If I told you that your 10 best friends were coming to dinner tonight, would you go into a total meltdown? Or would you whip up dinner and still have time to be with your guests instead of hanging out over a hot stove in the kitchen.
If "meltdown" is your answer, take a deep breath and repeat after me, "Keep it simple." When you invite friends for dinner, they're coming to spend time with you; they do not expect Wolfgang Puck to show up with gourmet delights. Putting together a simple dinner is all you need do and making dinner for 10 friends need not be much more work than making dinner for a family of four.
There was a time when a dinner party meant a course of drinks and appetizers, followed by a sit-down dinner with crystal and china on which fancy salads, lavish entrees and stylish vegetables were arranged. And of course, there were hot dinner rolls and other elegant touches. This was followed by rich desserts like chocolate mousse or something equally decadent. Thank heavens we don't eat like this any more.
Appetizers, if offered at all, should be light; you don't want your guests to fill up and then not be able to eat dinner. Dips made with fresh spinach and yogurt or sour cream, bruschetta - toasted bites of bread with salsa, anything light and easy are great. Most of us aren't big drinkers any more. If you are serving alcohol, a relatively inexpensive wine will do. Make certain you have soft drinks for those who abstain.
Dinner itself can be super easy. Everyone has a really good casserole they can make on short notice. You may have to double the recipe, depending on how many guests you're having but nothing is easier than a casserole. You can generally prepare it the day before, leaving it covered in the refrigerator. Then on the day of the party, take it out shortly before the guests arrive and put it in the oven. Most people will sit down to dinner about an hour after all the guests arrive so you can time the casserole accordingly. If it takes an hour in the oven, just put it in when the first guests arrive. Even if you're not ready to sit down when the casserole is done, you can leave it on the counter with some aluminum foil covering it to keep it warm.
A big salad with lots of fresh veggies is always a good accompaniment to a casserole or any other entree. You can chop up the veggies the day before the party and put them in a zippered plastic bag. To save time and energy, use bagged greens that are pre-washed. The European style greens are delicious, have lots of nutrition and add color to your salad. A few hours before the party, dump the veggies and greens in a bowl and toss. Then cover and return to the refrigerator. Splurge on some really good gourmet bottled dressing - even the fancy ones aren't too expensive - and keep it in the fridge. Dressing tastes better when it's super cold.
So now you have appetizers, a casserole and a salad all ready to go. Ten minutes before party time, take the appetizers out of the fridge and put them out. Have a bucket of ice and drink fixings out for people to help themselves. When people start arriving, put the casserole in the oven. You can put the salad bowl on the dining table so people will be able to help themselves family style or you can load up salad plates just before calling people in to sit down when it's time to eat.
When you pull the casserole out of the oven, that's when you want everyone to sit down to eat salad. The casserole needs to sit for 10 minutes anyway and while it's resting, everyone is eating salad. If you want some fresh baked dinner rolls, pop them in the oven when you take the casserole out. The refrigerator rolls from the market that bake in 10-12 minutes are delicious and go well with the casserole.
Salad is done - salad dishes are cleared. Casserole and rolls are served, and drinks are refreshed.
Dessert may be the easiest part of the meal. If you want something fancy, try this. Buy a really elegant looking pie or cake. Then buy some chocolate syrup that pours from a thin spout. If you can't find syrup in this type of bottle, buy a separate plastic squeeze bottle. Depending on your store, you may also find some dessert syrup in raspberry or strawberry flavors. Drizzle the chocolate and/or berry syrups in a random pattern on the dessert plate. Then center a piece of pie or cake on the plate. Talk about elegant! This looks lovely and takes no time at all. Serve dessert at the table or in the living room with coffee, tea or cold drinks of your guests' choosing.
Just to review: First course - easy appetizer made either the day before or morning of the party.
- Casserole - assembled the day before the party.
- Salad - veggies chopped and bagged the day before the party. Greens ready to go in a large bowl
- Rolls - Pillsbury or any major refrigerator rolls that can be placed on a cookie sheet when the casserole comes out of the oven
- Pie or Cake - cut in slices and placed on plate already drizzled with chocolate syrup and/or berry dessert sauces.
- Coffee, tea and cold drinks
There now; that's not so daunting any more is it. And once you feel comfortable with this menu, you can stretch yourself to include entrees that take a little more time than casseroles but don't keep you from enjoying your guests. If you're still a little nervous, practice with some girlfriends. Invite three or four over for lunch or dinner and see how your entertaining skills flow. Before you know it, you'll be the "A" list hostess among your friends and family. Happy Partying!
