Party time: tips for your next wine and cheese or any hosting gig

The best parties are the ones thrown for no other reason than to bring people together and have some good ol’ fashioned fun. That’s precisely why my dear friend Pam and I decided to host a wine and cheese soirée for our closest comrades last month. I relish being a hostess -- quite possibly because I’m a control freak, but mainly because seeing people eating, drinking, and laughing, and knowing I played a small role in that -- warms the cockles of my heart. Is that weird? Party planning, however, can be a simple feat or a large burden depending on how you go about it, which is why I’m sharing some of my tips. While they’re wine and cheese oriented, many can be applied to various types of parties. Happy hosting!

1. Don’t make it too cheesy -- i.e., don’t buy too many types of cheese. Four is the winning number, and I suggest opting for one goat, one sheep, one cow, and a last option of your choice. The more diverse the better, so try to include cheeses of varying firmness. Unsure where to begin? That's what cheesemongers are for; I got some great advice from a lovely lady at Bedford Cheese Shop. Tip: blue cheese wasn’t a success at my party.
   
   
2. Cut the cheese. Okay, that sounded differently in my head. What I mean is people tend to be lazy -- and messy, therefore if you can assemble the cheese and the rest of the food into bite size pieces beforehand -- your guests -- and furniture will thank you. Just think, the easier it is for your guests to access the food, the more they’ll eat and the less leftovers you’ll be stuck with the following day.
   
   
3. Location, location, location. Spread out the food throughout your home (do your best to get creative if your space is small), so the mountain can come to Muhammad. Remember what I said about guests generally being lazy and trying to avoid having leftovers? Right.
   
   

   

    Putting goodies in several bowls and spreading them out allowed for easier grabbing -- a key ingredient for a good party. 

   
   
4. Health comes first. As much as people love cheese, there’s only so much they can consume (some might beg to differ), thus it’s best to offset all that dairy with lighter options. Fruits (I served grapes, berries and cut pineapple) and vegetables served with tzatziki and hummus were major hits.
   
   
5. A little goes a long (enough) way. Our friends (god bless their souls) couldn’t stop praising details such as the labels accompanying the cheeses describing the type of cheese and its country of origin. We also got compliments a plenty on offering apricot jam to pair with the cheese, as well as on our vast array of cracker options (from healthy to not so healthy).
   
   

   

   Guests loved the vast selection of crackers and the labels indicating the type of cheese and where it's from. We nearly ran out of healthy options like hummus, vegetables and fruit. 

   
   
6. Don’t forget the “mix” in party mix. Keep the playlist varied; alternate between artists, genres and degrees of intensity throughout the evening.
   
   
7. Give two weeks notice and a reminder the day of. We invited friends via Facebook event two weeks in advance; people are busy today and don’t appreciate last minute invites. Also, the day of the party, I posted a message on the Facebook page telling guests to come hungry. When I later told someone I was impressed by how quickly the food supply was dwindling, they responded: “well you told us to come hungry!” This taught me a valuable lesson: people (mainly women) like to know what they’re in for so they can prepare -- a.k.a., eat a lighter lunch.
   
   
8. Buy what you like. This way, if you’re stuck with leftovers, your stomach and wallet will still be your friends.
   
   
9. Make connections. Sometimes at a party, particularly when the invitees are from two different friend groups, people need a little help connecting. As host, try to make introductions and find common ground between guests to get the conversation flowing. It’s definitely a skill and will serve you well at parties -- and in life. Ever heard of networking?
   
   
10. Have fun. Don’t let worries of dessert potentially running out get in the way of you enjoying yourself with people you like -- the reason for the event in the first place.

Bonus tip: keep the liquor (ideally a mix of wine, beer and one type of hard alcohol) in the kitchen to avoid a mess.

Some Bits & one Bite to start off '12

First of all HAPPY NEW YEAR to my dear readers. Second of all, I am deeply sorry for being MIA throughout December (c'mon, you know you missed me...). I promise I had plenty of good reasons to avoid blogging, but now I'm back and ready to rumble. This post is a random mishmash of bits and one bite to start off the new year. So let's get rolling.

Fashion
What better way to welcome the new year than with photos of drool-worthy footwear. While in New York apartment hunting last month, I had to stop by the Bergdorf's designer sale to see if there were any goodies worth splurging on – and as luck would have it there were. I've been wanting leopard pumps for quite some time now since they add an element of sophisticated spunk (does that even make sense?) to any ensemble. How perfect then that I stumbled upon a pair by one of my favourite shoe designers: Miu Miu. Don't look at me like that, I swear they're really comfortable.

Then my dear mother (god bless her soul), found a pair of Robert Cleregie ankle booties to carry me through the winter with style, comfort and relative warmth (I can wear my SmartWool socks). I had never tried anything by the French brand, but I instantly fell in love for the chunky heel (hello stability!) and touches of patent leather. I've found my sole-mate.

Interior Design
Since getting accepted to Parsons in NYC and knowing that I'd have an apartment to call my own, I've become slightly obsessed with interior design. It's important for my place to be at least to some extent a reflection of me, which isn't exactly the easiest thing considering most of my furniture is coming from Ikea. But much like in fashion, the secret to making a look truly your own lies in the details – i.e. it's how you accessorize.

In the summer, while in the Amalfi Coast with my family, I bought two medium-large black and white photographs by a local photographer so that I'll always be reminded of one of my most beloved spots on earth. The photographs weren't expensive, but I took them to Art-en-ciel in Westmount to be framed. It wasn't cheap, but it's definitely worth it because now they look like a million bucks. Photos to be posted later.

My parents also happen to have bought colourful canvas paintings by a Jamaican artist during a trip to the island years ago. There's three in total; each depicting a unique scene, and I know they'll add much needed colour and oomph to my mainly black and white decor.

There are two others like this, but they're horizontal and a different size. I think they'll look great together.

While visiting my birthplace this summer, I stole some wooden decorative pieces painted in a traditional Ukrainian folkloric style from my dad's apartment. They don't exactly go with the modern look of my digs, but they have sentimental value and at the end of the day that always wins.

Ukrainian folkloric art

In Saint Martin last week, I came upon a relatively new home decor store called Ambiance, where they sell original pieces designed and made in France (St. Martin is half owned by the French). I'm a sucker for throw pillows and these Paris themed ones have just the right amount of whimsy. Plus, they'll remind me of two wonderful places that I adore: Paris and St. Martin. La vie est belle!

Food
Bistro Lustucru in the Mile-End has been on my to-eat list since last spring, but I only made my way there just before Christmas. What enticed me was their extensive raw bar featuring every kind of tartar under the sun along with other raw items such as beef carpaccio and grouper ceviche. The raw offerings didn't disappoint, particularly the citrusy salmon tartar. Oh, and the fries were beyond. Meanwhile, my friend ordered the fish soup and was pleasantly surprised by how delicious it was. The real piece de resistance, however, was the dessert special. It was a roasted marshmallow and lemon concoction, the details of which have unfortunately escaped me (too delighted to write notes I suppose). And while the service was a little haphazard, the reasonable prices, good music and the laid back, youthful vibe more than made up for it.

Our raw assortment: Salmon tartar, tuna tataki with veal filet carpaccio and beef carpaccio 

The unidentifiable but unbelievably good lemony dessert