5 Ways to Glam Up Your Party On a Budget

It is very easy to glam up your soiree on a budget. Here are a few tips on throwing a fancy party on a budget:

Light it up. For evening affairs, it is amazing what the right lighting can do. Candles provide a great glow that makes everything look more elegant and more beautiful – including people! (Your guests will thank you for that). Arrange them in clusters or individually, take advantage of mirrors that may amplify the effect, and create extra drama by arranging them at different heights. Alternatively (or together with the candles), if you have dimmers on your lights, turn them down till you get just the right level.

Find your green thumb. Well, you don’t really need a green thumb for this, but adding flowers can add some elegance to any event. There is no need to go overboard on this - you can arrange a bunch of long stem roses in a prominent place where the light picks it up, or in front of a mirror. You can also have single stems in bud vases spread out on tables in the room. For dinner, a great idea is to cut the stems short and arrange them very tightly in short vase – square or rectangular work well, but a round one works just as well. The idea is to have them arranged tightly.

Keep it Simple. With your candles, flowers, crisp linen, and stylish stemware, you can create an elegant look very inexpensively. Your guests will notice the ambience, not the price tag. When shopping for décor elements, choose one theme and run with it. Discount stores, thrift stores and party supply stores are a good resource for finding inexpensive decorations, but you will be surprised at how much you already have in your garage or other storage. Look for what useable things you have first, and remember that you can be innovative in your ‘adaptive reuse’ of what you have. Beware of mixing kitschy and cheesy with elegant! Go for fewer items that will make the most impact.

Presentation, presentation. This is one of my favorite tips. No one has to know the food and drink is cheap – glam it up and make it pop! I serve water out of my filter, but in an elegant pitcher with some ice and slices of lemon, or cucumber, or sprigs of rosemary…you get the drift. People eat with their eyes first, so use beautiful platters and garnish the food to make it interesting. When it comes to platter and plates, I am partial to stark white plates with unique architectural details. Decanters always look great on any table and add something extra to inexpensive wine – except for the taste…

Use a time machine. Talking about wine – a not-exactly-inexpensive way to improve the taste of wine is The Perfect Sommelier ($40, theperfectsommelier.com), which transforms a wine’s molecules to help it age and mature in about 30 minutes. This will help save you some money down the line. A great investment, if you ask me.

Stock Your Bar: Everything You Need To Know About Liquor

I'm not sure if it's because I took some mixology classes, but there's something about having a nicely-stocked bar at home that appeals to me. But with so many kinds of alcohol available and so many brands to choose from, stocking a bar can be a daunting task for many. Here are some tips to help you stock your bar at home with an adequate variety of liquor for when you have guests.

The first thing to know is that you don't need to have every kind of liquor to have a decently stocked bar. Probably the four most popular liquors are vodka, gin, light rum and tequila. Others you can get will include brandy and whiskey. Most common drinks can be made with these.

Caprese Salad Skewers

Photo credit: sinfultommaso.com

I love the Insalata Caprese, and for a recent party I had, I made a variation of that - Caprese Salad Skewers. The Insalata Caprese is a simple salad made with tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil, usually drizzled with balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. I first had it while on vacation in the French Riviera and for one who was not a big fan of tomatoes, I was hooked! It's great for summer because the ingredients are in season and also because it is light, simple and tasty.

The Cheap Party - 5 More Ways To Throw a Party Inexpensively

Here are some more ways to save money on throwing a party:

The Cheap Party - 25 Ways To Throw a Party Inexpensively: Part I

Throwing a party, whatever the occasion, can be pretty expensive if you let it, and many times, the little things add up pretty fast! Thankfully, there are ways to throw an elegant shindig without breaking the bank. Here are 25 of my favorite tricks of the trade:

How to Host a Dinner Party - The Cocktail

Enjoy this video:

The Art of Food Presentation - Plating a Dessert

Here's a short clip from my show on plating a dessert. Have a great weekend, wherever you are, whatever you do!

Have a Party! 40 Things I've Learnt in 40 years

Photo courtesy: ricevimenti.it

As one who loves to entertain, I often detach myself from my duties as host and watch my guests interact, and laugh and have a good time. Yes, the cleanup is always a drag, but the headiness of a pleasure filled gathering always brings me back for more.

It is fascinating to watch how our lives are inextricably linked, one to another and there is great joy and reward in bringing people together. At social gatherings, people share many things, and relationships are strengthened and new ones are made.

