Hosting… one person?

[Anonymous]

On Friday we will be hosting one family member for a post-Thanksgiving casual dinner. They will be coming over for what we have planned as “ordering loads of takeout”. It seems foolish to supply appetizers since we will be ordering food shortly after they arrive. This person also doesn’t eat sweets, and neither do DH and I. I considered a nice cocktail, but they also aren’t a drinker of liquor, and only like red wine, but I don’t know if they’ll drink it if driving later.

So how do I make us seem like good hosts in this circumstance? I figured I’d have a bottle of red available, and they can take it as a parting gift if they choose not to indulge with dinner. But what else?

[Anonymous]

OP adding: The purpose of the visit is to celebrate Thanksgiving, only we will all be over turkey and the fixings, so that’s why we are ordering out, and why I’m worried about being a gracious host. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I think you need to have some sort of appetizer and beverage available when the person arrives. Whether it is a simple cheese, crackers and grapes OR cocktail shrimp if you're feeling fancy OR cheetos if you're not. Order away for the entrees but it is nice to offer something. And at the very least some lemonade or hot chocolate or fancy water for a beverage. You have to have something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you need to have some sort of appetizer and beverage available when the person arrives. Whether it is a simple cheese, crackers and grapes OR cocktail shrimp if you're feeling fancy OR cheetos if you're not. Order away for the entrees but it is nice to offer something. And at the very least some lemonade or hot chocolate or fancy water for a beverage. You have to have something.

Thanks for your reply!

I’ll definitely have a variety of soft drinks available. I see your point about providing a light appetizer. I’ll definitely find something I can easily store and serve as a snack for DH and myself in case it’s not eaten. I appreciate it!

[Anonymous]

I love when people have cut up bell pepper, cucumber, carrot sticks, etc. when I arrive. We munch and chat.

Also, being a good host is about more than food. I'm a former ballet dancer and a friend created a playlist of classical ballet songs when I came over. Do you have a fire place? You can set up some pretty candles in the fireplace for ambiance.

[Anonymous]

I think having a variety of drinks is enough, but an easy appetizer would be nice too. Something really simple.

[Anonymous]

What about roasting your own nuts and/or chestnuts? I’m sure there must be tons of recipes online for this sort of thing. Warm roasted chestnuts in particular would be so festive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about roasting your own nuts and/or chestnuts? I’m sure there must be tons of recipes online for this sort of thing. Warm roasted chestnuts in particular would be so festive.

This is a great idea! We roasted assorted nuts last year and they were delicious, fun to crack open, and made the whole house smell good while roasting.

[Anonymous]

For my non drinkers I serve fancy water fizzed or not depending on their preference.

I serve it in a wine glass with a slice of orange.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love when people have cut up bell pepper, cucumber, carrot sticks, etc. when I arrive. We munch and chat.

Also, being a good host is about more than food. I'm a former ballet dancer and a friend created a playlist of classical ballet songs when I came over. Do you have a fire place? You can set up some pretty candles in the fireplace for ambiance.

I also love a veggie tray plus hummus and maybe pita chips.
Mulling cider is welcoming and smells delightful. After a long drive it's lovely to be given hot cider or tea.

[Anonymous]

The bottle of red is good idea (maybe white too? or a beer?).

I'd just put out some nuts, chips, cheese niblets and handful of grapes (or dried fruit, or crudite, or whatever). Snack while you decide what to order...or don't snack.

Maybe have some peppermint bark or leftover pie to offer for dessert.

Sounds nice!