D Oeuvres

By late afternoon, chef Jim Schumann of the Manor Tavern is putting the finishing touches on spicy Cajun chicken ten- ders, smoked-salmon tortilla pinwheels, miniature spinach quiches and other hors d'oeuvres for an evening cocktail reception in Havre de Grace.The executive chef, who also oversees the preparation of meals at the Monkton restaurant, has been working steadily since 9 a.m., assembling roasted vegetables, rolling goat cheese in freshly chopped chives and wrapping pencil-thin asparagus in prosciutto.

Inviting friends in for drinks and hors d'oeuvres can be one of the most relaxed ways to entertain -- but not when the menu holds the host hostage in the kitchen. That won't happen if you plan simple-to-make-and-serve dishes you prepare entirely or partially ahead.If you're not serving guests dinner afterward, plan to have the hors d'oeuvres hearty and plentiful enough to cushion the effects of any alcohol you pour, and offer soft drinks or mineral water as well. Present an appealing variety of dishes, counting on four to six hors d'oeuvres per guest.

When it comes to holiday entertaining, there are two types of people: the ones who make scrumptious dinners from scratch and serve them on impeccably set tables in clean houses -- and the rest of us.We are the fakers. We buy gourmet take-out and arrange it on our own china. We put candy in a bowl and call it a centerpiece. We are overwhelmed, underskilled, sometimes just plain clueless.But we still like a good time. And we wouldn't mind throwing a party to celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas or New Year's without falling to pieces.

They ran blindly, clawing at locked windows, huddling breathlessly in corners, racing upstairs like horror movie heroines fleeing a psycho killer.They ran from Vince the Cowboy Stripper.The guests at this gathering were free to run.Kristen Mrozinski, the bride-to-be, was not. She was trapped for the performance.From beneath her mom-made, white bridal baseball cap, adorned with silk bows, flowers and a ponytail veil, her eyes pleaded "HELP ME!" Her face resembled a cherry tomato.The bachelorette party -- that traditional sayonara to the single life -- was getting into the groove.

Even before Carroll County General Hospital opened in 1961, an auxiliary had formed and was busy raising money to pay for the building.For 40 years, the Carroll County General Hospital Auxiliary has held a Silvery Moon Ball as a fund-raiser -- to buy equipment, to pay for additions and renovations or whatever is needed to provide quality medical care.This year, Joe and Betty Shaum are again co-chairs of the event, which will be held from 6: 30 p.m. to midnight Nov. 6 at Wilhelm Ltd. Caterers in Westminster.

Appealing appetizers for the party seasonIf you're planning to entertain this holiday season, the just-published "Hors d'Oeuvres" (William Morrow & Co., $23) is required reading. New York magazine food writer Gillian Duffy has gathered more than 80 recipes for party tidbits from chefs and caterers. Your guests will love their curried mussels with sweet red pepper, spicy Asian chicken wings, white bean bruschetta and more. Fabulous photos let you see what these works of art should look like.

The Heisman Fine Arts Gallery will present a show of local art and an auction at 8 p.m. Feb. 22 at the Jessup Community Hall, Route 175 and Wigley Avenue.The auction, which will include works by Delacroix, Llewelyn, Wyeth, Borelli and Neiman, will benefit the Julia S. Stafford Memorial Scholarship Fund to provide assistance to a 1997 graduate of Meade Senior High School.Most bids will begin at $50.Admission, $8 for individuals and $15 for couples, includes wine, soda, hors d'oeuvres and door prizes.

Whether skies are cloudy or clear, the stars will shine brightly tomorrow evening at Carroll Community College's Rotary Amphitheater fund-raiser, appropriately called "A Starry Night."Nineteen local performers will offer a preview of when the performing arts amphitheater is open. Groundbreaking for the open-air facility is expected in April, college officials said.Dwight Dingle of WTTR radio will be master of ceremonies for "A Starry Night," which opens at 6: 30 p.m. inside the 1601 Washington Road campus' main building.

Maybe I'm mad, but the mere mention of meatballs makes my mind meander with memories of magical moments. A mutation of meat loaf, a midget of meats, these miniature mounds might not be majestic, but my main mission here in my monologue is to muster a memorial to the master of munchies.Make no mistake, meatballs are main magnets at merry affairs, with most of the masses munching multiples of these marvelous marbles while mingling. Meatball maniacs like myself might manage to muster a meatball museum or maybe a mammoth monument with a meatball motif, mentioning the motto, "Meatballs on every menu."

Prudhomme drops in at Inner HarborNoted chef Paul Prudhomme, the man who made blackened redfish a menu choice from New Orleans to Des Moines and from Ocean City to Malibu Beach, will be signing his books starting at 5 p.m. Friday at Books for Cooks, in the Light Street Pavilion of Harborplace. Prudhomme is in town to accept an honorary doctorate from the Baltimore International Culinary College. For information, call (410) 332-4191.Bigger isn't necessarily better, but a good case might be made for this: Cheez-It, the perennial snack favorite, now comes in a new size.

