No-Fuss Holiday Party Essentials From A Casual Host - The Mom Edit

Mike and I infamously “threw” a party only a few weeks after we had moved into our place in Philly (gosh – eight years ago now?). I didn’t think anything of it – it was basically just one of those c’mon on over things on a Friday night. We invited (very last-minute) some people we had recently met, and it was great!

The only *minor* issue was that our kitchen was in the midst of major renovations, unpacked boxes were piled everywhere and chaos reigned. The only food in the house – at least initially, when the party started – was a Harry & David gift basket from Mike’s boss: Congrats on the new house!

But whatever: we ordered some pizza, sent a few guys out to buy drinks, and ended up having a great time. And honestly? It’s not a bad way to find your people. The folks that could hang with that level of, uh, adventure, are still some of our closest friends today.

Since that (admittedly ridiculous) start, Mike and I have hosted quite a bit. These sort of last-minute, throw ’em together gatherings are one of my very favorite ways to hang out. Over the years, I’ve developed something of a formula that allows me have maximum fun, minimal clean-up, and the easiest prep. These days, if you come over…you miiiight even be a little impressed (even though I will 100% put you to work). We have our stuff together just enough that it looks and feels like a party…but with a decidedly effortless vibe. (Spoiler: it kind of is.)

I pulled together a repeatable formula of what to serve, drink, and how to decorate (I’m using that term lightly) so I don’t feel like I have to reinvent the wheel each time we have people over. Since we live in the city and storage space is minimal, my goal was to also have a short list of items that I can use everyday, but that will help pull together a party. We don’t have a ton of space to store “party-only” goods, so pulling things off with useful pieces we already have is crucial.

If interested, Abby & I did an Amazon Live about this exact topic a few years ago. In the video, I go into details about how I set up for parties and the various items I swear by for hosting. If you’re not a video-watcher, however, no sweat – just keep reading.

tank (s), similar sweater (s) | Abby’s sweater (s), jeans (30)

My formula for easy, effortless entertaining is this:

This way, there’s enough food for the people that are hungry, a snacky option for people who are not, and the randomness of the cutting board ends up feeling really exciting and fun.

Some of my go-to crockpot recipes are traditional chili (Linz and I make the same one), the easiest-ever white bean chili, basic lentil soup with pico de gallo, avocado & cilantro on top, or a huge pot of black beans.

A quick note on CrockPots: I have this one (useful in case we’re bringing the party somewhere), but this one is gorgeous enough to leave on the counter or – oh gosh – this one is both portable and gorgeous.

Here are a few of my go-to pieces that have really proven themselves useful over the years:

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1. Beautiful Boards Book & 2. Savor Entertaining Book – Honestly, I can now make boards without a book, but I still find that paging through a book is both really helpful and really inspiring. These two have been great. The first one is more how-to, and the second is just really pretty.

3. Spreader Knife Set – I believe in little pots of everything, and these spreader knives are great for little pots of butter, spreads, cheese – both soft and hard. Immediately dresses up the food board when you don’t have to rely on your usual knives.

4. Dipping Bowls Set – These tiny little serving bowls are one of the most overlooked items in the kitchen, and we use these EVERY DAY. While they’re technically dipping bowls, we use them for pumpkin seeds, discarded olive pits, little bowls of chocolate chips or candy, pistachios, etc.

5. Thin Cutting Board – Having a bunch of thin cutting boards on hand means that early guests can help with prep, but these boards are often ‘good enough’ to serve on, too. I currently own six (and they’re easy to store next to the baking sheets). This is another item we use daily (and if the kids help, we sometimes have all six in use, too).

6. Thick Block Cutting Board – A friend gifted me this board and while it’s more annoying to store, it’s often the star of the show. So much so that it often gets passed around when we have parties at friends’ houses. I was shocked by how often we use this (very heavy) piece. Makes a great gift.

7. Porcelain Dessert Plate Set – If you are also trying to not buy paper plates…I’ve been really impressed by these porcelain plates — in all sizes. We have the 6-inch dessert plates, 10″ is dinner size. They’re a dead ringer for my more expensive (and much-beloved) Crate and Barrel Maison dishes, but at a fraction of the cost.

We almost always have a drink station for adults, and one for the kids (or a non-alcoholic option). The latter is the reallllly fun one. In the winter we do a hot cocoa bar, with fancy marshmallows and fun stir-ins. Sometimes it’s an apple cider bar, a coffee bar, or sometimes it’s even just a sparkling water bar. Honestly, this extra little touch makes it feel like a party. And all of the exciting drink bar supplies (pretty straws! Glasses! Mini whisks! Little slices of lime!) almost feel like decorations.

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1. Nespresso Vertuo Next – There’s nothing better for a party. Just put out the capsules and guests can help themselves. Also, I love this so much I miss it when we travel.

