Last year Kyle and I hosted a holiday party and it was so much fun we decided to make it an annual event. But since we were out of town for most of December it wasn’t really possible.
So we just postponed the event until January!
This year’s party eats were some of the same, but a few new things too.
Drink menu:
- Wine
- Champagne
- Beer
- POM-tinis
- Blueberry Vodka Lemonade
CalNaturale provided the Cab Sauv and the Chardonnay for the evening. Both are made with 100% organic grapes (from Paso Robles and Mendocino respectively) and packaged in eco-friendly Tetra Pak containers. Don’t let the boxy appearance deceive you…this is award winning wine. Plus, they have half the carbon footprint of bottled wines.
For last year’s POM-tini recipe, see this post.
This year we used: 2 parts POM juice, 1 part seltzer, 1 part vodka, squeeze lime juice (from 1/4 fresh lime). It was delicious and I hardly drink hard alcohol anymore.
The Blueberry Vodka Lemonade recipe originated at B&G night, and has been a fan favorite ever since. It’s simple, just mix yellow lemonade with blueberry vodka. It sounds weird, but I promise, it is SO SO good.
Food Appetizer menu:
- Grandma’s seven layer cookies
- Crackers and hummus
- Brie and grapes
- Lumpia
Kyle’s mom made these cookies for Kyle because they are one of his favorite holiday desserts. They are basically the opposite of vegan. Rather than eat his gluttonous heart out, Kyle demonstrated amazing restraint and froze them to help with portion control. Having a party is the perfect excuse to enlist the help appetites of others. Stash gone.
Naturally the hummus was vegan.
I used a recipe my G-ma sent me forever ago (it’s been on our fridge since we moved in).
I made some changes (what else is new) and it turned out wonderful.
Simple Hummus
- 1 can (15 oz.) garbanzo beans, drained
- 2 tbsp garlic infused extra virgin olive oil (I used Garlic Gold)
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- dash of paprika (on top)
Voila!
There was cracker variety, including Whole Grain, Sesame, & Lemon Zest flavors, to let guests choose between hummus and cheese as spreads.
I have mixed feelings about 34 degree Crispbread because they are a little flimsy. They’re good if you want a lighter cracker option, but when you’re scooping brie onto them, they aren’t the sturdiest of vehicles for the thick & creamy cheese. Sometimes I feel like I’m getting communion when I’m eating them.
We found this brie at Costco. That place doesn’t know how to do anything in moderation.
Now, as promised, another chance for you to win some goodies!
CalNaturale is giving one HHH reader two bottles Tetra Paks of wine, including a liter of Cab and a 550 mL of Chardonnay.
Get excited people. This is some tasty vino. The cabernet is my personal favorite…it is rich and flavorful, but not overpowering. A great wine to sip on solo, but a complementary drink as well.
To enter this giveaway:
Leave a comment below sharing your favorite wine and appetizer pairing [whether you’ve hosted a party or not, what would you make for guests?].
Tweet about the giveaway mentioning @elisehippie and @CalNaturaleWine (and leave another comment that you tweeted).
I’ll announce the winner this Tuesday, January 24th, 2012 so get your entries in asap!
*Open to US residents and readers over the age of 21 only*
{ 73 comments… read them below or add one }
Awesome giveaway! If I was having a party I would pair a pinot noir with mini sliders. Not the classiest pairing, but delicious!
totally delicious. i love all things mini, so veggie burger sliders are favorites.
I love Malbec or Shiraz! Keeping with the Australian/Argentinian theme I would serve shrimp with toasted bread drizzled in truffle oil.
My fav = santa margherita pino grigio plus our famous crab tarts!
I always have several varieties on hand when having a party and you just can never go wrong with cheese and crackers-usually a sharp cheddar, goat gouda and usually a cheese that is different and fun.
im actually hosting a party tonight. i always make cheaters sangria, but the cheat is that i use sweet kosher wine (manischewitz concord grape). it makes the best sangria ever and its always the first thing gone wherever i bring it. i just chop random fruits into it depending on the season, or just frozen mixed fruit. amazing with any apps. tonight i made a few bean dips, vegan pb cookies, cheesecake, etc. cant wait!
My favorite wine is JW Morris Moscato from Trader Joe’s, and it costs less than $4! It’s sweet and tastes like juice
I guess a good pairing for it would be a cheese plate and some fruit. Brie would be fantastic with it. Yum!
