Entertaining

Women's Web guide to entertaining

Small informal dinner parties and buffet-style dining are growing in popularity these days because they are conducive to relaxed conversation and because they allow the hostess to enjoy the meal as much as her guests. The success of entertaining depends as much on atmosphere as on the food; your guests will only be as relaxed and comfortable as you are. The key is to make your guests feel you are managing everything easily and that you are having as good a time as they. Decide what you can comfortably serve, then begin planning your menu.

Decide what you are going to serve. Only then can you make plans for shopping, cooking and serving. Divide your shopping list in two: those items which can be bought in advance and the perishables to buy the day before or the morning of your party. Cooking should also be divided in a similar way. Decide which items will need to be made ahead of time, which can be made the day of your party, and which can be prepared at the last minute. Serving dishes should be chosen and set out ahead of time. You should strive to have your table set and your cooking done by late afternoon the day of your party. This is the time to check on food you've prepared in advance, arrange food on platters and in serving dishes, and set up your punch bowl and bar.

• Plan and write our your menu.
• Make a shopping list containing every ingredient you will need.
• From this list, check off those ingredients you already have on hand.
• Decide what needs to be made ahead, what can be made the day of your party, and what requires last-minute preparation. Draw up your cooking timetable.
• Make a list of the linen, dishes, cutlery, glassware, serving dishes, platters, and serving utensils you will need.
• If you plan to have one, plan your centerpiece.

One helpful suggestion is to keep a list of the stores where you have found certain particular items in the past. Another useful tip is to keep a notebook of the dates of past parties you've given with the dates and the names of your guests. A guestbook may be too formal for a dinner party—you can jot notes in a journal or desk calendar at the end of your party instead. Such notes will help you remember what you've done in the past and help you determine what was successful and what was perhaps not so successful. If your meal is successful, you may want to serve the same dishes again at other times but perhaps not to the same guests. Careful notes will help you better plan future parties.

Your planning lists should include a list of the clothes you plan to wear. Make sure they are clean and pressed. Deciding at the last minute may require you to make a hasty switch, and this can throw off your confidence and put a damper on the festivities.

You may wish to make a list of the household items you plan to use. This list can include such items as:

• candles and candlesticks
• guest soaps, guest towels, and bathroom tissue
• cocktail napkins
• coasters
• ice, liquor, mix, condiments, swizzle sticks, cocktail straws, corkscrews, and other openers
• closet space and coat hangers

Allow yourself sufficient time to dress and relax before your guests arrive and your party begins. Above all, enjoy the fine food you have prepared in the company of your good friends. That's what entertaining is all about!