I have learnt that I can facilitate positive change in peoples lives in my one-on-one interactions with them as well as by creating a safe a welcoming space where people come to share joy that they can go share with others in turn. It's a gift that keeps on giving.

Filet Mignon, my way

Today, for the first time since I became a full time student, I decided to cook some proper gourmet food that I would actually enjoy. I'm not a fan of cooking for myself, but with school being out for the winter, I wanted to celebrate - if even by myself. But I still didn't feel like putting too much work into that meal, so I made bacon-wrapped filet mignon with herb-tossed, roasted baby gourmet Klondike potatoes, steak tomatoes and feta cheese and pickled jalapenos. Sounds like a lot of work? Not really. Totally unconventional and totally me.

Just so you know, the filet mignon is referred to in France as the filet de boeuf, since the filet mignon refers to pork, not beef. It is the most tender and therefore, most expensive cut of beef. When buying a filet mignon cut, look for the lighter colored cuts rather than the dark ones. The lighter cut indicates more 'marbling', which will make it more tender.

I wrapped my filet mignon in bacon - it doesn't just taste great (anything with bacon does, unfortunately) - but it also keeps the meat moist. This is called 'barding'. I pan seared it on high heat for a few minutes each side to seal in the juices and sprinkled it with salt and pepper and popped it into the oven at 375 for 15 minutes to finish cooking through. Because it's such a tender cut, it's best to cook it just to medium-rare. The longer you cook it, the tougher it will get and it will also become dry. It's a good idea to use the touch method to test for done-ness instead of cutting it, as that will make the juices run out and make you lose both flavor and moisture. I use the SBF method. If when you press a finger into the meat it is:

• Soft and doesn't bounce back: It is rare.
• Bouncy, but still soft: It is medium rare.
• Firm: It is overcooked.

For the roasted potatoes, I halved each potato and parboiled them - taking them off the heat right after it came to a boil. I tossed the potatoes in butter and extra virgin olive oil (you can skip the butter, if you like) and a mixture of kosher salt, Tuscan herbs and I had to add my favorite cilantro and freshly ground black peppercorns. I spread the well-oiled potatoes in a single layer in a baking dish for about 20 minutes until they became firm, but crispy on the outside.

While the  meat and potatoes were in the oven, I sliced the steak tomatoes cross-wise, sprinkled with crumbled feta cheese and drizzled it with extra virgin olive oil. This is a different take on your traditional capri salad, so there was no mozzarella cheese or basil. So maybe not even a modified capri salad at all.

When everything came together, it smelled scrumptious and I couldn't wait to dig in - but not before I poured myself a glass of fine Cabernet Sauvignon! This would also have worked with some good Bordeaux, but I just happened to have a bottle of Cab.

With the fist mouthful, I was in epicurean heaven! All the layers of flavors were just delightful. The meat was tender and juicy, the tomatoes were so refreshingly different, and offered a great contrast to the feta cheese and the jalapenos. Yum! I can still taste the phantom flavors as I write this....It was well worth the effort.

So go ahead, try it and let me know how it turns out! Buon appetito!

Bottoms up: A wine primer

The thought of being a wine connoisseur is enough to conjure up images of highfalutin, snobbish people mumbling fancy jargon. Having to choose a wine in a fine restaurant can make some nervous. It hasn’t helped that there are enough ‘rules’ and myths about wine that can make many people feel a little intimidated. But you can get to know wine pretty well.

First rule out the window: Don’t have red wine with fish or chicken or white wine with beef. True, it’s a good guideline, but by no means a hard and fast rule. Also, an expensive wine doesn’t mean a great tasting or a great quality wine. So where does one begin with wine?


Let's start at the beginning: opening a bottle of wine. Opening a bottle of wine is a simple art that anyone can learn very easily. Here's a video showing you how:

The senses are very important in appreciating any wine. What is its color like? If it is a white wine, is clear or hazy or opaque? What does it smell like? Does it smell like flowers, fruits, wood? What does it taste like? Can you pick up caramel, or citrus, or strawberry? How does it feel in your mouth? Is it smooth or bold or coarse? Don't worry of you if you don't can't pick up any of these initially - like anything else, it take practice to perfect.

