you will be serving at your parties. Bring everything into the seasonal spirit with sparkling wines; Gruet and Schramsberg are always favorites in my home! And don’t forget the pomegranate seeds. Then stock up on beautiful reds, like these bottles from Long Meadow Ranch or Davis Estates. Speaking of bottles, don’t forget to put your favorite vodka (Chopin anyone?) in the freezer.

THREE: Remember your candles. My summer setting is always ‘white and bright.’ It’s time now to change up to softer colors to match the couch throws and pillows. Keep those simple candles (for fall white or ivory) but change out the holders to pewter, silver or soft gold. The softer color of metals create a softer light – like these from World Market or Pottery Barn.

FOUR: If you have a mantel or fireplace, change décor but keep it light and simple. If you have centerpieces or runners for your coffee table and dining table – it’s time for a change. Think “autumn leaves.” Like this basket setting from Pottery Barn.

FIVE: Maybe this is on the top of everyone’s mind, but the music list is always good to figure out long before the guests arrive. Time to put away Elvis and bring back Frank. Well, maybe it’s the opposite for some folks, but you get the idea.

Want to go the distance? I even change out some of my framed pictures – ones of my family and friends on easel backs and some on the walls. Store away the pictures of beach parties and put up the ones of camping trips in autumn and ski trips to the alps. You’d be surprised how this simple switch will change the “feel” in your home.

The point of this exercise – don’t wait until the week or days before the first holiday party. Start now and set the canvas. You can add the finishing touches later. Besides, you’ll have plenty of other things to worry about before your guests arrive. Everything you do now will look like you really took time to plan things out. Taking these steps now will also help you enjoy your party that much more and you won’t be waking up from a nightmare like I did!

Have fun!

Home Entertaining, Food, Lifestyle

5 Rules for Throwing a Dinner Party That Never Ends

November 10, 2016 Fran Comment

Have a party that they’ll be talking about for years.

One of the best dinner parties I ever went to started at a normal hour, 7:30pm, but no one left until well after 1am! Nobody wanted to leave. The best part? The host didn’t want anyone to leave either! If you follow these very simple rules you can have a never ending dinner party that your friends will remember with love for years. If you get really good at it, you will be known as the dinner party queen/king and the envy of everyone you know.

Be careful of your guest list. That doesn’t mean to keep it to a specific number of guests but to pay attention to the mix of guests. Be aware of any tension between any of your friends and make sure you don’t stir that hornet’s nest-it won’t bode well for a convivial evening.

Serve dinner “family style.” When you try to create individual plates everything becomes more formal and that’s the exact opposite of your goal. You want everyone to be comfortable. When people need to “please pass the potatoes” it gets people talking to each other – a great way to encourage conversation. When you serve “family style” on large serving platters your guests are encouraged to have seconds or even just another bite of something.

Plan your menu with food that doesn’t need to be a certain temperature – food that is perfectly fine served at room temp. If you’ve ever had a large group over for a meal and you’ve tried to make sure that the last person served gets food that’s as hot as the first person served you will know exactly what I’m talking about. This way the food can stay on the table as long as you and your guests are at the table (which you want to be a long time!) and still taste great.

Make sure there is plenty of wine on the table for your guests to serve themselves. Don’t be precious with it – you don’t want to have rules about what is being poured when during the meal. Stick with bottles that are similar in flavor and body whether they are red or white – but make sure to have both opened. Leave those bottles on the table for easy refills by your guests. Be careful to not run out!

Candles are key. Atmosphere is the quickest way to turn your dinner with friends into a real party and candles do that effortlessly. Use candles of different heights on your table and light them ALL. The lighting changes as your night progresses from fresh candles that are newly lit to a soft glow from those that burn the longest. Be sure to have a lot of them as they will burn at different rates – only some will last all night but that just contributes to the wonderful atmosphere you want to have.

I promise that if you follow these 5 simple rules your next dinner party will be a greater success than you could have ever wished for. Enjoy!

Food

Recipe for Noodle Kugel – Good Anytime

December 8, 2015 Fran Comment

I Love Good Noodle Kugel

I think this recipe from Smitten Kitchen’s Deb Perelman (apparently her Mother’s own family recipe) first published October 2008. I’m thinking of using this recipe to serve at a dinner party this week. But you can make this anytime for any occasion. Actually, I love anything with noodles. Traditionally, we make kugel for Chanukah. Kugel is a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish recipe for a baked pudding or casserole – using either egg noodles or potatoes.

