Holidays Archive
Food: The Language of Love!
It is as true a statement as you can make to say that food – the sight, smell, thought and description of it – has a uniquely powerful way of igniting the senses, making a fast and furious impression, and bridging any language or communication gaps between people. You may not speak Spanish, but I bet you speak fajitas. You may not have tried our Fried Chicken Waffle Cone yet (see here), but see it on Facebook, and your’ ‘Gotta Have It!’ siren will likely start to wail. So when it comes to holidays, it’s important to understand food’s magical place in each special occasion, and how to leverage that to your advantage. Enter Valentines Day.
Valentines Cookie Assortment from Saint Germain Catering
Ahhh, the day of love. And day of chocolate, flowers, Hallmark cards, dinner out…and with the explosion of the Social Web…E-cards, Facebook and Twitter messages galore. In some Latin American countries Valentine’s Day is known as “Día del Amor y la Amistad” (Day of Love and Friendship). It’s common for people to perform “acts of appreciation” for their friends, which is a growing trend here in the States as well. But don’t let that overwhelm you. Relax. The important people in our lives – spouses, girl/boyfriends, children, friends, colleagues – aren’t grading us like the defiant Olympic judge from the former Soviet Union. It IS the thought that counts. Especially if you put some simple, creative thinking into the mix.
Valentines Day ranks near the top when it comes to food-oriented holidays. The only days that are as busy for restaurants are Mother’s Day and New Year’s Eve. And when it comes to sweets, chocolate and other treats are never more popular than around this February holiday, save for Halloween. Nothing says “I Love You” like a heartfelt V-day card AND an assortment of deeply delicious chocolate, cookies and other sweets. Take that same train of thought if you want to surprise colleagues, staff, students or extended family and friends. Nothing says “just thinking of you”, or “I love your work and dedication” or “I appreciate your friendship” like special, surprise treats that induce smiles at the mere sight of them.
The thought of using a professional caterer for Valentines Day or other holidays may never have entered your mind. But think of us as the gift and happiness provider at your service, on wheels, able to lovingly craft any number of heart-pounding, mouthwatering food items that will please any palate, and make any special occasion a creative smash. A flower van pulling up is nice. A Saint Germain delivery van arriving with fully prepared, tastebud exploding meals and V-day dessert specials for the family or office, is spectacular!
When we first posted the assorted cookie image on Facebook about two weeks ago, the response was fast and furious: “Almost immediately, we got a bunch of orders for five or more dozens of cookies per order,” says Sarah Miller, Vice President of Saint Germain Catering. A simple image, triggering ‘A-Ha’ moments of glee. No more worries and stress over what to do, what to order, where to go, etc. Let the pros do all the work! But we want you to take all the credit. We think we make a pretty good team, no?
See some of our carefully crafted Valentines-oriented dessert goodies here … here … here and here. Call us at (703) 506-9396, or email us at info@saintgermaincatering.com.
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Saint Germain Catering is a (certified) woman-owned business staffed with talented chefs who proudly use the freshest natural ingredients, and drivers/staff who deliver exceptional service with a smile to Washington DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia. Visit our homepage at www.saintgermaincatering.com. Call us at (703) 506-9396, or submit an online event inquiry here. Known as corporate catering specialists (Food That Means Business!), we exceptionally cater events of all size: weddings, bridal/baby showers, birthdays, anniversaries, Bar/Bat-Mitzvahs, graduations, wakes, BBQs, holiday parties and more.
Giving Back in 2012, Moving Forward in 2013!
We can’t let 2012 come to a close without thanking everyone who chose Saint Germain Catering for their catering needs! Our clients are so important to us; we truly enjoy making each event down right delicious and delightful from top to bottom. It’s a privilege to serve you! Your loyalty and appreciation for our passionate pursuit of excellence has made this past year another extremely successful one.
