Entertainment Tips for the New Year!

We have so much to be thankful for from 2014, not the least of which is YOU!  Our friends, family, and guests have all contributed to an outstanding year, and we look forward to seeing what 2015 has in store for us!

As a young man, I remember our family inviting close friends over for New Year's Eve and talking and dancing the night away while Dick Clark started his countdown and officially ushered in a new year.  There was always food somewhere close by, the adults were always laughing (usually at Bob's jokes), and we young folk would play cards, listen to music, or find new and inventive ways to skirt around trouble.

Thinking back on those years, I thought it might be worthwhile to throw some ideas out there that struck me as important when entertaining for the holidays.  I look back on those years very fondly, and I think it was, in part, due to the attention to detail that my parents and their friends paid to the experience.

1.  Be prepared to nibble:  For some reason, there was always that one plate of finger food that would make it from the dinner table all of the way through to midnight.  Whether it was cheese and crackers, the DeVaney deer sausage, Grandma Skinner's hot pickles and the obligatory black olives, or a full-on antipasti including all of the above, you could always count on there being a bite or two to take the edge off of your hunger into the late hours.  As such, try to think of ways to repurpose something that provides continuity for the grazers in your crowd; keep the meat and cheese tray readily available, stock up on crackers and dip, or make a little extra bruschetta to put out when dinner starts to wear off.

2.  Have your signature:  It was always there - every meal - and it wasn't a meal without it there.  The relish tray with hot pickles, sweet pickles, dill pickles, black olives, green olives, and whatever else was briney and delicious in the cupboards made its way, atop its properly segmented glass dish, onto every gathering we have had, and it was no different even during Christmas 2014.  Grandma Skinner's hot dill pickles, Grandma Alberts' sweet pickles, the black olives I used to put on my fingers when I was a kid (they don't fit anymore or I would probably still do it. . .) - they all had a place of honor on that relish tray that came to mean so much more than just a pickle tray.  Find some tradition to share with your guests - old friends or new - and use it to build continuity and familiarity into your entertaining.  Your guests will thank you for it, and don't be afraid to build new traditions with your guests, as well!  We never made strombolis until the DeVaneys started coming over for New Years, and they naturally made their way to the table for years after their initial offering.

3.  Keep it simple:  If you're in for a big night of entertainment, the best approach has always been to keep things light and simple.  Food consisted of salad, a couple of soups (chili and oyster stew were staples) and the aforementioned relish tray for years, and this spread more than guaranteed satisfied stomachs without having to go to a ton of trouble.  Unless it is a situation where formality is a necessity, let the food keep you focused on what really matters - the time you get to spend with loved ones!

4.  Build rituals:  Every year, my father and a few cronies would spend the wee hours of the morning getting cinnamon rolls ready for the morning.  This was a time where they broke away from the main crowd and got to have some time that was uniquely theirs.  Whether it is a time for a few of you to take a walk after midnight and chat, an annual snowball fight for the kids (and kids at heart), or a particular card game variant that only a few know how to play, these rituals have a way of scheduling themselves throughout a night, and for annual events, these small forays can lead to lasting memories.

5.  Plan for house guests:  We were quite lucky in having space to accommodate our friends, and part of the fun of the New Year event was having the whole night to hang out with friends and then to get up, have cinnamon rolls, and enjoy some more time before lunch was served and we all headed our separate ways.  This also allowed the wine, beer, or whatever to flow freely without fear of someone getting hurt or picked up for lack of discretion.  If you plan it as a sleep-over with breakfast and lunch already figured out, chances are your guests will plan accordingly, and being able to enjoy a few beverages without fear will always set your guests more at ease.  In addition, you reap the benefit of having more time with them, and that is always a nice way to start a new year!

These are just a few ideas that made our family New Years festivities so special and memorable, and I hope one or more of them have helped you to brainstorm ideas for entertaining in the coming year.

May your 2015 be blessed, and however you decide to ring in the new year, be safe, be merry, and we look forward to seeing you soon!

-Shane.

Thanksgiving 2014 in the books. . . now what?

Well, put another Thanksgiving on the scoreboard;  Skinners - 1, Turkeys - 0.  As is tradition around this household, there was a marginally absurd amount of food created for our family, and there are tons of leftovers in the refrigerator (with the exception of the pumpkin pie - somehow that disappeared).

Our family members have always been big fans of the turkey sandwich as the preferred way to burn through the bags and tupperware containers full of still-warm stuffing, potatoes, and turkey.  As a rule, though, I found that we were throwing away a good portion of potatoes and stuffing over the past couple of years, and I wanted to see if there was a way to include the side dishes in the post-holiday feeding frenzy.

With this in mind, I tried something last year and thought it would be fun to share it with you all.  We have an Irish background, and since shepherd's pie is one of my favorite ways to enjoy a cornucopia of flavors all at the same time, I wanted to share my favorite Thanksgiving leftover solution with you all.

What you need:

• An oven-safe container (I used some 10 oz. stoneware containers, but feel free to use whatever container you wish - just make sure it is rated for at least 400 degrees Fahrenheit!).

• Your leftovers (Mashed potatoes are a must for the top crust, but you can feel free to improvise with the fixings you use).

Step 1: 

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and gather your oven-safe containers and ingredients.  I would also suggest lining a cookie sheet with aluminum foil to keep possible drips off of the bottom of your oven.

Step 2: 

Spray some non-stick oil onto the inside of your containers and start layering your masterpiece!  I started with a bread stuffing as a "crust" for these.

Then I moved onto the turkey.  Make sure you shred or chop the turkey into smaller pieces to keep the bites smaller.

I gave the leftover gravy the next seat of honor.  It pulls the whole situation together, after all, and it gives you a great medium to include any extra vegetables you want (feel free to toss those extra carrots, beans, frozen peas, corn, etc.) to pump up the flavor!  Just remember to get the gravy all of the way into every nook and cranny you can to save room for the next layer. . .

The mashed potatoes are the next step, and my suggestion is to spread the potatoes all the way to the edges to keep the insides from burning during cooking.  To keep the pies from building up too much pressure and blowing up all over your oven, just poke a few holes through the top layer with a fork.

















Step 3:

Set your masterpieces on a lined cookie sheet, place in the oven on the center rack, and set your timer for 15 minutes!  I placed a bit of melted butter and fresh-cracked pepper on top for personal taste.

Step 4:

Pull them out of the oven and enjoy!

At the end of the day, there is little science to making these delicious little flavor explosions - just give yourself the freedom to experiment with all of the delicious dishes you created for this great holiday, and you can even have your guests build their own for an added bit of fun and involvement while they are with you!

However you choose to use those outstanding leftovers, remember to have some fun with it - our best wishes go out to you and your loved ones over the coming holiday season, and stay tuned for more tips and updates from us here at the Rose Stone Inn!

- Shane.

It's time to reconnect!

We are going to get back underway with this blog, people!  It has been a very long time since we posted anything for you to enjoy, and we will be making a push to stay connected through the holiday season with entertaining tips, suggested readings, and recipes for rounding out the holiday experience.

If you haven't noticed already, we are updating our look a bit after 23 years of doing business, and, while it is a bit of a methodical process, we are excited for the changes ahead!  Enjoy the short video above as a hint of things to come. . .

If you have any questions for us specifically, please feel free to reach out to rsihospitality@gmail.com or post comments on our Facebook page, this blog, or contact us through our website.

We hope you all have a wonderful holiday season, and we look forward to reconnecting with you, sharing with you, and hopefully inspiring you in the coming month!

- Shane.