During normal circumstances, I absolutely LOVE having people over. Figuring out a food menu, drinks menu, music, arrangements, everything. I love it. Last year we we were hosting get togethers practically every few weeks. Between just random, casual get togethers and various wedding events, people were always over. It also meant that we got really good at hosting events and streamlining the process.
Create a Schedule. This doesn’t have to be anything too crazy or too detailed, but having a guide for when you want to accomplish everything by can make planning and the day of so much less stressful. I will create a schedule with things like finalizing the menu, finalizing the paper products/decorations, grocery shopping and food prep. Having these “deadlines” written down helps me stay on track and not get too overwhelmed all at once. It also helps space things out a bit, rather than leaving everything to the last minute. By doing all of this I end up with both a schedule and a to do list.
Menu Strategy. Being strategic about the menu you are planning to offer at your party, can make your overall prep process so much easier. Think about dishes that have similar ingredients, dishes that can be made ahead of time, dishes with a limited number of ingredients. When you are starting to form your menu, consider the time of day, people that will be attending and overall feel you want the party to have. If you are throwing a simple cook-out, keep the menu simple with easy things to make or things that can be purchased pre-made from the store (chips, salsa and guacamole for an appetizer, a green salad, potato or pasta salad, chips and burgers or sandwiches for the main meal and some cookies for dessert).
If you are hosting a more formal dinner party, you will want to think through each stage of the menu and how those things will work together. It is also a good idea how to figure out how to balance things that are easy to make with more intensive dishes. Example. My husband loves making raviolis from scratch for our smaller to midsize dinner parties, which takes a fair amount of time. Whenever we make these, we normally plan on a simple charcuterie board as an appetizer, salad and roasted veggies as sides and a tiramisu for dessert. This allows for most of the prep to be done the day before, leaving the raviolis to be the only thing we have to worry about the day of.
Keep it Simple. When in doubt, keep it simple. Sometimes people will over think the get togethers they are planning. The menu will be huge, there will be so many decorations, the set-up is extensive. Sometimes this is necessary or is the right approach. A lot of the time, it is not. Think about what you are trying to accomplish and figure out the simplest way to achieve that. If you really want to do a lot of decorations, consider purchasing or ordering some or all of the food. If you really want to make the food yourself, consider minimizing the decorations. Parties shouldn’t be something that are overly stressful to put together and host. If you are starting to feel overwhelmed, stop and think about this:
- What is causing this feeling of stress of being overwhelmed?
- Why has this thing become such a stressor?
- How will not doing or having this thing affect the party? Will the party not be able to happen with out it?
- If it won’t affect things, let it go! It is not necessary and is doing more harm than good.
- If it will affect things, how can we make this as simple as possible? Figure out how to simplify the task to the point where the party will not be affected, but will not cause you additional stress.
Prep Ahead of Time. I always try to plan for food that can be prepped a head of time. Whether that is something that can actually be cooked ahead of time or the ingredients can be prepped ahead of time, it is ultimately be a huge help. If you can come up with a menu that can be complete cooked or prepped ahead of time, you will be in such a great place! If you have a more complicated dish or one that has to be cooked the day of (like pasta or sandwiches), try to incorporate as many of these pre-prepped dishes to your menu as you can. Here are some ideas of things you could consider:
Dishes that can be made ahead of time:
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- Brunch: quiche, frittata, pancakes, waffles, biscuits, muffins, scones, salad (minus the dressing), fruit salad or cut up fruit
- Cook-Out: potato salad, pasta salad, salad (minus the dressing), cole slaw, spinach dip, salsa, guacamole, sandwich or burger toppings, chips (if you want to get fancy and make them yourself)
- Dinner: baked pasta, salad (minus the dressing), mashed potatoes, pizza crust, cole slaw, soup, orzo salad, crema, dipping sauces,
- Appetizers: spinach dip, salsa, guacamole, bruschetta, hummus, ceviche, veggie tray, crab cakes, your specialty dip
- Dessert: literally anything, cakes, cupcakes, cookies, pie, tarts, etc.
Dishes that can be prepped ahead of time:
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- Brunch: smoothies or açaí bowls (portion out ingredients), mimosa bar
- Cook-Out: form burger patties, marinate chicken or fish, cut potatoes or sweet potatoes for fries,
- Dinner: cut up veggies (kebabs or roasted), put your veggies on kebabs, marinate your protein, meatballs, salad dressing (if homemade)
- Appetizers: pigs in a blanket, sandwiches (portion out all of the fillings), stuffed mushrooms, bacon wrapped dates, puff pastry bundles/tarts,
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff. And finally, don’t sweat the small stuff. At the end of the day, your guests likely won’t notice if small things go wrong. When something starts to go wrong, stop and think “will this thing cause our guests to have an awful time and ruin the entire party?” Likely, the answer will be no! Don’t let little issues ruin everything. If it is a bigger issue, like the food not showing up, still don’t worry! There is likely a solution that will easily solve the problem. Food doesn’t show up? Find your local pizza shop and order some pizza, salads and pasta if they have it. Run out of drinks? Send someone to the grocery store or order some on UberEats. Propane tank is empty and you can’t cook those burgers? Run to your closest gas station and get some more. Just stop and think, what can I do now to figure out this situation.
Parties should be fun! And so should the planning process. Be strategic, prepare ahead of time, don’t sweat the small stuff and have a fabulous time! Until next time, friends… CML