Our passions extend beyond our catering business, and a main driver for us each day is that the success of our business enables us to support a number of organizations that do phenomenal work helping military families, children, K-9 medical research/detection dog training and more. Please read about these terrific groups in our spotlights below. They are full of talented, caring, passionate people who’ve made a tremendous difference in 2012, and will continue to do so in 2013 and beyond with our help, and others like you as well. From all of us at Saint Germain Catering, we wish you and yours a safe, successful and happy 2013!
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OPERATION HOMEFRONT DC CHAPTER http://www.operationhomefront.net/dcmetro/
Saint Germain donated $25,000 to help military families
Operation HomeFront Partners With Wounded Warrior Project to Expand Service to Wounded Warriors
MISSION: Operation Home front provides emergency financial and other assistance to the families of our service members and wounded warriors.
VISION: Through generous, widespread public support and a collaborative team of exceptional staff and volunteers, we aspire to become the provider of choice for emergency financial and other assistance to the families of our service members and wounded warriors. Where there is a need we do not provide, we will partner with others for the benefit of our military families.
In 2011, OH has met 155,984 needs for military families, including active duty, Guard and Reserve members from all branches of service. Since its inception, Operation Homefront has provided more than $128 million dollars of funding to programs to benefit military families. Moreover, it has served more than 4,200 wounded warriors and their families.
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NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (NICU) AT INOVA Children’s Hospital in Fairfax, VA
www.inova.org/healthcare-services/pediatrics/types-of-services/nicu.jsp
* Saint Germain sponsored an $8,000 event for the return of graduated children who had been born premature
The NICU at Inova Children’s Hospital is the first in the nation to receive The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval™ for Prematurity. This certification represents the highest level of care for premature birth patients.
INOVA Children’s Hospital is home to the largest subspecialty neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Northern Virginia. Their 75-bed, level III NICU cares for high-risk infants requiring specialized care and observation.
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PENN VET WORKING DOG CENTER http://pennvetwdc.org/
* Saint Germain made sizeable donations, to sponsor a year’s training for a new working/detection dog, to help conduct a study to drastically change how sick dogs are administered anesthetics, and for K-9 training products.
Established in 2007, the Penn Vet Working Dog Center, is part of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine and serves as a national research and development center for detection dogs.
With the U.S. national security under constant threat from attacks, detection dogs are still the best tool that we have to detect and mitigate potential threats. Search dogs are also critical for the detection of victims of natural and man-made disasters. Our goal is to increase collaborative research, scientific assessment, and shared knowledge and application of the newest scientific findings and veterinary expertise to optimize production of valuable detection dogs.
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INTERVENTIONAL PAWS http://www.interventionalpaws.org/
Interventional Paws, founded by Saint Germain President Mina Ebrahimi, is a non-profit, 501C3, working to advance veterinary medicine while helping to improve the lives of pets everywhere. We work closely with the Animal Medical Center in New York City and the Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary School at the University of Pennsylvania—home of the country’s first minimally invasive interventional radiology service— though our reach extends far beyond.
An established tool in human medicine, interventional radiology has tremendous potential for the treatment of serious maladies in pets. With expert veterinarians like Dr. Allyson Berent, the veterinary community is acquiring and refining similar procedures to those in human medicine to provide nonsurgical alternatives with decreased morbidity/mortality rates, minimal anesthesia time, shorter hospital stays, and lower costs.
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Saint Germain Catering is a (certified) woman-owned business staffed with talented chefs who proudly use the freshest natural ingredients, and drivers who deliver exceptional service with a smile to Washington DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia. Visit our homepage at www.saintgermaincatering.com. Call us at (703) 506-9396. Known as corporate catering specialists (Food That Means Business!), we exceptionally cater all events, large and small, full service or drop-off: weddings, bridal/baby showers, birthdays, anniversaries, Bar/Bat-Mitzvahs, graduations, funerals, BBQs, holiday parties and more.
Delighting Your Guests This Holiday Season
Enchanting Holiday table setting
Food plays a large role in the holiday season, so as your gatherings approach, we wanted to share some ways to make your time with friends and family festive, beautiful and enjoyable. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3, so here we go!
