Sometimes, the best way to bring warmth to a house during the holidays is the easiest way. A simple orchid and a strand of twinkly lights might be all that’s needed to get you and your family in the spirit. If you don’t have any potpourri, bake cookies to fill the house with cozy scents. If you don’t have any ribbon to tie on your wreath, hang it up without. Here, St. Louis chefs and designers give their tips for making the most of the season with the least fuss. We also compiled gift ideas from some of St. Louis’ favorite institutions, plus a list of some of the best nonprofit holiday bazaars and craft fairs.
EASY PEASY ENTERTAINING
Preparing festive food for a party doesn’t have to be too involved—and it can be made well in advance. Sometimes, something glamorous and unusual (like Naam Pruitt’s water-chestnut dip or Helen Fletcher’s spicy orange hummus) is simply a matter of mixing ingredients.
Anne Cori, owner of Kitchen Conservatory (8021 Clayton, 314-862-2665, kitchenconservatory.com) suggests this quick soup.
Cream of Crab Soup
Serves 10 to 12.
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons shallots, minced
2 tablespoons celery, minced
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup white wine
4 cups fish stock
Salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper
2 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 pound crabmeat, picked over to remove any shell particles
Parsley, minced
Melt the butter, add the shallots and celery, and sauté for several minutes. Add the flour and stir it into a paste. Add the wine, bring it to a boil, then add the stock. Bring the liquid to a boil and season it well with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. Add the milk and cream. When you’re ready to serve the soup, add the crabmeat and garnish it with the minced parsley.
Helen Fletcher, The Ardent Cook (theardentcook.com) and pastry chef at Tony’s, puts a twist on hummus by adding orange zest.
Spicy Orange Hummus
Makes 2 1/3 cups.
1 large clove garlic, peeled
3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1 16-ounce can chickpeas or garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup tahini
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons orange zest
Pita chips
With the food processor running, drop the garlic in to mince it. Add all the remaining ingredients except the pita chips and process them until the mixture is smooth. Place the hummus in a bowl and serve it with the chips.
St. Louis food expert and cookbook author Naam Pruitt (naampruitt.com) says her water-chestnut dip and Caprese skewers take less than 20 minutes to assemble.
Water-Chestnut Dip
Makes about 2 cups.
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce
Rice crackers or pita chips
Mix the cream cheese, water chestnut, cilantro, soy sauce, and chili sauce together in a medium-size mixing bowl. Chill the dip until it’s ready to serve. It can be kept in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Serve it with the crackers or pita chips.
Caprese Skewers
Makes 12 skewers.
12 fresh mozzarella balls (bocconcini)
12 cherry tomatoes
12 fresh basil leaves
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Thread one mozzarella ball, one tomato, and one basil leaf onto a wooden skewer. Repeat with the remaining 11 skewers until all of the ingredients are assembled. Arrange the skewers on a platter. Drizzle them with olive oil, and season them with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate the skewers for up to 2 hours.
Linda Pilcher, owner of Something Elegant Catering (2200 Yale, 314-781-7722, somethingelegantcatering.com), credits New York restaurateur Danny Meyer for this recipe.
Union Square Spiced Rosemary Nuts
Makes 5 cups.
1/4 pound each of five kinds of raw nuts, such as cashews, pecans, pistachios, almonds, etc.
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toss the nuts in a large bowl and spread them on a cookie sheet. Toast them in the oven until they become light golden brown, about 10 minutes. Return the nuts to the bowl and add the rosemary, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, salt, and melted butter. Mix thoroughly. Serve warm.
SOMETIMES, YOU SIMPLY CAN'T DO IT ALL
We often forget that there are businesses out there that specialize in helping you throw a party. Imagine the bliss of having a backup—someone there to set out the canapés, light the candles, and get the drinks going. And more fantastic still, think about having someone to help with the cleanup, clear away plates and dishes, and magically restore the house to just the way it was.
Get Help
“When you hire someone else to do the serving and clearing, it allows you to enjoy your party as much as the guests,” says Michelle Forthaus, owner of Party Helpers (314-846-6916). “All the last-minute details, when you usually wish there were two of you, are taken care of. Hiring a bartender to serve a specialty drink, or even wine and beer, can actually help control the cost.”
Pretend You're a Guest
“For around $25 an hour, you can have all the help you need, from a simple bartender to a full chef,” says Emily Huber, vice president of Planned Parties (314-993-4646). “It is an affordable luxury that most people might not consider.”
TRIMMING TRICKS
Time It Right
Nancy Pedley of Kelce & Pedley Design (314-961-7453, yourlandscapedesigners.com) says a wreath for the front door certainly doesn’t need to be embellished to look festive, “and lights, as far as we’re concerned, make the season. Weave them in wherever you can—in and out of cut greens on a mantel, up a banister… Add berries for color.” Pedley also suggests setting LED lights on a timer—on at 5 p.m., off at 10. “It’s a worry-free way to bring warmth to any room.”
Floral Flourishes
“I love cymbidium orchids at Christmastime,” says Barb Wehking of Bloomin’ Buckets (9844 Manchester, 314-961-4040, bloominbuckets.com). “They come in such wonderful shades and last well into January.” One simple and inexpensive idea, Wehking says, is dangling big sugar pine cones from ribbon or twine and hanging them on your front door. “And put Christmas-tree tips in neat, interesting containers, and place them on buffets or down the center of a table.”