2. Biodegradable Striped Paper Straws – Patterned paper straws double as decorations and make any setup (or drink!!) that much more festive. I now always have a stash on hand.

3. Wine Carafe Decanter Set – Instead of buying a ton of plastic water bottles, fill a few of these with ice, water, and some lemon slices and leave them out. So restaurant-y.

4. Nespresso Vertuo Capsules – Just your friendly little reminder to stock decaf capsules, too.

5. Cocktail Strainer Set Stainless Steel Bar Tool – Get the 5-piece set (with the jigger). It’s Mike D’s favorite set for making cocktails. He also has this shaker.

6. Fancy Marshmallows – These are such a splurge, but seriously great for a party (or if you just want to give the kiddos a hot cocoa EXPERIENCE after a tough day). There’s a bunch of brands (all good) but for a major dose of nostalgia, try Hammond’s. Based in Denver, they’ve been around forever.

7. Crushed Peppermint Candy Bits – Not only is this a fun add to a hot chocolate bar, but if you get the urge for some easy, wow baking…these usually come in handy.

8. Stemless Wine Glass Set – Gang, if you do nothing else, hear me on these: these glasses are FANTASTIC. Like…they look and feel wildly expensive, yet we put them in the dishwasher. Highly, highly recommend.

9. aarke III Premium Carbonator – If you like VERY fizzy water, you may be disappointed with this one. Half of our family likes the Aarke, the other half prefers SodaStream. That said, making your own sparkling water is great.

10. Mini Whisk Set – These tiny whisks are perfect for a hot chocolate bar, and frankly, I use them every morning to stir collagen into my Nespresso.

11. Glass coffee mugs – I don’t know why glass coffee mugs make hot chocolate, apple cider, or even a really pretty tea look SO much more festive…but they DO. I bought a set for kid playdates, and we use it all the time. Looks great on a drink bar. (If you’re fancy…these vintage-inspired glass mugs are calling my name. Soooo cool.)

These are a few little festive touches that I’ve come to appreciate over the years…and one sure-fire way to keep kids entertained (at least for a little bit) so you can have a little adult time on a Friday night. Here are a few items that have been especially useful, entertaining or not:

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1. Salt & Pepper Grinder Set – These are just modern and cool, and, after years of use, basically indestructible. We use them daily, and appreciate how they never distract from a party set-up.

2. Mason Jar Set – These can double as kid drink glasses (or heck – adult drink glasses), or be used to hold all of the utensils (spoons, forks, etc.) Just really useful.

3. Mini Projector – If you can find a random wall in your house, lay down a blanket and pillows and squishmallows…you’ve got yourself a little in-home movie theater for kids. Add bowls of popcorn if you don’t mind the mess, as well as some of those fancy trays (or even a set). The kids will LOVE it. We’ve gotten so much use out of ours that Mike has started packing it in his suitcase.

4. Chalkboard Tape & 5. Mini Wooden Chalkboard Sign Set & 6. White Chalk Marker – It’s funny how a few strategically placed chalk signs suddenly make everything feel like a party! Feel free to be irreverent. (And this chalk marker makes them MUCH easier to read – don’t skip that one).

7. Flameless Battery Operated Candles – These LED candles are made out of real wax candles, and we use ours year-round. Not only do they add some ambiance during the holidays, but they’re our go-to for outdoor entertaining in the summer, too.

NOW for the boring stuff!! The behind-the-scenes, unsung heros that I not only use on the daily, but have proven themselves pretty darn useful for entertaining, too.

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1. Baking Sheets – Do you hate scrubbing baking sheets? I do. These make my life sooooooo much easier (and the cookie baking sheet I don’t even bother washing, I just re-use, over and over).

2. Lettuce Knife & 3. Silicone Rolling Pin – If you love getting the kids involved, the two best ways to keep them occupied while baking is this functioning silicone rolling pin (but sized down for their tiny hands), and a lettuce knife. It’s a perfect first knife for kids, and it kept them happily cutting cut-out cookie scraps for hours. When the boys were small, I’d always have a couple on hand. Both tools are also great for play-doh, too.

4. Cooling Rack – The key is to get racks that fit perfect into baking sheets for easy storage. They also help anything that popping out of the oven cool faster, and are cute enough to serve on.

5. Half Baking Sheets – A few years ago, I got rid of all of my mismatched baking sheets and bulky muffin tins, and replaced them with four of these commercial half-sheets. They’re exactly the right size for home ovens, and having a bunch means that I can quickly cook batch after batch without waiting. Add in silicone liners, and clean-up is a cinch. The baking sheets fit together nicely (storage is easy), and the cooling rack — another win for multiple batch cooking — fits right inside.

6. Silicone Baking Cups – Not only a MAJOR space saver (bye muffin tins), but these can double as cute little dishes on a food board, too.

That’s it! Hope this helps, and cheers to easy and fun Friday nights!

Xo,

S

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