To get started, keep these 3 questions in mind:
- What do you want your guests to experience?
- How do you want your guests to feel when they enter? A good way to answer is by using your 5 senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell. Try closing your eyes while you think.
- Is there an image in your head of how you’d love for your table to be set? If not, or even if you do, gather ideas online starting with our Pinterest page.
If you’re new to Pinterest, it’s an extremely popular ‘social’ place to browse, store and share images and information you gather online…and then organize to your liking. It’s the equivalent of having a bulletin board for any topic you like, but instead of covering your walls with them, they’re all stored neatly on your Pinterest page. It can be an incredible resource for ideas, and we’ve gathered quite a few to get you started.
You’ve gathered ideas, now keep these 3 things in mind:
- Many or just a few elements can be combined to set the tone for your gathering, including colors, textures, dinnerware, lighting, linens and accents. Remember to use those 5 senses!
- Simple can have as much of an impact as elaborate.
- Using the things you love as well as traditions you want to share help personalize your holidays.
Time to turn that creation into a reality and as you do, here are 3 tips:
- Create your “To Do” list and group like tasks together to help you minimize trips to the store and enable you to delegate tasks.
- Not good with details? Enlist someone who is and focus on things you enjoy.
- Plan ahead and create a simple calendar or schedule to help you stay on track, leaving room for last minute changes or glitches.
However you choose to celebrate this holiday season, may it be filled with those you love, magnificent food and lasting memories. And let us know how we can help!
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Saint Germain Catering is the premier catering company serving DC, MD and Northern VA, using only the freshest and highest quality foods and ingredients. Full service to drop-off catering, online ordering, corporate specialists…exquisite events like weddings, baby/bridal showers, holiday parties, birthdays, anniversaries, Bar/Mat Vitzvahs, Quinceaneras and more. We can cook/prepare any food, and serve gatherings small and large. Visit our homepage for more information, to view menus, submit an inquiry or to contact one of our friendly and knowledgeable staff today!
Making The Holidays Memorable
Hello, Friends!
The holiday season is in full swing and the Saint Germain Catering family has been cooking up some wonderful items and ideas to help you enjoy time with friends, family and colleagues. Whether sweets to savor, finger foods to flip over, meals that melt in your mouth or all of the above, we have you covered!
Holiday Cupcakes!!
- Party at the office: check ✔
- Food and drinks for home holiday parties: check ✔
- Dessert assortment (holiday cupcakes, cookies, homemade pies!) to give as delightful gifts to neighbors, employees, mail carriers, teachers, firefighters and more: check ✔
- Assorted platters and holiday wraps for out of town guests: check ✔
- Holiday meal with the family – we cook, you relax: check ✔
Oh, and New Year’s celebrations…of course! We’re here! And wherever you are in the DMV area, we can be there too, lickety split with orders to fit. So give us a ring or order online and save yourself more time to soak up all of the memories you’ll be making this holiday season! To get started, take a peek at our December specials and download our 2012 Holiday Menu.
☛ Next week we’ll share some easy ways to make your holiday gatherings special with linens, place settings and decorations. Be sure to check back (have you subscribed to our blog?) so you won’t miss our tips to help spruce up your holiday celebrations.
Volunteers helping lay wreaths during Wreaths Across America Day at Arlington National Cemetery
And as you enjoy decorating homes, work places, schools, places of worship and more this holiday season, there’s a wonderful opportunity to place another, very important wreath. Through the work of a non-profit called Wreaths Across America, wreaths are laid at Arlington National Cemetery each December, as well as veterans’ cemeteries and other hallowed locations in all 50 states and beyond. Their mission is to “Remember, Honor, Teach.”
With the help of volunteers, individual wreath sponsors, corporate donors and volunteer truckers, wreath laying ceremonies are held on Wreaths Across America Day (Saturday, Dec 15th) to Remember the fallen, Honor those that serve and their families…and Teach our children the value of freedom. To learn how you can participate as a volunteer or wreath sponsor (1 wreath is just $15), visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.
