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How can I prepare to Host a Dinner Party ?
I love hosting dinner parties
after all who all does not like to have an evening filled with
fun and frolic. However, hosting dinner parties can become a
complex and frightening affair if you do not do the necessary
planning. I dont want to scare you with the word planning-
what I mean is making some simple preparation so that the whole
affair can be handled with great ease.
Start your planning with the date along with the reason behind
the celebration. You might want to host a party for some special
occasions or for no reason at all. It can just be an evening of
fun. Whatever be the reason, make a guest list and go through it
for a few times to ensure that none of the people you want to
invite are left out. If you are an amateur cook, prefer not to
call more than six to eight people if you organizing a dinner
party for the first time.
After deciding on the date, occasion (or no occasion) and
guests, start the process of inviting. If it is an informal
evening, you can make the invitation about one week in advance;
for a formal gathering it is advisable to do the formalities
about one month in advance. Once you are done with the
invitation, decide on the menu for the evening. Keep in mind
both the vegetarian and non vegetarian guests and also keep a
few dishes that does not have ingredients causing allergies
(nuts for instance).
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Decorating the room before the party
is also important and one of the key factors of a successful
dinner party. Ensure that the seating arrangements for the
guests are comfortable. Depending on the occasion, consider the
accessories along with the light and music. It is also advisable
to get some help if the guest list exceeds 15.
Finally and most importantly, keep the whole event simple but
enjoyable. You can achieve this by preparing a checklist. A
glance at the list you remind you to figure out if you have
missed out any details.
Try out these options to make the
preparations trouble-free yet classy. As for the appetizers,
serve simple food like
Assorted nuts
Crackers and cheese
Wafers with a cool yogurt dip
Vegetables in ranch or any other dressing
Big bowls of popcorn |
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Either of these can be served with
a glass of juice or sparkling wine! Believe me your guests will
appreciate this course.
Try to keep the following courses uncomplicated. Start with a
simple salad (you can pick up a few packets of ready made ones
from the nearest supermarket) followed by some bread rolls and
baked vegetables or deliciously easy chicken (or poultry)
preparations along with some flavored rice. End with a pot of
tea or coffee and some desserts. To make things simpler, I will
give you some easy recipes that will surely help.
Cold pineapple and carrot salad
Ingredients
2 carrots coarsely grated
½ cup pineapple juice
1 tin pineapple, juices reserved
1 tablespoon lime juice
Salt to taste
Castor sugar to taste
4 tablespoons - low fat Mayonnaise
Method
Pour carrots and tinned pineapples in a big bowl. Add the
pineapple juice and lime juice. Put the required amount of salt
and sugar. Mix until the salt and sugar dissolves completely.
Cover bowl with a cling film and keep in the refrigerator for at
least 4 hours. Take out from the refrigerator and add fold in
the mayonnaise. Put back in the refrigerator and let salad cool
for a while. Serve the chilled salad.
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Chicken
Parisian
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup all purpose flour
Italian Parsley, snipped (optional)
Method
Cook chicken, soup and broth in an earthenware jar on low flame
for a few hours. One hour before serving, remove chicken and cut
into small pieces. Whisk sour cream and flour into remaining
liquid. Return chicken to jar and heat through. Serve over
steamed or flavored rice. |
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Strawberry and vanilla Cake
Ingredients
1 pack vanilla cake mix
2 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups water
1 package strawberry jelly or jello
1 cup boiling water
1 cup cold water
½ cup heavy whipped cream
Method
Prepare cake mix according to package 15 minutes. Meanwhile,
prepare jello as directed. With tines of a fork, poke holes to
the bottom of the cake at 1/2 inch intervals. Gently pour jello
evenly over cake. Refrigerate 3-4 hours. Top with whipped cream.
This will make a refreshing dessert for the summer season.
In a nutshell let me give you the
tips to host a successful dinner party
Deciding on the theme of the evening arrange the table along
with crockery, cutlery and also flowers.
On the day of the party you can set the table in the morning
as leaving things till evening might be little too risky. Once
done, cover it with a light cloth so that dust does not settle
on it.
Pickles, preserves and chutneys should be made ahead of time.
However, rest of the meal should be prepared close to dinner
time. Nevertheless, keep lot of time to freshen up and dress so
that you dont end up looking tired and fatigued during the
party.
Keep your house clean. If required, get some additional
help-ensure that the table cloth, mats and napkins are cleaned
properly.
It is a good idea to decorate the hall, living room or just
the entrance; placing simple things like a nice flower vase or
some bright colored flowers or even some colorful aroma candles
will do the trick. This will give nice welcome to your guests.
Try and put some nice music in the background. However, the
music must be soft and soothing; loud and hard beats might make
the evening very noisy.
Ensure that some one is at the door to welcome the guest when
they come in if you are unable to do it, give the
responsibility to your children. It is actually a great idea to
involve them as it will develop their social skills.
Typically, dinner should be served 20 minutes to half an hour
after the guest arrives; if there are no snacks, it should be 15
minutes. Nevertheless, if it is a completely informal evening,
you can delay it for some more time.
If you are expecting children, ensure that there are some food
items especially for them; also there must be a good supply of
fresh fruit juices.
After you serve dinner, clear everything from the table even
the salt and pepper shakers.
Always end the meal with a dessert and coffee. As you serve
coffee, keep the sugar and creamers handy.
After the meal, stack all plates and cutlery in the kitchen
sink and return to the living room. Do not start the cleaning
process when your guests are still in the house and do not let
them talk you into cleaning up.
I hope these tips will help you to have a delightful evening
with your guests. Also remember that you should do your own
modifications to give a personal touch. Enjoy the wonderful
evening.
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