美国国家公共电台 NPR Here Are Martha Stewart's Tips For Hosting A Terrific New Year's Eve

 

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

New Year's Eve is almost here. Time to say goodbye to 2018 and our holiday advice series Help, I'm Hosting, where we asked you for your hosting challenges and dilemmas¹. It's our final installment², and it's a special one. We've got Martha Stewart, the queen of hosting, here to answer your New Year's hosting questions. She's also got a new book out this week "The Martha Manual: How To Do (Almost) Everything," including, of course, a section on hosting and entertaining. She joins us from our New York bureau. Welcome.

MARTHA STEWART: Thank you.

FADEL: What do you look forward to on New Year's Eve?

STEWART: Well, New Year's Eve is a welcoming of a new year, a new season, hopefully, a happier time. We've had a struggling year this year - so many natural disasters, so much political unrest around the world, that we can actually try to be optimistic for the New Year. I'm an optimist³, so I'm always looking for the good in whatever exists.

FADEL: I love that. Let's start with a question from our listener Sandra Bailey from Richmond, Va., about hosting overnight guests for New Year's. She says, three extra bedrooms, eight to nine extra guests - how do you say, first come, first served? Do you let people choose when they respond to the invite? Do you base it on distance traveled? What would you suggest?

STEWART: Well, it's pretty nice to be able to offer such a spacious⁴ accommodations to your guests - and how nice it is because then they can actually relax. They can drink. There might be a clamor for those rooms. But I think the people who live the furthest, of course, should have first choice.

I think that making the rooms comfy for them, making sure there's plenty of water to drink and maybe a bowl of fruit or something in the room. Have a toothbrush and some toothpaste in the bathroom because oftentimes, people forget, and a schedule for the next day because some people don't realize that people live on different schedules. Say, breakfast is at 7:30. (Laughter) Don't do that on New Year's Day - don't, please.

FADEL: Yeah, that might be a tough...

STEWART: (Laughter).

FADEL: ...One on New Year's morning (laughter). So another listener question - Justin Ramirez asked this on Facebook. Any good recipes on seasonal⁵ drinks for the masses - hosting a party of less than 30 people at home - that can be hard or without alcohol but isn't overbearing on spices? - preferably, something that's a step beyond, just put some vodka in it, when it comes to the spiked⁶ batch⁷.

STEWART: Someone just asked me yesterday for a recipe. And one of my favorite things is a cranberry⁸ cosmopolitan⁹. And you can make it with white cranberry juice, which would be very pretty on New Year's Eve because it's all white and icy or you could do it with the natural cranberry juice. And that is with cranberry juice, vodka, fresh lemon juice, some Cointreau and some ice and some cranberries¹⁰ frozen in some ice. It's a tasty, tasty cocktail¹¹. But it can be put in a great, big punch bowl with a ladle. Just make it pretty and decorative¹².

FADEL: What about the nondrinkers at your party? - the people that are driving. How do you - what do you create for people who aren't drinking alcohol?

STEWART: Oh, well, we make a pomegranate tea that is so good. And we get the pomegranate extract. And you just mix that with sparkling water, some slices of orange, lemon, lime and maybe some fresh orange juice mixed in. And it is delicious and healthy and good for you.

FADEL: So here's our final listener question. This is from Sarah Cooper in Trout¹³ Creek¹⁴, Mont.

SARAH COOPER: I'm a socially awkward introvert¹⁵. But I also feel like I should probably have some people over for New Year's Eve. And my kids like to hang out, so I was thinking about a game night. But I'm not sure what to do when the conversation kind of lags and nobody's called Uno. I was wondering what Martha had to say about that. Thanks.

STEWART: (Laughter) Well, that's interesting. I know a few of those. And I don't...

FADEL: Right.

STEWART: ...Think you should be at all ashamed or at all concerned about it because having a party at your own house is the way to cope with it. Inviting¹⁶ a few of your very best friends in to play games and puzzles and activities with the kids, everybody involved, I think, is probably my favorite way to entertain. And it's a lot of fun to have maybe the dining room table just covered with games that one can play, so it's kind of fun. And have good food. I think - my parties always have really, really good food. And I think having an assortment¹⁷ of good, healthy, delicious food makes any party successful.

FADEL: I agree. If there's great food, I'm always happy.

STEWART: Right (laughter).

FADEL: Martha, in your book, you talk a lot about having variety at home, making sure you have your bar cart stocked. What do you do if you're on a budget and you want to host some people on New Year's Eve?

STEWART: Well, there's plenty of ways to entertain that don't cost very much money. I don't think it's hard to come up with some really great ideas. A delicious macaroni and cheese doesn't have to cost a fortune to make. Everybody would love it. And if you serve it with a really nice bottle of wine, you can have a great party. So there's no excuse not to have a good party despite budgetary concerns.