Ingredients

1 pound wide egg noodles
8 eggs
2 cups sugar (Mom uses 1 1/2 cups)
2 pounds full-fat cottage cheese, creamed or large curd
2 sticks (1 cup or 8 ounces) melted unsalted butter or margarine (Mom uses 1 1/2 sticks butter)
2 teaspoons vanilla
Dash of salt
Optional: 2 cups canned cherry pie filling (Comstock is specified)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Parboil the noodles (five to seven minutes).
In a very large bowl beat eggs until fluffy. Add the sugar gradually, then the cottage cheese, margarine or butter and vanilla. Stir in the drained noodles.
Pour into a 9×13-inch pan. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until kugel is set. If using the cherry pie filling as a topping, pour it over at the one-hour mark, then bake it for an additional 30 minutes.
Deb note: Your baking time may, of course, vary. Check for doneness at one hour and go from there. Our oven, always running cool, took almost two hours to bake this. At home, my mothers inferno of an oven does it in an hour.
About the topping: Okay, so apparently, the original version of this recipe has the cherry pie filling (from! a! can!) as a topping. Should you want to try some version of this but avoid the mystery-in-a-can stuff, a quick cherry pie filling can be made with a bag of frozen sour cherries cooked with half a cup of water in a saucepan for about 10 minutes. Mix 1/2 cup of sugar with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and stir these into the pot. The mixture will thicken within a couple minutes. Cool before using.

Friendships

Plans for Thanksgiving? The “To-Go” from The Farm

November 24, 2015 Fran Comment

Every year, for the last 20 years, we have offered Thanksgiving To-Go from The Farm of Beverly Hills. We start about a month ahead with emails, postings, advertising (print when it was big and now Facebook/Instagram/Twitter as well) and cards on the tables along with the check presenters reminding everyone to order early. All orders are pre-paid so that the person just comes in, announces their name, goes through what’s packed for them and leaves. It has been a great success for us and people start calling to check on the date for ordering even before it’s ready for “publication.”

We close the Beverly Hills location that day for pick up only. You can’t believe how many calls we get each year from people just looking for a place to have breakfast that morning. They’re so excited to have us answer the phone and then so VERY disappointed to hear we aren’t really open!

I have to admit that the first several years were a bit disorganized (it got better as the years went on thank goodness). Chef would have been at the restaurant all night cooking everything with the Turkeys going in the oven VERY early in the morning so they would be freshly cooked by the time we were set to open the doors for pick up. I would get to the restaurant no later than 6am (pick up hours were always 10am-12pm) to start portioning out the different menu items, labeling them with the name of the person who ordered it and setting them out on the dining room tables. I always wrangled at least one person to help with this. I tried several different ways to organize the labeling and portioning and a few years ago the system was finally perfected with some help. I don’t have to get there before 8am now!

Each person’s order, with everything they’ve purchased from appetizers all the way to dessert, is put in one “pile” with a copy of their order and reheating instructions (so their house smells amazing!) on top and the room is set up alphabetically so that all the orders can be found easily. For some, they are picking up dinner just for themselves as they’re not near family or friends. For others, it’s a full meal for 20 guests or just pies for dessert. It can get a little crazy at pick up with several people showing up all at once and usually in a hurry to get out!

Every year there has been one or two stragglers who somehow haven’t managed their time well and are LATE for pick up. I’m always hoping that they actually answer their phone when I call to see where they are. I’ve been pretty lucky as they eventually show up. There are also those who stop in hoping that we have some “extra” gravy or pie that they can buy. We usually do. After the last order is gone, I finally leave for my family’s dinner. Some years I was a “little” late but fortunately have always been forgiven for my tardiness. At the end of it, I’m tired but happy.

I always felt it was important that I was the face people saw when they came to pick up their Thanksgiving orders (you know the face behind the name). People really appreciated that I was giving up my Thanksgiving morning to be there to greet them and it has always been my pleasure. I’ve been lucky in that I get to see several people each year-I guess they like our food! But, I’ve been even luckier in that I’ve been able to help make it easier for people to create their own memories around the table for this holiday whether it’s just having a comfort meal for one in front of the TV or those parties for 20.

These are the moments that feed my soul.