Easy Party "Fix - its" What isn't right with this picture? I used to serve delicious dinners with wonderful desserts; (yes, I had checked around and, they were wonderful.) However, I knew, that there was something missing. After I began working in Food Service, I had learned that it's the little things, that complete the big picture.
It's not so hard For instance, the use of doilies placed on a dessert plate when serving a fine piece of cake. How about light colored napkins, plain, or with a gentle pattern? Did you know that people, generally feel that colored napkins, are more relaxing than white napkins? Especially pastel colors.
Wow, it is painless! Here are some simple suggestions; Chill your glasses about one half hour before your guests arrive. You may want to use a carafe instead of a plain pitcher. There is less chance of spillage and, it takes up less room on the table. Speaking of spillage, wrap a napkin neatly around your wine bottle, covering the neck, so that it will catch the over pour.
Some quick appetizer ideas! Did you know that a combination of finely chopped: garlic, fresh parsley, and mushrooms mixed with bread crumbs, butter, and romano cheese, can quickly be stuffed into stemless mushrooms and baked at a low temperature until golden brown? Okay, it's in the form of a (run on) sentence, but I am trying to prove a point... How about some soft spread cream cheese with fresh lox, beaten for about a minute? Serve it with bread sticks, or water crackers. It is usually better for a lunch buffet, but it will work in a pinch. If it is important that you make a good impression, plan for "surprise" problems, otherwise, problems will pop up. I am a firm believer in Murphy's Law.
These are simple adjustments, but many people I have spoken with, complain that entertaining can cost alot of money. Well, I say no. Start out small and simple. What I mean is, invite people that you feel very comfortable with, i.e., people that you don't have to impress, and wont be talking to the others about your dinner, at the water cooler.
The small and simple of it.. When you replace dinnerware, do it one section at a time. Big hint! Change your wine glasses first, then replace your water and soda glasses. Wine glasses come first, because people generally feel that wine is more important than water and soda, because it is more expensive. Remember, people see your glasses first, when approaching the dinner table. They will feel confident in the meal that you prepare when they see sparkling new glasses.
For the long run When you can further update you dinnerware, change your eating utensils. These step by step changes do not have to be expensive, they can be the price of your regular dishware. The secret is not to use them every day. You will always have that that clean, finished look, right on hand. To add a professional appearance to your dinner table, spruce up the place settings and server ware. Salad bowls that are made of new wood, (crystal is always preferred) make your guests feel important, because you put alot of thought into the salad. Sparkling clean serving trays, make a big difference. Don't forget that you can dress anything up, by lining it with a cloth napkin.
Place mats made of a wicker or cloth material are very nice. Don't forget coasters, if you decide not to use a light colored table cloth (dark colored table cloths really only work in Italian restaurants).
As for a center piece, fresh cut flowers in a nicely decorated vase, are always good. However, the vase has to be taken out of the room when it is time to serve the meal, because the fragrance will distract the palate.
This is very important to remember: When serving food, do not choose quality over quantity. There is nothing worse than trying to impress someone and just when you've pulled it off, you run out of food. Don't get me wrong, make sure the food is impressive enough and has quality taste, but also make sure there is enough of it. Your guests may try to comfort you and say that it's alright, if you run out of food, but it's not, i.e. make your guests want to come back.
Having a dinner party is a much friendlier way of spending a Friday if one is not feeling too excited about going out for heavy drinking session at a club. In fact providing an informal dinner service from the comfort of your own home is a much more cost effective and relaxed way of socialising with close friends and family. The more tricky part of holding a dinner party like this is knowing when to begin preparation for your meal and how you intend to serve the dinner.
However, often dinner parties can go wrong by cooking at the wrong time, preparing food that may not have cooked properly, or worse still the host is not entertaining the guest very well. Providing a good dinner service does not necessarily mean that, you should serve up the food on to plates for everyone and that is it. Dinner parties should always more interactive than this and should be about communicating with friends rather than focus solely on the food.
You could arrange to have various different entertainments such as an envelope of activities for guests to complete before the end of the night; produce anecdotal stories about the food you have prepared; ensure musical entertainment; or even prepare tiny gifts or doggy bags for the guests to enjoy at the end of the night. The dinner service itself should also feel like an excitement over showing off your culinary skills rather than a chore. There are a few things to consider before arranging a dinner party, one of which involves much preparation of your own.
The first and most important of all tasks is to select the perfect meal, which is simple for you to cook and has a historical reference to it. This makes for a good conversation starter and livens up everyone's spirit for the evening. The food should be chosen based on its flavour and popularity. People judge their food based on their sense of smell, so if you get this right then you are likely to get the dinner party right.
The second step is to prepare a doggy bag. This is not for leftovers, but for people to take home in order for them to remember the party. These can be in the form of tiny biscuits, sugared almonds, sweets, homemade chocolates and a little thank you card. Part of putting on a good dinner service at home is to make your guests feel welcomed and relaxed.
Have some games ready such small missions for the guests to complete, making sure you have a winning prize and a fun punishment for the losers. This can be introduced after the dinner, making it something for people to look forward to so the best part of the night was not just focussed on food. Keeping the group of people interactive throughout the night makes it look like the host has a genuine care and concern for their guest.
Make sure that you have set the table up in a presentable manner so that each person has enough space to eat and move about. Arrange the food so everybody are able to reach the food, use your good crockery and decorate the table. It might be a good idea to put small name tags or a little gift on the plate for people to take home.
Finally always prepare a good selection of finger foods, so that when the conversations during the evening become tiresome you will be able to introduce some more food for those looking to nimble on something extra. It is always a good idea to have this all prepared in advanced and keep them warmed up (unless they are cold snacks).
Both Jason Swanson & Anna Stenning are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Jason Swanson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Dogs, Pets and Writing. Want to find out about and. Jason Swanson's top article generates over 90500 views. to your Favourites.
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