How to: Stock a Bar

With the holidays sadly behind us, chances are your bar cart has taken a hit and might require replenishing. Though pre-Christmas liquor store runs might include heavy helpings of coffee liqueurs and Texas Mickeys of your family's favourite spirits, maintaining an entertainer's bar for the rest of the year requires a little more consideration as the type of occasion and guest you'll be enjoying and hosting will likely vary.

At our home, we keep a range of popular drinks and our own favourites. While it's always gracious to serve someones favourite drink to them (hence why we always stock up on gin and tonic when a certain friend of ours visits), it's also fun to introduce a guest to a new cocktail while in your home (hence why I always keep Chambord on our bar stand and a bottle of Limoncello in our fridge). To do this, it's important to know what's popular and to decide on a few signature cocktails to serve in your home. If you tend to host the same people over and over, make sure to switch up your signature cocktails every season and learn a few different drinks from the same spirits. As I'm no expert mixologist, I undertook a little research expedition to determine how to keep a showstopping bar.

For a well stocked bar cart keep:

• Wine - I recommend keeping a few of your favourite bottles and then supplementing to match the food you'll be serving on a case by case basis
  
• Classics for highballs - vodka, gin, and dark and light rum
• Other common liquors in cocktails - bourbon, brandy, scotch, tequila and Canadian and rye whiskey
  
• A few liqueurs - Amaretto, Irish Cream, Creme de Cacao or Coffee Liqueur (I don't feel you need all three), Vermouth and orange liqueur
  
• Mixes - We're one of those families that keeps multiple types of juice on all hand at all times so if you're like us you might not need to supplement for highballs, but you might want to buy a bottle each of sour mix, bitters, lime juice and grenadine. Orange, cranberry, tomato and pineapple are all great juices to pick up before a big function to have a very impressive bar.
  
• Sodas - I recommend buying a few tins each of tonic water, club soda, lemon soda, cola and ginger ale. They'll ensure you can make just about any highball your guest might desire. We prefer tins to larger bottles for space reasons and also because we rarely drink these beverages solo in our house.
• Garnishes - Ideally you keep plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables on hand for snacks and cooking anyway, so you can simply steal an orange, lemon, celery stalk or olive from your kitchen to garnish your selections.
  

In addition to these bottles and perishables, you'll want a cocktail shaker (or two), a hawthorne strainer, ice bucket, blender, a wine decanter, cutting board, paring knife, bottle opener, corkscrew, red and white wine glasses, champagne flutes, highball glasses (tall and stout), and martini glasses. In my opinion, all other glasses and tools are nice additions, but not essential.

Do you agree? What are your essentials? What's your favourite cocktail?

Image via Apartment Therapy.

How to: Make the Most Delicious Brownies

This holiday season I picked up two surefire tricks to make any brownie recipe more delicious.

1. Mix whole milk chocolate chips into the batter before baking.

2. Top with cocoa cream cheese frosting (see frosting under frosted brownie recipe).

Thanks Hummingbird Bakery! I made these for our Christmas Eve dessert party, and I think they were a hit. xo Image via Good to Know Recipes.

Punch

I love to serve a big punch at our gatherings. It simplifies bar-tending duties, and always seems to be appreciated (are my guests just being too kind?). Our family always serves a grape wine punch at our parties. If you'd like to make one too, try mixing -- 1 large bottle of grape juice, 2L of ginger ale, 1 bottle of chardonnay, and 1 container of frozen orange juice. Sure it's super basic and certainly not fancy, but it is also super delicious and easy to boot!

How to: Host at Home This Holiday

This Christmas and winter will bring a series of new entertaining opportunities, as our old traditions of leisurely evenings spent in candle lit restaurants and sipping champagne at friends' homes give way to pizza and sledding afternoons, neighbourhood caroling events with hot chocolates in hand, brunches with babies in tow and a Christmas Eve dessert party (so excited!). Our home has become the most comfortable (for us) venue for an event (hello crib, nappies, toys and plenty of sleepers in arms reach), so for that reason I've brainstormed this list of must keep items to entertain at home this Christmas. For me, this is the recipe for successful, stress-free party planning.

