Whether you’re planning a small get together with friends or the big holiday bash, throwing a dinner party can be a very stressful and time consuming event. Here are some tips for planning the prefect dinner party.

LESS IS MORE

• Remember, a persons’ stomach is about the size of their fist. You don’t have to send them rolling out the front door totally stuffed.
• Excessive multi-tasking leads to mediocrity. Focus on making less, better tasting food as opposed to more items you can’t dedicate the time to nail perfectly.
• The more items on your menu the less you need of each thing.

MAKE YOUR MENU AT THE MARKET

Hit the grocery store a couple weeks in advance to see what’s fresh and seasonal. Seasonal produce will always taste better and be more abundant. Try to stay a little flexible with menu planning so you can add something special that comes up at the market.

GO WITH WHAT YOU KNOW

In other words, do what you’re good at. Don’t try to experiment on your guests. Cook the things that you enjoy cooking, and you know will be a crowd pleaser. People coming to your house will be looking forward to that signature dish of yours, and if they don’t like it they can go somewhere else and eat.

DO AN INVENTORY OF THE ESSENTIALS

Sit down with your menu and guest list and make a list of items you’ll need and how much. Not just food but things like plates, cups, napkins, silverware, even toilet paper.

SCHEDULE YOUR PREP, THAWING AND SHOPPING

Break your list down by days of the week leading up to your event.  At the top of a page write down the days of the week.  Below each day write down the following tasks on the day it needs to be done:

• When you plan to buy the highly perishable items you can’t buy ahead of time,
• When to pull items out of the freezer
• Prep work that can be done in advance

Hang this up on your fridge or tape it your kitchen cabinets and look at it everyday to make sure you’re on track.  Click Event Prep Sheet for a planning guide in PDF format.

ASK FOR HELP

Don’t dig yourself into a hole in the kitchen. Arrange for plenty of help with some close friends or family and delegate the work, or make it easy and have a potluck. There’s no shame in the potluck game. Potlucks give your guests the opportunity to shine as well. If you go the potluck route then do a sign-up sheet that everyone can view.  This way you won’t end up with ten buckets of KFC.  One of the best parts of a potluck is that people take their dirty dishes with them.

PREP AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE IN ADVANCE

• Peel potatoes the day before and keep them in water in the fridge.
• Vegetables can be peeled and prepped the day before.
• Cut and cook large birds like turkey in pieces. This way you can make stock from the carcass a day ahead and have one less thing to deal with on the big day. A cut up turkey cooks quicker so it won’t dominate the oven all day.
• Most side dishes can be put together in advance and will actually  taste better when assembled and refrigerated overnight.
• Some dishes like enchiladas can be assembled well ahead, frozen, then thawed shortly  before the holiday.

TIME YOUR COOKING FROM THE END TO THE BEGINNING

This is part of going with what you know. It can be difficult knowing when you should put that roast in or when to put potatoes simmering. Start with the time you’d like to eat and plan your cooking backwards from there. This will give you a solid starting point for knowing when to start cooking.

RELAX, IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY

This is one piece of advice I still have trouble with.  When the details don’t come out right it drives me insane.  Don’t throw anything at anyone.  Step outside, take a deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth.  Pour another cocktail or glass of wine and know that it’s going to okay.  Keep a fire extinguisher close by, just in case it isn’t.