Last night, we hosted a Christmas party at our apartment and had so much fun seeing everyone! We had lots of food (see all of the pictures and recipes below) and plenty of beverages to keep everyone happy. It had been a while since we hosted a large gathering and it was so much fun to plan!
Decor
Our apartment was festive with a L.L. Bean holiday wreath on our door and a decorated Christmas tree. I did a large centerpiece on our dinning room table and a smaller one on the coffee table. As for table settings, I decided to not use paper or plastic products and invest in small appetizer plates, glassware, and cloth napkins.
Decor
Our apartment was festive with a L.L. Bean holiday wreath on our door and a decorated Christmas tree. I did a large centerpiece on our dinning room table and a smaller one on the coffee table. As for table settings, I decided to not use paper or plastic products and invest in small appetizer plates, glassware, and cloth napkins.
The centerpieces were white roses with cranberries...very festive. For the larger table, I scattered some pine branches and little ornament balls with white candles.
Smaller vase with flowers up close
I purchased the hat and scarves for wine bottles in Napa when Tyler and I ventured up there almost 7 years ago! They are so adorable and add an extra special touch to a wine bottle. Pottery Barn has really cute ones right now :)
I also made little name cards for all of the appetizers so people would know what everything was. I glued three candy canes together and then used a gold marker to write the name of the appetizer. The ham kind of blocks the picture, but you get the idea.
Drinks
We had his and her cocktails - Tyler made Moscow Mules and I made a festive champagne raspberry cocktail. We also had lots of beer, wine, champagne, and mix drinks. For the champagne cocktail, we added two tablespoons of muddled raspberries, filled the glass with a handful of ice cubes, added a two teaspoons of simple syrup, filled the glass with champagne and added mint leaves for garnish.
Appetizers
Saving the best for last! We had SO MUCH food, but everything was devoured :) Our Christmas party was at 7pm so I wanted to make sure we had ample food, but knew people would either be coming from dinner or heading to dinner. Here's a recap of what I made:
Goat cheese crostinis with roasted butternut squash, pomegranate seeds, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze
To the right of the ham, I made pumpkin ravioli with sage brown butter skewers from Raffetto's. I also made these Teriyaki Meatballs, which were gone in a matter of seconds! We also had a veggie platter that I designed into a Christmas tree; unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture, but here are some examples on Pinterest.
The main event on the table was this honey glazed ham. It was out of this world and so delicious by itself or on mini dinner rolls. I made the glaze by combining 1.5 cups of light brown sugar and 1/2 cup of honey in a small saucepan over medium heat until the sugar was dissolved. I cooked the ham according to the instructions and then glazed the ham by turning the oven up to 475 degrees. I put the ham upright and then poured the glaze over the top. The ham cooked for another 10 minutes.
On the coffee table, I made these cheese ball pine cones, which were so cute and also quite delicious. We also had a whole cheese platter with proscuitto, grapes, and three cheeses including a goat cheese log that I rolled in chopped pistachios and cranberries served with crackers. We also made pigs in a blanket and served them with Sir Kensington's Ketchup, which was a crowd pleaser! Finally, I made brie bites with puff pastry, brie, and a dollop of pepper jelly. I took a mini, greased muffin tin, cut the puff pastry into large squares so the edges would hang over. I then put a cube of brie in the middle and topped it with the pepper jelly. I baked them for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees.
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