Ambiance:

• A stocked iPod waiting in the docking station with a range of holiday tunes (you could even organize by function type: kid-friendly, Christmas jazz, and rock and roll classics)
  
• Pretty festive napkins to dress up your white dishware
  
• Candles and matches in easy reach to quickly set the mood if an unexpected guest appears at your door
  
• Long lasting flowers, such as evergreen arrangements and paperwhites, that will see you through to Old Christmas Day
  

The Bar:

• Chilled champagne in the fridge to pop in the event someone announces a new baby or engagement (and if no one does, savour it when, by the second week in January, you've already given up on your new years resolution)
• A decanter and stemless wine glasses to make even the most basic red seem special
• Ice cubes made with ginger ale to spice up juice cocktails for breastfeeding, tea toting and expectant moms
  

The Table:

• Instant hors d'oeuvres - a baguette from the Georgestown Bakery, balsamic vinegar from Jumping Bean, and prosciutto from the Rocket Bakery
  
• Instant dessert - Moo Moos vanilla ice cream served with a shot of espresso on top
• Instant cheese tray - Head to Belbin's and pick up a hard, a soft, an old and a blue cheese (be sure to have at least one each of cow, goat and sheep cheese) to pop on a cutting board and serve with walnuts, cried cranberries, rice crackers and some marmalade (delicious with blue cheese).

How are you preparing to host this holiday season? Image via Decor 8.

This is the first in a series of 'how tos' that will appear on Horizontal Stripes. If you're curious to hear this blog's take on some activity, please leave a suggestion in the comments. xo

Get-Togethers

Aren't these get-together cards genius? I'd love to pop one in the mail to a friend I haven't seen in awhile.

Supper

I love dinner parties and am excited to get moving on a party we're planning later this month with a Sunday Suppers-inspired menu plan and decor inspired by Ashley Meaders. Image via Sunday Suppers.

Setting

Yes, this is a fantastic idea to replace the 1940s decorum book that I've been referencing over the past year to properly present somewhat complicated place settings (and by complicated place settings, I mean anything involving more than a pasta bowl and fork). Better Living Through Design via Swiss Miss.

Jars

Arrangements similar to those of this surprise picnic wedding must make an appearance at a to-be-determined backyard soiree at our home this summer. Summer bbqs and backyard parties, complete with fruity punch, blue cheese hamburgers and Italian smokies topped high with honey mustard and basil ketchup, make me excited! Images via 100 Layer Cake.

Recycle

I have a soft spot for all things Scandinavian. I spent a lot of time this fall monitoring events surrounding the Copenhagen climate change conference. I have a growing love of DIY. I think recycling is super important. This combination of traits, opinions and activities has me swooning over these decorations from the Danish Embassy Christmas Party. Government, intergovernmental relations, decor and celebrations - four of my favourite things all combined into one. Isn't this decor delightful?

The reused coffee filters and paper flowers on the handrail are absolutely beautiful. They remind me of these collars from the other Katie.

For Scandinavian street style inspiration, go here.

Images via Design Sponge.

Italian

This coming weekend, Greg and I are hosting a swath of my family for dinner. To prepare, we're ensuring we have enough forks, sending out for more chairs and are planning a yummy (I hope!) menu. This is the first time we'll have hosted 12 (or maybe 13!) people for dinner. Right now the draft menu includes Italian influence with white bean dip served with pitas, rosemary bread sticks, a large green and tomato salad tossed in balsamic vinegar and oil, and a sausage cannelloni. Dessert (blueberry cheesecake and carrot cake) is being provided courtesy of my grandma, but otherwise I would have given serious consideration to making nutella crepes. Dinner parties are tough, so here's to hoping it goes off smoothly! Image via Boudist.

The dinner was a success!

Boxes

I love window boxes and I've really enjoyed improving the back garden at our new home. Fifty seven paving stones, forty bags of weeds, fifteen plants purchased on the cheap from summer's end sales and more than ten full days of work later, the garden looks presentable. I'm saving my pennies for a bbq, table and chairs, and solar lanterns to make the site an entertaining destination next summer. Friends near and far, please pencil in our event on Regatta evening 2010; we're looking forward to hosting a cook up, complete with mojitos, smokies and a viewing of the championship race at the lake. Here's to planning ahead!

