Tired of taking the same old dish to potluck parties? Here are some new ideas for you to try. From BH&G
Tag: entertaining
Easy Patriotic Party Ideas
Gather friends & family for a fabulous patriotic summer Celebration with these ideas from BH&G! It’s a great opportunity for you to enjoy the company of your family & friends. And it is so easy to do! Enjoy!
Outdoor Buffet Tips and Ideas
Entertain your family & friends this summer, including Memorial Day & Independence Day, with these tips & ideas from BHG. I REALY like the buffet table in the photo above.
Refreshing Summer Dessert Recipes
There’s still plenty of summer left in the year! Celebrate the warm days remaining with these fabulous recipes from Midwest Living.
Christmas Countdown C -9
Holiday Buffet
During the holidays, most women have too much to do and too little time in which to do it. Our hectic schedules make it next to impossible for us to get together with friends. One way to solve this is to host an open house that features a buffet. You might hold your open house on a Saturday, allowing your friends to stop in for a bite to eat between their errands. Or you might choose to invite couples and families to your open house.
Schedule the open house just before the fifteenth of December. People get busier as it gets closer to Christmas. By scheduling your open house earlier in the month, your guests will not have to choose between invitations.
Decorate your home for your open house. This helps set the tone for the party and gets everyone into the holiday mood.
Create a menu that saves you time and keeps your stress to a minimum. A suggested menu with recipes follows. The suggested dishes can be prepared ahead and cooked just before your guests arrive. The menu also contains pre-made items that save you from spending all your time in the kitchen. Remember, a successful party is not determined by the number of hours you spend in the kitchen.
To set up your buffet, you will need a long table for the food, a smaller side table for beverages and a third area for dessert. If you do not have room for three separate tables, then place the desserts on the buffet table with the rest of the food. It is more important to have a separate area for the beverages in order to ease congestion around the buffet table.
You may prepare your tables the morning of your open house. This will save you time later in the day. Cover your tables with tablecloths. Choose a simple centerpiece for each table. An arrangement of candles and small poinsettias works well. The centerpiece should not be large since you need every inch of table space for food.
Put out your serving dishes and determine what you plan to serve on each dish. Place a note on each serving piece to remind you, or to inform someone else, just what goes on that dish. This will save you time and worry when you begin setting out food. In addition, you should prepare folded mini-cards to labels each dish on the table. This will let guest know what everything is on the table and save you from having to answer the same question over and over.
Lay out your table to the appetizers are on one end or one side of the table and the food for the main course is on the other. Guests have a tendency to hover around the appetizers. Set up a traffic pattern around your buffet table that makes it easy for people to serve themselves.
An open house allows you to invite more guests than you could for a formal dinner. Unfortunately, most of us do not have enough dinnerware or flatware to serve everyone at once. Rather than make guests wait while you run a load of dishes through the dishwasher, simply use disposable items for your buffet. Yes, I am sure there are some people who will roll their eyes at your paper plates. That is their problem. Your goal is to hold a wonderful event and enjoy yourself at the same time. Ease your stress. Use disposable.
The suggested buffet menu has only 2 dishes that require cooking. Each dish may be baked just before your guests arrive allowing you to serve them hot out of the oven. Cheeses may be set out earlier, allowing them to soften slightly for easier cutting. Prepare your beverage table, set out other food items, and lay out desserts. As the pasta cooks, go take a bath and get ready for the party.
Just before people begin to arrive, turn on Christmas music, light the candles and set out the entrees. Check your list and your table one last time. Take a deep breath, pour yourself something to drink and prepare to attend your party.
Menu
Appetizers
Cheese platter
Assorted crackers
Assorted nuts
Tortilla Chips
Spinach dip
Dill dip
Vegetable platter
Entrée
Baked Spaghetti
Pasta Marinara
Tossed Salad
Hard rolls
Dessert
Cookie platter
Assorted breads
Tray of chocolates
Thanksgiving Countdown Challenge Thanksgiving Day Tip

There are many things to be done but if you have planned well, you should have time to relax & enjoy the day. Plan things out so you are able to enjoy your company rather than spending all your time in the kitchen. Ask someone to come early to help you with any last minute tasks, like popping the rolls in the oven while you mash the potatoes.
When it’s time to put the food on the table, recruit help. Things are hot, get them out fast!
Most important, you should enjoy your celebration. If you aren’t having fun, no one is going to enjoy themselves. Relax & have fun. Enjoy your company. Remember, it’s about the people, not the food or the location. You want to be the #1 guest at your celebration!
Thanksgiving Countdown Challenge T(hanksgiving) -1 Tip

The big day is almost here. In many homes across the country, the stress level is through the roof. In your home, calm reigns! You are ready for this because you planned, you worked smarter not harder. You can spend today doing anything that can be done ahead.
I clean my turkey & put it in the roasting pan then put it, covered, back in the fridge. I set the table, complete with serving dishes. Put a note in each serving dish so you remember what goes in each & you also remember to serve that item! Once the table is set, get help & cover the table with a clean flat sheet to protect it overnight. Set up the bar if you are having one.
Anything that can be made ahead & refrigerated the night before should be taken care of today. That leaves you time for all the tasks that can only be done on Thursday.
Get a good night’s sleep. Relax. You’ve got it under control!
Thanksgiving Countdown Challenge T(hanksgiving) -2 Tip

You & your family should have been cleaning over the last few weeks. Now it’s time to do a few last minute things. Vacuum, dust, clean the bathrooms, pick up those everyday items. If you have been doing the cleaning over the weeks, this should be a simple task.
Thanksgiving Countdown Challenge T(hanksgiving) -3 Tip

Take time to call your guests to confirm the exact (or close to it) number of people to expect for Thanksgiving. Verify they will be there for dinner, not just dessert. I always prepare for a few more just in case but try to get a better idea so you are certain you have everything you need.
At the same time, check your lists to see who is supposed to be doing what. Then call them to make certain they remember what they are bringing or doing. If there is a problem, no stress. See if you can assign it to someone else. Otherwise, either take care of it yourself or skip it. Remember, this is your event. Do it your way!
Thanksgiving Countdown Challenge T(hanksgiving) -4 Tip

Get everything ready for any out of town guests staying at your place this week. Make sure you have a few special items to make them feel welcome & at home. Confirm their arrival. You want to enjoy your company when they arrive so prepare now so your are able to relax & visit.