Hosting friends or family for dinner in your home is a wonderful thing. It is a way to further your bonds and create new friendships all while enjoying a delicious meal together. Sometimes life is busy, and you need some help figuring out what to do so you can have the benefit of spending time with your loved ones instead of running around planning, preparing, and serving. Here is a quick guide to getting things done quickly and with minimal fuss or frustration.
Serve a Delicious and Easy Meal
When having people over to your home for a meal together, you want to serve them good food, but you also want to make it easy on yourself. In order to do just that, it is best to select recipes that are not time-consuming and can be prepared in advance.
This creamy dill sauce for salmon is the perfect way to elevate your usual fish dish. Gather all of the pans, cooking implements, and ingredients and get started. This amazing dill sauce can be made earlier in the day or the day before. Just save a bit of fresh dill to sprinkle on top before placing the bowl on the table.
Serve the main course with a side of roasted potatoes that you can cut and season the day before or, again, earlier in the day, and a bright, crisp salad. The salad can be washed, and any vegetables or extras can all be cut and placed in a container ahead of time to be assembled a few hours before dinner. Wait until you are ready to serve the salad to dress it, or serve the dressing on the side.
Of course, any good dinner party needs the table to be set. Watch this video for a down-to-earth primer on how to set the table simply and easily. Watch all the way through to the end, as there are a few nuggets of unexpected wisdom.
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Give Everyone a Job
When the meal is over, continue the sparkling conversation while your guests help bring the plates into the kitchen. They do not have to do work but a simple and friendly, “Would you mind clearing these with me? I’m enjoying our conversation!” will keep everything flowing.
Or, if you made the meal, you and your significant other can discuss ahead of time how to divide the labor equally. They can also ask one of the dinner guests to assist with the quick removal of dishes and bring dessert back to the table with them.
If you have children and they are old enough, they may be ready for a break from dinner and adult conversations. Assign them with the task of clean-up. This is especially appropriate if this is part of their regular responsibilities.
A meal with family and friends does not need to be a stressful event. Reduce your anxieties by finding tasty recipes that anyone can make with ease. Your friends will be asking you how you did it all, and they will be happy to help, too.
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