You do remember dinner parties, don’t you? Before the pandemic took hold, many of us enjoyed such occasions with our family and friends! Thankfully, there is hope that social events can soon become the norm again, so to celebrate, why don’t you hold a dinner party of your own? The opportunity to get together with people you enjoy spending time with should be something to look forward to.
Of course, there is one thing that many of us don’t forget about our past dinner parties: They can be stressful. From kitchen mishaps to grumbling guests, they aren’t always easy to pull off. Still, if you’re relating to this, it’s important to note that you can make life easier for yourself.
Here are our tips on holding a stress-free dinner party.
#1: Prepare your meals in advance
Sure, you could prepare your meals on the day of the dinner party, but what if something goes wrong? Your guests will be left hungry if the foods you prepared turned out to be inedible. Then there’s the time factor. If you have a busy schedule you might have to rush through the dinner prep and that could cause you to stress out before your guests arrive.
So, do what you can in advance. Cook and freeze your dinner party meals a few days before as you will save a lot of time on the day itself. You will also have the opportunity to have a practice run with new recipes if you give yourself a few days of breathing space. This will reduce the chances of things going wrong in the kitchen.
#2: Choose quick and easy foods
If you would rather get everything ready on the day itself, remember that you don’t need to complicate things. Make life easier for yourself with quick and easy food options.
So, you could have a pizza night, for example. You could make the homemade pizza bases, and your guests could choose from a variety of toppings you have laid out. Add a salad and your preparation is complete!
Or what about a taco night? This walking taco casserole dish is easy to prepare, but there are many other exciting recipes online. Alternatively, provide a range of different fillings for your guests, and include plates of chips and a variety of salsas. Easy!
Or simply have a buffet, perhaps with foods, your guests have been asked to bring themselves. This can be a good idea anyway, as people with food allergies will be able to bring foods that are tailored to them, so this will be one less thing for you to worry about.
When it comes to pizza, most people think of two options: making it at home or ordering delivery. Here are four reasons why pizza delivery is better than making homemade pizza:
You don’t have to make the dough. Let’s be honest, making pizza dough is not easy. It’s a sticky, messy process that can take forever.
You don’t have to deal with the mess. Making pizza can be a messy process, especially if you’re not used to it. There’s flour everywhere, and it’s hard to clean up afterwards.
There are contactless pizza delivery options. With the pandemic still going on, many people are hesitant to order food from restaurants.
Pizza delivery may be a better option than making pizza at home. You don’t have to worry about the dough or the mess, and you can even get contactless delivery. So next time you’re craving pizza, be sure to order delivery instead of making it yourself.
#3: Plan entertainment for your guests
Dinner parties are about more than just food. They are about having fun too, and in many cases, guests do expect to be entertained. If you suddenly see them looking at their watches, you will know that you have failed in this regard, especially when they start making excuses to leave.
So, plan entertainment for your guests to relieve feelings of boredom. You will also relieve the tension your guests might be feeling, especially if they don’t know many of the people at your party. A few icebreaker games can make a huge difference in this regard, and both they and you will be less stressed when everyone is more comfortable with one another…so, choose games that you think your guests will be comfortable with and look online for other dinner party entertainment ideas.
Dinner parties can be stress-free so use our suggestions. After all, after waiting a long time for a social gettogether, you do want to make it as relaxed and as enjoyable as possible,
