Dinner Party Planning

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Just the idea of entertaining is scary to most people. But dinner party planning is actually pretty easy when you divide it into manageable tasks.

People don't entertain like they used to. Think about it, when was the last time you were invited to an in-home gathering among friends?

Most people have small dining rooms and most of us think we don't have all the necessary items to host a dinner fit for a president. That should not prevent you from having a well thought out party in your home . And I'm willing to bet the president won't be expected at your party.

Martha Stewart Entertaining

In most apartments and homes, the dining room living room and kitchen are all connected. This is the perfect backdrop for hosting your event.  One of my favorite books on entertaining is Entertaining by Martha Stewart.  While there are some really great recipes in the book, I really enjoy reading about her approach to dinner parties and how she handles potential problems.

The days of having maids and butlers in the average household are long gone. Don't be afraid to plan your party around the use modern appliances, partially prepared or ready to serve food. you should use these items to fill the gaps in your menu. Once I show you how to arrange your food and doctor up store bought items, your guests will never know the difference.   Just make sure you ditch all the plastic containers before they show up! Who cares if you don't have the china, furniture, or money you would like to have? Who does? Have a fab party anyway!

When it comes to cooking, make something you know, something you can buy from the store, and something new. Just be sure that the new dish you are trying out isn't the main course!

When you are planning a successful dinner party, make sure you cover the following elements:

• Good food is served attractively. The food does not have to be elaborate or luxurious. Even it a party is just three well prepared dishes in a one room apartment, it can be a huge success.*Guests get a little swag to take home. This can be an idea, a recipe, a photo from the evening, or a little party favor.
• Guests arrive appreciative and ready to contribute to the evening with good conversation.
• Some kind of activity is planned before or after the meal. This is kind of important. The last thing you want is an awkward silence. Even if you have to do something cheesy like break out a board game, its better than staring at each other for two hours. Inviting a good mixture of guests with different backgrounds will help with this too.
• The host or hostess gets to spend quality time with the guests and is not chained to the stove.

Keep these tips in mind at the beginning of your dinner party planning journey and the rest will be a snap.  Dinner party planning is the ability to share what you do have with your friends.

My best advice is start small and entertain a close group of friends first. Be casual about it, and have only a few guests and a few easy items on the menu. Once you get the hang of it you can graduate to  larger parties with more courses.