• Tweet
• Sharebar

• Tweet

It`s been a very unconventional Holiday season for us.  We`ve had a fantastic Holiday and are returning home after 10 days of living day-to-day and travelling over a lot of Eastern Ontario.  More than 1,000 kilometers of pavement stands behind us and I`m writing this post after what seems like a full day of chores and straightening out.  It`s been mysteriously pleasant.

We really are so fortunate – and had an awesome time with Family over the entire Holiday.

We now find ourselves staring down New Years (a Holiday that I am not overly fond of) and are excited to be hosting a party for a change.  A small crowd of 8 friends is coming over for a night of revelry and a feast.

I have promised to be a little lighter this year.  Last year`s feast was a marathon that few got through.  The theme was cream – each guest consumed about 500 ml of dairy products through the evening.  A special prize goes out to Sue who braved lactose intolerance and made it the distance (although I think her Beef Wellington went home in her purse as it did for several of our guests).

A combination of brainstorming this years theme and comments from others asking where to start planning such an evening inspired this post.  Here`s a few ideas for New Years (or any other time):

• Choose a single letter of the alphabet (inspired by my childhood favorite, Big Blue Bear book…):
  • Open with sweet latkes (potato pancakes)
  • Transition to a lobster bisque (1 lobster will feed a crowd in this manner – or the shells from a previous dinner)
  • Lake trout with lemon as a main
  • Lime sorbet for dessert
• Progress through the alphabet (I like the idea of not telling people what you`ve done on this until the end):
  • Apples with Baked Brie
  • Cauliflower soup
  • Duck with Eggplant, Fingering Potatoes and Gravy
  • Homemade Ice cream (yes I cheated)
• Pick a central unexpected theme – like fruit…
  • Peaches with baked brie in puff pastry with walnuts and maple syrup
  • Watermelon gaspacho
  • Pork tenderloin with applesauce and poached pears
  • Cherries jubilee (everyone loves a good flambe)
• Seasonal or local (not so unconventional from our perspective I suppose):
  • Squash or turnip soup
  • Grilled pears with maple syrup
  • Local beef braised in wine, garlic and onion, roasted potatoes in sunflower oil.
  • Candy apples
• A single ingredient like apples
  • Apple and cheese tray
  • Mulled apple cider (in place of a soup)
  • Pork braised in hard cider, applesauce side and julliene carrots braised in sweet apple juice
  • Baked apples stuffed with brown sugar and cinnamon
• A take on the theme – i.e. for non-Religious Easter have a vegetarian Easter Bunny Feast and eat what the bunny would (optional: add bunny).  apologies to our veggie friends for both the bunny humour and the limited options below – the point I`m trying to make is that it doesn`t have to have meat to be interesting)
  • Salad of greens and wheatgrass
  • Carrot soup
  • Seared melon, roasted veg (green peppers, celery, kale, broccoli florets and herbs)
  • Grilled fruit for dessert
• Eat by color
• Serve a different food group for each course
• All courses feature a similar theme or ingredient – like seafood

Our theme this year?  It`s still in progress and a closely guarded secret until the New Year.  The theme is tied closely to the Holiday and it`s traditions – for now, that`s my only hint.

What are some themes that have worked for you in the past – or what tips do you have to share with others?