This fall's edition of Canadian Gardening arrived in our mail box late last week and has tempted me with the most festive, autumnal window box. Complete with tiger striped miniature pumpkins, small flowering cabbages (which I've also used in planters in our backyard), tasmin tiger spurge, sprayed black branches and black scallop bugleweed, these window dressings look spooky and are a perfect 'welcome mat' for fall breezes. These window boxes expand my thinking on fall planting beyond mustard and pink mums, orange cotoneaster berries and red burning bushes.

As our street is framed with towering maples and chestnuts, the falling red, yellow and orange leaves would be nicely accessorized with this window box. For more fall container planting inspiration, see here.

Fork

Greg and I own (only) four place settings of flatware (which means our dining table for six is never maximized ... unless some guests are willing to share a spoon ... which I am ashamed to admit has happened). Our flatware budget was consumed quickly last summer without achieving sufficient quantity due to our strong opinions on the matter. I'm particular on the style of flatware (weighty and free of any embellishments or design) and Greg is particular on the shape of the spoon. Combined, these preferences made it difficult to find exactly what we were looking for when we stocked our kitchen.

After scoring one box of flatware, we called it a day and didn't bother looking for a matching set (due in part to the fact that we were already over-budget). Needless to say, our desire to entertain more cannot be fulfilled until we rectify this situation. Perhaps this is why I'm thinking of designing our dining room with entertaining only a few friends in mind.

Given that I know forks are one of our needs, I was immediately drawn to this column on the history of the fork on Design Sponge. My intrigue was compounded by the fact that as a Girl Guide I undertook lessons in dining etiquette (ashamedly I haven't retained many of the lessons). Did you know forks were once seen as immoral? For more of Amy Azzarito's columns on the past and present see here. Image via Julia Rothman via Design Sponge.

Chocolate

Besides beef and Banff National Park, Alberta is famous for its Bernard Callebaut chocolate. Before moving here, work colleagues of mine extolled its virtues. I had high expectations upon settling in Edmonton, which were thankfully met.

Like my arrival in Edmonton, my departure finds me pondering chocolate. In concluding things at my current position, in typical fashion I've spent some time chatting with colleagues and saying our farewells. One such conversation led to a discussion on the perfect number of people to invite to a party. Greg and I hosted a large party last March, but now I'm thinking 8 people is just perfect.

One pitfall to a small party, as articulated by my co-worker, is that the food expectations are heightened. With eight guests, people are less likely to be satisfied with pre-made burgers on a grill, coleslaw and a slab cake. With eight guests, people are looking for a glimpse into your cooking style and prowess.

Greg and I cook simply. We eat lots of soup, tomato and cucumber salads, grilled shrimp, stir frys and pasta. We enjoy cooking together (most of the time), but our sense of adventure in the kitchen wanes when work is hectic and our plates are filled with other endeavours. I occasionally get into a mood where I want to try new recipes. I collect the new ingredients from the supermarket (hello largely unused jar of turmeric) and try my hand at whipping up a new concoction. This whim has led to citrus salmon fillets, peanut soup and coconut shrimp. Sadly, I haven't been experimenting in the kitchen for a while.

In thinking about what sorts of meals might impress, my co-worker mentioned a chocolate party that she'd been invited to not long ago. I immediately thought chocolate fondue, brownies, creme de cacau; an adult take on a dessert party. However, my initial assumption was mistaken. Her friend's party included four proper courses that each included chocolate; think replacing chocolate fondue with chicken mole. Doesn't it sound like fun? I am getting excited at the prospect of mirroring this dinner party.

All this thinking about chocolate is making me want to watch Chocolat again. Image of upscale s'mores via Ulterior Epicure.

Salt

Aren't these Jonathan Adler salt and pepper shakers adorable? I'm adding the Mr. and Mrs. Muse shakers to my dream china wish list. I love the idea of adding a comedic element to a fancy dinner party.

Via Design Milk.

