How to Impress Guests at a Dinner Party
So you're having a dinner party and all you can think about is the inevitable cooking and cleaning it will bring. Rather than focusing on how long it will take to prepare all the food and how you will never find the time for carpet cleaning, here are 3 quick tips to be the host with the most! You'll wow your guests and even yourself, at how easy and fun dinner parties can be.
Tip # 1 Set the Mood
Answer this question before you start thinking about what to cook, what sort of mood do you want to set at the party? Is it a fun and casual evening or is this a formal affair? The way you decorate the table and the room will play a big part in setting the mood. Perhaps it's a casual, fun dinner and lends itself to eating outdoors. To add to the ambience you may choose to string up some fairy lights or solar powered lanterns. Both add a fun festive feel to any meal. On the other hand maybe you are going for a more formal affair in which case a beautifully set table with a simple, yet elegant, centrepiece and two candlesticks will do well to set the tone of the evening. Remember to choose music that will match the mood you are trying to create in the room. When you're guests arrive you want them to feel and embrace a sense of occasion.
Tip # 2 Plan Your Menu
Keep it simple and tasty. Might sound obvious but I can't tell you the number of times I've been to a dinner party where the host has spent all their time in the kitchen only to serve up a complicated 3 course meal that was average at best! When you're guests arrive have the hors d'oeuvres ready to go. What sort of hors d'oeuvres? The mood you decided on, casual or formal, will help determine this to an extent, but basically choose things that are easy for your guests to eat and easy for you to prepare. Remember, ladies love to look fabulous at all times, including when they are eating, so if you are serving food that has the potential to drip or get all over her face provide napkins or think again!
The main meal is always the trickiest. There's those who love meat and those who are vegetarian, there's those who are on a diet and those who expect a gastronomical feast! Finding a balance can be hard but try not to fall victim to cooking three different meals to accommodate your guests differing needs. An old favourite of mine is lasagne served with salad and steamed veg. The benefit of this meal is the lasagne can be made vego or not, and can be made the night before and reheated. The salad and the steamed veg can be prepared and put in the fridge the morning of and pulled out when needed, to be popped in a pot or dressed for dinner. This gives you as the host the most time with your guests and the least amount of time in the kitchen!
Desert is my most favourite meal! I once went to a dinner party where the hostess served for desert individual portions of the most delightful chocolate mouse I have ever tasted! It was simply genius! She had made the mouse and served and chilled individual portions the night before. All she had to do when it was time for desert was go to the fridge and pull them out. A simple desert well executed makes for a sensational end to any meal.
Tip # 3 Be the Host with the Most
Look after your guests. Do they already know each other or have they only just met? Introducing new groups of friends can be a great idea but it can also be met with lots of awkward silences. Be the host with the most and have a few conversation starters up your sleeve for those chirping cricket moments. It's also a good idea to always keep a responsible eye on how much your guests are drinking. Apart from the obvious dangers of drink driving it may also save you from needing any carpet steam cleaning!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kenneth_T_Davis
Tip # 1 Set the Mood
Answer this question before you start thinking about what to cook, what sort of mood do you want to set at the party? Is it a fun and casual evening or is this a formal affair? The way you decorate the table and the room will play a big part in setting the mood. Perhaps it's a casual, fun dinner and lends itself to eating outdoors. To add to the ambience you may choose to string up some fairy lights or solar powered lanterns. Both add a fun festive feel to any meal. On the other hand maybe you are going for a more formal affair in which case a beautifully set table with a simple, yet elegant, centrepiece and two candlesticks will do well to set the tone of the evening. Remember to choose music that will match the mood you are trying to create in the room. When you're guests arrive you want them to feel and embrace a sense of occasion.
Tip # 2 Plan Your Menu
Keep it simple and tasty. Might sound obvious but I can't tell you the number of times I've been to a dinner party where the host has spent all their time in the kitchen only to serve up a complicated 3 course meal that was average at best! When you're guests arrive have the hors d'oeuvres ready to go. What sort of hors d'oeuvres? The mood you decided on, casual or formal, will help determine this to an extent, but basically choose things that are easy for your guests to eat and easy for you to prepare. Remember, ladies love to look fabulous at all times, including when they are eating, so if you are serving food that has the potential to drip or get all over her face provide napkins or think again!
The main meal is always the trickiest. There's those who love meat and those who are vegetarian, there's those who are on a diet and those who expect a gastronomical feast! Finding a balance can be hard but try not to fall victim to cooking three different meals to accommodate your guests differing needs. An old favourite of mine is lasagne served with salad and steamed veg. The benefit of this meal is the lasagne can be made vego or not, and can be made the night before and reheated. The salad and the steamed veg can be prepared and put in the fridge the morning of and pulled out when needed, to be popped in a pot or dressed for dinner. This gives you as the host the most time with your guests and the least amount of time in the kitchen!
Desert is my most favourite meal! I once went to a dinner party where the hostess served for desert individual portions of the most delightful chocolate mouse I have ever tasted! It was simply genius! She had made the mouse and served and chilled individual portions the night before. All she had to do when it was time for desert was go to the fridge and pull them out. A simple desert well executed makes for a sensational end to any meal.
Tip # 3 Be the Host with the Most
Look after your guests. Do they already know each other or have they only just met? Introducing new groups of friends can be a great idea but it can also be met with lots of awkward silences. Be the host with the most and have a few conversation starters up your sleeve for those chirping cricket moments. It's also a good idea to always keep a responsible eye on how much your guests are drinking. Apart from the obvious dangers of drink driving it may also save you from needing any carpet steam cleaning!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kenneth_T_Davis
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