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For those who are just recovering from holiday get-togethers, the thought of organizing a party right now might be daunting. But if your New Year's resolution is to be more social, "The Domestic Diva's Party Cookbook" might be just the ticket.
The book is written by Patricia F. Hemming and her daughter, Keely J. Hemming, both of Layton, and published by Cedar Fort Inc. The chapters are organized by months of the year, with themed parties and suggestions for decor, activities and a total of 150 recipes.
For the most part, you won't find trendy soirees typically outlined in the upscale "entertaining" books by B. Smith and Martha Stewart. Instead, these ideas have been road-tested for years by the Hemmings' family and friends.
Many can be used for family reunions to break the ice and forge friendships. For instance, there's a "baggy-pants party," where guests are told to wear the baggiest pants they can so they can eat lots of pizza. Awards (such as suspenders, a belt or a rope to hold the pants up) are given for the baggiest pants, the most creative, the most stylish and so on.
"Our baggy-pants party was just hysterical,"Patricia Hemming said in a telephone interview. "My dad wore a big orange garbage bag on each leg and tied them at his waist with a rope. We have such good memories from our parties, and to give some ideas to create memories, because that's what children take with them as they leave home."
Although there's the obligatory "Witches Night Out" in October and a Christmas Supper in December, many of the themes aren't tied to holidays. There's "Very Best Friend's Day," "Talent Showcase," "Midsummer's Night Rendezvous" and "Children's Book Club."
"These aren't just holiday parties — because you don't need to have an occasion like Easter or a birthday to make a memory," said Patricia Hemming, a home-economics graduate. Hemming worked for Mountain Fuel and then Utah Power & Light at a time when utility companies had staff home economists to answer consumer questions, give cooking demonstrations and publish recipe booklets. These programs were discontinued in the '90s.
Now she works part time as a consultant to national food-advertising firms. Keely Hemming, who has won some creative-writing awards, took part in idea brainstorming, recipe testing, writing and final typing.
"I co-authored another book, 'Celebrate the Seasons,' several years ago," Patricia Hemmsing said, "and over the years people have said to write a book with more ideas for family traditions.
"When I wrote the first book, Keely was little. These are the parties she's grown up with. We wanted to make party-hosting easy by providing complete packages, but we also hope readers will add their own creativity. We've included some space at the beginning or end of each chapter so people can write down their own ideas or keep the photos of the parties."
Patricia Hemming's most important party-giving advice is to make it easy on yourself, so you'll have fun, too. "Don't go overboard. You don't have to make every recipe; you can get things from the deli."
What are some of the duo's favorite recipes in the book? "Gram's Sloppy Joes are always a stand-by for us," Patricia Hemming said. "And the Italian Sausage Soup is a new twist."
The book is available in local bookstores for $16.99.
GRAM'S SLOPPY JOES
1 pound hamburger, browned
1 onion, chopped and browned with hamburger
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 can chicken gumbo soup
1 small can tomato sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Hamburger buns
Simmer all ingredients until thickened. Serve on hamburger buns. Makes 4-6 servings.
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