With two hours to go before their 60 dinner guests arrive, Inez and Raymond Saunders are the picture of perfect calm: relaxed, chatting and snug on a big, wraparound sofa in the living room of the New Buffalo, Mich., vacation retreat they built eight years ago.
The couple–she’s a busy interior designer who founded Inez Saunders/Amy Rosengarten Inc. in Chicago, and he’s a lawyer whose firm handles mostly corporate and tax work–has honed the art of entertaining to the equivalent of a successful marathon.
They’ve had time to practice, giving their first dinner party shortly after they married 46 years ago. In the process, they’ve learned to keep food, drink, music and conversation flowing, and also enjoy, yet not exhaust, themselves. When the last guests depart, it’s back to the sofa to assess.
“How do you think it went? I think the cocktail part was too long,” Inez says, turning toward Ray for input.
He has a different take. “More people gathered inside, but not on the screened porch because it was cooler. I was happy some of the younger guests went upstairs.” Inez is quick to add, “I think people clumped together differently this time. A lot sat by the kitchen counter and waited for desserts.
You can have a script of what you hope will happen, but it usually doesn’t go that way,” she says.
The couple’s oldest child, Lynn Yanow, who attended with husband David and daughter Dana, 9, agreed that the evening was “fun, the food fabulous, and the people seemed to enjoy it because my parents are so warm,” she says.
A large measure of the success is that the couple understands exactly what makes a party work, and in their case they believe it’s due to several ingredients. They know that come summer, busy people want to unwind.
They also know the importance of bringing together a mix of ages, professions and interests. “The key to success, more than the food,” says Inez, “is the right combination of guests. The food could be terrible, and it won’t necessarily be a terrible evening, but if you’ve got the wrong combination [of people], it can be awful.”
They also know that, though they may analyze all the details to help plan the next gathering, any missteps aren’t deadly. “I used to replay everything [over and over] in my brain. I now know that some things go wrong, no matter what. But nobody usually knows but me. The music stopped tonight; the caterer forgot to bring out the fancy creams and sugar. It was still OK,” she says.
Inez, whether hosting or decorating, is a master planner, who avoids last-minute food preparation, flower arranging and rentals. She owns enough dishes, glasses and cutlery to serve 100. She also knows to hire enough help.
Weeks before the party, she finalizes details. She buys the snack foods that she considers essential–16 pounds of cashews, 6 pounds each of chocolate and yogurt covered pretzels, 8 pounds of jelly beans, 3 pounds of fried Parmesan cheese crisps from Mitchell Cobey in Chicago. She decides on a color scheme and relentlessly sees it through.
This year she wanted cocktail napkins to match the pillows on the sofas, the main sofa’s cobalt-blue upholstery, the wall-hung quilts, and some lime-green vases. She arranged the napkins in stacks, alternating the lime green, orange, blue, red and yellow colors.
She hires professionals, but plays an active role in their choices. She knew she wanted the flowers to be casual, as if plucked from a garden. After she hired Melody Horn of Three Oaks Florists and Gifts in nearby Three Oaks, she sent to Horn lime-reen, cobalt-blue, red and yellow vases so Horn could find the right colored flowers in a variety of textures and heights. Among Horn’s choices were blue delphiniums, sedum and Gerber daisies.
Caterer Judy Kite-Gosh, of Kite’s Kitchen and Retro Cafe in New Buffalo, prides herself on using fresh ingredients from local growers in unpretentious recipes. “Michigan is a wonderful agricultural state. We try to be stylish, but never trendy. People do things to food that don’t make sense. They clutter flavors. I try to simplify,” she explains.
For the evening, the women decided on classic recipes with a few twists. And they made sure vegetarians wouldn’t go hungry. Where possible, Kite-Gosh deleted fat without hurting taste, except for desserts, which she knows people crave, despite talk of dieting.
Setting the mood was equally important. Inez lined the meandering entranceway with lights, which led down from the road through the thickly planted front yard to the front door, though many guests found their way to the pool entrance where the bar had been set up. Bright blue beach balls, weighted, floated in the pool; watering pitchers were filled with flowers.
Shortly before guests arrived, David checked the air conditioning. Inez plumped the pillows.
Because Inez knows her guests like to eat, hors d’oeuvres seemed to appear endlessly, though Kite-Gosh planned only for four to five pieces per person because of the buffet. CDs were selected to appeal to the generations. As the sun set, guests queued up by the buffet and mingled.
