New Years Eve Party

Have you ever hosted a party that became larger than life? My wife and I hosted a neighborhood New Years Eve party for over 25 years. We started when we lived in Delaware and our Supper Club friends were an integral part of it. When we moved to Tennessee we continued the tradition.

The party started out at about 25 people. Our Supper Club and neighborhood in Memphis is a lot larger. I should have known we were in trouble when during the course of the year we got alcohol induced queries about what someone needed to do to get an invite.

Credit to my wife. She saw the storm coming and wanted to curtail our efforts long before I did. My theory has always been the more the merrier. I “say” I can cook for 50 as easy as 15. But I was wrong. The party got to over 40 people and simply, got out of control. There were people there that we barely knew and Susan felt she wasn’t able to enjoy the time with her friends.

To get an idea of what the party was like here is a menu:

The logistics of pulling the party off was a challenge that I liked. Organizing the food prep, renting tables/chairs (one long table wound through the house), renting China (who has China for 40?). Susan being smarter than me was quick to point out that we were out control. Not to mention the cost. One might guess why the party was popular. It was certainly a lot cheaper to go to the Kenny’s than restaurant options.

Finally Susan put her foot down and said the party needed to kept to 20 people. That was fine but the unintended consequence was that there were over 20 people that got cut from the list that didn’t quite understand and are still mad at us today. Oh well.

Several years ago our niece’s wedding saved us. The wedding was scheduled on New Years Eve forced us out the NYE party business. It was sort of like the Chinese bamboo shoots under the fingernails. Boy does it feel good when you pull them out. Now we are just thankful not to be hosting the NYE party.

As final message to Supper Clubbers:
• Listen to your wife. Woman’s instincts on people are probably better
• Beware of unintended consequences
• Apologies to those who got cut. You are right. Susan is a sweetheart and I am an asshole

If you enjoyed this blog and similar other stories/wine group/supper club lessons follow me on Facebook and Twitter and subscribe to get future blogs at www.impromptufridaynights.com/blog and check out my book Impromptu Friday Nights a Guide to Supper Clubs. Published by Morgan James Publishing and available through most channels where books are sold.

Holiday Traditions – Peeling Of The Garlic

My daughter has been known to say: “This kitchen smells like Christmas Eve at home”. Yes, I use a lot of garlic in my cooking. One of my holiday traditions is to peel a few heads of garlic as part of getting a mise en place set up. (See the featured photo)

A Traditional Kenny – Christmas Menu

Well, 2020 is anything but traditional. Susan and I are healthy, but staying at home by our lonesome, just to be safe. At one point, we considered adopting our Jewish son-in law family’s Christmas tradition of eating Chinese Take-out on Christmas. As Ethan would say: “Who else would be open on Christmas?”.

Instead, we are going to a modified traditional plan where we have a linguini with clam sauce on Christmas eve. The clam sauce will be my homage to the Italian neighborhood, in New York that I grew up in where the “Feast Of The Seven Fishes” is served on Christmas Eve. I must confess that I still have a little scar-tissue to deal with. One year we had the whole Kenny Clan to Memphis for Christmas, and I published a menu that called for “The Feast Of The Seven Fishes” on Christmas Eve. After dinner which included clams, shrimp, scallops and cod, my brother-in law Brian asked about why I called it seven fishes when there were only four? Now Brian is a nuclear scientist and one of the smartest guys I know. So I told him that I was careful to count and made sure he had at least. 3 shrimp and 4 clams. Sales and Marketing guys just look at the world differently than scientists do.

Another Christmas ,the whole Kenny Clan descended on the ski resort at Waterville Valley in New Hampshire where Susan’s brother Bobby has a condo. After dinner on Christmas Eve, we had wonderful experience. It was a magical evening with a horse-drawn sleigh ride through heavy snowstorm with the whole family singing Christmas carols. It was also an experience that describes the difference between my two sisters. My sister Joan, the college professor, exclaimed “Isn’t this beautiful, it’s a winter wonderland”. My sister Bernadette, the corporate executive, leans in to her college aged niece and whispers: “Winter wonderland my ass, it’s a ‘F- – king’ blizzard. You can’t buy memories like that.

Ok, so Christmas in 2020 will be a little different…

Not to worry, the Kenny kitchen will smell like garlic

The Magic Pan

For most of us, the food we grew up with is special. People from New York like New York Pizza. People from Chicago like Chicago Pizza. If you are lucky enough to have a mother that is a great cook, your favorite dishes are going to be what your mother made. My buddy Angelo talks about his mother’s magic pan and the dishes she made with it with a mythical wonder.

Mom Doing Her Magic in The Kitchen

A friend of mine grew up on the island of Cephalonia off the mainland of Greece. Spiros would talk about Cephalonia and his face would glaze over with a smile fueled by the fondest of memories. Angelo talks about his mother’s Fried Zucchini and Ravioli with A Beef Ragu made with her magical pan with the same look on his face.

Fried Zucchini With Pasta

Ravioli With A Beef Ragu

Mom Making Homemade Gnocchi

Most families look at inheritance in terms of money, property, jewelry or maybe furniture. All I inherited from my father is a wacky sense of humor and a few old golf clubs. Angelo’s big ask is for his mother’s magic pan. That pan will make great meals, but more importantly, it will invoke really great memories.

Angelo with His Wife & Son