In our busy lives, there’s nothing quite like a night in
with friends bantering over good wine and delicious food. Dinner parties aren’t
like going to a restaurant; you don’t have to compete with other patrons for
the waiter’s attention, there’s no fussing over splitting the bill and no
incomplete or missing orders (we’ve all been that guy whose order came twenty
minutes after everyone already finished – awkward!).
While it’s all fine and
dandy when you go to a friend’s dinner party, throwing one yourself is a whole
other ball game. The moment you put the word out that you’re having one, you
are suddenly overcome with what if no-one
shows up syndrome. I’ll be the first to admit that parties never go to
plan. Whether you’ve run out of drinks too early in the evening or you’ve
nearly burned the kitchen down ten minutes before your guests arrive. If you’ve
had some entertaining nightmares or are holding back from throwing a party
because you’re afraid you’ll be too stressed out, never fear help is here.
Planning the perfect evening doesn’t have to be a hectic affair as long as you
follow these steps.
1. Make something you have cooked before
Regardless of whether
you are the type of person that follows a recipe to a tee, the first time you
cook a new dish is always stressful and it never turns out the way you’d hoped.
When you are cooking an unfamiliar recipe for a dinner soiree, there’s also an
added pressure to getting it just right.
If you don’t, it will quickly turn your mood sour for the rest of the evening.
That’s why it’s better to organise a meal that you are well versed with. You
know it tastes good, you know how long it will take, and you’ll have a pretty
good idea of how your friends will take to it – like a fish to water hopefully.
2. Check your guest’s dietary requirements
We know, we live in a crazy world right? Every Tom, Dick
and Harry is following a strict diet regime. Whether it be paleo, lacto-vegetarian, lactose free, or
gluten free – the list goes on. While you don’t need to make sure everyone
loves what you are planning to make, take note whether someone you are inviting
is kosher/halal, vegetarian/vegan or has any type of food allergies. There’s
nothing worse than sitting down to a dinner with friends and realising you
can’t indulge in anything.
3. Set the table the night before
Give yourself one less
thing to worry about by setting the table the night before. It will save the hassle
of trying to find the salad forks or having to clean the good china an hour
before your start time.
4. Set the music and leave it
Everyone fancies themselves a DJ, however you’re music
tastes may not suit the tone you are trying to set. Figure out who the music
person is in your family and have him/her set up a playlist that is long enough
to not repeat songs. Once you’ve set it up, turn it on and leave it alone for
the rest of the night.
5. Prepare in advance
Avoid rushing around like a madman of party day and buy
all your ingredients the day before. You can even start buying storable items
weeks in advance. There are obviously going to be some spoilable items you need
to purchase on the day – Ben and Jerry’s ice cream cake anyone? But it’s much easier
to only pick up a few forgotten items rather than doing big two hour
supermarket excursion.
The most important thing to remember when
hosting a dinner event is to have fun and relax! Happy planning.
{Sponsored Post thanks to Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream}
{Sponsored Post thanks to Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream}
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