FADEL: So New Year's is almost upon us. Do you have any New Year's resolutions this year?

STEWART: Oh, I don't really have resolutions. I work on a pretty strict self-observing kind of schedule. I just don't make resolutions because I'm going to break them right away.

FADEL: (Laughter).

STEWART: If I say, I'm not going to eat such and such for a month, I'll eat it the next day. I'm really bad about stuff like that. But some people really can say, oh, I'm fasting in January. And they really stick to it. I'm very admiring of such a thing.

FADEL: Well, I plan to lose weight every New Year's, and I break it within an hour. Maybe I'll just...

STEWART: (Laughter).

FADEL: ...Stop making the resolutions.

STEWART: (Laughter).

FADEL: That's Martha Stewart. Her new book is "The Martha Manual: How To Do (Almost) Everything." Thank you.

STEWART: Oh, well, thank you.

(SOUNDBITE OF SUNSQUABI'S "KEEP IT REAL")

1 dilemmas   

n.左右为难( dilemma的名词复数 )；窘境，困境

参考例句：

• They dealt with their dilemmas by mixing perhaps unintentionally an explosive brew. 他们――也许是无意地――把爆炸性的佐料混合在一起，以此来应付困难处境。 来自辞典例句
• Ten years later we encountered the same dilemmas in Vietnam. 十年后，我们又在越南遇到了同样进退两难的局面。 来自辞典例句

2 installment   

n.(instalment)分期付款；(连载的)一期

参考例句：

• I shall soon pay the last installment of my debt.不久我将偿付我的最后一期债款。
• He likes to buy things on the installment plan.他喜欢用分期付款法购买货物。

3 optimist   

n.乐观的人，乐观主义者

参考例句：

• We are optimist and realist.我们是乐观主义者，又是现实主义者。
• Peter,ever the optimist,said things were bound to improve.一向乐观的皮特说，事情必定是会好转的。

4 spacious   

adj.广阔的，宽敞的

参考例句：

• Our yard is spacious enough for a swimming pool.我们的院子很宽敞，足够建一座游泳池。
• The room is bright and spacious.这房间很豁亮。

5 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

6 spiked   

adj.有穗的；成锥形的；有尖顶的

参考例句：

• The editor spiked the story. 编辑删去了这篇报道。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They wondered whether their drinks had been spiked. 他们有些疑惑自己的饮料里是否被偷偷搀了烈性酒。 来自辞典例句

7 batch   

n.一批(组，群)；一批生产量

参考例句：

• The first batch of cakes was burnt.第一炉蛋糕烤焦了。
• I have a batch of letters to answer.我有一批信要回复。

8 cranberry   

n.梅果

参考例句：

• Turkey reminds me of cranberry sauce.火鸡让我想起梅果酱。
• Actually I prefer canned cranberry sauce.事实上我更喜欢罐装的梅果酱。

9 cosmopolitan   

adj.世界性的，全世界的，四海为家的，全球的

参考例句：

• New York is a highly cosmopolitan city.纽约是一个高度世界性的城市。
• She has a very cosmopolitan outlook on life.她有四海一家的人生观。

10 cranberries   

n.越橘( cranberry的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The tart flavour of the cranberries adds piquancy. 越橘的酸味很可口。
• Look at the fresh cranberries. 你看这些新鲜的蔓越橘。 来自无师自通 校园英语会话

11 cocktail   

n.鸡尾酒；餐前开胃小吃；混合物

参考例句：

• We invited some foreign friends for a cocktail party.我们邀请了一些外国朋友参加鸡尾酒会。
• At a cocktail party in Hollywood,I was introduced to Charlie Chaplin.在好莱坞的一次鸡尾酒会上，人家把我介绍给查理·卓别林。

12 decorative   

adj.装饰的，可作装饰的

参考例句：

• This ware is suitable for decorative purpose but unsuitable for utility.这种器皿中看不中用。
• The style is ornate and highly decorative.这种风格很华丽，而且装饰效果很好。

13 trout   

n.鳟鱼；鲑鱼(属)

参考例句：

• Thousands of young salmon and trout have been killed by the pollution.成千上万的鲑鱼和鳟鱼的鱼苗因污染而死亡。
• We hooked a trout and had it for breakfast.我们钓了一条鳟鱼，早饭时吃了。

14 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

15 introvert   

n.性格内向的人

参考例句：

• You are very much an introvert.你是一位地道的内向性格者。
• The same conversation that energizes the extravert also drains the introvert.同样的交谈能让外向者荣光焕发，却让内向者精神颓靡。

16 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

17 assortment   

n.分类，各色俱备之物，聚集

参考例句：

• This shop has a good assortment of goods to choose from.该店各色货物俱全，任君选择。
• She was wearing an odd assortment of clothes.她穿着奇装异服。