Lastly, our friends at Operation Homefront, DC Metro Chapter, have put out the call for volunteers to help them – at their Sterling VA office – sort through and prepare thousands of donated toys to be distributed to 500 local military children. Here’s their Facebook post, and information on their December 8th Holiday Toy Party in Lorton VA, where volunteers will help spread holiday cheer to hundreds of children with parents serving our country here and abroad.
We hope their holiday season will be a memorable one, and yours as well!
A Heaping Serving of Thankfulness
Thanksgiving is such a special time of year for our Saint Germain Catering family, and not just because today is such a food-centric holiday (of course we do LOVE that part!). We love Thanksgiving because it brings us together with the special people in our lives – family and friends – and reminds us to be truly thankful for so many others that touch our lives in different ways.
We are so thankful for our clients. We consider you friends, and part of our Saint Germain Catering family. It’s a pleasure to serve you, and you make it easy for us to be passionate about what we do. We take great pride in what we do, and your trust in us helps keep us on track providing the absolute best food and catering service possible in the DC Metro area.
We’re also tremendously thankful for all of the men and women serving in our military, at home or abroad, making sacrifices each day so we have the freedom to live and work and love in the greatest country on the planet. We can only imagine what it’s like for families celebrating Thanksgiving today with an empty chair, because a loved one is in Afghanistan, Iraq, or some other far away place. Other chairs are permanently empty, because someone made the ultimate sacrifice. Our sacrifices pale each day compared to that, but we are passionate about making a difference, and doing all we can to support those serving our country.
Operation Homefront DC Metro Chapter & their Holiday Toy Drive for military families
We love partnering with organizations like Operation Homefront, Washington DC Metro Chapter, which provides emergency financial and other assistance to the families of our service members and wounded warriors. Did you know that November is Military Family Month? In this month that we celebrates Veterans Day and Thanksgiving, it’s appropriate to remember the family members that are the backbone of those serving in the military. When a Soldier or Marine or Airman or Sailor or Coast Guardsman serves, his or her family serves right with them, behind the scenes, making sacrifices each day as if they were wearing the uniform as well. We salute the families who serve, both in uniform, and at home, in support of their loved ones. Thank you!!!
From a Facebook Page called ‘Dogs are Family’. This pup has obviously enjoyed a big Thanksgiving meal!!
Another of our passions is dogs. We love our dogs!! They are family, and we’ll go to the ends of the earth to care for them. We’re extremely thankful for organizations that help animals, dogs especially, and count the Penn Vet Working Dog Center among our dear friends. We’re so appreciative of the important work they do, providing cutting edge health care and training to detection dogs across the country. We also pour our time and treasure into a non-profit called Interventional Paws, which works to advance veterinary medicine while helping to improve the lives of pets everywhere. To the talented doctors who keep our furry family members healthy and happy, Thank You!!!!
We could go on and on, but want to keep this brief, because we know your time is precious with family and friends today. Enjoy the day…and remember, whether it be a holiday meal or life itself, remember to savor each moment, and leave room for dessert!
~ Mina, Sarah and the entire Saint Germain Catering staff & family
Making it Simple to Give Thanks at the Office This Season
This is a season of Thanksgiving, a favorite time of the year, where food, family, friends and colleagues come together to set the table for wonderful gatherings…reflecting on all we have to be thankful for. We’re especially thankful for our wonderful customers, who trust us to make special events…special. We don’t take that trust lightly. Trust us with your next Thanksgiving catered event, and leave all the stress behind!
“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.“ ~William Arthur Ward
Whole Roasted Turkey
Whether you’re having a holiday lunch at the office for a group of 10 or 200, planning a Thanksgiving meal for work colleagues and guests can be overwhelming. That’s where we come in! A simple call to Saint Germain Catering will answer all of your questions. We offer drop-off or full service office catering in Washington D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia. Whether your staff or guests have certain dietary restrictions or are health conscious, we can deliver delicious meals that satisfy any palate.
