| Hosting a dinner party for friends? Or have | | | | before your dinner party, you can be sure |
| you been selected (or singled out, ahh!) to | | | | that things will be a lot easier when the |
| host Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner this | | | | guests arrive. Some great dinner party |
| year? How exciting. And what a pain in the | | | | recipes that you can make up ahead of time |
| rear. While having the people you love in | | | | are: 1. Cold vegetable salads and pasta |
| your home and feeding them a ton of food is | | | | salads 2. Soups and stews (add any rice or |
| rewarding and can be a lot of fun, chances | | | | pasta at the last minute) 3. Veggies and dips |
| are you're a little stressed about it. | | | | 4. Cold appetizers 5. Reheat-able sauces 6. |
| Unless, of course, you're Martha Stewart. | | | | Breads, biscuits, etc. 7. Sliced cheese and |
| When you're overwhelmed planning a dinner | | | | fruit trays 8. More stuff I can't think of |
| party, sometimes choosing a few good buffet | | | | now Last, you'll want to think about how easy |
| recipes and setting up a simple buffet seems | | | | a particular dish is to eat. Especially if |
| like the easiest thing. And though it's true | | | | you're going to have some guests on their |
| that, in many ways, a buffet is simpler to do | | | | feet or perched on chairs, you'll want foods |
| than a sit-down dinner (where you have to | | | | that they can eat without too much cutting or |
| prepare each guest his or her own plate), | | | | hacking. Unless you want them to eat a whole |
| hosting a buffet style dinner is no walk in | | | | steak in their hands like some kind of |
| the park. After all (and especially if your | | | | carnivorous squirrel (which would be |
| family is as piggy as mine), you'll still | | | | entertaining but unhygienic), skip preparing |
| have to cook a whole big pile of food, won't | | | | a large piece of meat. Buffet Table Setting |
| you? Choosing Buffet Recipes: When choosing | | | | Tips: Got your buffet recipes figured out? |
| recipes for a buffet dinner, the first thing | | | | Now it's time to get the table ready. While |
| you'll want to think about is ease of | | | | it seems like setting up a buffet table |
| preparation. When having a lot of people over | | | | should be as simple as tossing things |
| for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner (or any | | | | together, there are a few things you can do |
| other holiday celebration), there is always a | | | | to make you buffet table both look nicer and |
| lot of food involved. Can you easily prepare | | | | be easier to use. One is to vary the height |
| a particular dish for a large number of | | | | of different dishes. This makes the table |
| people? Do you have room in your oven or on | | | | look more appealing visually and makes it |
| your stove to cook all of your dishes at | | | | easier for guests to access a particular |
| once? Another thing to think about when | | | | dish. Another important buffet table setting |
| choosing buffet recipes is how much time each | | | | tip is to... avoid being boring! Most people |
| dish will take to prepare. When you host a | | | | have been to about 1000 buffets in their |
| dinner party, there are about 100 things on | | | | lifetime, and most of them are ordinary and |
| your to-do list the day of the party or | | | | all the same. But with some creative |
| holiday... and about 100 other things that | | | | decorating ideas and a little flair for the |
| you never even thought of. The best way to | | | | unusual, you can create a beautiful and |
| cut down on your work load a bit? Pick | | | | unforgettable buffet table. Good luck! |
| recipes that you can make ahead of time. If | | | | |
| 80% of the cooking is done in the morning | | | | Dinner Party Planning and Buffet Recipes. |