Here are the reasons that you, a grown adult of sound mind and body, should go sledding: it's good clean fun that doesn't cost a dime, there's no one to stop you from going on the steep path, and you get to bring a flask. Also, that dinner that you slow-cooked earlier in the day is going to taste amazing when you and your buds tromp in from the snow. Yup, sledding party: it needs to happen.
The Menu
Sledding noshes:
• The Gold Rush in a flask
• Homemade Cracker JackDinner:
• Pomegranate Olive Relish
• Various cheeses
• Rich and Meaty Lamb Ragu over pasta
• Shaved Fennel, Roasted Tomato, and Pistachio Salad
• Baguette for the table
• A bottle or two of Trader Joe's wineAfter dinner:
• Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Peppermint Coffee Toddies
The Scene
You, your gang of best friends, and a snowy hillside near your house. Sledding and snacks come first, followed by a lazy dinner while coats and boots dry out next to the radiator.
Make It Happen
I am a fan of bringing a flask to a sledding party, but fast speeds and straight-up spirits is maybe not the best idea. Try taking the middle path with a pre-made cocktail in a flask. Still boozy and fun, but slightly tempered. Try the Gold Rush with maple syrup instead of honey for a wintry spin, and make a batch of cracker jacks to munch while you wait your turn with the sled.
Back at home, we want to keep up the momentum and get dinner on the table as soon as possible. Make the ragu ahead (even the day or two ahead) and put it on the stove to warm as soon as you get in the door. While that warms and you cook the pasta, everyone can dig into a simple cheese board and an easy relish. I love a simple fennel salad with this dinner, which can also be made ahead and refrigerated until you need it.
For dessert, let's go old school with some chocolate chip cookies. Yum. A hot toddy also seems appropriate for the occasion, but I was torn between serving it first thing or with dessert. Maybe both?!
What else would you want for your sledding party?
Related: 10 Cozy Winter Meals to Make You Happy to Stay Inside
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I was just thinking last week that I should write in to suggest that you all do a post with a menu for a winter picnic - you read my mind! Hooray!
My birthday is in December, and my best girlfriends and I have made a tradition of the "birthday winter picnic" - tromping through the bleak Kentucky winter landscape (with the exception of that one year when we were studying in Mexico) with blankets and picnic baskets filled with hot toddies and vintage thermoses full of soup. We've even plunged bottles of champagne between two rocks in an icy stream early along a hike and picked them up on the way back, cold as they could be.
It's fun - but when it's really, really snowy - it can get messy. A sledding (or snow-shoeing) party is the perfect alternative when it's wet outside.
Just add a fire in the fireplace!
This is such a fantastic idea! I definitely want to try this out. I just wish it would snow more so I could go sledding!
Maria Tadic
http://beanafoodie.com/blog
Sigh...this Minnesota girl in snowless NYC is missing the snow terribly! I'd LOVE to be able to do a sledding party. Thanks for the daydream fodder... :-)