I do this whenever I host a gathering where there will be lots of food served; I got this tip from my hostess-with-the-mostest mom. While I'm getting the kitchen ready and choosing serving dishes, platters for the veggie tray, chip and dip bowls, whatever - I write notes about what's going to go where, then I put the note IN the bowl or ON the serving platter. I know this sounds pointless, but sometimes when guests are arriving and there's a lot going on, I'll get distracted and forget why I got out a certain basket or bowl. Also, if there's a note that says, "cheese and crackers" on the plate for the cheese and crackers, you can easily ask your husband or a friend to pull the item out of the fridge and put it where it belongs. (Can you tell I get a lot of "Which plate does this go on? This one? No...? THIS one?" when my husband offers to help.)
I host our joint family Easter dinner every year with anywhere from 15-25 people. My kitchen isn't fit for large crowds, so I've figured out that if everything is set out to serve the meal buffet-style, it needs to have as few "bottleneck" areas as possible so the dinner line doesn't get out of control. Putting the gravy before the potatoes or the butter before the rolls makes people wander around, searching, instead of flowing through the line quickly.
Does anyone else have any hostess tips??? Go ahead and leave a comment if you do!
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1 comments:
I think my best tip is to serve an apéritif for the people who arrive. I always invent one and do an alcoholic and a non-alcoholic version.
so people have something to drink at once. when I serve the apéritif I try to connect them with others who they so not yet know - I tell them about mutual friends or interests or jobs or whatever.
I think the most important thing is that people feel at ease and have a great time!
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