Cocktails and appetizers are perfect for holiday parties. / Tony Giberson/tgiberson@pnj.com

I must say Christmas is my favorite holiday, from the decorations to the smell of a fresh-cut Christmas tree being decorated by the family. To me, the house just feels warmer and more welcoming with the scent of baked cookies and the glow from the fireplace as it crackles during dinner.

The best part about this holiday is that you can celebrate all month long. Between office holiday gatherings and gift exchanges with friends over wine and old black-and-white Christmas movies, there are several ways to celebrate the season. This week I would like to offer you a few ideas on how to celebrate with friends and co-workers throughout the month.

As you may know, I am in charge of holiday celebrations at the Fish House and Jackson’s Steakhouse. With the variety of rooms we provide and the types of events that I have planned and executed over the years, I’m inspired to share some of my best ideas with you. Whether you work in an office of 10 or 100, there are lots of different ideas to make your co-workers feel special.

If you are working in a small office, I suggest a low-key but entertaining sit-down dinner. Most of the law offices we cater to, for example, enjoy using the Bait Shop, a private dining room at the Fish House that accommodates anywhere from 10 to 20 people when hosting a holiday sit-down. When planning your office party, get with the chef and coordinator of the venue you’ve chosen to see that the menu is holiday-inspired. Most places, including ours, love to create custom menus for smaller groups. It is a great idea, depending on your budget, to do a wine pairing with each course. To make the night even more entertaining, have everyone bring a wrapped gift (under $20.00) and play Dirty Santa during the dessert course. This is a great game for smaller offices where all know each other pretty well.

If your workplace has more than a handful of employees, a cocktail and hors d’oeuvre party is just the ticket. This allows everyone to mingle in an “out of the office” setting and get to know each other better. You can even theme the party to make it more festive. I love the “ugly sweater” theme myself. Everybody wears the ugliest sweater they can find, which breaks the ice right away, generating immediate conversation.

Large events can be pricey; however, there is something you can do to save your pocketbook (or your boss’s if you are in charge of the planning). Instead of hosting an open bar, provide beer, wine and a signature drink. For example, a party I planned last year featured our house wine and beer, and we created a Cranberry Fusion Martini for the girls and a mixed drink called The Rudolph for the fellas. Both drinks were Christmas red and tasted like holiday cheer!

The time of day that you throw your party will determine the type of food you should order. If the party is, say, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., you can get away with five or six passed items, because your guests can have dinner on their own after the party. If, however, your party runs from 7 p.m. till 9 p.m., I suggest heavy appetizers with the addition of a few action stations — because the party is falling right smack into dinnertime. Fun action stations I just love are the “Grits à Ya Ya Bar” we do at the Fish House and the “Stir-fry Station” that Atlas, our sister restaurant, does for our large cocktail parties on the deck. These stations allow guests to customize what they want. All the seafood lovers and meat eaters are happy, having the choice of either/or at both stations!

If spending time with your co-workers isn’t your thing, no worries. Gather five or six or your closest friends and pick up a few bottles of vino. My girlfriends and I like to do cookie exchanges and take the delicious varieties home to our families. (Truth to tell, by “take them home to our families” I mean taking the cookies home and hiding them in a secret drawer.) All you need for a holiday “girls’ night in” is wine, cookies and conversation — but especially the wine.

Until next time, friends, Happy Holidays.

Cranberry Upside-down Cake. / Gary McCracken/gmccracken@pnj.com

Time to bring out the tried-and-true pie and cake recipes that all the family has come to love and look forward to every year. In every family, someone has perfected the staples; pumpkin pie, apple pie, pecan pie and so on. If you are not one of those lucky ones that make that family favorite, you are probably the one that gets to take new and interesting desserts to the family dinners. That would be me. I never take the same dessert to the holiday festivities. I always try to do something I know no one else would even think of doing, but still has that “Holiday” element to it.

This year I wanted to use the element of cranberries. There are not many desserts that use cranberries, and why only use them in a sauce? You can use fresh or dried cranberries for this recipe. If using dried cranberries, reconstitute them first. I like to let mine marinate overnight in orange juice, or an orange liqueur like Grand Marnier. Just be sure to squeeze out any excess liquid. Happy Holidays!

CRANBERRY UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Butter a 9-inch by 3-inch round cake pan and set aside

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Topping

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

¾ cup light brown sugar

2 cups cranberries

In a heavy-bottom saucepan melt butter over medium heat; add brown sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is foamy and pale, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour into prepared cake pan and swirl to distribute evenly on bottom of pan. Place cranberries evenly over topping. Set aside and make cake batter.

Cake

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1½ teaspoons baking powder

3 tablespoons cornmeal

½ teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

4 large eggs, separated, room temperature

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons orange zest (about two oranges)

2/3 cup milk, room temperature

Sift together the flour, baking powder, cornmeal and salt; set aside. Beat the butter with an electric mixer at medium speed. Gradually add 1 cup of sugar. Continue beating until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes; scrape the bowl. Beat in yolks and vanilla; scrape the bowl. Reduce speed and add dry ingredients and milk alternately in 3 or 4 batches, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Scrape the bowl. Add orange zest and beat on low until just smooth. Beat egg whites in separate bowl until you have soft peaks. Add 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and beat to stiff peaks. Fold ¼ of whites into the batter to lighten, and then add remainder of whites to batter and fold in completely. Pour batter into cake pan and spread evenly over the topping. Bake on bottom oven rack until golden brown and a toothpick comes out of middle of cake clean (60 to 65 minutes). Cool on rack 2 minutes; slide a small knife around edge of pan and cake to release sides. Place a serving platter over the pan and hold tightly while inverting the cake onto the platter. If any of the topping sticks to the pan, remove and place on top of cake.

Melissa Martin’s bridesmaids hold parasols designed by Jen Naar at Gaboodles, Ink as the bride and groom pose behind a parasol at right. Gaboodles, Ink offers personalized stationery, invitations and gift baskets. / Special to the News Journal

Written by Melissa Martin Bailey

I officially am a married gal.

I will now get back to writing about football parties and new ideas for celebrating the holiday season, but before I do, I thought I would take the opportunity to write about planning my wedding reception to finish out this wedding series.

Because I’m in the event-planning business, it was easy to choose the right vendors for our wedding.

Hiring a wedding planner was a necessity, and Megan Kennedy of Megan K. Events was at the top of the list. With her fresh eye and knack for detail, it was a no-brainer to have her on board. Not only can you hire her event company for the planning portion; she also specializes in floral decor and design. But even though Kennedy and company do impeccable work, Shannon Pallin from Fiora always will have a special place in my heart. Though Fiora was the chosen florist for the reception, I had Kennedy’s team transform my rehearsal dinner venue, 5 Eleven Palafox, into a page right out of a bridal magazine.

After meeting and working with Pallin years ago, I knew she would do the floral design for my wedding. Her long-term experience and knowledge in her field make her one of the best floral designers in the country. After 10 years in California, Pallin moved to New York City and worked as a designer and stylist for Martha Stewart, Preston Bailey and Katie Brown. Her 22 years of experience shine in your consultation as she verbally paints a picture of your event.

For the wedding venue, she decided to capture the natural beauty of the Barkley House by enhancing its beauty with cafe lights and rich, bold colors. The centerpieces alternated between fresh flowers and antique birdcages as well as black urns with manzanita branches, complementing florals and mixtures of foliage and vines on the bases.

As many of you can guess, my choice to cater my wedding rehearsal and reception was The Fish House. Not so much because I have been with the company for more than 10 years, but because I have been lucky enough to see the amazing culinary skills of the chefs, who create the best of Southern cuisine.

Because it was hard to choose what we wanted our guests to experience, Josh and I decided on several action stations and food displays as well as passed hors d’oeuvres.

To start, we served mini Southern crab cakes and barbecue beef satay. The guests also were treated to an antipasto station during cocktail hour. When the stations opened, the guests were able to try homemade Asian stir-fry as well as Grits à Ya Ya served in a martini glass. We also took advantage of the fall vegetables available at the local farmers markets to create a large fall-inspired salad bar.

Chef Billy Ballou and team put together eye-catching displays of fresh-caught seared tuna and coastal shellfish — fresh-cracked oysters, clams and snow crab.

Last but not least, I have to talk about the sweetest woman in town: cake baker Betty Weber, a lady so good at what she does, you have to book her months in advance.

Well, friends, I hope you have enjoyed the journey we have taken over the past few months, and while you read this, I imagine I will be lying under the Jamaican sun, sipping an umbrella cocktail, enjoying my honeymoon.

Until next time, friends, no worries.

Trick-or-Treat Martini - photo by Katie King

Written by Melissa Temsook-Boeker special to The Pensacola News Journal

Now that October is finally here, many people start thinking about the usual fall festivities — like football, leaves changing color, and cooler weather. But personally, I think of Halloween! At my house, the month of October is spent deciding the theme of this year’s haunted house, making the subsequent gory decorations and transforming the yard into a creepy scene of blood, guts and pretty much anything that will terrify the neighbors.

Also, one of the best parts of the holiday is seeing all the creative costumes, and, of course, throwing the perfect Halloween party so that all your friends have a place to show them off. So while everyone else is thinking of the perfect costume to wow their friends, I decided to come up with a cocktail that pays homage to the BEST part about Halloween — the candy! I’ve always been partial to sour candies, so this month’s cocktail is inspired by those classics of all classics, Pixie Stix and Fun Dip.

Trick-or-Treat Martini

1½ ounces cake-flavored vodka

1½ ounces grape vodka

½ ounce pineapple juice

½ ounce sour mix (or substitute lemon juice)

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice. Strain into a martini glass rimmed with your favorite colored sugar — or even Pixie Stix or Fun Dip.

Be sure to swing by our house Wednesday October 26th for Ghouls Night Out Halloween Costume Contest!  The grand prize is $1000.00!  We promise wicked fun all night long!  To learn more click here!

Written by Melissa Martin

Nothing is better than living on the Gulf Coast — unless, of course, you are also taking advantage of the local fruits de mer (French for “fruits of the sea”), such as fresh clams, oysters and plump shrimp. I love when locals talk passionately about the fresh Southern coastal cuisine we have here in Pensacola. I enjoy nothing more than watching fishing boats bringing into Seville Harbour fresh-caught snapper and shellfish, which go straight into the Fish House and Atlas Oyster House’s kitchens.

Some of my favorite local customers have celebrated one of the biggest days of their lives with us here in one of our private rooms overlooking Seville Harbour and Pensacola Bay. With their love of seafood and good wine, it was easy to prepare the menu and theme for their perfect wedding reception. This week, I want to go over some great ways of pulling off a Fruits de Mer Party for any occasion — whether it is a wedding reception or just a gathering of close friends.

Nothing beats the summer heat like a Fruits de Mer display of chilled cocktail shrimp and fresh Apalachicola oysters. Any kind of shellfish, from snow crab to lobster tails to fresh steamed mussels and clams can be incorporated into your food display. To make things easier on you, the chef, I recommend precooking most of the items, such as the cocktail shrimp, snow crab and various sauces the day before. Once this is done, all you really have left is your steamed or boiled items, such as clams and mussels — and crawfish, if you want to spice it up just a bit.

Putting the display together is your biggest chore. For the sake of food freshness, it should be done just before your guests arrive. I like to display all of my chilled seafood items on crushed ice on variously tiered platters to add height and a fresh-market look. To ensure that the crushed ice lasts throughout the evening, sprinkle with rock salt before placing your seafood on top. For a splash of color, place sliced lemons and limes throughout the seafood display. If you want to have a straight-from-the-sea effect, incorporate small bouquets of seaweed on the crushed ice and cover with your raw oysters and clams. I recommend the seaweed salad that is sold at local Asian markets.

