5 Reasons to Book your Holiday Party in August

With the hot sun, humidity, summer breezes and finally getting a little bit of a tan it may be hard to concentrate thoughts on Christmas plans, but here are five great reasons to reserve now.

1) More people are booking corporate parties early to avoid the crush of activity during the last two weeks before Christmas, and dates are going to fill quickly.

2) Many venues will offer a discount for early deposits.

3) Booking early takes a big task off the planner's plate, allowing time to think about the fun things in greater detail....like food and fun!

4) Booking early captures the attention of your event planner at a time when they have more free time to focus on your party in particular.

5) Booking your party early will give allow you to also book entertainment, photographers and other vendors will they still have open dates.

We at Pomegranate Parties are truly seeing a trend this year of early interest in securing dates for both personal and corporate Holiday parties. Don't get left out in the cold by waiting too long. The Danforth Inn will provide a beautiful backdrop for your Holiday entertaining needs. All of our menus are created specifically for your guest list. Please feel free to make an appointment for a tour of the Inn to see our newly renovated spaces.

Planning a Fabulous Wedding: From the Groom's Eyes

I came across a groom's review for creating a great wedding experience while reading a few personal wedding blogs and thought it was noteworthy for a couple of reasons. Normally wedding blogs are from the woman's point of view, and rarely are the guys speaking up. I loved that a groom took the time AFTER the wedding to talk about his thoughts on planning a great wedding.
The other interesting note is that the keys to success from a man's point of view, are the exact steps to create a wonderful experience that a planner would emphasis!

This is from the Wedding of Mitch and Molly, from Mitch's eyes.

Your friends and family want to help. I felt a little weird soliciting a friend to act as our officiant, but he was honored beyond measure to play such an important role in our marriage. We got him some nice gifts for his efforts and he truly seemed to feel like we didn’t owe him anything. Same thing happened with our musicians — they were just psyched to set up somewhere and play for someone they cared about. You wouldn’t get that with professionals. Don’t be afraid to reach out and see what people might want to do for you! You may be surprised.

Get creative when hiring vendors. We couldn’t have been happier with the services all of our vendors provided (Molly will go into detail about this in a later post). And all of them charged much less than the going rate. Why? Our photographer was superb, and has plenty of experience shooting weddings, but since she’s still a college student she charged us a low rate (we asked for less postproduction work than usual). The DJ was the host at a pub trivia host I attend each week. He’s a professional with plenty of experience, but since I went to him directly and not through a company, he gave me a good deal. And despite what the terrifying, monolithic floral industry would have you believe, you really can get great flowers from an independent florist working out of her home. With minimal effort, and some networking, you can save thousands of dollars on your vendors.

Take pictures before the ceremony. This was the smartest thing we did. I know some people have a superstition about the bride and groom seeing one another before the ceremony, but that’s nonsense. By getting the pictures out of the way early, we worked out most of our nerves. More important, we had much more time to spend with our guests. We even dropped in on the cocktail hour. I’d hate to have missed all that time to be taking pictures.

Put your own stamp on it. Every wedding does most of the same things, but that doesn’t mean you have to do those things the same way you’ve seen them done before. Plan your wedding in a way that reflects your personality! We had a few surprises throughout the evening: Molly’s dad handed me a fake dowry when he was giving her away. When we were introduced at the reception, Molly and I ran around the room high-fiving people. And we had an ice cream sundae bar in place of cake. I’m not saying you should do these things specifically. But look at what opportunities you have to put your own stamp on the event. That’ll make it memorable for you and your guests.

Pay as much up front as possible. I can’t overstate how good it feels not to have any debt hanging over us as we begin our marriage. We cut costs in every way we could, and we also made sure to pay however much we could at every step of the way. We didn’t have to, in most cases, but you don’t want all those bills coming due at the same time. Nor do you want to put stuff on the credit card and have it building up interest while you’re trying to enjoy your honeymoon. This is true not just for weddings, but for every major purchase in your life. (Here I should mention that we were fortunate to have some significant financial assistance from our families, which I know isn’t always the case for people.)

Have awesome friends and family. I guess this is luck of the draw more than anything. But it sure helps!

It's Official: A Fabulous Venue for Pomegranate Parties

The grande dame of the historical Portland Maine Inn scene the Danforth Inn, located in the Olde Port district of Portland, is the most recent addition to the family of Bed and Breakfasts owned by Kimberly Swan of the Swan Agency, Bar Harbor, Maine. We are thrilled to offer Portland this beautiful venue for intimate, elegant and contemporary events.

Currently closed for renovations, we plan to open to the Public by May 15th.

An ongoing supply of updates will be available here, and also on the Danforth Inn Blog, and also via our page on Facebook entitled: Danforth Inn.

We look forward to carrying on the rich history of the Inn both as a Bed and Breakfast, and stunning backdrop for many of life's most celebratory occasions.

Open That Bottle Night 2009 (At the Carriage House)

Our form of celebration of "Open that Bottle Night 2009"
was a subdued one.

My dining partner is well over a week into

a cold that just won't let go.

