The Starving Musician Entertains
Holiday Centerpiece for Starving Musicians
Thanksgiving celebrates the abundance of the harvest, so instead of flowers,
I let the food speak for itself by putting it in colorful (or plain white)
serving dishes at the center of the table, interwoven with ivory or white votive candles
in clear glass votive cups, whole small fruits and
vegetables such as lady apples, baby vegetables, baby pumpkins and small
squash, with assorted whole nuts in the shell scattered around here and
there. (Hit the gourmet supermarket just for these items.) The whole thing costs very little, lasts a few days, and is edible
after the holiday. Because it takes up so much room , show the turkey
off to the guests whole, then take it back into the kitchen after
the first serving.)
If your table is small, you can just place the dessert in the center of
the table, along with a couple of small dishes of mixed nuts in the shell,
then surround with votives and baby vegetables and nuts.
For Christmas you can do the same thing with white serving dishes (or the
family china or silver if you're so blessed), white votive candles in clear
or silver votive cups, shiny red
apples, pinecones and greenery, whole almonds in the shell, and small
Christmas ornaments tucked in here and there. (Pinecones and natural
greenery are highly flammable, so keep them away from the candles. Also,
keep in mind that natural greenery contains sap that may stain.)
New Year's Eve or New Year's Day: A nice looking champagne bucket.
For Valentine's Day for 2: For this you'll need 4 roses and a large
box of chocolates. Scatter the petals of one rose over the tablecloth. Open
a large, beautifully-packaged (heart shaped?) box of chocolates and place
the lid so it's leaning at an angle against the box. If you're serving
champagne or sparkling cider and have a nice looking champagne bucket, place
this next to it as well. Surround with three or four votive candles (white
or ivory candles in clear glass, sliver, or red cups), set the table, and
scatter the petals of one more rose here and there. Place one rose at each
place, on top of the napkin. The box of chocolates becomes one of the gifts.
What Kind of Candles? Candles should either be unscented or a
light, natural lemon scent to keep them from altering the taste of the food.
Like celebrity caterer Colin Cowie, I prefer votive candles to candlesticks,
especially when food is being passed around the table. They're less
expensive, safer, easier to squeeze in at a crowded table, and provide a
glowing light that reflects off the glassware on the table. Votives candles
liquefy, so they must be burned in votive candle cups.
Glass votive cups are available inexpensively at party stores and come in
many colors. The clear ones will give you the most mileage for the buck,
because they go with everything. If you want a second color, go for the red:
it works for Christmas, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, Cinco de Mayo, or
even Italian night. Or, if you're feeling flush, get a few silver ones to
throw in with the clear.
Where to get inexpensive silver or a champagne bucket:
If your parents or grandparents never entertain, ask if they
have anything you can borrow; you never know what's hidden away in a box
somewhere. (On hearing I like old silver, my mother, who hates polishing
silver, unearthed a silver casserole dish I never knew existed: a wedding
gift she'd never even used.) You can also get inexpensive silverplate at
stores like Linens 'n' Things, Stroud's, and sometimes even Target. Also
check out flea markets, and rummage sales. Ebay can also be a good source,
but prices go way up around the holidays. Polish your newfound heirlooms
with paste silver polish like Twinkle or Wright's.
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