The Most Wonderful Time of Year!

I am still having a hard time adjusting to the fact that it is December.  As mentioned in an earlier post I LOVE Christmas so I welcome it, but it just happened so fast!  Right now I am busy preparing for the holidays, and our annual Christmas party.  After planning other people's special events throughout the year, I always have a lot of fun planning one of our own for our friends and family.  In light of up my upcoming event, I wanted to share a few Christmas party tips.

When planning for a Holiday Party, I always start with decor.  It's important to enhance your current space with festive items.  Before you buy a bunch of decorations, take some time in your space to brainstorm.  What color schemes are already in place?  What holiday colors would work best?  What colors would not work at all?  In the interest of planning within a budget, I always make a decor wish list before I commit to anything.  Once I make the wish list, I sit on it for a little while, which helps you prioritize.  I love crafting, so sometimes the items on my wish list involve some type of creation and/or assembly.  Waiting to purchase helps me realize what I have the time and energy for, and what is most important.  One decor item I made last year literally took me weeks.  But it was something that I really wanted, and had been wanting to do for a very long time.  So it was worth it!  Not everything is.  When choosing your decor items, incorporate them into the setup of your space, utilize things you already have.  This will not only help on cost, but will make setting up much easier.

When you have a Holiday Party, remember that  you are not the only one that wants to have friends and family over for fun.  It's important to plan ahead so that you can invite everyone in time.  It's competitive out there!  My rule of thumb for parties is to send your invitations one month out, but during the holidays, it doesn't hurt to get them out a little earlier.  I figure once Halloween has come and gone, it's practically Christmas already, so get those invites in the mail!  When choosing your date, I recommend you don't get too close to the actual holiday.  If you do, you may run into problems with guests that are traveling, or have other commitments.  If you put the effort into planning for a party, you want to have guests there!  Some of my favorite places for invitations are Tiny Prints, 123 Print, and Vista Print.

An important part of any party is food and beverage.  Just like you are enhancing your space with decor, you want to plan for appropriate food and beverage.  If you choose to have your party during a meal time, people will expect to eat there.  If you want to save on food costs, choose a time that avoids a meal time, such as mid-afternoon.  It's easy to get carried away with having tons of different food options.  Consider having a handful of items, but plenty of each.  This can help on cost, and it will definitely help out with your preparation.  Here is a great resource from Martha Stewart, it has party themes with coordinating menus.  Some of her menu items are quite labor-intensive, so if that's not your style, just use her ideas as inspiration for your own creations.  I am frequently asked how to figure out how much alcohol you need to have for a party.  A rule of thumb is three drinks per person, but that doesn't always apply.  I found a little tool called a Drink Calculator from Evite a while back, and it has come in handy more than once.  Check it out!

You may want to have games or activities at your party.  Consider your space when planning games.  Avoid activities that require everyone to be in one room if your space doesn't have the room to do so.  Here is a good resource for game ideas.

I hope these few tips are helpful to you in planning your holiday party!  And remember, if planning isn't your thing, give Charlotte Event Style a call!

~Alisa
info@charlotteeventstyle.com
704.960.2262

Turkey Time!

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is next week?  This year has just flown by, but I welcome my favorite time of year with open arms!  I just love the holidays, especially Christmas.  Don't hold it against me, but I will joyfully listen to any Christmas songs on the radio before Thanksgiving, it's never too soon!  But let's certainly not pass over Thanksgiving without giving it the spotlight that it deserves.

One of the reasons I love the holidays is because it brings out the joy and kindness in many people.  Sure, we should be kind all year long, but it seems that the holidays always remind us of what's really important.  2011 has been a fast and blessed year.  I am so grateful for my loving husband, family and friends.  Each of them bless me every day!  I am also so thankful for the wonderful clients and colleagues that I have met through Charlotte Event Style.  I don't know how I always get so lucky to have such fun clients!  And if you are reading this, thank you!  I never saw myself as a blogger, and I have a long ways to go to be great blogger, but it's been fun and I hope you have enjoyed my posts.

I also love Thanksgiving because it means lots of delicious food!  It's so wonderful to gather the family at my parents' house for a big meal.  My grandmother who is now a whopping 91 years old taught me to make her sweet potato casserole several years ago, so that is always my dish to make.  Sweet potatoes cooked with butter, sugar and brown sugar; then topped with golden brown marshmallows.  What's not to love?  I love to cook, and am always searching for new recipes.  One of my favorite holiday recipe sources is Better Homes and Gardens online.  Check out their Thanksgiving recipes, decoration ideas and tips. Be sure to check out the planning tips too!

