Cheers to the holidays! My favourite season is finally here, and this means hosting, gathering and entertaining! Also, all the yummy food, sparkly dresses and Christmas music!
Though truth to be told, I haven’t been hosting much since we had our second daughter.. and she is four years old now.. You’re wondering why? Well, cooking for a big group of people, while trying to survive in a chaos af the everyday life- as a mother, is just simply terrifying. Not to mention one tiny problem: time. Preparing a nice party for friends, with kids around, basically means that either you ship your kids to grandparents for the day, or you end up ordering food. At least, this is what I used to think.
Until last week, when I hosted the Must Try Party, and with my friends we have discovered the new President’s Choice Insider Collection: simply perfect for entertaining and parties! I have set a table full of food: from delicious gnocchi to mini empanadas, with cheese and meat platters, hot shrimp and scallops gratin and the best bacon in my life: and it took me 30 minutes to prepare! Now that’s a stress free entertaining!
First, meat lovers rejoice! I have tried hands down the best bacon in my life: Honey and sea salt naturally smoked bacon, and even if I would like to be vegan, after trying this I just can’t. My husband loved the hardwood smoked chicken wings and my friends were obsessed with the Splendido Antipasto Misto– aka the perfect meat platter with mild Genoa salami,Coppa di Parma and prosciutto.
We have also tried the best smoked flavoured cheddar cheese ever! And the aged 5 years Canadian cheddar was my hubby’s favourite.
Also, if you ever wondered if you should spend an hour on cutting fruit for your perfect cheese and meat platter, then I’ll give you an easier solution: just add some Pomegranate Arils! In a bowl, pomegranate looks beautiful and is a great addition to cold meats and cheese! Not to mention that any drink, even a simple sparkling water, will look so much more festive with a bit of Pomegranate in it!
One of the things I used to do pre-kids, was preparing finger foods for my guest. It would take me all afternoon, and it used to be what I liked to munch on the most too. I can’t imagine spending all afternoon working on hors d’oeuvre now to be honest! Not with kids running around! Soo these Asian Hors D’oeuvres and the Chicken Empanadas from the Insiders Collection have really made me so happy; they were exactly what my guests loved, full of taste and the best part is they are ready to serve.
The only thing I did prepare, was serving this Oak Smoked Scottish Atlantic Salmon on some crackers with cream cheese. So simple, and seriously, so delicious! Also, we tried the Sweet & Heat Popcorn, and I must say, it’s loaded with flavour!
And if you have noticed my pretty new cristal glasses, well they are also from the Insiders Collection! They would be perfect for serving wine ( there are two sizes in the package- one for white wine and one for red) though I think they make my water look pretty fancy too!
The best part of my party was realizing that I can invite friends over this Holiday season and we can eat great food and no, I don’t have to spend all day stressed in the kitchen in order to prepare it. Because with all the choices in the Insiders Collection, hosting is really made easy. And for a foodie like me, this is really great news!
Disclosure: this post was brought to you by President’s Choice, all opinions remain entirely my own.