Holiday Party Planning? Peep this.

Happy Hump Day! You’re almost there.

Before the holiday officially begins and everyone jets off to their desired destinations, I wanted to share some great tips for those planning holiday parties.

First up is a list of 101 20-minute appetizers I found on the New York Times website via Lifehacker.

For bread or crackers

• Sear skirt steak to medium-rare, not more than 8 minutes. Cut into chunks 1/2-inch to 1 inch, first with the grain, then against it. Spread bread with coarse mustard and/or butter. Top with steak and coarse salt.
• New York comfort food: Spread cream cheese or crème fraîche on small bagels or bagel chips; black bread is also terrific. Top with sturgeon, sable or lox.
• Might not be the new ketchup, but great stuff: purée skinned roasted peppers or piquillos with some of their liquid, salt and olive oil. Serve alone or with other foods — a piece of cheese, even.

Brushetta

• Bruschetta is the basis for so many good things. Don’t make it too crisp, and start with good country bread. Brush thick slices with olive oil. Broil until toasted on both sides. While it’s still hot, rub with cut clove of garlic on one side (optional). Drizzle with a bit more olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and serve, or top with prosciutto or tapenade.

For Toothpicks

• Cut pork tenderloin into 1-inch slices; broil or sauté until done. Cut each piece across into 3 or 4 thin slices, then pile onto round bread slices, toasted or not. Top with slice of Manchego and bit of piquillo pepper.
• Crab cakes: For each pound crab meat, add an egg, 1/4 cup each minced bell pepper and onion, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons bread or cracker crumbs, salt and pepper. Shape into small cakes and refrigerate, if time allows. Dredge in flour, then brown in oil (or oil mixed with butter). Serve with lemon wedges, aioli or tartar sauce.

The rest of the article is here. I can’t even lie guys. Cooking may be my new ish. If you’re in Chicago, check out thechoppingblock.net. They have a great schedule of cooking classes from the Chicago Culinary School.

To round it out, check out our wine guide for those new or want a refresher on how to taste wine.

Happy Holidays!

(pic from nytimes.com)