Next time you are planning a dinner party consider mixing it up a little. Too frequently we invite the people we have known for years and there is not a whole lot of new stuff to talk about!!
Successful entertaining is no easy task; it requires thorough planning (you don't want to be in the kitchen all the time!) aggressive housework and food preparation. I have a long held belief that if you are going to all that effort then it is best to invite more than two people. General rule of thumb is to fill the dining table. If you have place setting for 4, 6, 8 or 10 then put a "bottom" on every seat and don’t limit yourself to couples. I confess I don’t get too caught-up in trying to figure out who will get-on with whom! If you like their company then chances are that your other friends will like them too. Previous experience shows that these occasions have lots of noise and there are many conversations happening at once…..marvellous!
Now to the food…as suggested by him is a previous “Blog” “Crisis in the Kitchen” keep it simple and by that I
don’t mean boring. Just plan and prepare as much as you can in advance. A word of advice beware of guests offering to “bring something”. I have had two occasions where they have either completely forgotten or did not prepare enough to provide all the guests with an adequate serving. If a guest is to provide a dish, probably a good idea to confirm the day before!
Do entertain at home, it provides a warm and inclusive environment where you can be as loud as you like without bothering anyone else. It also is a wonderful way to practice those dishes you have been dying to serve.
Cheers!
...and remember...have a fabulous retirementLIFE....
