Offbeat Parties

My office has a tradition of a ladies tea to celebrate the holidays. Each December, a small group of the top women in the company go to the Palace Hotel‘s famous Garden Court for a fancy afternoon tea. Guests. Six of your favorite co-workers. Decor. The Palace Hotel is famous for it’s atrium ceiling that…

My friend Nicole invited me to a cookie swap party last week, hosted at 18 Reasons. This community food space is the non-profit division of Bi-Rite Market and one of the hubs of foodie culture in the Mission.  So my original (lazy) plan to make Toll House chocolate chip cookies got nixed by Nicole as…

I’ve barely started working on our annual holiday brunch party that’s coming up this Saturday. But the great thing about a party you host every year is that you get used to the traditions and know the recipes well. We expect about 35 people, and the set-up couldn’t be easier! Guests.  35 or so people…

Patience wrote in with a request for a party this weekend: To the ever chic EmilyStyle! I somehow managed to say yes to hosting a Couples Christmas Party this Saturday evening. I think I said yes because in the back of my head I was thinking about you mentioning that not enough people host parties…

My holiday cards just arrived from the printer last night. With 75 to write before leaving on vacation next week, I need to start on them ASAP.  Why not turn the chore into a fun working party with a few friends? Guests.  A couple of close women friends who are also facing their own big…

Kristy lives on a “farmette” in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and left a comment with a request for her own holiday party brainstorm: Since we went away for Thanksgiving, I have a nice, 12 lb. locally sourced all-natural turkey I want to roast for Christmas Eve for in-laws and a few others. I plan…

Today’s holiday party brainstorm is a dinner party in disguise. Rob and I have a tradition of walking over to the neighborhood Christmas tree lot and bringing back a tree to decorate with a few friends. No elaborate invitations or decor required – just a festive night around the tree. Guests. A couple close friends…

I’m on a crusade to boost holiday entertaining! Every year, it seems like fewer people throw holiday parties. I hear all kinds of excuses: the apartment is too small, I don’t have enough chairs, I worry if people would really come.  But here’s the thing – everyone loves being invited to a party and spending…

We had an impromptu dinner party on Monday night with Rebecca and Derek. They asked to bring Brazilian lemonade – a delicious concoction made of limes and condensed milk – so I threw together a quick menu using summer produce with a Brazilian flair. We started with a basic green salad with nectarines, pepitas and…

You know I love a good theme! This weekend was focused around our annual picnic for Mountain Play – an extra special one with it being the 100th anniversary of the program. This year’s show was Sound of Music and we went full Bavarian on both Saturday and Sunday.  (disclaimer: I did zero research on…