Sweet red wine and parmesan popcorn! Delightful!
i love moscato..it’s so sweet! Perfect with some fresh berries and dark chocolate for dessert
I love pinot grigio with bruschetta
I would totally love to win this! I’d love a malbec paired with cheeses, my favorite is manchengo!
I tweeted!
I absolutely love wine, but since I’m still in school I don’t ever drink the best. My favorite is finding a nice red wine that is not too expensive and picking up a wood fired tomato, goat cheese, basil and pine nut pizza from the local deli/bakery. This is great for a girls night in!
Do you have to have appetizers in order to enjoy a good glass (or bottle) of wine? I pretty much love Sauvignon Blanc with or without food. If I had to choose something to pair it with, though, I’d probably pick pears and bleu cheese. Those pretty much go well with anything. Probably even Kool Aid
I think I totally would have enjoyed this party…isn’t hosting a blast?
I usually do some variation of hummus since most everyone vegan or non can enjoy it. And I like to do a fun cocktail that goes with the season.
Moscato dessert wine and chocolate fondue with fruit!
I always love wine and cheese! Malbec or shiraz for a red choice, and vouvray or viognier for the white.
hmmm maybe a moscato with pears and cinnamon almonds.
i’m a sucker for anything sweet. (says the girl eating a brownie as she types this)
I love the tetra paks. I like to serve a white sangria with tempeh taco bites. Great for Cinco de Mayo.
I love rose (pink) wine and pinot grigio with a nice loaf of bread to dip into olive oil!
I <3 Chardonnay and most white wines. I'm branching out to reds (Pinot Noir is a fav). For appetizers… Does chocolate count!? I like to do homemade PB cups. Also–hummus with crackers& veg. Yum.
My favorite is stuffed mushrooms with any wine (i’m not too picky…reds…whites…all good). Clearly, I’m a classy lady.
I love a good cab with samosas or spinach dip!
i love Cupcake wines! Sauv Blanc is delicious (although all are great) with some crackers and goat cheese.
I love crostini with fig jam and blue cheese + a big ole glass of merlot!
Wow – cool giveaway! I love Shiraz and Shrimp — so I love making shrimp toasts with basil for get togethers!
My favorite wine and appetizer pairing are grapes, cheese and hummus!
for a special occasion- champagne and raw oysters!
I love a good glass of Pinot Grigio paired with crusty bread and olive oil/balsamic for dipping. So delicious!
And I’m a big fan of crackers, veggies, and hummus, of course! But I’ll devour that with or without wine. (:
My mom and i always drink sangria. So i guess thats my favorite? lol. I prefer sweeter wine.
I love reisling…it reminds me of summer so I’d probably pair it with shrimp or some guacamole. Or maybe an avocado roll! Yum.
I choose my wine based on seasons: pinot grigio for summer and pinot noir for winter.
As for simple get-together appetizers: chips/salsa/guacamole, hummus/olive/pita platter, veggies with dip, potato chips/dip, mixed nuts, dark chocolates. Those are the first basic things that just came to mind.
Fun giveaway
~Rebecca
This is so un-classy but my friends and I love to get a cheap boxed wine and pair it with nice cheese and CHOCOLATE!
And some girly tv episodes!
Trader Joe’s always has their little sampler section and one time they created a delicious appetizer, which now has become something that we make for every holiday party. I use slices of brie with TJ’s pecans and cranberries flavored with rosemary mix and press them onto the slices of brie. It is AMAZING!!
and my favorite type of wine as of now is the Mad Housewife, its so yummy and fun to drink it with the girls! 
I LOVE boxed wine. I read an article about how it’s SOOO much better for the environment than bottled wine. One reason I remember was that they weight to ship bottles across the world is so much less than glass that it uses a lot less fuel.
My favorite pairing is Malbec wine with a gouda cheese and crackers. This has me craving them!!!
My favorite wine is Seven Deadly Zins. It never disappoints. I love to spread apricot preserves over the brie and then wrap it all in a puff pastry. Well, that’s what I used to love. But since I don’t eat dairy anymore , I find good appetizers are tapenade and bruschetta served with some homemade crostini. Yum!
We love the boxed wine for our canoe trips. So portable and keeps for a good amount of time.
This wine looks awesome, especially because organically grown wine isn’t know for being up to par with conventional.
