Hi.
I spend most of the party telling my colleagues "oh yeah, I was on my way to get a plate. Got sidetracked." Or "I saw (dish that I can't have) - it looks fantastic." Redirect, reassure - I have party food talk down to a science.
I generally bring something substantial so I know I have something to eat. Combine that with being an overachiever and the fact that I want to try every. good. recipe. I see, holiday parties are just another opportunity for cooking stress.
Our theme this year is brunch, and having a waffle iron that's easy to transport, I volunteered to make waffles. Simple. Except I need to make the waffles from scratch (see: allergies) (see also: overachiever). Had a plan, but was feeling stressed over how much I was going to need to carry into work on the train. Then realized I was also on the hook to bring in syrup, and for some reason, that pushed me over the stress edge. I didn't know how I was going to carry that along with everything else.
So, new plan. After wandering the aisles of my local Trader Joe's for 30 minutes, it hit me that I was thinking about it all wrong. If the problem is too much stuff, then eliminate the need for some of the stuff. Flavorful waffles don't really need syrup, so pack the main stage with good stuff and no one will miss anything.
Gingerbread.
Hot chocolate.
Dark and stormy fruit.
It's possible only two of these will happen, but I have a plan and ingredients. And am once again looking forward to the holiday shindig.
More on those specific recipes... when I've figured out what they are going to be. That's half the fun, right?
