Entertaining Tips

I like parties. Whether I am a host or a guest or a behind-the-scenes worker-bee, parties are often delightful occasions that the participants remember for years to come. It's also nice that they can be as unique as the spirit of the host...casual, formal, themed, thrown-together, over-the-top, under-the-radar...you name it. Done right, they are all a rollicking good time. But hosts often stress about the food. With 20-plus years of experience, both personally and professionally, I have a few entertaining tips that might help you plan your next house party adventure, no matter what style of event you choose:

1. YOU DON'T NEED MUCH SALAD. I rarely even offer it anymore, because you wind up throwing away over half of it, no matter how little you make. Even the strictest dieter is going to ease up a little at a party and choose something besides tossed lettuce. Sure, you'll "sell" a little of it, and you might feel obligated to offer it, but when you are in the grocery store, choose your greens and then put half of them back. Really. And the same goes for crudite or veggie platters.
2. WHEN YOU DO MAKE A VEGETABLE PLATTER, INCLUDE MORE CARROTS THAN ANYTHING ELSE. You'll get a couple celery, broccoli, and radish eaters. But not many.
3. OFFER SOMETHING "REAL" FOR VEGETARIANS. A "real" option for a vegetarian is something more than a potato and vegetable side dish. Consider including a colorful, veggie-loaded pasta dish or something with legumes. Your goal should be to make every guest feel really welcome, not a pain in your menu-planning side.
4. UNLESS YOU ARE USING A CATERER, MAKE BUFFET ITEMS THAT HOLD UP FOR HOURS. Salmon is good hot or cold. So is roast beef. But rice noodles get mushy after 30 minutes. Green beans start turning brown when left to wilt in a chafing dish. When you plan your menu, think about the shelf life of your proposed dishes. And on that note...
5. MAKE SURE YOU NEVER LEAVE POULTRY OR SHELLFISH OUT FOR VERY LONG. This is literally a get-it-while-it's-hot (or cold) type of item. These items can "turn" relatively quickly. So please be really conservative with poultry and shellfish. When I was young and didn't know much about food, I polished off a piece of chicken sausage during the final hours of a summertime barbeque (the sausages had been made much earlier at the event) and was put out of commission for the next 48 hours with a brutal case of food poisoning. Please don't let this happen at your party from your food.
6. HAVE LOTS OF NON-ENTREE ITEMS ON HAND. Little snack-like nibbles will get consumed throughout the night. Small bite/small plate items, especially those with a crunchy texture, will get eaten before, during, and after dinner. Guests love to enjoy olives, nuts, chips, and so on, especially if you are serving adult beverages, with which you should always offer food to slow down the rate of alcohol absorption.
7. GO AHEAD AND BE A LITTLE BAD. You might have the most regimented, health-conscious diet 364 days a year, but when you are entertaining, please understand that not everyone wants to be on your diet. If a milk-based dish tastes really does taste better with heavy cream than skim milk, then go ahead and do it "full-strength" this one time. If the recipe wants you to butter every sheet of phyllo dough, melt the whole pound of butter, my friend. You can absolutely offer some lighter fare, too, but give your guests a chance to let their hair down, dietetically-speaking, at your special event.
8. OFFER BOTTLED WATER AT THE BAR. This is easy to forget and I often forget it, myself. But sometimes, nothing refreshes like pure, clean water.
9. SEND GUESTS HOME WITH LEFTOVERS. If some poor child is sitting home with a babysitter while his parents are living it up at your house, maybe you can brighten the kid's day with a slice of cake you offer to his parents to take home for him. If you know that your eternal bachelor buddy is probably going to be eating canned soup for the rest of the week, make sure you don't let him out of the house without a giant doggy bag. These guest are your friends...take good care of them.
10. DON'T FREAK OUT. Don't fret if your souffle fell. Don't create a menu that would intimidate Ferran Adria, keeping you locked in the kitchen all night. Don't try to wash all the dishes while your guests are still there. Keep the carpet cleaner's number by the phone so you can really mean it when you tell your guest who knocked red wine on your white carpet that there is no need to worry about it. Don't look down your nose at the value-store pigs-in-a-blanket appetizer that your guest brought to "help" you. Life isn't perfect. Your party might not be either. All any of us ever needs to do is try to enjoy ourselves and the good people around us.