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Some of My Favorite Things
Caramel Apple-Almond CrepesA great dish for dessert or breakfast, these filled crepes are quick and easy to make, full of wonderful flavor, and make any occasion special.
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Spotlight Entertainer - Wen Zientek-Sico
by Wen Zientek-Sico
Learn more about my personal entertaining habits and style and discover how you can be our next Spotlight Entertainer.
Spotlight Entertainer - Wen Zientek-Sico
Full name as you would like to be introduced.
Wen Zientek-Sico
Please list your web site/newsletter URL(s) along with a description of your web site(s)/newsletter(s) as you would like to see them in print.
I run the Perfect Entertaining website, along with five other websites, including Shoestring Gourmet, Regional Recipes, Regional Cookery, and Holiday Crafter.
Where do you live?
I live in Upstate, New York, in the greater Syracuse area.
Describe your "professional" entertaining background or food experience if you have any.
I have been a professional recipe developer and freelance writer specializing in topics like cooking, food, and entertaining for eight years. I also do some food styling and food photography. I have also provided food on a large scale for events hosted by friends and family.
Whom do you generally entertain?
A lot of my entertaining is, oddly enough, just for my husband. Many times I will put as much care and effort into making dinner for him as I would for a dinner party for eight. Granted, this is mostly because I am testing recipes and/or styling them for photo shoots and the like, and not because I feel he should be spoiled rotten.
We do sometimes entertain friends, although we are less likely to do that now than we have been in previous years. We also occasionally entertain family, especially on special occasions or when our in-laws come to visit.
Why do you generally entertain?
We are usually very busy, so we do very little casual, spur of the moment entertaining. We do sometimes have house guests and will entertain while they are here. Most of our other entertaining comes from special occasions like holidays and birthdays. I also will sometimes entertain when I have a big piece I am writing and need to prepare a lot of food or need to take entertaining photos, in which case I might as well have some people over if I have done all the hard work already.
Where do you generally entertain?
We almost always entertain at home. Occasionally we will entertain at a restaurant. We have also entertained at someone else's house because ours is pretty limited when it comes to space. Our house is not very entertaining-friendly at all. We love picnics, and will entertain at local parks at times. Perhaps our favorite place to entertain with picnics is at the local drive in where we bring food and meet family and friends and enjoy dinner and several movies in a really fun setting.
How would you describe your entertaining style?
My personal style is very casual and easy. I do not want people to feel uncomfortable, so while I really love dragging out the nice crystal and china, I very rarely do it because I feel that most people feel uncomfortable with it. I personally am very fussy and detail-oriented, so I like to plan things out to the last millisecond, which, of course, never works, but the planning makes me feel in control so I do it anyway. My plan does provide a useful guide of sorts for the event, although I normally let my guests dictate the flow of the party or dinner. Food is very important to any event I throw, and is always the feature of the event.
What is your favorite type of party to throw?
A family celebration, with all family members in a good mood and being nice to each other, summer buffet where everything is make-ahead, on a beautiful sunny, but not too hot day. I love outdoor entertaining, and love any excuse to use a wider array of summer china and entertaining "stuff."
What is the most common type of party you throw?
I don't know if it is really a "party," but at least once a week or so I have a nice dinner with my husband which is (hopefully!) festive and entertaining. Outside of that, it would have to be a typical family holiday dinner.
What was the best party you have ever thrown?
This is a tough question. I have really loved all the parties I have thrown, not because they were marvelous or anything, but because I have loved all the people who have attended. It is kind of hard to choose one over the other. Some have been more fun, and others have certainly gone off better than others, but I don't think I can look at one of them and say "ooh, that one was the best!"
What would no party of yours be complete without?
Usually, unfortunately, a broken dish or glass or a ruined dish. However, when it comes to deliberate things…laughter, a pretty table cloth, a new recipe, someone else to wash the dishes…=)
What is your ideal party menu?
In general - easy, not too labor intensive, preferably with many dishes that can be made in advance, very little last minute active preparation time, relatively fancy or special, not too expensive, pleasing to look at, and something, most importantly, that fits the taste of my guests.
It really depends on the season and occasion. I am just going to describe a menu for this time of the year (Spring). Crudités, Shrimp and Cocktail Sauce, Homemade Pickles, Nuts, Olives, Crackers, Cheese, Sausage are pretty standard for before dinner. Sometimes I will add a fun appetizer too, like Mushroom and Cream Cheese Canapés. For dinner itself, a seasonal salad like Watercress and Belgian Endive Salad with Orange Vinaigrette would start us off. Our main course would be Rosemary Garlic Roasted Leg of Lamb. With that we would serve Rosemary Garlic Buttered Potatoes, French Style Swiss Chard, Simple Baby Asparagus, Green Pea and Watercress Puree (or simply steamed pea pods), and Glazed Baby Carrots. Rolls, banana bread, and zucchini bread would accompany dinner. For dessert, I would probably have something like Individual Berry Tiramisus and Strawberry Orange Shortcakes. We would also serve wine, sparkling juice, water, soda, coffee, and tea.