Ranunculus

Do you have a favourite flower? I've gone through spells where I've adored towering mustard sunflowers, soft pink peonies, vibrant stargazer lilies, wild and tall foxgloves, and full rhododendrons. I love Vancouver for the fact that bouncy blue hydrangeas line the sidewalks in the residential West End. Greg calls me Sweet Pea. The sight of a new flower arrangement or blooming stem often leaves me pondering whether I should change which flower is my favourite. There are so many beautiful floral inspirations.

Right now, I'm adoring ranunculus. I think they'd look great organized in a collection glass and white ceramic vases, some short and others taller, and placed in the middle of your dining table. The image of a table dressed with ranunculus makes me want to cook mushroom, chicken and white wine crepes and serve a tart homemade lemon meringue pie for dessert.

Image via Wren and Chickadee.

Tea

Though I'm not one for tea or for collecting, I do think it would be quite lovely to have a collection of mismatched vintage china tea cups, like this one above from Etsy. To build a collection, you could ask friends and family to give you cups for your birthday or wedding shower. I like the idea of each cup having a distinct meaning or memory associated with it, and the idea of making a formal event - like high tea - less matchy matchy.

These sorts of cups beg to be sipped from on a sunny afternoon in a pastel coloured dress surrounded by your closest female family and friends, while munching on cucumber sandwiches, scones and petits fours. Such an afternoon sounds like a delightful occasion to me.

Party

Tonight Greg and I are celebrating our birthdays with friends over cupcakes, white wine punch and Spanish pinxos. We're decorating with green, salmon and pink flair, and hanging garland clotheslines that spell out happy birthday in the different languages our guests speak. I'm excited! I'll post photos tomorrow, but for now I hope you enjoy these vintage party invitations. 

Invitations via Party Perfect via Pink Cup Cake Vintage via Tiki Kiliki. 

Pommes Frites

My grandma calls them chips. There was a period in the United States when fast food retailers were pushing for the name freedom fries. Europeans might be more likely to order frites. Here's my favourite recipe for french fries.

I came across the base of this recipe from the Food Network Dot Com while planning our housewarming party this past September. Since then, these fries have been put on regular rotation in our kitchen and make for a great snack with a little ketchup or hot chili sauce. They're also a fun substitute for chips and dip or tostitos and salsa at your next party. Instead of following the original recipe, I improvised (meaning read the recipe incorrectly) and added the chili flakes to the coating of the fries rather than simply using the combination of flakes and salt for dipping. I think the extra spice from the flakes really sets these fries apart from the one's you'll be served at your local restaurant.

This recipe yields 20 servings.

8 Yukon gold potatoes or red potatoes

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp black pepper

2 tbsp white rock salt

1 tbsp rosemary

1 tbsp red chili flakes

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Wash potatoes and cut into wedges. Toss the wedges in a large bowl with oil, salt, pepper, red chili flakes and rosemary.
• Place wedges on a baking sheet in the oven for 40-45 minutes, or until tender, crisp and brown.
• Place 3-5 wedges in small paper cups and serve with ketchup, chili sauce or mayonnaise for dipping. Another option is to serve with kosher salt and chili flakes.

Enjoy!

(Photo courtesy of Party Dish on the Food Network).

Coffee Table Books

On our coffee table sits 'A Modern Life: art and design in British Columbia 1945-1960'. If I could find a book of Newfoundland/English artist Peter Bell's 'Studio Views', I would lay it out for perusal as well. I'm also inclined to think The 48 Laws of Power and Stuff White People Like are interesting books to lay around during a house party (of course, deciding which of those two to set out depends on the company you keep).

I've occasionally thought about how coffee table books are good devices to subtly shape a party. These books also reveal a lot about the owner of the coffee table in the same way as peeking in a medicine cabinet or seeing the contents of a person's purse is telling.

My recent web find sets you free from choosing only from the coffee table books available at your local book shop or gift store - it allows you to make your own! Surf on over to Blurb dot com. What a fun and modern alternative to scrapbooking or placing polaroids in a photo album. I think making a photo book would be a great way to spend a snowy afternoon.