The challenge was not only to find a delightful bottle of wine to mark the evening, but a light wine to accompany a healthy, recovery producing meal. I decided on a butternut, white bean and kale soup with a fried goat cheese garnish. There is a surprising little twist in this recipe of an unexpected bite of tart and salt with the addition of kalamata olives. I love the contrast....I believe the jury is still out with Marc.

I love this pic....I hope the steam shows up when I post...hmmm, makes me want another bowl.

Oh yes...the wine....We enjoyed a bottle of Chateau St. Michele 2005 Reisling. The sweetness was a nice back note with the saltiness of the olives in the stew. Normally I think I would prefer a bold red with this particular stew.

Recipe:

Butternut, White Bean and Kale Stew

1/4 cup olive oil
1 large sweet onion, diced
3 gloves minced garlic
3-4 cups 1" chopped butternut squash
1 red bell pepper in 1" dice
1-1/2 cups vegetable broth
3 cups kale, thick stems removed, and sliced into thin slices
1 TBL dried rubbed sage
1 -15 oz can cannellini beans
3/4 cup kalamata olives, halved
freshly grated Romano cheese

Fried Goat Cheese:
one small log goat cheese
1 egg, beaten with small amount of water
1 cup flour
1 cup bread crumbs seasoned anyway you like
1/2 cup safflower oil

Stew:
Saute onions for about 5 minutes in olive oil, then add garlic and peppers, sauteeing for 5-8 more minutes. Add in squash, stirring for 5 minutes. Add small amount of salt and pepper at this stage and half of sage. Pour in broth, to almost cover vegetables, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, remove cover and simmer for 10-15 more minutes until vegetables are tender. If you like a thicker stew, use a potato masher to rough mash some of the vegetables at this point. Add in kale and cook for 10 minutes or until kale is tender. Add beans, olives and sage, cooking for 5 more minutes. Check seasonings at this stage.

Goat Cheese:
Slice log of cheese into 1/4 " slices, using a wet knife. Re wet knife for each slice to get a nice clean piece of cheese. Let come to room temperature. Whisk egg and add a small amount of water. Dip cheese in flour, tap off excess, dip in egg and bread crumbs, and repeat the egg and bread crumb stage so you do a double dip. This is one time it is OK to double dip. Heat oil just until a drop of water skips around the pan and carefully add half the slices of cheese. Cooking time completely depends on how thick the slices are. Cook till golden, use two small offset spatulas to turn and then remove cheese to paper towel lined plate.

NOTE: Do not add fried cheese to stew until just time to serve. The breading immediately starts to soak up all the lucious broth in the stew.

Maine Food Ambassador Program

I am pleased to announce that I will be starting a round of classes this week, to learn more about the Foods, Wines and Beers of the State of Maine as part of a certification program to become a Food and Wine Ambassador for the State of Maine. This is approximately a year long course with a series of rounds of classes on different topics, starting with cheeses.

The cheese classes will give participants the language to describe specific cheeses, ideas regarding how to serve and prepare cheeses, and help define Maine's niche in the wider cheese world.

As both an Innkeeper, and caterer I am looking forward to the expanded knowledge base I will receive and how it will apply to enriching both the Inns and the Event Side of our business.

Its Pancake Week...Have a Party!

What a great way to have an economical party! Celebrate Pancake Week by having a little Pancake Party. This is so easy, you can simply throw it together after you get home from work for a last minute get together...or celebrate with a more leisurely brunch over the weekend.

The combinations are endless, but don't get caught up or overwhelmed by all the choices. How about a build your own pancake buffet? You make the basic batter, and have a few bowls of additions for guests to choose their own combinations, like blueberries, bananas, or sugared pecans and cook to order. A few sides of bacon or sausage....some breakfast style cocktails like mimosas or bellinis and you have a ready made good time.

Do you know the history of pancake week? During the Middle Ages it was common practice to rid the pantries of all the extravagent food supplies like eggs, butter, flour and sugar in preparation for Lent. These ingredients frequently became big batches of glorious pancakes.

A few basic techniques to remember, and you will be the celebrated pancake host of the neighborhood. Pancakes are a bit like brownies...they are sooooo easy and delicious to make from scratch, why would anyone ever compromise with a mix from the store?

Here's all you need to know...Mix your dry ingredients thoroughly before adding any wet. Once you have added the wet ingredients into the dry...only mix enough to combine ingredients. Over beating will result in a tough pancake. Buttermilk is always a great choice, as it creates a light and fluffy pancake. Most importantly...

Take the time to separate your eggs, and beat the egg whites till stiff. Quickly and gently fold those stiff egg whites into your completed batter just before cooking. The result will be the lightest pancakes you will ever have.

As a Senior in High School...on awards day when everyone was receiving accolades....you know, the academic awards for the studious braniacs, the athletic awards for the coordinated jocks, the arts and music awards for the gifted students.....I received an award for the best pancakes ever. Peach pancakes I believe was the award winning flavor. I thought it was kind of a joke at first, but when I made them for my peach loving Dad, I remember him sitting back in his chair, rolling his eyes, and exclaiming, "Oh yeah, these ARE award winning."

