It’s the Season of Hosting
We’ve all hosted a dinner party and have felt the time crunch an hour before guests arrive. That immediate panic of, “I’m not ready! I hope nobody shows up early!” And then they do.
Dinner parties don’t have to be stressful. There’s a reason they’re called dinner PARTIES! You’re just hosting your friends!
tips to make hosting easy
Spoiler alert: it’s all about managing your time pre-dinner party.
#1: Write a prep or check list.
Organizing is so much easier if you sit down for ten minutes and think about everything you need to do. Grocery shopping (plus a list for that!), liquor store (buy a red and white wine that you like), dinner menu, cleaning projects, etc. Crossing items off will give you a sense of accomplishment and will clear your mind for the next task. Tackle the big projects first as some of the little things might not be necessary (you don’t HAVE to clean the other rooms of your house if your guests won’t see it).
#2: Do all your errands and prep the day before so you don’t have to leave the house the day of your dinner party.
There’s always going to be things you forget, but once you start organizing, you’ll hopefully remember them before the day of your party. You’ll be less stressed if you don’t have to race around town picking things up when you know your guests will arrive in a few hours. P.S. You can never have too much ice.
This also goes hand in hand with:
#3: Prep the dinner menu the day before if possible.
As much as you can, prep everything ahead of time. This goes back to planning your menu. A braise (like short ribs) is perfect for a dinner party as you can prepare it the day before and just reheat it (and the flavors perfectly meld the second day). If you have a salad course, slice vegetables and cover them with a damp towel and make your dressing (obviously don’t dress your greens yet!). Think of a dessert course that you can bake or make the day before (a beautiful and simple cake, chocolate pot de creme, or a lemon tart.
#4: Cook the food you know or practice a new dish beforehand.
It may not be the time to pull off new tricks or recipes you haven’t made before - if it doesn’t turn out, you’ll stress even more. But if you have the time, practice a dish a few days before so there’s some familiarity. Writing a menu should highlight your skills while making a cohesive dinner.
Tricks to remember: Your dinner doesn’t need to be over the top. It just needs to be delicious (and just a reminder: simple is delicious).
Everyone loves family-style dining and you also don’t need to course out the dinner - it’s just as elegant to have three or four dishes spread on the table. You’ll spend less time in the kitchen and more time at the table with your guests. You want to enjoy your own party because if YOU enjoy it, so will everyone else.
#5: Set out a few simple hors d’oeuvres so guests can snack before dinner.
Some guests arrive starving and you might feel pressure to serve dinner immediately. It also gives people something to do while waiting for those always-late guests. A few light snacks can make a big difference (especially once the cocktails start flowing). Think dips and spreads, crackers, cheese, salted meats, olives, and/or potato chips.
#6: Make yourself a drink before guests arrive. (Relax those nerves.)
Another trick: mix a large batch of your favorite cocktail ahead of time so you can greet your guests with a drink in hand, and they can refill their own glass. You’ll spend less time bartending and more time entertaining.
Other tricks:
Set the bottles of wine on the table. Guests can pour their own wine throughout dinner so it feels less formal and more like a party.
Finally, if you have the energy, do the dishes after everyone leaves and clean as much as you can (it helps to start the night with an empty dishwasher). You’ll wake up and thank yourself.
how to be a good guest
We often talk about hosting tips to make a dinner party less stressful for the host, but there’s less talk about how to be a good guest. Now granted, the host invited YOU so it’s not your responsibility to do anything besides show up (on time).
It’s always a great idea to walk in with something for the host.
Bring a bottle of wine — maybe with a note saying “to help you clean up” so the host doesn’t feel pressured to serve it for dinner.
Here’s a hot take: showing up with fresh flowers is thoughtful, but at the same time it’s a little rude. The host has to scramble to find a vase, fill it with water, trim the stems, and arrange the bouquet — usually when they’re in the middle of something. Here’s a solution: show up with flowers already in a vase.
In the Midwest people are more willing to say, “Don’t bring anything!” when they might actually need something. I’ve found myself texting the host for any last minute things they might need even if it’s a simple lie like: “We have to stop at the grocery store! Anything I should pick up?” There’s ALWAYS something. An herb they forgot, ice, maybe cocktail napkins. And by saying you’re already headed there will make them feel like it’s not an inconvenience.
Be helpful without making the host tell you what to do.
Instead of saying, “Can I do anything?” ask specifically what you can do so the host doesn’t have to think about what you can do (ahem, mental load). “Can I mix a cocktail for us?” or “Can I open this bottle of wine for us?” is much more direct and will take the pressure off the host to wait on you hand and foot.
At the end of the meal, the host may not want help doing the dishes because then they themselves will then have to do the dishes instead of enjoying their night. Clearing the the table, rinsing a few dishes, and stacking them nicely are a few thing you can do to help without making the host feel obligated to start cleaning up.