Author: Debbi Covington

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!

I had been reading Pat Conroy’s cookbook, The Pat Conroy Cookbook: Recipes and Stories of My Life, when our telephone rang. Pat’s sister-in-law, Terrye, was on the line with a request (actually, bestowing an honor) from the Conroy family for me to cater Pat’s funeral reception. That happened back in March of 2016. It seemed like fate or even serendipity, that I had Pat’s cookbook on my desk with a folded down corner marking Chapter 15, “Why Dying Down South Is More Fun.”

It’s all about pumpkins! In October and November, we get our fill of pumpkin pies, pumpkin cheesecakes, pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin casseroles. These three recipes offer a different twist on our favorite flavor of the season. Best of all, they’re easy to make and they’re all delicious.

Who doesn’t love a steak hot off the grill? It’s a great go-to dinner party entree. Hmm, what else to serve? Choosing a baked potato or mashed potatoes can be kind of boring. And then there’s the business of selecting a salad and dessert. Oh yeah, gotta come up with an appetizer, too.

Vince recently had a hankering for grilled Italian sausages with onions and peppers. Just a hint of autumn in the air makes us both miss North Carolina and the NC State Fair that’s held every October in Raleigh. Raleigh, besides being the place of my birth, is also known as THE Capital to NC native Andy Griffith fans.