Here is a classic picture of Thanksgiving with my family:  Dad carving the turkey, my mom and I working out the gravy, and my dear sister chatting it up :)  This was the first year we hosted Thanksgiving at our house!

It is a busy time here at CES, as we are prepping for Shaina and Josh's wedding this coming weekend in Chimney Rock, NC.  I cannot express how excited I am about this wedding.  It's going to be beautiful, and Shaina will no doubt be absolutely stunning.  Check out the venue below....need I say more?

~Alisa

info@charlotteeventstyle.com

704.960.2262

Foodie Find Friday: The Open Kitchen

If you are looking for a fancy Italian restaurant, this is not the place.  But if you are looking for authentic, amazing Italian, then you must check out The World Famous Open Kitchen.  This restaurant, located on Morehead Street in the Wesley Heights neighborhood (a few minutes from uptown), has been around since 1952.  That's right, 1952.  I have been going to The Open Kitchen for as long as I can remember with my family, and I will take anyone there that is willing.  My sweet storytelling grandmother, who is now 91, always says that she went on dates there.  Now she has been known to embellish on her stories as grandmothers often do, and given that she was married in 1940, I doubt that her dating days were spent there, but I don't doubt that her and my grandfather frequented the place beginning in the 1950's.

When you walk in, you are greeted by a sea of pictures, newspaper clippings and pennants that leave not a single inch of wall (or ceiling) exposed.  Pictures of Charlotte from decades ago in frames are scattered about as well.  Maybe it's because I'm a Charlotte native, but I love to look at those old pictures, to see what the city used to be, and what it has become. 

The tables are covered with red and white checkered picnic table cloths, along with your standard jars of powdered Parmesan and red pepper flakes.  There are a few main dining rooms, one to the right and a couple to the left.  In the room to the right there is a bear on a unicycle that runs across the room on a string.  I loved that thing as a kid!  Oh who am I kidding, I still love it when he cycles across the room.

If you come on a weekend night, either make reservations or be prepared to wait.  Once seated, your server will bring you a basket of bread, along with crackers.  My mom just loves the Melba toast, she says she never sees it anywhere else.  The menu has a lot to offer.  They have many Italian specialties like Lasagne Di Stefano which is basically traditional lasagna with a hearty helping of extra cheese baked on top.  My husband's personal favorite is the Fettuccine Di Alessandro.  To call it Alfredo would not be fair.  Picture fresh fettuccine noodles smothered in a bubbly, creamy Alfredo sauce, with chopped bacon and Parmesan cheese mixed in.  Top it off with a well-seasoned chicken breast, and you have the Fettuccine Di Alessandro.  My husband likes it so much he refuses to order Alfredo anywhere else, he's exclusive to The Open Kitchen.

I always start my meal off with a house salad.  Always.  Their house dressing is called Mama K's Italian and it is unbelievable.  They bring it out in a squeeze bottle, now that's what I'm talking about.  Somehow I always manage to spill some dressing onto my bread.  Oops.  I'm not the only big fan of this dressing, because they actually sell it by the bottle.  Is it a surprise to know that I have gone home with a bottle more than once?  Call me boring, but I almost always order the same meal at The Open Kitchen.  My family could be spokespeople for spaghetti and meat sauce.  I grew up eating it all of the time, and we would often eat it at restaurants as well.  For those Charlotteans, you may remember the Spaghetti Warehouse which is now Byron's South End, or the Spaghetti Factory which is now The Big Chill.  So spaghetti and meat sauce is my dish of choice here, and it never disappoints.  I've branched out and tried the meatballs, but they weren't as good as the sauce.  I have also ordered the pizza at times, and it is delicious.  The crust is thin, the toppings are fresh.  It comes out piping hot, made just for you.

The Open Kitchen is hands down one of my favorites places to eat.  The food is always delicious, the staff is friendly, and it just has a great feel to it.  Wear what you want, be comfortable.  It's all about the food.  This is and always has been a family run business, and they do a great job of making you feel welcome.  I am not the only one that loves this place, check out this blog I stumbled upon this week to see some great pictures, and interesting history of the place:   http://charlotteeats.blogspot.com/2008/03/open-kitchen-hall-of-fame-eatery.html

The Open Kitchen cannot be missed.  I just love that it has been open for so long, and I hope it will stay around for many, many years to come.  So be sure to visit soon, enjoy the food, you will be hooked!  And remember to take a bottle of Mama K's dressing home with you too.

The Open Kitchen
1318 W Morehead Street
Charlotte, NC 28208
704.375.7449

~Alisa
info@charlotteeventstyle.com
704.960.2262