It's been years since I devised a menu that was as easy to serve for a special occasion as this past weekend's early Christmas celebrations - even with back-to-back parties. (See previous post for menus.) Planning, and a balance between store-bought and homemade-ahead-of-time is what made this such an easy but still delicious Christmas weekend. With just a few preparatory steps you can eliminate so much effort and stress, so I'm going to walk you through how to plan and execute a special occasion gathering. If you're already in the thick of party preparation, just use what you can of the strategies below - every little bit helps, right? And remember that some of these pointers apply only to large, formal events; your gathering can be as simple and as uncomplicated as you like. If at any time during the reading of this post you feel overwhelmed by the task ahead, skip to the last paragraph! I'll post next about the easiest of hors'd'ouvres to make your festivities even simpler to prepare for.
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1. Menu planning
As soon as you decide to have a party/dinner, start planning your menu. Write down all your ideas then start eliminating those that are too labor intensive or costly. Move recipes that can be done ahead of time to the top of the list (or circle them if you're working on paper instead of the computer). Now re-write your list and give it another look based on foods that work well together.
Whether you're planning a desserts-only buffet or a full sit-down meal, you want to plan your menu to include foods that offer an interesting variety of flavors, colors and textures so that your buffet or plates are as stimulating to the eye as to the palate. You also need to offer a balance of types of foods. We all know what a balanced meal is, but when you're offering a supper of heavy hors'd'ouvres, for example, you want to balance your menu by having your "meats" include a meat and/or poultry dish and a seafood-based recipe, then start adding produce-based dishes. There seems to be an unlimited number of cheese-based dips and spreads suitable for appetizers or hors'd'ouvres, but don't let yourself put too many of them on your menu; too rich a menu doesn't make for good fellowship.
For eliminating work, determine which items on your list are readily available at grocery stores or bakeries; but if the quality's not high in the store-bought variety, make it yourself or eliminate it from the menu. What can you make ahead, even far enough ahead to freeze? Some homemade items that could add a special touch to the meal don't take much effort to make, but the effort's too great if it has to be done at the last minute and therefore stresses you out. In the previous post about my early Christmas weekend festivities, one such item was the Red Bell Pepper Butter. It's absolutely delicious and obviously homemade, so the guests feel special knowing the "trouble" I've gone to for them. But how special would they feel if I was tense and snappish from trying to do too much at the last minute? So I made the butter a week ahead and popped it in the freezer.
Lighten up an hors'd'ouvres menu by opting for cheesy items that include veggies rather than meats (Artichoke-Spinach Dip with parmesan instead of Bacon-Cheddar Dip, for example). Also, use veggies such as endive leaves, cucumber slices and lettuce for the base of appetizers - examples: Lettuce wraps instead of tortillas, cucumber instead of crackers for smoked salmon, cream cheese and capers, and endive can replace tasting spoons, toast cups or numerous other bases for many savory meat or veggie fillings.
To finalize your menu, remember: different colors, different textures, different flavors, different food groups, even different temperatures. What do you have in the way of serveware? Unless you're willing to make a purchase, keep in mind what you have to work with to keep hot dishes hot and cold items cold.
One last thing to check - if you're having a meal as opposed to a cocktail party, variety is still important but double check your menu to make sure the variety isn't so disparate that you have flavors that actually clash with each other - you want your foods to complement each other. And don't forget to list your beverages in your menu.
Note: I often have an item or two on the menu that I figure would be great additions, but if I'm running out of time I know they can be eliminated.
2. Shopping
Check the contents of your pantry against the ingredients for each of your menu items, and make your shopping list. If you're cooking for a very large crowd or making multiple recipes that include the same ingredients, such as flour and sugar for holiday baking, make sure you have enough for all the recipes you plan to make. Repeat trips to the grocery store are definitely a stressor - if not for you, then for your husband. There are exceptions to every rule, and some exceptions to the "make a list and shop only once" concern menu items you can prepare early, and produce you want to pick up at the last minute so that it's as fresh as possible.
As for those items that you want to shop for at the last possible moment, reserve them ahead of time. Your butcher, baker, or produce manager will be more than happy to ensure that your ingredients or prepared items are ready when you are, and that they haven't sold out when you come back for your last minute items.
Also add to your shopping list item such as lettuce that you want to line serving platters, or use in other decorative ways. Trays lined with beds of uncooked rice or rock salt make beautiful organic presentations and help to balance curved items on a platter, such as devilled or quail eggs, and halved cherry tomatoes.
How do you know how much to buy? Well, that's pretty simple when you're planning a full meal and you know how many are attending. For a cocktail party, the rule of thumb is eight hors'd'ouvres per person per hour. I completely ignore that rule, and am notorious for making too much food. But I love leftovers and not having to cook for days after a party.