Ring of Wreaths
If your wreaths from years past have lost their luster, Resito Pecson of twigs & MOSS (7715 Clayton, 314-454-0447) suggests combining them. For example, fit a circle of pine cones inside a simple green wreath, he says, or place fresh eucalyptus in the center of a wreath made of brush. The contrasting materials are an inexpensive way to invigorate your decor.
Perfect Scents
Ken Miesner of Ken Miesner’s Flowers (Plaza Frontenac, 1701 S. Lindbergh, 314-567-6650, ken-miesner.com) likes decorative candle rings, which are an instant way to transform candlesticks, candelabras, and chandeliers. Be sure to put a well-lit miniature tree in every room, he says. And don’t forget a seasonal potpourri. He reminds you to “keep that plate of fresh-baked cookies on the counter to complete the atmosphere!”
Simplify, Simplify
Tim Rohan of T. Rohan Interiors (7310 Manchester, 314-647-7400) says less is definitely more when it comes to Christmas: “Keep it classic and sparse, and it will come off far richer.” He says the simplest way to bring elegance to a space for the holidays is to cluster three poinsettias (all the same color) on the floor in a corner of a room. “It’s tasteful, elegant, and not over-the-top.”
SHOPPING WITH EASE
Support Beloved St. Louis Institutions
Remember that museums and galleries often issue special merchandise for the holidays. Calendars and ornaments are more meaningful coming from the places we know and love.
Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis
Unitey Kull, director of marketing and audience development at the Contemporary Art Museum (3750 Washington, 314-535-4660, camstl.org), says shopping at museums and galleries offers a unique opportunity to find special things you don’t see anywhere else. For the past four years, CAM’s holiday Craft Spree has featured the work of a variety of local Etsy artists. This year, the spree branches out, working with multiple jurors to expand the selection of local artists and artisans. The Craft Spree takes place December 12 from 6 to 9 p.m., with a 5 p.m. member preview.
Missouri Botanical Garden
“Every year, we sell literally thousands of our [$10] holiday wall calendar,” says Jennifer Kuykendall of the Garden Gate Shop at the Missouri Botanical Garden (4344 Shaw, 314-577-5137, mobot.org). “This year, we are excited about all the merchandise that relates to our Garden Glow installation.” The installation runs from November 23
through January 4. Kuykendall’s personal favorite pick: the one-size-fits-all winter gloves with light-up blinking fingers, which retail for $15.
Missouri History Museum
In past years, the museum’s big seller has been toile napkins with images of St. Louis at the turn of the 20th century, created by St. Louisan Pat Kogos, says Marianne Klein of the Missouri History Museum Shop (5700 Lindell, Forest Park, 314-746-4599, mohistory.org). This year, she says, the museum anticipates that “merchandise from ‘The 1968 Exhibit’ will be popular.” The exhibit runs through January 4.
Saint Louis Art Museum
“We have our own ornament this year, inspired by the modern design of the new building,” says Debbie Boyer of The Museum Shop at Saint Louis Art Museum (1 Fine Arts, Forest Park, 314-721-0072, slam.org). The new ornament costs $24.95. “It is bell-shaped, glass, and reverse-painted in a geometric Mondrian-style design,” Boyer says. “Our theme this year is heritage-quality ornaments—keepsakes to pass down the generations.” Ornaments range in price from $4 to $65.
St. Louis Artists’ Guild
“Among the things we anticipate will be big sellers this year is the jewelry by Rad Mishap,” says Adrian Aquilino of the St. Louis Artists’ Guild Gift Shop (2 Oak Knoll, 314-727-6266, stlouisartistsguild.org). Created by designer Madi Sharp, the $12 Scrabble-tile necklaces have proven popular.
Kirkwood Public Library
The Book Seat was a hot seller last year, and Virgina Kramer of Books & Beyond at the Kirkwood Public Library (140 E. Jefferson, 314-821-5770, kpl.lib.mo.us) expects it to be a hit in 2013. “Think beanbag chair for a book,” she says—or for enjoying a tablet or e-book reader. The Book Seat is $40.
Craft Alliance
“This holiday season, we are excited to have stunning handmade porcelain votives by ceramic artist Tabbatha Henry,” says Miriam Wiegand of Craft Alliance Gallery Shop (6640 Delmar, 314-725-1177, craftalliance.org). “Where Tabbatha has carved into the porcelain, the votives cast different natural patterns, like leaves of grass, fireflies, and so on.” The price of Henry’s luminaries ranges from $38 to $99.
The Holiday Bazaars
Nonprofit organizations offer great opportunities for holiday shopping and knocking a lot of names off your list in one fell swoop. And what could be better than helping to raise funds for good causes, giving exposure to small businesses and local artists—while avoiding the madness of the malls? Listed here are some of the bigger bazaars.
November 7
Friends of Kids With Cancer Fashion Show & Boutique
$75. Shopping 10 a.m.; lunch 11:30 a.m.; fashion show 1 p.m. The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis, 100 Carondelet Plaza, 314-275-7440, friendsofkids.com/fashion-show.html.
November 10
Francis Howell North Annual Holiday Craft Fair
Free. Time to be determined. 2549 Hackmann, St. Charles, 636-851-4900, fhsdfhn.sharpschool.net.
November 23 & 24
John Burroughs School Unique Boutique
$5. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. 755 S. Price, 314-993-4040, jburroughs.org/parents/parents-council/unique-boutique.
December 5 & 6
Ladue Chapel Nursery School Holiday Mart
Free. 9 a.m.–7 p.m. Thu, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Fri. 9450 Clayton, 314-993-3993, laduechapelnurseryschool.com.
