Quick & Easy Entertaining

Preplanning

- Plan your menu by making as much of it self-serve as possible. Set up a drink station so guests can help themselves.

Vegetarian Dishes

- Mix up trendy with traditional for your menu. Be sure to have 1 or 2 hot dishes and fill in the rest with raw veggies and fresh fruit and made-ahead cold side dishes. Be sure to offer a low-cal choice and vegetarian dishes, too.

- Consider a cheese, dessert, or retro gathering for something different.

- Chunks of cheese with nuts and fruits can make a great cheese party. Be sure to include 3 different types of cheese for a smaller group and 5-6 varieties for a larger group. You'll need about 4 ounces of cheese per person. Try a mellow one like Brie, semi-hard one like sharp cheddar and a stronger cheese like Asiago. Place each cheese chunk on a separate wooden cutting board, cheese plate, or holiday platter. Place a separate knife beside each cheese variety. Cheese should be served at room temperature so plan on taking it from the refrigerator about an hour before serving. Compliment the cheeses with fresh fruit like pears, dried apricots, spiced nuts and different kinds of bread.

- For appetizers, serve bite-size nibbles when a buffet dinner or sit-down dinner is being served. If appetizers are the only course for the evening, make them hearty to satisfy growling tummies.

- Add a variety of colors, textures and flavors to the appetizers when considering your menu. Try not to duplicate the main ingredient in appetizers and as in the meal. For example, you wouldn't want to serve a chicken dip if chicken was being served as a main course.

- Serve small bite-size appetizers so you can eliminate the need for utensils and spills on your carpeting when guests are trying to cut something in half and the piece of kielbasa lands on your carpeting.

- Looking for additional ideas for appetizers? Consider your favorite club sandwich. Cut each sandwich in quarters. Add a garnish on top with a toothpick.

- Using disposable plates will cut down on after-party clean-up; however, use seasonal or holiday-themed colors in the paper products to add pizzazz to the table.

- Include music in your gathering. Match music to the gathering and the crowd.

Preparing

- Write a shopping list.

- Create a preparation and cooking schedule.

- Post menu on frig so you don't forget anything in the frenetic pace to get everything on the table.

- Make as many dishes a day ahead as possible. Or mix dry ingredients together, adding wet ingredients on cooking day. Or measure out ingredients and place in containers or zippered bags a few days earlier to make preparation time go faster.

- Be sure your baking dishes fit your oven or microwave before you use them.

- Pull out your serving trays & dishes several days beforehand. Decide if you need to buy or borrow additional pieces. Look to dollar & discount stores for possibilities.

- Use grandma's bowls and heirloom pieces to hold cookies, buns, breads and more. Don't keep them hidden.

- Set your dining table a day or two prior to the party. Or set up the buffet table. Include everything from dishes to utensils to serving pieces. Cover the set table with a sheet to avoid dust collecting and uncover prior to guests' arrival.

- Keep garbage cans throughout the party area so guests can dump their own plates and not leave them on your coffee tables or another other flat surface they find.

- Assign tasks to family members or early bird guests. Include everything from carving the turkey, slicing the ham, lighting candles, saving grace and so forth.

Quick & Easy Entertaining

Mary Jo Rulnick is the author of THE FRANTIC WOMAN'S GUIDE TO FEEDING FAMILY AND FRIENDS (Warner Books, 2006), which has been featured in BETTER HOMES AND GARDEN and QUICK AND SIMPLE MAGAZINE. Rulnick is an award-winning writer for Parenting Publications of America.

Rulnick, a former events manager for a national non-profit organization, turned her do-it-yourself expertise into a writing career. Her articles have been published in magazines throughout the United States and Canada and she specializes in home, family and life issues. She is a frequent radio and television guest and a regular speaker at corporate and non-profit organizations.

Her web site is http://maryjorulnick.com

and you can reach her at mjrwrites@aol.com.

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