3. Serveware List
This is the step most people don't think of. Beside each item on your menu, note the plate/platter/bowl you're going to offer it in/on, and which serving utensil you'll use. For big parties I even get each item out and place them on the buffet to make sure I have enough space and know how to arrange everything. Keep in mind that you can get creative with your containers - I've been known to serve relishes and sauces from flower containers. The only restriction is to be sure that any container you use is safe for serving food, particularly if the food is hot.
Please do not skip this step. Definition of stress: you think you're ready because all the cooking's done - meanwhile guests are at the door and the veggies are getting overcooked while you're on the stepladder trying to locate Great-Aunt Alice's fish platter behind the Christmas tins in the cabinet over the refrigerator while your husband is busy mixing drinks and regaling the earlier arrivals with football injury stories - again.
Over the years I've accumulated hot plates, multiple crockpots, varying sizes and shapes of white trays, bowls that nest together when one's filled with ice (for shrimp, caviar, etc...), a chafing dish, a punch bowl and a 40 cup coffee urn, even a heat lamp (the kind used over a massive roast on a restaurant buffet) that I got for free with another purchase. Little by little over the years, if you like to entertain, you can acquire the supplies that will allow you to expand your menus. And many items like punchbowls, trays and extra crockpots can be found for next to nothing at thrift shops. (Be sure to give anything electrical a trial run before your event.) But one of the best ways to gather the equipment you'll need for larger parties or special recipes is to share with/borrow from friends.
And don't forget to include in this list what your guests will eat off of and drink out of. Do you have enough glassware? People have a tendency to get fresh plates/glasses when they go back for more. For large parties, you may even want to rent plates, glassess, linens. Check online or in the Yellow Pages for rental companies.
4. Decorating List
Most parties need a little decoration - it may be as simple as a few buds in a vase on the buffet or as elaborate as decorating the entire house for Christmas. But make a note of what you'd like to get done. If you'd like an arrangement on the dining room table, keep in mind that it should be low enough for the diners to easily see over to facilitate conversation among your guests. A simple and inexpensive line of votives and single blossoms work beautifully on a dining table if you're serving from a buffet, but a more compact arrangement is usually necessary if the serving dishes are on the table.
Do you have a friend, whether she's invited to the party or not, that has a garden full of blossoms or is gifted at arranging flowers? Ask for her help. Would you love to have a florist design an arrangement based on the theme of the gathering? Sculptures, mirrors, photos, attractive wooden boxes - anything in your home can be put to new use to decorate a table, buffet or even serve food from. Mirrors, by the way, can be gorgeous laid flat on the dining table, reflecting the flowers and candlelight. Produce can be used in many decorative applications. Anything goes as long as it fits your self-imposed budget and the general degree of formality (or not) of your gathering.
5. The Help List
For the largest of gatherings, you may need some hired help - or free help. Your children are great for this - they'll feel as special as your guests when you give them a special job to do and train them for it. Teach them proper serving techniques if they're older and let them bring out course after course and serve formally. Or have them be the official greeters: welcome guests, take their wraps to the master bedroom if you don't have enough coat closet space, offer to take ladies' purses but certainly don't insist, and usher guests out to the patio or show them into the living room.
Hired help can be a little more daunting if you don't already know somebody to call on. If you happen to belong to a country club or know someone who does, you can phone and ask for wait staff or a bartender that would be off work the night of your event. What about inquiring of a favorite waiter or waitress at a restaurant you frequent? I had a friend who I occasionally paid to clean house for me, and when we had a particularly big party one time and asked her to help, I discovered she had an unknown talent for plating food beautifully.
Here's an important note - we found it cheaper and certainly more impressive to hire a bartender than to allow everyone to pour their own drinks. This works well in the South, but here in BC the laws are so restrictive now that you almost cannot serve alcohol at all without putting your house or retirement on the line, maybe even your personal freedom! For my husband and I personally, it doesn't really matter, we drink so little. But at some functions you want to be able to offer alcohol to friends or associates. Perhaps you should be prepared to offer rides home or at least phone taxis for your guests. If you were paying several young people, they could give your guests rides home in the guests own cars, as needed.
Parking is one other issue when you're expecting a big crowd. A rather inexpensive luxury you could offer your guests is valet parking if that's appropriate for your location. For one driver, perhaps your son or trusted nephew, $30-$50 would cover it. After all, a party only lasts a few hours. Just make sure their insurance or your own covers them. I once had a long narrow driveway up a steep hill, with very limited parking at the top. When we had parties, I let everyone park down below, and I had a driver running up and down the hill during the entire party.
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Sound complicated? Well, obviously the larger the event the more involved planning and preparation will be. But if you're not yet comfortable with large gatherings, start small with close friends or family and just use the first couple of steps listed above. And remember, it's your party, so make it as simple as you like - the important thing is to enjoy yourself and enjoy your guests. So serve sloppy joes and Fritos on paper plates at the picnic table with a mason jar full of zinnias if that's what makes you happy. Or call a caterer. However you choose to do it, you're opening your home to friends and family and enjoying their company. Life is sweet.
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