A nice touch to let your guests know where each type of shellfish came from would be display cards detailing the type of shellfish and its region. For example, at Joe Patti’s you can get great seafood not only from the Gulf coast, but also from places all around. Apalachicola, as well as Galveston, are a couple of places where local markets get they get their fresh oysters. These markets also carry a variety of cocktail and tarter sauces to accompany shellfish. Wherever you make your shellfish purchases, ask the attendant where it came from.

In addition to the great seafood you’re serving, it is always appropriate to serve tasty sides. For a Fruits De Mer Party, I recommend any type of summer pasta salad as well as grilled in-season vegetables. Grilling the veggies ahead of time and serving at room temperature is fine. Sprinkle a generous amount of feta cheese on top and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.

Your décor needs can be simple. For one wedding reception, I used about three yards of light-tan burlap as a decorative table runner to add texture. I picked up lots of decorative shell bowls and starfish-shaped serving spoons as well as dishes from Artesana on Garden Street. As for my food signs, I drove bamboo skewers through the center of dried natural starfish, used a hole punch to make a clean hole in the printed card stock, and hung the signs on the skewers (see photo). We decorated the center of the table with fresh white flowers in nautical-inspired vases, and hung white and navy blue paper lanterns over the table at different levels, using different shapes and sizes. To create the wedding feel for the lucky couple, we lit the room in dozens of floating candles and votives.

For the guests we served crisp white wine, and, of course, champagne. Cold beers for the guys were displayed in a galvanized Texas cooler to the right of the crustacean display. As the wine flowed and the sun set, the party was going off without a hitch.

Preplanning and having a solid game from the start always helps when hosting any event. If your guests are in the mood for something sweet toward the end of the party, offer them starfish chocolate truffles from Dolce, the candy and gelato shop on Zaragoza Street. This will surely put huge smiles on their faces!

Until next time, friends enjoy the sea — and each other!

Boys & Girls you are going to want to hang up that tired, old Cosmopolitan and give this drink a shot. Nothing says summer

The watermelon gimlet available daily at The Fish House.

like an ice cold watermelon and nothing is more quenching and refreshing than a good squeeze of lime, so this drink is perfect for those hot, sultry summer nights.

There are a couple versions for this drink, just depends how fancy you want to be…we’ll start with the simple method:
In a rocks glass filled with ice pour 1 1/2 oz watermelon vodka (I like Three Olives), about 1/4 oz of lime juice and top with soda water. Give it a stir and garnish with a lime wedge. Easy Peasy

For a little fancier…
in a shaker can, muddle 4 lime wedges. Add 2oz watermelon vodka and top with ice. Give it a shake and either strain into a martini glass or pour over fresh ice into a rocks glass. Top with soda water and garnish with a lime.

For your socialite garden party…
Buy a watermelon and cut in half. Use a very small melon-baller and ball out about 25-30 small watermelon balls. Put in a dish in a single layer and freeze. In a large pitcher, muddle a bunch of limes, maybe 3 limes, cut up and add your watermelon vodka; hold in the fridge until party-goers arrive. Strain just before service. When it’s time to serve, set out your martini glasses and put 4 or 5 frozen watermelon balls in each glass. Pour your gimlet into each glass and garnish with a lime, in this case, a twist might look better.

ENJOY!

Lindsey Voorhees is a manager of The Great Southern Restaurant Group.  She writes for her blog “whatcha drinkin’?” Random posts about different wines she is drinking, trying, enjoying, etc…and hopefully a chance to learn about what you’re drinking.  To visit Lindsey’s blog click here!

Three Olives Watermelon Gimlet presented on the rocks or straight up!

]]> http://blog.goodgrits.com/watcha-drinkin-watermelon-gimlet/feed/ 1 http://blog.goodgrits.com/shrimp-boil-makes-for-idyllic-beach-bash/ http://blog.goodgrits.com/shrimp-boil-makes-for-idyllic-beach-bash/#comments Sat, 04 Jun 2011 17:10:40 +0000 goodgrits http://blog.goodgrits.com/?p=2057 By Melissa Martin – Special to The Pensacola News Journal

Boiled Shrimp, veggies and LandShark beer. / Gary McCracken/gmccracken@pnj.com

Last weekend, I was lucky enough to be invited to a friend’s house for family dinner. My friend’s mother and I are so alike that there might have been some baby-switching at the hospital. She goes above and beyond on every occasion. You will never find yourself eating frozen lasagna or delivered pizza at her table. Fresh-grated parmesan — never Kraft — tops her homemade marinara sauce, and fresh-from-the-garden — never frozen — vegetables are served alongside slow-grilled, center-cut steaks. The table is always set with beauty in mind. From fresh flowers to warm candles and modern flatware, it’s like a picture from a magazine.

Once dinner was wrapped and the plates were cleared, my friend told us that it was now time to earn our dinner. With a gleam in her eye and a very large beach/boat party planned for the next morning, I saw a lot of packing and lifting in my future.

My friend’s family and friends had been planning a huge public event called “Boat It, Float It, Paddle It or Drive It” down by Big Sabine Bay on Pensacola Beach (on the sound side). This was a great way to dust off the beach chairs and kick off the summer. While looking over the game plan for the event, I got really excited, because this wasn’t your typical day at the beach. It was more of an event to be repeated every year to celebrate the warm sun and sandy beaches.

When planning a party of this size, it is imperative that you pre-plan and pre-pack as much as possible a few days before the event. So in saying that, having a nice quiet dinner with friends and family the night before is a great way to trick — I mean, ask — your friends to help.

Once we loaded the boat with the basic beach necessities, we started prepacking the food. When feeding more than 50 people, you want it to be tasty but not break the bank. My friend’s mom had decided on the perfect summer menu that was also cost efficient. She had already picked up fresh coastal shrimp from Joe Patti Seafood and corn and potatoes from Bailey’s Farmers Market. As a team, we peeled, diced and chopped onions and potatoes and shucked corn to get ready for the shrimp boil.

Her mom also packed fresh-cut garlic, lemons and limes to add zest to the pot. And of course, you can’t have a seafood boil without the perfect summer beer. So, packed with much care and a lot of ice, we selected LandShark and Bud Light Lime for our summer outing.

After the boat was packed, I heard an engine revving from the garage. When I went to investigate, I saw my friend’s dad testing the generator. After Hurricane Ivan, I never wanted to see a generator again, but after he explained it was to power the band for the party, I was so thrilled to know he had one. After the packing was done, we all headed home to get a good night’s sleep in order to properly greet the next day.

When morning came, more than fifteen boats pulled into Big Sabine and boaters began unpacking their party contributions. As the sun reflected off the water and warmed the sand, the aroma from the shrimp boil filled the air and played alongside the musical notes being belted out by the band. As the waves rolled, so did the party. The dancing and live entertainment never stopped. The little ones wore grass skirts and hula hooped to the beat of the music. After our bellies were full and the sun was setting, a fire pit was lit to warm us up and protect us from the cool night breeze coming off the water. As the darkness crept over us, the guests wrapped their chairs around the fire pit and roasted marshmallows for s’mores.

As the boaters packed up and left, we found ourselves greeted by the same quiet beach we had started with, where the water and the wind created their own music, and the reflection from the moon lit up the night.

When packing for this party, I was motivated only by a fancy outdoor dinner and guilt. But now, knowing how much fun it was, to be a part of it next year I can be bought for a cold slice of pizza and a 64-calorie beer.

Until next time, friends, enjoy the summer.

Great Southern Restaurant Group, 600 S. Barracks St. 470-0003, or visit www.goodgrits.com.