The most social season of the year has begun, and we want to help you be the best guest possible. Accepting an invitation isn’t just about showing up. Follow these tips to ensure everyone has a good time and you’re invited to the next fun gathering.

1. RSVP – Obviously the host wants you at their event or you wouldn’t have been invited, but you should still let them know you’re coming. This helps them tremendously with planning.
2. Communicate special requests – When you RSVP, let the host know if you have any food allergies or dietary needs. If this feels presumptuous, offer to bring something to share that fits your needs, letting the host know it doesn’t have to be their sole responsibility.
3. Offer to bring something – Whether you have special dietary needs or not, offering to bring something is polite and can be very helpful to the host.
   1. * If you do bring something, be sure it’s self contained. There’s no guarantee there will be space in the kitchen for you to prepare or construct a dish.
4. Be punctual, not early – Unless you’ve arranged with the host in advance to show up early and help, avoid being ahead of schedule. In the same regard, don’t show up excessively late without notice either.
5. Show your appreciation – Bringing a host/hostess gift is a great way to show you appreciate the invitation and all the work the hosts put into the event. A bottle of Missouri wine makes a great gift!
6. Mingle – A good guest mixes and mingles. Avoid staying in your comfort zone of familiar faces throughout the whole event. Branch out and talk to new people.
7. Keep it light – It’s a good idea to keep conversations fun and festive. Avoid heavy or inappropriate topics and controversial issues.
8. Say thank you – When the event has come to an end, be sure to say goodbye to your host and thank them for including you in their festivities. Get togethers are a lot of fun, but they can also be a log of work. It’s a great touch to the host a thank you note after the event.

Remember these tips this holiday season and you will be the best guest. Cheers!

Winery: Peaceful Bend Vineyard

Ingredients:
1 large portabella mushroom, diced into ½ inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
⅛ cup chicken broth
⅛ cup Courtois (Chardonel)
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 medium to large green pepper, chopped
1 (15 oz) can crushed tomatoes
3 turkey cutlets (approx. 1 ½ pounds)

Directions:
Place all the ingredients except the turkey in a medium to large size saucepan. Simmer over medium high heat until the vegetables are cooked crisp-tender. Place the turkey cutlets in a casserole dish and pour the vegetable mixture over the cutlets, coating the meat evenly with the vegetables. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until the cutlets are cooked through.

Winery: St. James Winery

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cloves garlic crushed

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt
Pepper

½ cup Vintner's Select Seyval (semi dry white wine)
3 green onions sliced

Directions:
Season chicken with salt & pepper. Place in a sprayed non-stick frying pan. Brown on both sides slightly. Add garlic & pepper flakes. Pour wine into pan cover & simmer about 15 minutes or until chicken is done. Wine will reduce. Top with onions and plate.

Winery: St. James Winery

Ingredients:
1 cup Blackberry wine
½ cup chopped pecans
1 (2 layer) box white cake mix
1 3-oz box berry flavored gelatin
½ cup vegetable oil
4 eggs


Glaze Ingredients:
½ cup St. James Winery Blackberry Wine
1 cup powdered sugar
½ cup (1 stick butter)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Grease and flour a bundt pan. Sprinkle pecans in the bottom. In a large bowl, stir together cake mix and gelatin. Add eggs, oil, and 1 cup of wine; blend thoroughly. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake 50-60 minutes until cake tests done. Remove from oven; turn out onto wire rack to cool.

Meanwhile, combine the powdered sugar, butter and ½ cup wine in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat.

Pour ½ the mixture over the warm cake; let set for 30 minutes. Pour remaining glaze, which will have thickened somewhat, over cake.

Winery: Fahrmeier Family Vineyards

Ingredients:
Crust:
1-1/2 cup Crisco (vegetable Shortening)
3 cups All-purpose Flour
1/2 cup crushed peanuts
1 whole Egg
5 T Cold Water
1 T White Vinegar
1 t Salt

Pie Filling:
5 to 6 cups Concord (or any dark purple skinned) grapes, rinsed
3/4 cup sugar
4 1/2 to 5 t cornstarch
1 T Lemon juice
2 T butter

Peanut Butter Whipped Cream:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 T creamy peanut butter
1 T powdered sugar
1/2 t vanilla

Directions:
Crust:
In a large bowl, with a pastry cutter, gradually work the Crisco into the flour for about 3 or 4 minutes until it resembles a coarse meal. With a food processor, crush peanuts until they are a coarse mixture. Add to Crisco and flour mixture. Combine. In a small bowl, beat the egg with a fork and then pour it into the flour/shortening mixture. Add 5 tablespoons of cold water, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir together gently until all of the ingredients are incorporated. Recipe is enough for 3 pie crusts.

