This Holiday season I was lucky enough to connect with Entertaining Expert Maureen Petrosky, a regular on NBC’s Today Show. A brilliant party planner {even on the fly!}, she shared with me some of her go-to tips for hosting this Holiday season. Of course I quickly fell in love with the tips and asked her to volunteer them to my readers, which she so kindly did! So read on so you too can be the Hostess with the Mostest through the New Year. Thank you Maureen for sharing these great tips!!

Maureen shared, “The key to a great party is all about timing. Stress doesn’t have to ever come into play if you just follow a few of my golden rules.”

1. Go for Gold – When decorating for the holidays through New Years, I go for a gold tablecloth, and simply add more glittery objects to take it from December to New Year’s Eve/Day dinner. {FH picks include these Matouk placemats, these Kim Seybert napkin rings, and these BHLDN candlesticks. See a full list in this FH post!}
2. Three is the Magic Number – From appetizers to drinks and desserts, you don’t need to be a classically trained chef to entertain this holiday. My “rule of three” gives confidence to any kitchen rookie or aspiring home mixologist. My go-to three ingredient appetizer is a fresh baguette sliced thin and toasted, top with a scoop of good quality ricotta cheese, drizzle with truffle oil and finish with coarse sea salt and cracked pepper. {See how I gave the recipe a go in the photos below!}
3. The Three P’s – This tip is for entertaining any time of year, but especially around the holidays when unexpected guests are more likely to show up. I always keep Sandeman Founders Reserve Porto, pound cake, and pain {French for bread}—typically French baguettes—in the house. With these three things I can put out a festive spread with very little effort. Pour that holiday port cocktail, top sliced baguette with everything from Manchego cheese and spicy honey to leftover cranberry sauce and cream cheese for easy appetizers, and dress up the pound cake with everything from quick-glazed kumquats or oranges and dried cherries to rosemary-infused fresh whipped cream and pomegranate seeds. Et voila! You’re ready to entertain in style.

Be sure to follow Maureen Petrosky’s tips and recipes on her website and Facebook.