Our, fiendly, expert catering team can quickly set things in motion to make everything from planning to delivery to mealtime a stress-free, delightful (and delicious!) experience. We can cater the entire meal, with our Fresh Baked Whole Turkeys and gourmet selection of sides such as cranberry stuffing, whipped mashed redskin potatoes, sourdough rolls and green bean casserole (yes, as good as they sound). The bigger the party, the more the variety of appetites and preferences to satisfy, so we can offer Spiral Glazed Ham with our own pineapple glaze, and a selection of vegetarian dishes as well. Whatever your needs, we can accommodate them!
Mouthwatering Homemade Pies
Contact us at 703-506-9396 and let one of our catering sales specialists help plan your meal. Just let us know how many guests, date, time and location…and we’ll take care of the rest, putting together a customized menu and the perfect package to fit your exact needs and budget. Oh, and don’t forget dessert. We bake our pies fresh each morning, offering scrumptuous pumpkin pies, apple pies, pecan pies and more. All of our pies are baked from scratch without use of artificial flavors or preservatives, just like Grandma used to make. If she still makes them, maybe keep this between us. We don’t want her to be jealous!
“Thanksgiving, man. Not a good day to be my pants.“ ~Kevin James
via Quote Garden
Saint Germain Catering Loves Halloween Parties
The Saint Germain Family loves their holidays, and Halloween is just around the corner! There’s still time to put together a memorable Halloween Party for your friends and family, so we wanted to offer up some food for thought!
Three components to a party we feel are ABSOLUTELY necessary for a good time:
A Costume Contest with Prizes:
Be sure to encourage your guests to dress for the occasion by offering a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prize for best costume! Nothing expensive, just a fun way to be sure everyone comes in costume and to add a little friendly competition. Give each guest a decorated safety pin to pin onto their favorite costume and at a designated stopping point during the celebration, have each person count the pins that they have collected to see who has won! After all, we are a democratic society, right?
Games and Activities to Get Your Guests Mingling
Candy Bucket Bean Bag Toss
Bobbing for Poisoned Apples
Guess How Many Pieces of Candy Corn and Candy Pumpkins Fill the Jar
Creepy Cocktail Contest- Mad Scientist style bar set-up with liquors and mixers of various colors displayed in beakers and test tubes set the mood for this contest. Don’t forget the gross garnishes such as gummy worms and bugs, frozen grape eyeballs, and carefully handled dry ice chips to make a ghastly fog! Wilton even makes a silicon mold for frosty ice shot glasses: http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=85D6D9DF-1E0B-C910-EA6093482B8D9551
And of course, our favorite- Food and Drink in the Spirit of Scary
No Halloween party is complete without Spooky Food and Beverage. Some ideas to get you going are listed in the links below.
Claire Robinson’s Dark and Spooky Cocktail
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/claire-robinson/claire-robinsons-dark-and-spooky-recipe/index.html
Cheese Ball “Bat Bites”
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/bat-bites-10000001875211/
Candy Corn Parfaits
http://www.joyofbaking.com/CandyCornParfaits.html
Celebrate the 4th of July with Saint Germain!
Washington, DC is the place to be to celebrate the 4th of July! The National Mall, with Washington, DC’s monuments and the U. S. Capitol in the background, forms a beautiful and patriotic scenic backdrop to America’s Independence Day celebrations. The 4th of July celebrations in Washington, DC are among the most attended events of the year and many people arrive early to stake out a seat on the lawn for the spectacular display of fireworks over the Washington Monument.
Why not order some of our summer picnic boxes to-go to keep you company, and full, while you wait for the show? Try our Summer Jazz meal: boneless juicy chicken breast marinated in fresh rosemary and lemon grilled to perfection. Served with fresh berry salad, orzo pasta salad, a roll with butter and a scrumptious brownie.
Hosting a party? Not a problem! Simplify your life with our Summer Menu! Celebrate by ordering our Classic Red White & Blue meal: all-beef lean burgers, turkey burgers, black bean veggie burgers, all-beef franks, homemade brioche buns, French fry bar with sweet potato and Idaho French fries served with condiments and fixings. It also comes with fresh sweet local corn on the cob, juicy watermelon wedges and summer-themed iced cookies!