Critics are a small movie's best friends - and vice-versa. Films that arrive in a city without TV commercials or print ads, often months or years after their international premieres, rely on reviewers to get out the word that they've landed at a local art house. If the movie is good, a positive notice from a local critic can help it win another week of life. If the movie is bad, a hometown slam may rouse more attention than a review picked up from another city, which can give a film the odor of something canned and left too long on the shelf.

One of the hottest spots in Baltimore last weekend was a car dealership, as a couple hundred glammed-up guests nibbled on hors d'oeuvres and sipped cocktails while surrounded by exotic cars at Maserati of Baltimore. Casino games inside and a cigar lounge outside added to the evening's pleasures. It all led up to a high-end, high-energy fashion show featuring collections from several area designers. And that was inside the dealership's garage. A very clean garage, we should add. The evening's high point came after all but one of the outfits had been shown, when event chairwoman Jasmine Richardson introduced guest of honor, Baltimore native and "Project Runway" winner Christian Siriano, and the night's one live auction item - a black chiffon cocktail dress he designed for the occasion.

Events ABCs OF COOKING : Chef Diane Bukatman demonstrates how to use a knife skillfully in the kitchen in the first class in the "How to Think Like a Chef" series. The class is from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. July 9 at 20 Clarks Lane, Reisterstown. $65 for the first class or $400 for the series. Call 410-833-5579 or visit fortheloveoffood.com. BOURBON TASTING : Bourbon expert Steve Cole explains how whiskey is made, how it pairs with food, and the nuances of its color, age and taste from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. July 31 at Morton's Steakhouse.

When serving wine to guests, whether with snacks and hors d'oeuvres or with a meal, what is the appropriate amount to serve? (Assuming, of course, that there is a designated driver who won't drink at all.) At a sit-down meal, the rule of thumb is a half bottle of wine per person, or one bottle for every couple. If it's a long meal covering several courses and several different types of wine, you may be able to reduce that to one bottle for every four people. For parties with hors d'oeuvres, the same rule holds.

Opera -- The Annapolis Opera will open its 35th anniversary season with Bravo 35! concert and wine-tasting at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Unitarian Universalist Church, 333 Dubois Road, Annapolis. Soprano Colleen Daly is shown. The event will offer hors d'oeuvres and raffle. Tickets are $72; reservations suggested. 410-280-5460 or 410-267-8135 or www.annapolisopera.org.

It's official - freezing is in fashion. Last month in Paris, the Four Seasons Hotel George V opened a luxury ice bar, bringing a Gallic twist to a Nordic novelty. The bar was built entirely of ice in a refrigerated cube in the hotel's courtyard. Guests were given a black rabbit-fur Kaufman Franco poncho for their 30-minute session inside the boudoir-style interior, which is kept at a frosty 18 degrees. While the hors d'oeuvres won't cure frostbite (ice bars and sorbet), the flavored vodkas (ginger, cinnamon and vanilla among others)

Baltimore's winter party season will resume in earnest later this month, with galas benefiting the visual arts and the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Preventive Cardiology Center. Among the highlights are: Jan. 21 / / "10th Anniversary Grand Gala: Everything's Coming Up Roses." Benefits American Visionary Art Museum. Host Rosie O'Donnell, grand honoree Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Open bar, hors d'oeuvres, dinner buffet, surprise entertainment. American Visionary Art Museum, 800 Key Highway. 6 p.m. Tickets $500, $1,000 including 5 p.m. VIP reception and museum tour with O'Donnell.

Ahhh. Jan. 1, 2006. Sure feels great to kick back and relax, without another holiday function in sight, doesn't it? But give yourself a few days. Next thing you know, the walls are closing in on you, and it feels like winter will never end! You find yourself getting nostalgic for those holiday parties. Spring - and all the shindigs it brings - seems so far away. Not to worry. There's a heap of events around Baltimore in the next couple of months. Plenty of things to do, people to see, and causes to help - to help you warm both body and soul.

When making green tea, never boil the water in an aluminum pot and never steep the tea in teapots or cups made of plastic or aluminum, which badly affect the taste. Associated Press Know a helpful shortcut in the kitchen? Send it to Liz Atwood, Food Editor, The Sun, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore 21278 or e-mail it to food@baltsun.com. EVENTS Hors d'oeuvres party -- Learn to make holiday hors d'oeuvres at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 21 at Donna's in Columbia, 5950 Waterloo Road. $35. Call 410-659-5248, ext. 112. Wine and cheese tasting -- Celebrate the fifth night of Hanukkah learning about new wines and cheese from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Dec. 29 at the Chesapeake Wine Co., 2400 Boston St. Sponsored by the Jewish Community Center.

TOMORROW "BE THE STAR OF YOUR OWN LIFE" Benefits The Priceless Gown Project Women only, champagne, special cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, live music, swimsuit fashions, cosmetic and hair makeovers Harbor Court Hotel 550 Light St. 7 p.m. Tickets $85 410-746-3469 or womenand wineevents.com THURSDAY 14TH ANNUAL FINE WINE TASTING Benefits Santa Claus Anonymous Wine, heavy hors d'oeuvres Evergreen Carriage House 4545 N. Charles St. 6 p.m. Tickets $40 in advance, $50 at door 410-685-4830 or santaclaus anonymous.