Hosting history

Kyle and I threw a holiday party on Friday night…which proved to be a reminder of both how much we have and have not changed since college. 

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Nowadays, I approach these kind of events with a plan.  In college, I was too busy sleeping through my 2 pm classes…to-do lists weren’t even on my radar yet.

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Sweeping, mopping, dusting, and scrubbing were my forms of exercise yesterday.  My 20 year old self, on the other hand, was fairly gym diligent. 

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Making sure we are ready for out of towners drunken shackers hasn’t seemed to change…except now we have a guest bedroom as opposed to a hand-me-down couch from the 70’s.

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I still shove everything I can’t find a place for in the closet.  Only now I have a walk-in closet.  🙂

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And of course, I still clear space for a dance party…should such a thing arise. 

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Boots wit tha furrr never go out of style. 

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To neutralize Kyle’s dinner smells create a cozy holiday atmosphere, I simmered apple tea with cinnamon sticks and nutmeg.  Everyone kept commenting on how yummy the apartment smelled.  I guarantee my 20 year old self didn’t give a crap about atmosphere. 

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In college, beer and jell-o shots were often on the menu.  I guess some things never change…

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But yesterday we classed it up a bit with wine and POM-tinis.

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Hippie POM-tinis

  • 2 parts POM
  • 2 parts orange seltzer water
  • 1 part vodka
  • a splash of lemon juice to taste (optional)

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Hey bartender.

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Shots, shots, shots shots shots, shots, shots shots shots.

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Stealing sips is okay when you’re a “grown up,” but for all the college kids, avoid sharing…unless roofies and herpes are your thing.  Consider that my PSA for the post. 

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YUM!

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These were such a hit!

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In college, party crashers disguised as guests were pretty much a given, whereas now, all our friends confirm both if they are coming and if they are bringing their sig-o.  [Matching attire optional]

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Also, not a single friend arrived empty handed last night. 

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Pork lumpia from Ethel

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North End Caffe sammie platter from Joe

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I don’t think a party is complete without desserts, and that’s an opinion that has definitely never changed. 

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Chocolate Peppermint Fudge Bites

  • 1 package dark chocolate chips
  • 1 package white chocolate chips
  • 3 candy canes, crushed

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I may have opted for something more complex in my earlier years, but given the time constraints (I made this at 7:45 pm while doing my make-up), I went with the stress free route. 

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This has 3 ingredients and takes 10 minutes to make. 

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And it’s delicious.

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Line pan with parchment paper and add in dark chocolate chips followed by white chocolate chips.

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Smash candy canes.  The finer the better because it’s hard to eat when there are big chunks of peppermint. 

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Sprinkle candy cane mist on top.

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Bake in the oven for 7 minutes on 350.

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Remove from oven and smash down melty chocolate to form a more uniform top layer.

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Let chill (you can put it in the freezer to speed up the cooling process).

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Jackhammer the pieces apart.

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Depending on how long you left it in the freezer, you may or may not need a chisel.

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Plate.

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And serve.

In college, I may have sampled some and just paid the lactose-y consequences the next day…but I’m definitely over that phase of my life.

Also similar to life in school, our initial plans were to go to bars after the booze ran out.  But midnight came and went and the party was still raging on…

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By the time the wine, beer, and vodka were done, our neighbors’ apartment party was just gearing up.  Uhhh…awesome!  Who knew we were having a block party?!?  Kinda hard to turn down a commute like that.  I definitely had flashbacks to dorm life.  Apparently we are still in college. 

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And yet, the biggest sign of maturity is in the above photo.  What could have been a disastrous morning after was such a breeze thanks to my brilliant husband.  Kyle started the first load of glasses in the dishwasher while the rest soaked overnight.  I don’t know how we managed to use 40+ pieces of stemware, but I guess that what happens when you’re a grown up.  Adios red cups!  Hello wedding registry glasses!

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Massive mug of coffee the next morning?  That’s a tradition that will never ever change. 

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Comments (18)

  1. BroccoliHut

    Looks like a fab party! You better believe I would be raiding that M&M bowl:)

  2. kbwood

    how FUN! gosh I want to come to your partayyy! I freaking <3 the dessert spread, holiday desserts are THE BOMB dot com! I have to tell you again how much I love your hair, because i really really do!

  3. Elle

    Your party looked like a blast and this post had me in hysterics. My husband’s doing his MBA at Columbia and–while the house parties are an absolute blast–it’s red cups all the way, baby! I think I would faint with glee if I ever saw stemware at one of the house parties.

    Also, as I’m sure you already know being a former NYer, there’s no such thing as an extra bedroom in your NYC apartment when both of you are back in school. Why didn’t we decide to go back to school in LA?! Haha.

    At least we were smart enough to plan a January trip out there. Can’t wait to get my hands on some Real Food Daily!

  4. Averie (LoveVeggiesandYoga)

    omg this is one of my fave posts of yours, ever!
    love the thinking ahead dishes doing hubs
    the pics of you & your friends are gorg! love that no one came empty handed.

    love that you used (or show) a small bottle of stoli and didnt need to break out the really big bottles…not that that woulda been a bad thing 🙂

    and the recipe for the baked candy canes..i am so glad i now know i can bake candy canes, nothing will explode, and i can have a great dessert in like 10 mins..thank you!

  5. Gabriela @ Fro-Yo Lover

    Wow!
    Lovely spread, haha.
    I bet you guys had a blast 🙂

  6. Casey

    Love the picture of wine glasses full of soapy water. Too cute

  7. Pure2raw twins

    SO much fun!! We would have gotten along great in college!! LOL I was a big martini drinking…and beer 🙂

  8. griffenxvx

    you crack me up. i love your blog.

  9. Erica D

    I’ll do my best to make my 20-year-old self learn from your party wisdom 😉

  10. movesnmunchies

    SO JEALOUS OF YOUR PARTY!! i am ALL about those desserts1

  11. Gabriela @ Une Vie Saine

    I LOVE your take on peppermint bark. Just popping it in the oven is so much easier and less messy than the whole melting thing. This looks like such a fun night!! I actually can’t wait to have more grown up parties instead of nights where everyone gets shitfaced…

  12. actorsdiet

    how do you have so much stemware? and places to put it all? you really are grown up!!!

  13. kissmybroccoli

    This looks like so much fun! My last party WAS a dorm party…like 7 years ago! I need to throw my first “welcome to adulthood” soiree! Love all the comparisons you had!

    PS–LOVE your boots!

  14. Sami

    looks like a great party! 🙂

  15. Sarah

    Sounds like an awesome party! 🙂

  16. janetha @ meals & moves

    i was laughing lots while i read this. you were a great hostess! and thank god you gave a crap about atmosphere 😉 love you tons. happy holidays, i am lurking the crud out of you tonight.

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