“I love entertaining,” Inez says. “It’s a form of decorating. You plan the table, food, flowers.” And the best part, she reiterates, “you bring people together.”
Passed hors d’oeuvres
Three-cheese gorgonzola pizzas
Artichoke puffs*
Smoked salmon canapes
Country pate
Chilled shrimp with zesty cocktail sauce
Buffet
Roast beef tenderloin with horseradish sauce and stone-ground mustard
Cold poached salmon with horseradish-dill sauce
Herb-crusted chicken breasts
Panzanella (Italian bread salad)*
Wild rice with golden raisins and pecans
Tropical couscous*
Marinated string bean salad
French bread
Desserts
Miniature chocolate eclairs
Fresh fruit with dipping sauces
Chocolate mousse brownies
Domestic cheese platter
Citrus orange cookies*
Chocolate chip cookies
*See recipes on page 30.
RECIPES
ARTICHOKE PUFFS
Makes 48
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup grated or finely shredded
Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon finely minced onion
4 dashes hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco sauce
10 artichoke hearts* (canned or bottled), drained, pressing out excess liquid, and cut into quarters
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or spray mini-muffin pans with non-stick vegetable spray.
2. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, cooking until soft. Set aside to cool.
3. In a large bowl, mix eggs, sour cream, ricotta cheese and lemon juice until blended. Add Parmesan cheese, flour, onion and hot pepper sauce, blending well. Stir in artichoke hearts, cheddar cheese and sauteed mushrooms, until combined. Scoop into prepared pans. The cups will be full and slightly overflowing, but do not allow contents from each cup to touch or the puffs will fail to rise. Bake for 19 to 22 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool slightly and remove from pans.
*Note: Artichoke puffs may be prepared a day or two in advance. Store in the refrigerator or freezer. Reheat in a 350-degree oven 6-7 minutes for refrigerated, or 10-11 minutes for frozen puffs.
PANZANELLA (ITALIAN BREAD SALAD)
Serves 24
2 European or seedless cucumbers, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large onion, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
9 large ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into bite-sized pieces
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons finely minced garlic
3 tablespoons commercially prepared or homemade pesto
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups of French or Italian bread in 3/4 – inch cubes
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1. Combine cucumbers, onion and tomatoes in a large bowl. Add extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, garlic and pesto, stirring to combine. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and saute bread cubes until lightly browned. Add to bowl, season with salt and pepper and mix well.
Note: Salad can be made several hours in advance, adding toasted bread croutons just before serving.
Tropical Couscous
Eight servings as a side dish
Dressing:
2 tablespoons pineapple juice
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1-3 teaspoons minced, seeded hot pepper, such as banana or Scotch bonnet (see note below)*
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Couscous:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced red bell pepper
1 cup diced fresh pineapple
3/4 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup dry couscous
1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1. Whisk together the dressing ingredients until salt is dissolved. Set aside.
2. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat in a skillet and saute onion and bell pepper. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the remaining butter to the skillet and saute pineapple for 1-2 minutes. Deglaze pan with 1/4 cup of the pineapple juice and transfer contents to the bowl.
3. Bring the chicken broth, remaining 1/2 cup pineapple juice and white pepper to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in the couscous, cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with fork and add it to the mixing bowl along with the dressing, tossing to combine. Garnish with toasted almonds and cilantro. Serve at room temperature.
Note: Wear gloves when chopping hot peppers and avoid touching the eyes or face. Depending on the degree of hotness, add the minced peppers a teaspoonful at a time, to amount desired.
CITRUS COOKIES
Makes 72
Cookie dough:
6 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups light brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons grated citrus zest (orange, lemon or lime)
2 cups chopped walnuts
Glaze:
2/3 cup citrus juice, choosing juice to match the zest
2 cups granulated sugar
8 tablespoons grated citrus zest (orange, lemon or lime)
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease cookie sheets or spray with a non-stick vegetable spray.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, nutmeg, baking soda and salt in a bowl until well combined. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add eggs, sour cream, vanilla and citrus zest, and blend with the machine on low speed. Stop the machine, add the dry ingredients and pulse the beaters on and off on low speed just until the ingredients are combined. The bowl will be very full. Stir in the nuts. For each cookie, scoop about 1 ounce of the dough onto the cookie sheets and bake for 17 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
4. Stir glaze ingredients until well blended. Spoon over hot cookies, right after they come out of the oven so they best absorb glaze. Cool cookies completely. Store between layers of waxed paper.
Note: Dough and glaze can be made a day or two in advance and baked as needed.
