Tips on hosting a party and not going cray-zay!

I am far from being a professional party planner, but I have learned a few things over the years and lucky blogworld, I am willing to share my wisdom.

1. Be prepared & clean

This seems pretty obvious, but I can't tell you how many times I have been invited to someones house for dinner and was seriously worried that something was going to crawl out of the toilet and eat me or was asked to pick up several (slightly expensive) items upon my arrival.

Ladies and Gents, if you are inviting people to your home.. CLEAN it {and clean it good} and do your shopping several days in advance so you have several days to remember all the things you stoners forgot. Case in Point; I did most of my shopping for Thanksgiving last Friday, and I have returned to the grocery store 4 times already and I still have to go back for cream cheese and butter. wtf.


Also, I can not stress enough that if you are a dirty person, you should probably spend several days erasing the grime off your walls, take some time to scrub the toilets and please for the love of god, DUST and clean the cat box. Eating in someone else's dirty house is just gross.

2. Get organized

Determine how long each dish will need to be cooked, and decide if anything can be prepared the day before. Most casseroles and baked goods can be prepared a few days in advance. By tomorrow I will have the green bean casserole oven-ready, and baked goods (I am making pumpkin muffins & banana bread) done. I will also have the turkey completely thawed and ready to go in the oven bright and early Thursday morning, so all I will have to worry about are the potatoes and salad.


3. Plan on being early

The best thing I ever did for myself was plan on finishing my dishes at least one hour prior to serving-- I can't think of many {especially holiday} dishes that will not be okay covered in a warm oven for an hour. If you are serving meats I'd plan on those being ready 30 minutes early, and do not carve meats until you are ready to serve.

The goal is to get as much out of the way as early as possible.. This way you can enjoy your wine, properly greet your guests, and gracefully handle mishaps. Last weekend my friend forgot she was suppose to bring the salad, so I was really happy that I had everything done so I could make the salad and seamlessly serve dinner without making her feel like she was inconveniencing my timing.

I know my family will show up early, and I do not want them working, I want them drinking {heavily}. I'm not going to lie, all I want for my birthday is a good ego stroking and complements towards my hostessing will be perfecto.


4. Who's what

Know if your guests have allergies or special dietary limitations; watch out for veggies vs. vegans, celiacs (GF) and lactose folks. I like my food ridiculously spicy; so I usually have to make a Normal People Batch, and a Ryan Batch-- I try to be mindful of the heat.

Also, have a plan for dishes that guests are bringing and be prepared for them to need to USE something of yours to serve it in. That being said, you should also be prepared for them to need to use your kitchen.. which is why finishing early is key to a stress-free partay.

Today I set up all the dishes and made a plan for where they will be on game-day, I also kept in mind that my grandmother is bringing some appetizers and the fridge will be stocked with beer. This is especially important if you live in a small space and are hosting a large group of people. This will be my case on Thursday.

5. Minimize Multitasking
I mentioned earlier in this post that you should clean-- well don't plan on getting all your cleaning done while the turkey is in the oven. The only cleaning you should be doing the day of is making the bed, washing your body, and cleaning as you go in the kitchen. Obviously you will need to be capable of a normal level of multitasking, but don't stress yourself out because you were a slacker.

Procrastination is not your friend when planning a party of any variety.



and lastly..

Don't sweat the small stuff and remember to enjoy the event. If you are prepared, clean and organized it is very likely that you will experience success..

Also, don't get too drunk.

Have fun and spread the love!

Happy Cooking & Thanksgiving!

xo,
r