Lets face it. If you are stressed, agitated and flitting about, your guests will be uncomfortable and wont be able to relax. Here is an easy test of how well you are doing. How many times do your guests ask if there is anything they can do to help? It is reasonable that guests may ask when they first arrive but if you hear the question over and over again, you are doing something wrong.

The Dinner Party:

Do you become a shrinking violet at the mere thought of hosting a dinner party? Here are some quick and easy tips on how to host a successful party and not be too wiped out to enjoy the effort.

1. Plan it out on paper. Use the basic Who? What? Where? When? How?

2. Dont over compensate. Your guests will not be impressed by 10 appetizers, 3 entrees and a dessert cart for a sit down dinner party. If you are doing a buffet that is a different situation.

3. Balance Colors. Bad move: all of the food in a neutral color. This not only indicates that your food choices are boring but are also lacking in nutrition. Good move: Lots of color!

4. Use the foods of the season. For example: Do not plan a menu using strawberries in the middle of winter as it may be difficult to find any that are top quality. Do use apples, pumpkin, and squash in your fall dinner menus.

5. Dress to impressthe food that is. Plan a menu that looks elegant, but doesnt consume three days to prepare. It is all in the presentation. The simplest dish can look exquisite.

6. Have everything staged and ready to go in advance. Your guests will be uncomfortable if you are flitting in and out of the kitchen.

7. Practice, practice, practice. Use your family for regular practice runs. Always set the table with matching cutlery and dishes and put food in serving dishes. This way you know what you have and are not floundering to figure out how to present your meals to guests.

Here is a quick plan for a holiday/winter dinner party:

Make a list of 6 of your closest friends and invite them over for an evening dinner. If you are in a panic just thinking about dinner for 8, you need to register for our Entertaining Workshop but for an immediate fix, read our tips below:

Prepare a simple menu that does not require a lot of ingredients and a lot of stove watching (bird watching is easy in comparison).

For red meat:

• Salad with vinaigrette dressing, cranberries and nut of choice (pecans, walnuts, almonds)

• A lamb or beef roast with red potatoes, baby carrots, onions and seasonings

• A red wine with dinner. We are partial to Breaux Vineyards Lafayette if you want a local Virginia wine.

• Cheese and grapes for dessert

• Port or Dessert Wine with dessert

For chicken:

• Salad with vinaigrette dressing, cranberries and nut of choice (pecans, walnuts, almonds)

• Champagne Chicken (contact us if you want the recipe)

• Saffron Rice

• Steamed Asparagus or Broccoli

• A white wine with dinner. We are partial to Breaux Vineyards Vidal Blanc if you want a local Virginia wine.

• Cheese and grapes for dessert

• Sherry or Dessert Wine with dessert

Larger Parties:

If you feel that you have the small dinner party under control and are ready to branch out to large group entertaining, here are the basic steps to making a gathering a success:

1. Decide what type of party you are going to have. Cocktail hour, dinner buffet or hors doeuvres. This will drive your menu as well as your cost and party supplies.

2. Determine the area in your house where you want to have the party.

   • How many people can stand or sit comfortably in this area? This isnt a crowded bar/night club. Having to say excuse me and bumping into people loses its charm very quickly.

   • Check your room arrangement. Is it an open floor plan if you intend for people to stand? Move the furniture out of the way. Bruised shins from coffee tables are no fun. Is it conducive to conversation if you are using your seating areas? Rearrange furniture into conversation areas.

   • Are there places for people to set drinks? Nervous nelly coaster girl/guy is not attractive. If you want your guests to use coasters, have them strategically placed throughout the area ahead of time.

   • Ventilation: Keep the temperature a little lower than normal in an area that is going to be full of people. It will heat up fast when everyone gets in the room. If you are using candles for ambiance, remember that they add heat to a room.

3. The Bar: If you are having a cocktail hour, then a fully stocked bar is more essential than if you are having a dinner buffet. Keep these facts in mind.
   • Bars are very expensive to stock because there are essentials you must have to satisfy the drink needs of your guests.

   • A bartender is essential if you have a full bar. It doesnt have to be a professionally hired bartender but it needs to be someone who knows his/her way around a bar and the drink menu.

   • If you are having a dinner buffet where the focus is food rather than drink, then make choose signature drinks. Have one or two specialty drinks for your guests that you can make in advance, serve in pitchers or decanters and have on a min self-serve bar. Again there are essentials you must have like an ice bucket but you do not need a fully stocked bar and a bartender in these situations.

   • The placement of the bar is key. It needs to be in an open, accessible area.

4. The Menu. We could write a whole article on your menu so here are a few key reminders.
   • Have a theme. That doesnt mean you have to don a sombrero for Mexican or throw plates for Greek food but you need to have some commonality for your menu or you will end up with a hodge podge of random items and probably too many of them to boot. Your theme does not have to be an international food either. It could be winter foods or seafood for example.

   • Keep dietary and religious restrictions of your guests in mind.

   • If having a cocktail hour, keep the menu to a few appetizers no more.

   • If having a dinner buffet, keep the menu balanced. Appetizers should not overpower main course or dessert.

An Alternative to a Dinner Party - A Wine Party

Check out our ezine article on throwing the perfect wine tasting party

We hope that all of these pointers will convince you that you too can entertain without a lot of stress. Entertaining is meant to bring a group of friends together for relaxation and fun and it should do just that.