Reply to Please help me plan a dinner party

Forum Index » Food, Cooking, and Restaurants

Reply to "Please help me plan a dinner party"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]I used to be that frazzled host and I have learned to calm down quite a bit over the years by making smart decisions and by recognizing that when I come off frazzled it made others uncomfortable. It also can make others uncomfortable if the host is slaving away in the kitchen. 10 minutes always turns into more minutes away from your guests than you initially expect.

I like this menu:  
A simple green salad with house made dressing (made the day before) with a warmed baguette and softened butter in a dish 
Vegetable medley (you can choose several to roast and when they are done lay them out on a beautiful platter sprinkled with parsley. Options: beets, green beans, asparagus, carrots with green tops
Ina Gartens baked mashed potatoes- if you love goat cheese you will really like this dish. It's better if it's made the day before in my opinion. 
Two roast chickens-seasoned the day before. I would put them in the oven an hour before your guests arrive OR you can make
Salmon on a baking sheet with olive oil, cut up lemon slices and dill. It's so quick you assemble it ahead of time and pop it in the oven for 15-20 mins or so right before dinner.

For your starters, I would have out the drinks you know your guests will enjoy. For me it would be white and red wine. A charchutie platter is quick, easy and can be assembled really early. I have a wood platter that I use. I like to have at least two meats. I slice them up (round slices) and put at least two different kinds on the platter at opposite sides. You can choose a fancy cheese or simply buy two different cheeses that are already cubed. Go for different colors. Simply add some crackers, blackberries, and a bunch or red or green grapes and you have a beautiful started with different textures, colors, shapes and sizes. It's very apeskingbto the eye. Have a few small plates set up by the platter.

Tips: create stations away from the kitchen if you don't want your guests to hang there. People tend to congregate where the food and booze are.

Set the table the night before if feasible but place the dishes upside down. I'm a germaphobe and no one wants a dusty plate.

Dessert: this is the one thing you could buy with no judgment. Since its for a graduation I would go with a cake.

Lastly: enjoy yourself! Remember the occasion. Remember that the people in the room love you, and as much as I love to eat good food, the company really makes the difference. So if you are a perfectionist like myself, really try to relax and enjoy the moment. 
[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics