I remember the year we purchased our first home.  I decided that I should host Christmas dinner.  We had my parents and my husband’s parents over.  I didn’t realize all the work that would go into hosting the meal, opening presents, and family time. 

I learned a lot that day and now I certainly don’t take it for granted when I visit someone else’s house.  When I go to someone else’s house for a Thanksgiving or Christmas meal, I try to offer to make something such as sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, or whatever they request.

If you are hosting this year’s dinner, here are some tips to help you not to stress.  Plan ahead so that you can enjoy being with your family.

Two weeks prior to Thanksgiving:

• Plan your menu. 
• Decide if anything can be made ahead and frozen.
• Get a final count of who’s coming.
• Assign menu items to those who want to help.  Never turn down help from anyone who offers.  If you don’t know right then what they can do then say, “I would love for you to help.  I don’t know right now exactly what I need help with.  Can I call you back in a couple of days and left you know?”
• Make your shopping list.
• Make your to-do list.  Prioritize your list, schedule, and delegate.

One week prior to Thanksgiving:

• Gather any recipes that you need.
• Go over your shopping list again and compare it with your recipes to insure that you don’t forget anything.
• Shop early for groceries and avoid the rush.
• Get your children to help with decorations.  They can even make place mats with turkeys or turkeys from pinecones.  You can insert place cards in the pine cones.
• Cook and freeze any menu items that you can.
• Clean bathrooms, living and dining rooms.  Clean house of clutter.

A few days before Thanksgiving:

• Put your turkey in the refrigerator to thaw.  Most birds usually take a few days to thaw.  Make sure you put a dish under it to catch any drippings.
• Buy any last minute perishables you might need.

Day before Thanksgiving:

• If possible, set the table.
• Make whatever dishes you can.  I like to make my sweet potato casserole the day before and refrigerate it.  The day of the dinner I heat up the casserole and add the marshmallows during the last 10 minutes of cooking. 
• Straighten up the house.

Thanksgiving Day:

• Finish any last minute cooking:  turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, etc.
• Enjoy yourself.
• Be thankful!

Do you have any tips to add to this list?

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Post from: Keeping the Castle

In Extreme Entertaining Made Simple, Eduardo shares his philosophy of using the five senses to create and celebrate a memorable occasion. The taste, sound, feel, smell and look of an event are given equal attention according to its chosen theme. A sixth sense, intuition, is also given its due in the book.

The parties in our large extended family usually happens somewhere other than in my home. But I’m eager to learn how to put together a well-planned gathering, for the next time that the party does happen in my house. Eduardo’s new book offers ideas that I’ve never considered before, and which I’m excited to try out. His approach of catering to the senses is new to me, yet it makes a lot of sense.

Eduardo starts by discussing the five six senses and how they should be considered in design and entertaining. The rest of the book is taken up by sections focused on six events:

• classic dinner party
• princess party
• spa party
• white party
• margarita party
• beach party

For each party, Eduardo goes through all the steps to put it together. His narratives are accompanied by beautiful colored photos, specific instructions (eg., napkin folding), gift and centerpiece suggestions, and easy recipes. There is also a CD included, with music that’s appropriate for the parties above. As I was reading through the book, I felt that I was being walked through the entire planning process for each party.

I did get the sense that the parties that Eduardo designed for this book are extreme, just as the title says. They’re not your everyday dinner parties (the spa party had a sofa topped with real grass!). But these ideas are not just for expensive gatherings. Eduardo also gives alternatives to keep costs down and allow for variations to the themes. The key is to lift inspirations, scale them down (or up!) as needed, and involve all the senses in the celebration.

Extreme Entertaining Made Simple is an exciting, do-it-yourself resource for party planning. Though you can certainly go the whole distance and copy one or two (or all) of the parties here, the value in this book is in the approach it takes in preparing for a gathering. The possibilities are endless; just apply the principles here and you’re on your way to a very special party. And if you’re not someone who usually hosts gatherings, the book makes an excellent gift for the event planner in your family.

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Post from: Keeping the Castle