Baked oysters is just one of the great recipes you can find on our website.

The Grits Girl explores the Who, What and Huh? — of cooking this holiday season.

It’s that time of year again. The holiday season. Most folks get in a real panic over what to serve. The Grits Girl keeps it simple. I order to go.

 I recommend that you keep it simple — but always add a little love. At our house, we understand that this is a stressful time of year. So we are “sharing the recipe love.” That’s why we have a beautiful recipe page on our website. It has recipes from Jackson’s Steakhouse, The Fish House and The Atlas Oyster House all for you. It will even print out as a recipe card for your collection. So let us be your side of love. Try some of our recipes, like Granny Smith Apple and Dried Cranberry Stuffed Acorn Squash from the Atlas Oyster House, or Grand Marnier Duck from The Fish House. Maybe you need a good dessert? White Chocolate Bread Pudding with Bourbon-Carmel Peaches

Melissa Martin: Event Coordinator for the Great Southern Restaurant Group

As a party planner, I hear all kinds of crazy things that are said by our guests. The whole stories might be embarrassing, so I won’t go into all the details. The quotes are harmless and amusing, so in no particular order, this is a sampling of what I overheard last week.  

Me: It’s time for the bride to throw her bouquet… 
Bridesmaid:  Um, but I just got my cake.

With fifty people still at the party, bridesmaid to me: Would it be rude to start packing up our stuff now? I don’t want to be stuck here forever.

A guy walked into a closet instead of the room where his guests were waiting, and came out catatonic because the room was filled with stored Halloween decorations.

Beef satay in hand, the guest asks: I’m a vegetarian. Can I eat this?

Pregnant woman asks bartender: How many drinks am I allowed to have?

Lady: Sweetheart, please get me some more water.
Me (to bartender): I need to get her some more water.
Bartender: Here; use this bottle of vodka—she’s not drinking water.

Roomful of educators couldn’t get their projector to work and called me in. I push the giant button marked: “Power,” fixing the problem. Cheers and laughter ensued.

Preparing the table set up for a male guest, he said to me:  Miss, this just won’t work; I could really use six more inches…

When do you know your son’s hair needs a trim? When several people walk up while his back is turned to see if he’s a bridesmaid. 

Finally—and I can’t stress this one enough! DO NOT let your friends bring sparklers to a formal dinner party, particularly when you know they drink too much: 
Me to pyromaniac:  Sir! Please put that out. Sir, put out the sparkler now! No. NO! Don’t throw it in the bushes! Oh no! Help! The bushes are on fire… Here! Hand me those drinks… Whoosh!   Whoops, didn’t realize the drinks were straight Scotch. Note to self… 

Name the strangest thing you have heard someone say at a party (PG version only, please) and you will enter to win a $25 gift certificate to either the Fish House or Atlas and some sparklers if we can find some. 

Until next time,

Melissa

Melissa Martin Event Coordinator for the Great Southern Restaurant Group

In this series, we’ll offer tips on how to plan parties. If you have questions about how to make your party a success, please feel free to ask here. 

There are a lot of funny things that happen during parties that most people never get to see. Generally, there is a good lesson to be learned. One funny story that comes to mind happened at a high school reunion that I planned. The details have been changed to protect the identity of our guests. But certainly, the person to whom this happened might read this and hopefully will understand that the story in itself is so fantastic that it bears repeating.

So, the reunion was in full force — people seeing people that they hadn’t seen in twenty years. A lot of girls who might have been wallflowers in high school have “gotten their groove on” and are rubbing it in the face of any now-chubby, formerly skinny cheerleader that will make eye contact with them. All fun stuff. One girl disappeared with a certain fella that she had pined away for so long ago. Well, they began a swift courtship at the reunion, which led to a “heavy-petting/full-on” make-out session all within a 10-minute period. Ultimately, they ended up locking themselves in the bathroom to not make a scene.Or so they thought. All of the sudden, the door flew open with the girl screaming and running out of the bathroom with her hair on fire! Seemed things got so hot and heavy that she didn’t realize she was leaning on a table lined with votive candles. Thankfully, the girl was not hurt, more scared and embarrassed. She laughs about it now and still sports a fantastic bob cut. It’s all clean fun. The lesson learned? “Be keen on where you lean.”

Read more for some helpful tips on planning a high school reunion and a chance to win one of my soon-to-be-famous party packs!   

 Reunion:

 • Set up invitations using Evite. Evite, which is free to the user, is a great tool because it helps you manage large lists of invitees as well as set up a PayPal account to collect funds for the reunion’s events up front.

 • Do not count on people to pay at the door. You will be stuck with a large bill at the end of the event. Most likely you will not be able to enjoy the party because you will be watching the door and wondering why the 20 people who promised to pay at the door didn’t show up. Plans change for people. Sometimes at the last minute. Have people pay up front so you aren’t left picking up the check.

 • Make the evening fun for everyone. Take your yearbook and blow up some of the pictures to use as artwork for the event. Many people don’t hold on to yearbooks and it is a great conversation starter.

Reply with a comment on this story and you will win a confessions party pack, which includes a bottle of our very own hot sauce, a votive candle, and a free hairstyle consultation with Courtney Campus of Style Solon downtown to fire up your next party — or just fire up your life in general! 

Till next time — Party on!

Melissa