How are you celebrating the 4th of July?! Let us know and respond in the comments below, tweet us at @SGCatering or post on our Facebook Fan Page!
What Memorial Day Means To Saint Germain
Barbecues, picnics, road trips with family and friends, outdoor games; there are so many fun ways to celebrate Memorial Day Weekend. Whether you’re hunting for the best sales at Tysons Corner or heading to downtown Washington, DC for the Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Rally and the National Memorial Day Parade; Saint Germain provides the perfect Summer Picnic Basket To Go for each event.
Memorial Day is much more than overeating and having fun; it’s about remembrance. Memorial Day originally began as an honorable day of remembering the fallen of the Civil War. As our country aged, the definition of Memorial Day expanded to include all the men and women who put their lives on the line for our country. Every day, the military, police, and firefighters protect our country’s freedom and the safety of its citizens. This year’s National Memorial Day Parade will feature a tribute to the generation that served and sacrificed in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn, following the formal end of the war last December.
Recently Saint Germain was honored by being awarded a wonderful flag and letter for proudly serving the Wounded Warriors organization with an Ice Cream Social. We are committed to nurturing those who keep our liberties strong and will never take for granted our freedoms and rights or the people who protect them. We wish you a happy Memorial Day Weekend!
Tell us how you plan to celebrate Memorial Day in the comments below, tweet us at @SGCatering or post on our Facebook Fan Page!
How to Cook the Perfect Burger
Graduations and picnics galore! It’s grilling season and we have one thing on our minds: consistently juicy, perfectly seasoned and precisely medium-rare cheeseburgers! There is an insatiable appetite for making the perfect burger, and we figured we would bestow our griddled wisdom for your next barbeque event.
The heart of every burger is the patty and most people prefer beef, so that’s where we’ll start. For maximum flavor and juiciness, grinding your own burger meat does the trick. The golden ratio is 80 percent fattier chuck-eye steak and 20 percent leaner flank or skirt steak. Try to always use whole cuts, not scraps or pre-cubed meat. It is important to keep both the grinder and the meat cold so the fat doesn’t melt out. Try to freeze the beef and tools for about 20 minutes or until a layer of ice spreads across the meat.
To make four juicy and tender beef patties, start with 1 ¼ pounds of beef and heat your grill to medium-high.
Step 1: Divide the meat and gently form it into 4 balls.
Step 2: Flatten the balls into ¾-inch-thick patties. Also flatten the top and sides of each patty to ensure that the thickness is the same throughout.
Step 3: Use your fingers to make a dimple in to the top of each patty (this will prevent from over plumping and make it easier to put on the bun and stack the toppings). Liberally season the patties with salt and pepper.
Step 4: Oil the grill grate with a pair of tongs and a paper towel dipped in canola oil. (Never spray the oil or you’ll risk a flare-up.)
Step 5: Grill, with the wells facing up, until the burgers release easily, 4 to 5 minutes for medium. (We know it’s fun, but resist the urge to press or flatten the meat! We recommend using tongs to avoid unnecessarily poking or piercing the burger.) Flip patties and cook 4 to 5 minutes more. Instead of prodding the patty with a knife or a finger, gauge doneness by sight: no juices flowing from small cracks at the top of the burger means it’s rare; red juices indicate medium-rare; and rosy to pale liquid means it’s medium-well to well-done.
Step 6: If you are making cheeseburgers, add your preferred cheese 2 minutes before the burger is done and cook with the grill covered. To get that oozing, melted effect everyone craves, be sure the cheese
you’re using is properly prepped. Firm cheeses (Cheddar, Swiss, American) should be sliced or grated; soft cheeses (fresh goat cheese, feta, blue) should be crumbled.
What are your secrets for grilling the perfect burger? Respond in the comments below, tweet us at @SGCatering or post on our Facebook Fan Page !
