Author: Debbi Covington

“May the leprechauns be near you, to spread luck along your way. And, may all the Irish angels smile upon you St. Patrick’s Day.” Corned beef is a long-standing American St. Patrick’s Day tradition. In Ireland, the St. Patrick’s Day meal would most likely be ham and cabbage.

It’s time to roll out the red carpet! The 14th annual Beaufort International Film Festival is in full swing with film makers, directors, screen writers, movie stars and lots of film-loving fans. Our local film festival is six days of pure merriment. This year, Oscar and Emmy winning sound engineer Eugene Gearty is slated to receive the Pat Conroy Lifetime Achievement Award during Sunday night’s Awards Gala. (I’m catering the reception again this year. Yay!)

I blame my editor. Margaret Evans, this is all your fault. We were sitting on the Lowcountry Weekly porch during Water Festival and I mentioned that I was looking for a new historical fiction series to binge watch on Netflix. Almost immediately, Margaret said, “Outlander. Have you watched Outlander yet? I bet you’ll love it.”

An impressive weeknight dinner doesn’t need to be complicated. I completely agree that our freakishly hot weather hasn’t been very inspirational as far as winter recipes are concerned. Typically this would be the season for soups, stews and chilis. January makes me think of gooey grilled cheese and crusty buttered breads. Not this year. Not in Beaufort, South Carolina anyway.

The first couple of weeks in January are my quiet time, a kind of calm after the holiday storm. Christmas decorations have been taken down and put away. The new year has just begun. Catering doesn’t usually start back in full swing until around the 12th. The days are typically cloudy and chilly and nighttime comes too early.

What a fun time of year to be in the kitchen! I love preparing all of the savory goodies and sweet treats that I grew up with at Christmastime. This is the time of year for sausage balls, cheese straws, baby fruitcakes and yule logs. I’ve been feeling inspired to try some new sweets recipes. With a holiday party at our house on Saturday night, last week was the perfect time to experiment.

I love Christmas! I love December! What other month of the year is so overloaded with parties? It’s so much fun to dress up a couple of times a week and spend happy time with our friends. Vince and I hosted our annual Christmas party last weekend. Fifty-five of our dearest friends graced our home on Saturday night. Merriment ensued. We ate, drank, laughed, took a zillion photos and even sang a few carols around the piano. At the end of the evening, I asked some of our party guests to choose three of their favorite offerings from our cocktail buffet.

It’s hard to believe that Christmas is less than four weeks away. So many parties, so little time! When I was at Michael’s Salon on Wednesday, I was trying to decide on a topic for this Holiday Gift Guide column. When in doubt, ask your hairdresser. “Michael, should I write about hostess gifts or Christmas appetizers?” “Appetizers!” he said almost immediately.

Clients and friends often ask why I take my vacation at Christmastime, especially when so many lucrative catering jobs are available. My stock answer is consistently the same.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and everyone is throwing a holiday party, including you. Aren’t you tired of serving (and being served) sliced ham and turkey with cocktail rolls? A bowl of shrimp with cocktail sauce has been done to death. Cheese and vegetable platters are totally boring fare. Even traditional crab dip is getting old. You’re in luck! Your guests are sure to love these three delectable cocktail party recipes. Best of all, they’re all simple to prepare and can be made in advance. Happy Holidays!