Party Hosting - Whew!

I hosted two holiday parties this year.  One was a neighborhood get together since we have lived here in Montana for a year now and had not yet met all of our neighbors on our street. The other event was for my daughters birthday.  Christina was born on December 18 so oftentimes her birthday gets added to the holiday mix.  I decided to take advantage of the sparkly decorations and a clean once, entertain multiple times approach.  I also used the same recipes (and some foods) for both parties.  

The festivities began when I hosted a wine tasting party for my daughter's 34th birthday.  We had 11 guests.  I joined a wine club to earn frequent flyer miles and received nine bottles of wines that would not otherwise be available to me here at the grocery stores in Montana.  We printed wine tasting etiquette cards as well as tips on why wines were boldest, etc.  then we made a game for the women to try to guess which unlabeled wine was a merlot, a cab, a Shiraz, etc.  I didn't realize I knew so much about wines and tasting!  Hiccup!

A platter of the mini cheesecake bites I made.  Luckily this is Montana so I was able to make ahead many items and store them in my car for a day or two!

I made chocolate covered pretzels and peanuts 

Cheese, tomatoe, pepperoni and olive spears.  

These salad filled pasta shells were a big hit.  

I made at least six different appetizer platters, too.  Some of the treats were phyllo wrapped asparagus, bruschetta, and salad filled pasta shells.  

For the neighborhood party, we served beer, wine, and more appetizers.  We entertained seven couples.  It as really fun and gives us a nice feeling knowing our neighbors a bit better.  

I went to the local St Vincent de Paul and found six vintage aluminum serving trays for a whopping $22!!  

Thanks for stopping by!!  I hope you had a peaceful holiday.