How do you think your professional background has helped with your entertaining? (if applies)
I think it almost hurts more than it helps really. I feel like I have a lot more pressure on me to be "perfect," which, of course, makes me really stressed, which then makes everything go all wrong. I think some things are easier, like the number of recipes I have at my fingertips, and the equipment that I have on hand to serve and prepare dinner.
What is your favorite part of being a host or hostess?
Being able to treat the people I love specially or with special attention. Getting to try out new things is another really nice side bonus.
What is your least favorite part of being a host or hostess?
The stress and worry that things will go wrong or something bad will happen.
What is your favorite part of being a guest?
Being able to relax and enjoy the other guests more.
What is your least favorite part of being a guest?
The lack of control - of not knowing what I should or shouldn't be doing at any particular time.
What common mistake(s) do you see home entertainers making frequently?
I am going to group myself in here and list some of the mistakes I make or have made. Forgetting to serve a specific dish, complaining about the food, not knowing the diets of guests (or knowing the diets and not making sure the meal fits into their diet), not knowing the tastes of the guests (or knowing the taste and not making sure the meal fits their taste), not having enough seating, not being flexible enough, not having a good idea about the flow of the event and when things should happen, refusing help in the kitchen (and/or setting aside tasks for those you know will insist on helping), refusing help when you know the person cannot or will not do the task the way you want it done (like mashing the potatoes and leaving them lumpy! Argh!), not offering food or beverages immediately, too loud background noise (music, television), no monitoring of children, forgotten and overcooked food, not following up with guests so the host/hostess did not know who was coming and when they would get there...
What is the one thing you know now that you wished you knew before you started entertaining?
How easy it was and how really unimportant the things I, as a hostess, thought were important to my guests.
What tips or ideas do you have for home entertainers?
Don't stress - no matter what the occasion is, it is only one event. The most important part of any party are the people and they should always be the focus of a party, not the food, the booze, the decorations, the flowers, etc. Don't plan a menu that has you in the kitchen for the whole event. Plan on being able to spend time with your guests. If you live alone, designate a "co-host" or "co-hostess" to be "in charge" when you need to be out of the room. As I could go on forever, check out the website for more ideas and tips. =)
What type of food do you generally serve?
Make-ahead, simple dishes, or dishes with little (or minimal) last minute preparation. We do not serve much ethnic food because my family does not like it, although when it is just my husband and I we do have a lot. Simple food works better with my family - they want to be able to look at a dish and be able to immediately tell what is in it at a glance. Almost all of our meals are buffets as well.
How much do you normally spend on entertaining?
For a dinner for eight, between food and flowers and wine, etc. we normally spend about $200.00. I can and do entertain for less (and unfortunately more!) but we usually splurge on a few big ticket items that drive up the bill.
How much time do you normally spend on preparing to entertain?
The week before I will work out the menu and shopping list. I will shop a few days before and either the day before or the morning before I entertain. I try to make as much in advance as I can. I usually work the whole day preparing for the party, and oftentimes the whole day before as well (cleaning the house, making sure the back yard looks nice, etc.) Sometimes I can spend as much as 20-30 hours getting ready for a party. Other times I will only spend an hour or two.
How do you normally decorate when planning a get-together?
Frequently I will decorate the whole house for the season and just add a little bit of that décor to the table. I frequently will have fresh flowers on the table and around the house. I almost never do anything overly decorative because our house has really small rooms and too much makes them seem even smaller.
What type of table do you set?
Generally, I set my table with either everyday or one of my antique china sets and with matching silver. We usually have water and wine goblets on the table, and just vary in which set we use. Cloth napkins are essential, and I will frequently use napkin rings. I don't set a formal table in terms of plates and silver, but will usually have several forks and spoons, at least one knife, dinner plate, salad plate/bread plate, and sometimes a bowl. Occasionally we will have salt cellars and finger bowls, but not usually. Sometimes we also do name cards, more for the fun of having them than for any other reason. I always have a centerpiece of some sort, but frequently we will remove it when dining so we have more room, especially if it is not a plated or buffet dinner. I also love collecting old handmade or hand-embroidered tablecloths and napkins, so they frequently adorn my table. I like flowers and favors, so sometimes they will decorate each place setting.
What are your favorite recipes for entertaining?
Perfect Entertaining Recipe Directory.
Want to be a Perfect Entertaining Spotlight Entertainer? Fill out our survey here.
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