Pie Filling:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove skins from grapes by pinching the ends of each grape, reserving both the pulp and skins separately. Place pulp in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook until the seeds separate from the pulp and the pulp breaks down, about 6 minutes. Strain mixture through a sieve into the bowl with the reserved skins; discard solids. Add in cornstarch and lemon juice. Return to pot and boil until mixture coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat. Add butter. Pour into prepared pie shell. Bake for 30-45 minutes until set. Let cool completely. Top with peanut butter whipped cream and serve.

Peanut Butter Whipped Cream:
Combine the peanut butter and cream: add in all of the ingredients together and, with a hand or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip on medium low speed for about a minute. Once the peanut butter has broken up, increase the speed to medium high. Whip until the cream holds medium stiff peaks.

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups St. James Friendship School Red (semi-dry red wine)
1 T cinnamon
1 tsp. Allspice
½ tsp. nutmeg
½ cup sugar
¼ tsp. red coloring (gel)
2 pears (fresh)
cheesecloth

Directions:
Place cinnamon, Allspice, nutmeg into cheesecloth – tie into a bag. Place spice bag, wine, food coloring and sugar into a pan (large enough to hold the pears). Peel pears leaving stems on. Stand pears upright in pan – cover – simmer about 20 minutes until tender. After pears are tender and nice color of red, lift out of pan and set aside to cool. Boil juices until it reduces to ¾ cup. Let it cool. Cut one inch off top of pear – remove core – scoop out pear bottom. Add pear scooping to juice – blend until smooth. Pour mixture into a container and place in freezer. Stir a couple of times while in freezer. Place pears in freezer to cool (2-4 hours). Once sherbet freezes (4 hours overnight), scoop into pears, replace top of pears. Serves 2.

Winery: Jowler Creek Vineyard and Winery

Ingredients:
6 oz. water

4 oz. sugar

2 cups mashed frozen strawberries

10-12 oz. Jowler Creek Critter Cuvee (semi-sweet white wine)

Directions:
Combine water, strawberries, and sugar in a saucepan and cook over low heat. When the sugar is dissolved, add the wine and remove from the heat. Cool the mixture in the refrigerator and freeze in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions. If you don't have an ice cream maker pour chilled mixture into a plastic storage container and place in the freezer until completely frozen and scrape with a fork before serving. Top it with your favorite Missouri sparkling wine.

Winery: Jowler Creek Vineyard and Winery

Ingredients:
1 large bag of Double Stuff Oreos
1 8 oz. package of cream cheese
1 20 oz. package of almond bark
Splash of Jowler Creek Nort (dessert wine)

Directions:
Crush package of Double Stuff Oreos in food processor until finely chopped.

Mix box of cream cheese and crushed Oreos in mixer until just mixed Add a splash of Jowler Creek Nort wine.

Roll Oreo/cream cheese mixture into 1” balls.

Line baking sheet with wax paper, place balls onto sheet and let set in fridge for one hour.

Melt almond bark according to directions on package and dip balls into the melt.

Place coated balls back in refrigerator and let sit for at least one hour before serving.

Winery: Jowler Creek Vineyard and Winery

Ingredients:
1 tube ready-to-bake sugar cookie dough
1 8 oz. package of cream cheese
¾ cup sugar
Sliced fresh kiwi, strawberry, blueberries, or fruit of your choice
Splash of Jowler Creek Traminette wine

Directions:
Roll out cookie dough, cut out cookies and bake according to directions on package. Blend cream cheese, sugar, and Traminette wine together in mixer. Spread cream cheese mixture topping on each cooled cookie. Garnish with slices of kiwi, strawberries, and blueberries Keep in refrigerator until serving.