When pouring wines, you don’t want to fill the glass – and especially for red wines, keep them below a third of the glass. Red wines need a lot more room to ‘breathe’, that’s why they are drunk in wide bowled glasses. It also makes it easier to swirl it without spilling the drink. Swirling wine helps to aerate it to bring out the flavors. You might notice that red wine drunk soon after it is poured may not taste as good as it does after it’s been swirled and left to sit for a few minutes.

Most basic white table wines would be considered 'dry' because they are fermented until all the sugars were converted to alcohol - making it dry. Examples of these would include the Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc. Some wines, like those made from the Chenin Blanc grapes might be considered 'off dry' because they have some residual sweetness to them, but not enough to make them a dessert wine. The sweetness of a wine can also be affected by the ripeness of the grape and the presence of flavors verging on buttery or vanilla. California Chardonnays and wines from the Loire Valley, Alsace, Germany and Austria tend to be slightly sweeter.

Apart from dessert wines such as port, most red table wines are completely dry. Examples would be the Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Syrah. Note that naturally occurring compounds in wines called tannins might have the effect of making you mouth feel dry, but that does not make a wine dry. Tannins are a function of texture, and dryness a function of taste (sweetness, or the lack thereof).

In fine restaurants, after you select your wine, the sommelier will bring you your wine and pour you a little bit. Swirl it around first, then sniff it deeply, taking note of the aromas. This is called the 'nose. Then taste it. Take a nice, healthy sip and move it around in your mouth for a few seconds before swallowing it. Remember that you taste different flavors in different areas of your tongue. If you like it, the sommelier will serve your party.

As the French say, "A votre santé!" Enjoy.

The Perfect Dinner Party

I love to entertain and people always ask me what the secret is to throwing the perfect party. Today, I will focus on elements for a mid-sized dinner party for 6 to 12 people. Now, for any gathering to be successful, you will need what I call 'the Fab Five': Atmosphere, Drink, Food, Company and You.

Creating an atmosphere for a successful event will include elements such as lighting, music, decor and any other elements that will enhance the atmosphere of any gathering. Focus on what the guests with see, smell, feel (tactile and emotional). Candles are usually a good idea, creating soft, forgiving lighting and hiding a multitude of sins! Music should not be too noticeable if you want to encourage guests talking, but just enough to create an ambience. Flowers can be a nice touch, but, really almost anything can be used to make great centerpieces.

Give your guests something to drink within 5 minutes of their arrival - wine, a martini, beer, champagne - just something! And always remember to have something for people who do not drink alcoholic beverages. Water and soda will not cut it! Get creative: seltzer with fruit garnishes is a very simple mocktail idea. (A 'mocktail' is a virgin, or non-alocholic cocktail). You can find other mocktail ideas at websites such as www.cocktailsonline.tv,  www.drinksmixer.com or www.barnonedrinks.com. Don't have people drinking for more than one hour before dinner is served - your guests will either drink too much, or get too hungry. It's called cocktail hour for a reason! Have about one bottle of wine per guest and probably a little more red than white. According to Esquire's The Big Black Book, red wine drinkers will generally not switch to white wine, but white wine drinkers might not mind as much.

Once your guests have drinks, have some hors d'oeuvres ready for them. Crudités with an assortment of dips are always a good idea, so is a fruit and cheese platter. But of course, you can make stuff as well. You are only limited by your creativity and how much time and effort you have available at your disposal. But don't give your guests too much to eat, otherwise, your painstakingly made dinner will go to waste!

If you are cooking dinner yourself, never, ever, try to make a dish you have never prepared before. Anything could go wrong. If you want to try something new, do a practice run first to make sure you can get it done the way it's supposed to be before you try making it for your guests. Also make sure you ask your guests if they have any dietary restrictions so you can plan your menu with that in mind.

If many of your guests will be strangers to one another, invite people you think have something in common. That way, you are free to interact with all your guests without thinking you need to babysit anyone. And, for the love of all that's good, don't invite people who don't like each other or are not talking to each other! It's safe to seat people in boy-girl-boy-girl fashion, but I prefer to separate couples and place people next to someone they may not have met before, but will have something in common. And, next to them, I'll seat someone they already know, just in case they need an out, if my hopes for connecting new people didn't work!

Finally, you should plan your prep time so you can spend as much time as possible with your guests and not trying to get things done. You need to enjoy your party as well. Your guests came because of you. Don't drink too much, so you can be alert. Just be your charming self, enjoy your company and everything else will fall into place and be just fine.

Happy entertaining!