Katie Brown - Katie Brown Celebrates: Simple and Spectacular Parties All Year Round

Copyright 2008 by Katie Brown Photographs copyright 2008 by Paul Whicheloe All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Little, Brown and Company Hachette Book Group 237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Visit our Web site at www.HachetteBookGroup.com Little, Brown and Company is a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc. The Little, Brown name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book Group, Inc. First eBook Edition: November 2008 ISBN: 978-0-316-05547-5 Prentiss Crockett Corbin,You give me reason to celebrate every day. I still remember the very first Christmas I spent away from home.

The doorbell rang and the mailman handed me a letter. Immediately, I recognized my mothers handwriting and felt incredibly homesick. I tore open the letter, looking for any type of holiday comfort, as I was miles away from my family. In hopes of easing my loneliness, my mother had put into words the joy and honor she felt having hadas she described itthe privilege of spending so many Christmases with me growing up. Although I was missed that year, she was sure there would be more festivities right around the corner, more occasions that I could infuse with my spirit of the season. As if she were slowly decorating a towering Christmas tree, she proceeded to share memories with the same care as hanging ornaments.

She described the glee in my eye as I wrapped gifts for everyone in my family. She recounted the immense pride I took in playing the little drummer boy in our homemade pageant (you must understand that this was the first and only time my older sister let me play anything other than one of the farm animals). Then she reminded me of the excitement I displayed when we selected a donkey piata for my eleventh-birthday party, and how I insisted on collecting special sticks that I then hand-painted for the event. I could hear her laugh through the letter as she described the time the fire department was called when I lit my kitchen on fire making batik sarongs for each of my guests in preparation for my first-ever sleepover. And, of course, the Christmas I arrived home from college and, having never prepared more than a box of mac and cheese, enthusiastically insisted on cooking the big buffet dinner for fifty celebrating my sisters graduation. Not only was it a touching letter, it was also a ton of fun to read.

And as I reminisce even now about parties past, I realize that the spirit she described in her letter has only gotten stronger. Ive never had a hard time finding a good reason to celebrate, regardless of the occasion or circumstances. After all, the art of celebration is what makes life funit is what creates traditions and memories. I remind my team at the Katie Brown Workshop that we have the privilege of teaching people about the fun things in life... the icing on the cake, as we say. And to me there is nothing more fun than a party.

Here youll find that the party continues from my family holidays right onto the pages of this book. We had a party as we conceived it, prepared it, shot it, and wrote it. My mom was onto somethingI started preparing for this book during those childhood holidays, making this an obvious choice for my fifth and most important book. May this book inspire you to embrace an occasion. May this book encourage you to treat your next fete with love and care. The following pages are filled with simple and easy recipes, and tabletop ideas that are surefire ways to inspire you to celebrate and celebrate often, no matter what the occasion.

Tabletop ALL THAT GLITTERS DESSERT REFLECTION TRAY PARTY BALLS Menu PARMESAN SOUP WITH SWISS CHARDSTUFFED DUMPLINGS FILET OF BEEF PILED HIGH WITH MUSHROOMS AND FRIED LEEKS GORGONZOLA-STUFFED POTATOES ENDIVE SALAD WITH WATERCRESS AND GRAPEFRUIT EASY CHOCOLATE MOUSSE, THREE WAYS CHOCOLATE CHUNKS WITH CHERRIES AND PISTACHIOS january A NEW YEARS EVENING january A NEW YEARS EVENING M y most memorable New Years Eve took place in my hometown of Petoskey, Michigan. I was eleven years old, and the big plans for the evening included watching the ball drop in Times Square on TV with my sisters and brother. My mother and father, not usually big partygoers, decided to make an exception and attend a fancy party. I remember being awestruck as they descended the stairs, my mother in a long black gown with silver trim and my father in a jet-black tuxedo. The image took my breath away. They were completely transformed.

They said their good-byes as my sisters and I settled on the couch. My brother, though, had mysteriously disappeared. Moments before the final countdown, he reappeared carrying some type of contraption. It was a ball that hung over the door, with a long handle that he pulled when the clock struck midnight, his own six-year-old version of the Times Square ball drop. The mix of his enthusiasm and the warmth of seeing my mother and father shine so bright made the night seem just as exciting in Petoskey as it did in New York City. This celebration chapter combines my parents glamour with my brothers excitement and ingenuity that New Years Eve.

Enjoy, and happy new year! ALL THAT GLITTERS This eye-catching centerpiece pays homage to the ball that drops in Times Square, and I believe the sparkling, silvery tinsel adds just the right touch of glamour. Materials 10 FEET OF COPPER COIL SILVER METALLIC SPRAY PAINT SEVERAL STYROFOAM BALLS IN VARIOUS SIZES SEVERAL FEET OF SILVER TINSEL GARLAND PER STYROFOAM BALL GREENING PINS Tools PIPE CUTTER SCISSORS PEN COIL STAND Cut the copper coil in half with a pipe cutter. Slightly uncoil each half of the pipe until it reaches around 2 feet tall, ensuring you have a sturdy circular base. Spray paint the copper coils silver and let them dry. BALLS Wrap the tinsel garland around the Styrofoam balls until completely covered, securing with greening pins. Poke holes in the two largest balls with a pen and place them on top of the silver pipe stands. DESSERT REFLECTION TRAY Theres no better way to show off simple mousse than by placing bite-size portions on spoons and serving them on a mirrored tray, especially one you make yourself in a few easy steps. DESSERT REFLECTION TRAY Theres no better way to show off simple mousse than by placing bite-size portions on spoons and serving them on a mirrored tray, especially one you make yourself in a few easy steps.