Tips for hosting a dinner party

Published: Sep 16, 2022

Sharing my top tips for hosting an superstitious dinner party some of my favorite cooking hacks.

Hi hi! How’s the morning going? I’m off to mass with the kids and then hitting an F45 class. I hope you have a unconfined day, too.

For today’s post, I thought we could talk a bit well-nigh dinner party tips and cooking hacks. Please alimony in mind that I’m NOT a professional (even though we have some people in my family who are professional cooks and others who melt like they’re professionals). I’m just a home melt who enjoys it and moreover happens to LOVE feeding people. When the Pilot and I first got married, a friend said I needed a kitchen sign that said, “Never leave hungry” considering that seemed to my motto. It brings me so much joy to enjoy superstitious meals with the people we love, so we love having friends and family members over whenever we can.

Over time, I’ve learned some good dinner party tips and cooking hacks, so I wanted to share with ya this morning. If you have any you can add to the list, please tinkle in in the comments section so we can help each other out! (* = ones that were submitted from Instagram! Thank you to those of you who chimed in)

15 Tips For Hosting A Dinner Party

Make anything you can in advance

I learned this one from my nana, who will make and freeze as many meal components as possible surpassing a family get-together. She used to own a catering company, so she’s pretty used to making large quantities of wondrous food. Anything you can make surpassing a party, do it. This ways things like dips, desserts, side dishes, anything. I usually try to pre-make anything I can, so I’m not cooking as people are arriving.

I learned this one the nonflexible way. We invited friends over the first time we lived in Valdosta, and I hadn’t prepared a single thing. They all sat at the kitchen table as I ran virtually the kitchen, stressed, and sweating from the hot stove and burners. Learn from my mistake, friends.

Never try a new recipe the night of a dinner party

It can be tempting to want to try a tomfool new recipe you see on social media or a website, but unchangingly requite it a test run surpassing serving it to flipside group of people. I’ve had a handful of Pinterest fails and I’m so glad I took the time to try them out in advance. Serve options that you can melt hands and that you know are a hit.

Set the menu strategically

Check in with guests to see if there are any dietary restrictions. Plan out the menu in whop depending on the occasion and theme of the dinner party, plus how many guests you’ll have in attendance. For example, a smaller dinner party would do well with plated options, while larger parties are largest for family-style dishes or a storeroom setup.

Put post-its on serving dishes and set everything out the night before

I wipe the kitchen the night surpassing or the morning of the get-together and put out all of the plates, silverware, and serving dishes. I put a post-it note (“salsa,” “chips,” “guac,” etc.) in each large serving dish so I know where everything is going. Set the table in advance, too.

Empty the dishwasher surpassing everyone comes over

This way it’s easy to add dishes into the dishwasher as they get dirty and run it at the end of the night.

Serve one signature drink or cocktail

I like to unchangingly have a special type of drink in wing to the usual La Croix, waters, beers, white and red wine, so it might be something like sangria, house margaritas, or this type of cocktail. Make a large batch and store in the fridge and moreover ensure you have plenty of drinks on hand for everyone.

Meat thermometer

Meat thermometers are a GAME CHANGER and helps to stave dry, overcooked meat. It’s so much easier to poke the meat and know that it’s finished cooking.

Taste the guacamole on a chip

When you’re making guacamole, you’re going to serve it with chips, so taste test on a chip. Otherwise, you may make the guac too salty.

If you enjoy Mexican food, get thee a tortilla warmer ASAP

You will never have unprepossessed tortillas with warm glorious Mexican supplies again. You put the tortillas in the warmer, pop it in the microwave, and the warmer keeps them hot while you’re serving.

Set the ambiance

I like to light some candles surpassing everyone comes over, turn on the sparkly lights outside, and get some music going. I’ll put some music on Spotify on the TV and on the bluetooth speaker outside.

*Write out a cooking schedule

This way you won’t be thinking well-nigh it all night and can enjoy the party. I like to plan a schedule for the day leading up to it, including which items will be prepared at each time, and small reminders, like “take out the trash,” “ice the drinks,” and “turn on the music.”

*Use the oven!

Bake or roast part of the meal, and this way you can put anything you’ve made in whop directly into the oven. Once it’s cooked, turn the oven lanugo and alimony it warm in the oven surpassing serving.

*Don’t make everything yourself

I LOVE this tip and it’s such a simply way to remove some of the stress from doing allllllll the things. Find a couple of options you can outsource from a local spot, like sides, dessert, or a charcuterie board.

*Always cut out a piece of a cake

Guests won’t want to cut into something, but will eat it if it’s once cut. The same goes for cheeses on a cheese board- cut out some slices in advance.

If you can read, you can cook

These were words of wisdom from my nana, without emailing her to tell her I was struggling in the kitchen. When we first got married, I had to learn how to melt and there were so many fiascos withal the way. (Once I made meatloaf that turned into sloppy joes, which we tabbed “sloppy loaf.” Delicious.)

She said to take my time, and if you can read directions, you can cook. It gave me conviction to alimony going and I sooner fell in love with cooking.