Your friends will love the idea of a dinner breakfast party, so break out the bowls and whisks and let me know what creative combinations you come up with!

"Better" than Oreo Cookies

I am a little fickle when it comes to baking. I'll work on a recipe, make it often and keep tweaking...and then suddenly forget about it and move on to something else. Quite a while ago I had been working on an oreo recipe that I was pretty happy with, but it never quite got there....then like the weather in Portland...something changed and they fell of my radar. Thanks to Smitten Kitchen they popped back into my mind while pondering how to console myself in the kitchen during our latest snow storm. Ahh...problem was too much sugar in the actual cookie. Oreos are actually not very sweet, and just a tad salty. Back to the kitchen I went and quickly whipped up a batch....and they ARE quick to make...so for all of us instant gratification people, this is sweet news! Initial reviews have been very good....one of my wonderful housekeepers here at the Inn promptly announced that they were much better than the real thing because the filling is flavorful and not so waxy...and my darling of sweets, my king of all things baked is in love, love, love with this new version. His greatest critique was just that he felt too guilty to eat the whole lot in one sitting.

Oreo cookies
Makes 25-30
For cookie:
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa (don't substitute!)
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt...plus a tiny pinch
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons rooms temperature unsalted butter
1 large egg,room temperature

Filling:
1/4 cup room temperature unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
For cookies:
In food processor bowl (can use mixer...but this is SO fast!) mix flour, cocoa, baking soda,
and baking powder, salt and sugar. Pulse to mix thoroughly. While pulsing, add butter, and then the egg. Continue processing till dough comes together in a mass.
On a parchment lined cookie sheet, take teaspoons of dough and roll to a ball, and then with moist hand, flatten slightly to get that oreo look as they bake. Use two sheets doubled up if you don't have air pans.
Bake for 9 minutes, and rotate halfway through. Check....don't over bake!
Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.
For filling:
Place butter and sugar in mixing bowl, and whip until light. Add low speed, add sugar and vanilla gradually. Whip on high for 2-3 minutes until nice and fluffy.
Using a pastry back with a 1/2" star tip, pipe on a good sized dollop of filling on half of the cookies (flat side). You have enough filling for a rounded size teaspoon worth on each cookie to get a nice generous filling.
Top with the flat side of the the other half of disks, matching like sizes up together.

This is a cookie that benefits from a smaller size when you are preparing them for baking. Too much dough, and they don't look like their namesake

Patrick Groleau Photography

Patrick Groleau is someone I feel honored to be able to call my friend, as well as a trusted vendor. I have watched him on the event site working with people, in a very quiet, almost unassuming way. Not at all like any photographer I have ever worked with, he has a gift for catching the real moments, not the orchestrated ones. His candid shots seem to look like they are too good to be candid, and his shots that are posed, don't appear to be. He is watching several things at once when working...he is watching the timeline, the flow of the day, the light, the mood and bringing it all together to create a photograph album that will speak to a bride and groom for all their days.

When I asked Patrick to give me a little bit of a bio...I found myself smiling as I read how he became entranced by photography...it is very much the same path that I became entranced with cooking. He with his Dad, and I with my Father's Mother.

I've decided to put what he sent me here in full...in his own words because they truly capture Patrick and what he is all about. Please do visit his website whether or not you are looking for a wedding photographer. If you are shopping for photography services, you will find that not only is Patrick very reasonable, he is indeed fair. That is a rare trait among professional photographers these days. Patrick...here's to lots more weddings together! (yes.....I'll save you some lobster....)

... first memory of photography is one of standing tip-toe atop a stool in a pitch dark room ... once my father had immersed the paper in the tray full of smelly developer and turned on the faint yellow safelight, i was allowed to grab hold of the edge of the table and hoist myself up so that i could better watch the magic as the image he had exposed in his camera earlier in the week was slowly brought to view by the chemicals soaking the paper ... then, after the stop bath and fixer and two long sessions in the wash tanks, i was allowed to squeegee the pictures and place them in the drying racks ...

... later, much later, via some sort of under-the-table barter, he provided me with a cardboard box filled with rolls of outdated kodak print and agfa color slide films ... i can remember the day my ma came into my room and, after looking at the pictures i'd pinned up on the walls, asked, "these aren't the pictures you showed me, where are all the good ones" ... i pulled open one of my desk drawers and pointed to several envelopes, "those're the good ones" ... she peered again at the pictures on the walls, noticing that alongside each was a photograph cut from a magazine ... "what're these pictures" ... "those're all pictures from national geographic, ma, mine are all the ones i messed up taking" ... she stared at her seemingly crazy, son, "why don't you put up all the nice ones you've taken" ... "because i won't learn anything from them, ma ... i want mine to be as good as the ones in the geo" ...

... that's how i started ... later, after much reflection, i learned that i'd taken to photography because it so perfectly complimented my vision ..

A little fun with lobsters

While looking for some information on entertaining with lobster to promote the hard working men and women that provide live Maine Lobster for a living, I came across this idea, and just could not resist sharing it....