First, know your guests. Find out if anyone attending has a food allergy or preference.  Knowing in advance can prevent any uncomfortable situations the day of.  Just think how appreciative a guest with a gluten intolerance will be that you thought ahead and made Gluten-Free Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes with Maple Icing. How many children will be attending, or will there be any at all. If you are inviting a lot of people with children this may also determine the time of the party.

Emailing invitations is fine if a casual event.  Paper invites are only expected for formal events such as weddings where guests will want a keepsake and RSVP’s are essential to planning.

Is this an outdoor or indoor occasion. If the former include a rain date in your invitation. Are you traveling to the party site or is it at home. Will you need a cooler for drinks or will the wheelbarrow in the back do.

What time of the day is the event.  If a morning party you could do something “easy” like Paula Deen’s Baked French Toast Casserole with Maple Syrup.

Plan your menu, choose the recipes, and make your shopping list. Depending on the season, utilize your local farmers’ market for some beautiful produce (it can serve double duty as a table top show stopper and delicious ingredient). When it comes to the bar have one or two house cocktails, beer, and wine.  No need to have a full bar unless you are throwing a cocktail party and hiring a bartender (the one place you should spend money other than a cleanup crew).

To make it easy on yourself, and because most guests like to bring something to a party, either make the party BYOB (not appropriate for a cocktail party but welcome for an outdoor screening) or ask guests to bring a dessert (perfect for a barbecue).

Remember, the guests want to see their host so have fun at your party!!!

Butternut Maple Loaf (from Barrington Middle School)

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 2 1/2 cups sifted flour
• 2 tsp ginger
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1/2 cup chopped butternuts

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and syrup, beat until very light. Combine dry ingredients and add alternately with water to the batter, beating well after each addition. Fold in nuts and pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake for 65 minutes. May or may not be frosted.

Maple Rice Pudding (from Morning Star Maple in Dublin)

• 2 1/2 cups cooked white rice
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 3 eggs (beaten)
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 cup raisins

Combine all ingredients and blend thoroughly. Place in a buttered 2-quart baking dish and bake for about 35 minutes or until custard is firm.

Maple Spiced Milk

• 1 cup milk
• 3 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger

Heat all ingredients in a saucepan. Serve warm on hot or ready to eat cereal.

Maple Pecan Whiskey Cake

• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup of whiskey
• 1 box white/golden raisins
• 4 cups flour
• 8 cups pecans (2 pounds)
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp allspice
• 6 eggs
• 3/4 lb butter, room temperature (if you substitute margarine for butter, use 2 sticks of margarine to 1 stick of butter)
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 cup dark REAL maple syrup (I use grade “B”, as it has more flavor for cooking!)

Note from Kristina: This cake may look involved, but it isn’t. It does, however, help to have all of your ingredients prepared before you start working.

Instructions

Preparing the oven and the baking pans:

1. Heat the oven to 250ºF/120ºC.

2. Line four 8” x 4” x 4” (1-lb. capacity) loaf pans with parchment paper (do not butter the paper). Alternatively, use disposable paper wrappers (which are great for gifting later). The number of wrappers you need will depend on their size.

Assembling a few ingredients:

1. In a medium-sized bowl, mix baking soda and raisins with whiskey. Set aside.

2. In a larger bowl, combine pecans, flour and spices. Toss well in order to coat pecans and with flour and spices. Set aside.

3. Set aside the largest bowl you have (gigantic). You will need to work with this later.

4. Separate the eggs.

Making the cake:

1. In the bowl of a mixer, cream butter and sugar.

2. Once the mixture is fluffy, add the egg yolks a bit at a time until the mixture is homogenous. Be sure to stop the mixer periodically and scrape the bottom, sides and beater of the bowl.

3. Give the whiskey/raisin/soda mixture a good stir, and then slowly add it to the mixture followed by the syrup.

4. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients until well blended. Stop the mixer to scrape down the beater and sides of the bowl. Mix for an additional 30 seconds, and then move the mixture to the gigantic bowl.

5. With the balloon whisk attachment (or a hand mixer), beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold them into the wet mixture. (You will see why you needed a gigantic bowl at this point.)

6. Divide the batter among your cake pans.

7. Working very quickly, place a roasting pan filled with water in the bottom of the oven. Then put your loaf pans in (on the racks, not in the water!) and bake at 250º for 2.5 hours. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the loaves comes out clean. Keep your eye on the water level in the roasting pan; you may need to add a little water if it all evaporates. When opening the oven, be careful of the steam that has formed inside.

8. Once out of the oven, cool completely on a rack. Wrap loaves well. As with most fruit cakes, this tastes better a day later. It also freezes well! If eating immediately, keep in the refrigerator.

*For a delicious gluten-free pumpkin pancake recipe (perfect accompaniment to real maple syrup) visit here.

Photo Design Sponge.

Photos by Jon Levitt.

Dole Grilled Bacon Maple Banana Bites from the Dole website

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 8 slices center-cut bacon
• 2 large DOLE bananas
• 1 tsp chili powder

Preheat gas grill to medium heat. Spray grill grates with cooking spray or lightly oil. Pour maple syrup into shallow dish. Place bacon onto a microwave-safe plate lined with paper towels. Cover with another paper towel and microwave on HIGH for 1 minute or until bacon just barely begins to cook, but is still pliable and not crisp.

Sprinkle peeled bananas with chili powder (can use more or less to taste). Cut each banana into four roughly equal pieces. Roll each piece in maple syrup and wrap in one slice of bacon. Secure with toothpick.

Grill on medium heat for 5 to 8 minutes or until bacon is nicely browned and crisp, turning occasionally . Serve immediately.

Serves: 4

Shrimp & Chicken Pad Thai from Delight gluten free Magazine, Summer 2010 issue

4 ounces dried rice stick noodles
1 fluid ounce fish sauce
1 1/2 ounces maple syrup
1 fluid ounce lime juice
Canola oil for frying
6 eggs, whisked with 1 tsp water
1/2 Tbsp Thai Red Curry paste
8 ounces shrimp, peeled, deveined
4 ounces chicken breast, boned, skinned, julienned
5 ounces cabbage, finely shredded
1 carrot, finely shredded
4 fluid ounces chicken stock
4 ounces mung bean sprouts
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 ounces peanuts (optional)
Cilantro, coarsely chopped for garnish
Lime wedges, for garnish

Soak the noodles in warm water for 15-20 minutes or until flexible.  Drain.  In a separate bowl, mix the fish sauce ,maple syrup, and lime juice and set aside.

Heat a wok again and drizzle oil around edges. Add egg and cook until set. Remove from wok and cutting board and julienne.

Heat wok again and add more oil.  Add curry paste and stir fry for a few seconds. Add shrimp and stir fry until pink and cooked through.  Remove shrimp to bowl.  Wipe wok, add new oil, heat, and stir fry chicken until fully cooked. Add chicken to shrimp  bowl.

Heat wok again and add more oil. Stir-fry cabbage and carrots until tender. Add drained noodles and toss and cook until al dente, about 3 minutes.  Add some of the fish sauce/lime juice mixture to wok.  If the mixture seems too dry, add in chicken stock.  The mixture should be a little soupy, but noodles will absorb the liquid as they cook.  Add shrimp and chicken back to the wok with remaining fish sauce mixture and fold in well.

Add egg, bean sprouts, and scallions and toss gently.  Cook until sauce is absorbed and everything is hot.  Taste and adjust seasonings. Turn out Pad Thai on large platter and sprinkle with peanuts and cilantro.