I can always use entertaining tips! (can’t we all!) I usually am not very good about being modest in my holiday parties. I really like to “do it all”! In fact this coming Wednesday I’m hosting a Christmas dinner for the teachers who work with my husband. Anyone ever made dinner for 50 before? Any tips? I will let you know how it went and post pictures next week. (if I’m still breathing!) SO excited to hear what Jane has to share today.
I was so thrilled when Emily at “Nap Time Creations” asked me to guest post because; 1) she’s awesome 2) she always makes me think 3) since my wee one was born our lives have considerably changed 4) we love to entertain especially this time of year but are short on time and 5) she’s awesome.
My husband and I have been a couple for 12 years now and have always entertained a lot. We even had our wedding in our backyard and I made the food for it. There wasn’t really a weekend that went by without at least one set of company for a meal-usually two or three.
Then…we found out we were going to have an unexpected, insanely wanted kiddo and she would be arrived January 2010. Everything changed but it was still great and we slowly got back into the entertaining groove.
Then…my dear mother-in-law passed away unexpectedly and we decided to become a multi-generational family by having my father-in-law move in.
Quite a change from two people and a large cat.
But still great.
After a few bumps I realized that the thing I was missing was having our house still be a drop-in place and the spot where we could easily entertain. So I guess that’s what my different families, different dinners focus is. How do you happily entertain with; a full-time job (I’m a teacher), a toddler, an 89 year old, a house under major renovations and a mother with Alzheimer’s who is often there for a week or so at a time?
Here is my fail-proof strategy to do so:
1) Invite only people that enjoy your company and won’t be looking for dust tumbleweeds-those are the only people who should be allowed in your house anyway.
2) Invite the little ones too-chaos is chaos. Who wants to spend $45.00 on a babysitter? If you really want to be a star, get a sitter for you to share, make the kiddo snacks and turn them loose in the family room.
3) Take offers to bring something: a salad, an appetizer-potluck is not a dirty word.
4) Spritz the house and set the table the night before. 
)
)5) Have your dishwasher empty at the start of the night. At the end of the night, turn it on and go to bed.
6) Use your slowcooker. This always works and you only have one pot to clean. I’ve got a tonne of slowcooker recipe that I use all the time (curry, cacciatore…) but I also have an alternative.
Here’s one of my favourite menus to fall back on:
Appetizer: Pretty plate laden with paper thin slices of prosciotto and a large piece of parmesan. Add on the table a little bowl with syrupy, rich balsamic in it. Break off a chunk of the cheese, dip in the balsamic.
Main course: Mussels meuniere
Ask the ‘fish guy’ to give you enough mussels to fill your guests as a main course. It usually looks like about 3 cups of uncooked mussells/person. Give them a wash under the cold water tap, pull off any of the bits that look like seaweed (the beards) and discard any that don’t close when they are tapped. This is a dinner party and not ‘how to get rid of unwanted people in your life and make it look like an accident’.
Have a french stick at the ready to dip into the delicious sauce.
Saute, until translucent, one, chopped onion in a 1 T. of oil. Add in 1 large clove of minced garlic and a splash of pernod. Add your mussells and stir for 30 seconds. Add 2 cups of white wine and 1 cup of chicken stock. Top with a tight fitting lid and let cook on high for 4 minutes. Open the lovliness up and get a free facial. Top with pepper, a dollop of butter and a big handful of chopped parsley. Squeeze lemon wedges over the top and place on the middle of the table to let each person grab as they would like. Make sure there are a few ‘shell discard’ bowls on the table.
Add your mussells and stir for 30 seconds. 
Add 2 cups of white wine and 1 cup of chicken stock. Top with a tight fitting lid and let cook on high for 4 minutes. Open the lovliness up and get a free facial. Top with pepper, a dollop of butter and a big handful of chopped parsley. Squeeze lemon wedges over the top and place on the middle of the table to let each person grab as they would like. 
Make sure there are a few ‘shell discard’ bowls on the table.Serve with a nice big green salad that your dear friend has brought with her/him.
Dessert: 20 second souffles are my new favourite go-to dessert but no one is upset with a big platter of dark chocolate, fruit and a nice port.
7) Enjoy yourself. Just have a good time. Not everything will be perfect. It doesn’t have to be. It’s just dinner but it’s dinner with people you care about.
Doesn’t her food looks amazing! Jane, do you cater? Happy Holiday hosting to all this season!
Looking forward to seeing you around the blog…. don’t be a stranger!
adventuresindinner says
Thanks so much for having me :-). Give me a shout if you need help with the 50.