Best wine + appetizer pairing would have to be red wine + olive dip. I’m not enough of a wino to know which type of red, but I can attest for it’s yumminess!
I hate typos- its, not it’s.
I tweeted- @ashveg!
Of course, I love serving hummus with veggies and crackers, paired with red wine. I host a weekly wine gathering with friends on Wednesdays (Winesday!) and hummus is always on the table!
sparkling white wine and bruschetta!
I think my gatherings are probably (ok definitely) a bit on the “cheesy” side… Last night we had a playoff party and I served Doritos, pretzels, grapes, veggie soup, baked Mac and cheese, (pre-made frozen) chicken nuggets, and tater tots AND really nice red Italian wine (brought back from Italy by my friend) that we forgot to open…
Ow ow! Love your dress from what I cn see of it. The party sounds fun!
I love crisp white wine (a good Sauvignon blanc or Pinot Gris) with crackers and a variety of cheeses and nuts.
The best combo would be like a meal I had in Paris. Amazing bread, brie, and a red wine thats just a tad bit sweet. Mmm good eating in Paris.
Wine and cheese, duh!
But for the non cheese eaters I love putting out artichoke crostinis, hummus and eggplant dips with veggies.
Doesn’t wine go with everything?!?! Seriously, I love a good red wine with olives in any form (especially in hummus).
White wine and cheese. The best.
Tweeted. @runschicago
best pairing EVER = Pinot Noir + stuffed mushrooms (ricotta & ff cream cheese, that is). you get the cheese+wine but a little veggie power for an added bonus!
xo.
I like to pair sweet wines, like a nice Riesling, with some fruit. It’s delicious!
wine + cheese straws + spicy toasted pecans. yum!
I love wine and cheese or wine and fondue, which is basically cheese. For a vegan option, i love wine with bruschetta or stuffed mushrooms
For my friend’s wine and cheese party last friday, my boyfriend and I brought a garnacha wine (it was a smooth, but also earthy/bold spanish red wine) and paired it with an amazing manchego cheese wedge (and bread, of course). Manchego is delicious!
I love Riesling and crackers with goat cheese and cranberry relish.
Wine and cheese is always such a classic pairing. Since I don’t eat cheese anymore, I’d mimic a cheese plate with almond cheese, soy cheese, and a bunch of dried berries and figs. Yum!
Definitely love a good cheese with a South American Malbec!! I would go so far as to make it a meal if I could!
I love malbecs with chocolate covered pretzels and chards with sushi!
Definitely some manchego cheese and some Spanish vino! I’m a sucker for a good tempranillo or an Argentinean malbec!
I adore Sangria–does that count?!?! ;] In all seriousness, I love Moscato and dark chocolate–I definitely enjoy sweet wines!
I tweeted about the giveaway!
Malbec & cheese!
I’m not vegan, though I mostly eat like one. Though if I’m having wine, I’d love to have some cheese to pair with it!
Preferably brie.
Well, it would have to be zinfandel just because – well, it HAS to be zinfandel (preferably from the foothills in Amador County — the Shenandoah Valley — where my mom lives). And if I was being bad, it would be cheese and crackers. But if I was being good, it would be hummus and pita bread or pita chips! And who needs a party when you have wine and cheese and/or hummus? Party of one, anyone?
red wine, cheese and crackers!
p.s. I’ve tweeted, too! I usually don’t go to all this trouble, but I really want to win something! I NEVER win anything!! And wine? Well, what could be better than winning some wine?
pinot noir & vegan pigs in a blanket. cut a smart dog in 4ths & roll each section in pastry dough (aka crescent rolls). bake per instructions for pastry. it’s a retro trend that just stuck with our family – we eat them every holiday!
A nice sharp cheddar w/ jalapeno chutney and a nice pinot noir are my go-to staples.
Since I am vegan, wine and cheese is out. But I like red wine with pears and apples…it is good!
Mmmm chardonnay and garlic stuffed mushrooms.
I love Riesling and Brie (warm)!
red wine and either crackers w/ hummus or dark chocolate
I’m not doing much commenting lately but I saw this picture in my reader and I had to click through to tell you how ADORABLE you guys are!
We have a belated holiday party to attend this weekend too
awww…thanks lara. i wish you were in LA so you could come to ours. kyles going up to seattle next weekend for the day and i want to go just to spend the day w you walking dogs and sipping starbucks.
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