"Party Planning Made Easy!"
by Nymme

The weather is wonderful, the Mayor is coming to your child's guild joining party, it's your loved one's birthday, it's your anniversary, or you just plain want to. All are wonderful reasons for throwing a party or having a picnic. Parties and picnics are lots of fun to design, though throwing an unforgettable one does take planning.

The first item to think about is how many people to invite. That will make a big difference in the next two things you need to think about. Where to hold the event is the next important decision. In another article, we looked at fun places to hold picnics in and around the Crossing area. The very next choice to make is, "What will I serve?" If you live or entertain in the city of Crossing, there are a multitude of places one can get food for anything from a grand party or a smaller, intimate picnic. The type of food you should look for would differ by the type of event you are holding. Let's look at a few places to procure food for each type of special event you may hold.

If you are planning on holding an elaborate affair (a ball or a formal wedding reception), there are many places available from which you can cater your party. Surprisingly many of these exotic foods that appeal to the educated palate can be found for little or no cost all around the city. For delectable appetizers my first stop would be the new Temple. Take a stroll through the wedding chapel, and you will find some wonderful appetizers. I would suggest the crackers and cheese; the oat crackers they use have a mild taste while the cheese is smooth and delicious. The cucumber and cheese sandwiches are also a light and appetizing addition to any menu.

The second spot that I would advise you to visit is Jadewater Mansion. A mouthwatering beginning to the sit-down portion of any meal is the stewed simurgh. The simurgh is displayed in an elegant tureen and is both aromatic and tasty. A fresh dill salad is a nice change of pace, always fresh and crisp, and the spices used in the dressing have a slightly salty taste that is the perfect counterfoil for the main course. For that, I suggest trying the buttered Segoltha lobster. It is both sweet and juicy, and it makes the mouth water just to think of it. An excellent side dish for the lobster can be found at the Crossing's Grocer. The broasted truffles sold at the store are a tasty item that blends well with the lobster.

Dessert is the part of the meal that most guests remember. There are many places that offer a variety of choices, and every person will be satisfied. For a light touch you might try the tringleberry glace from Jadewater Mansion, shortbread cookies, or sliced strawberries lightly dusted with sugar from the Temple. For a more traditional dessert there is raspberry covered cheesecake (also from the Temple), the rum cake with taffleberry frosting from the bakery, or the whiskey bread pudding from the chef at the Jadewater Mansion.

No meal would be complete without the right beverages. The Wedding Chapel at the Temple offers some first-rate choices. Cool water served in an elegant crystal pitcher, some effervescent champagne, the mellow spiced red wine, and for those who do not imbibe in alcohol, some spiced fruit juice are excellent choices. The apple brandy, with its subtle overtones of oak and apple, and the catmint tea are great ends to any meal.

For a less formal affair, there is much wonderful cuisine in Crossing to choose from. There are many fun munchables to have lying about while your guests wait for the main course to be prepared. I suggest some roasted nuts and candied taffleberries from Jadewater Mansion, candied ginger from the Inn in Arthe Dale, some aged cheese from Taelbert's Tavern, and you shouldn't forget the variety of cheeses and fresh bread at the Dairy Cottage in Arthe Dale. As a first course, one could start with a simple vegetable soup (Taelbert's Inn) or a mixed baby green salad (Arthe Dale Inn.) For your main course, the breaded cougar cutlet (Jadewater Mansion) is simply delectable. If you are more in the mood for seafood, choose between stuffed crustacean pie (The Grocery) or spring eel pie (Baearholt's Tavern.) The crustacean pie is a meal in itself, filled to the brim with wonderful ingredients. It will definitely hit the spot. The eel pie needs to be tasted once before you choose it; it has a slightly fishy taste that not everyone likes.

The desert course is one that you can go wild with. The Half Pint Inn has a scrumptious custard creme pie, or you can serve a rumapple torte or a chocolate fudge sundae (Jadewater Mansion) or a caramel flan (Dairy Cottage, Arthe Dale). One can tempt always guests with a taffelberry pie (the Grocery.) Beverages for this type of affair are also plentiful; Taelbert's Inn, Baearholt's Tavern, Half Pint Inn and even Jadewater Mansion have both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages to please every taste. One of my favorites drinks comes from the Bakery, Saranna's special iced coffee.

For a much more casual event, like a picnic or a barbeque, the choices abound. For events like these there is no need to have a variety of courses, just pick a variety of foods and let your guests enjoy. A trip to Baearholt's Tavern would be an excellent place to start. Their roasted snowbeast sandwich and their turkey and cheese sandwich are excellent for a casual affair. For hot foods you might try the hot spiced sausage roll (Bakery) or a meat pasty (Food Cart, Arthe Dale). If your preference is for food that's fun as well as tasty, I would suggest the fire sprite chili (bring water!) and some barbequed musk hog ribs, both prepared by the chef at Jadewater Mansion. To add some variety to the menu, there are many places around town where you can find fresh fruit and vegetables. The Temple gardens have peaches and walnuts, Baearholt's has apples in the orchard, the garden in the Willow Walk neighborhood has special treats, and the garden in Arthe has fruit available. If you like some slightly exotic fruit and vegetables, look for the cart in the Temple Gardens. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Deserts, you know I can't forget those! The Reception Hall in the Wedding Chapel has many tarts and ice cream, Jadewater Mansion makes a delicious lime-flavored gelapod gelatin, and sugar-dipped taffleberries and fried honey cake are tasty additions from the Half Pint Inn. My favorite desert is baked by a resident of Rugglestone Close, a hot blueberry pie. As I mentioned earlier, drinks can be found all over town; for a good picnic choice I recommend the fresh squeezed lemonade from the food cart in Arthe Dale.

There is one last type of party occasion I want to cover here. The Breakfast Date, whether you are meeting friends to go on an exploring or hunting trip or you want to take your sweetheart out to see the sunrise over the Segoltha, there are lots of victuals out there to have an enjoyable meal. Some of my favorite selections include the piping hot pear pancakes and the ham and cheese omelet from Jadewater Mansion. Both are delicious enough to make me want to get up early. If eggs are your idea of morning fare, then the Half Pint Inn offers an appetizing plover's egg, or the Inn at Arthe Dale sells delectable coddled eggs. For the brave, there is a brine-cured shark egg served at the Sand Spit Tavern. If sweets are what give you energy in the morning, try griddle cakes (Arthe Dale Inn), sugar-topped butter roll, or gooey thick honey doughnut (Bakery). For teas, coffees, milks, and cocoas, there are many places to look. I advise you to check out the Grocery, the cart at the Temple, and the Dairy Cottage in Arthe Dale. One of my personal favorite morning drinks is the tri-berry tea from the Bakery.

These are just a few of the scores of the types of food available in the Crossing. I encourage you to explore the city and see... taste what you find! My favorites may not be your favorites, but if I gave you a place to start planning your party or picnic I am happy! Until next time this is Nymme saying, Sann Sawra'!