Recession Proof Home Entertaining

Recession Proof Home Entertaining, easy rules to follow

Entertaining at home, whether it is afternoon tea, lunch or dinner party, should be fun and enjoyable. It should never become a production or a reason to stress and fret over details and taking on much more than you can handle. It is important to keep the following tips in mind:

Number of Guests
For a formal meal, never invite more guests than the number that can sit around your dinning table in matching chairs.

Menu
Keep the menu simple, easy to prepare, healthy but creative and fun with a small element of unfamiliarity.

If it is lunch or dinner, try to aim for three simple courses:
a) starter, this could be either a soup, bean salad, green salad, shrimp cocktail, or something interesting on a piece of toast
b) main course, see below for suggestions
c) dessert, fruit salad, fresh berries, low fat fruit yogurt, frozen yogurt, sorbet.

Never make more than three items for the main course whether its lunch or dinner:
a) a starch, such as brown rice, yams, whole wheat pita nann, etc
b) a green vegetable, such as broccoli, sprouts, string beans, spinach, etc
c) a protein, such as fish, shell fish, chicken, turkey, beef, tofu,etc

How Much Food to Cook
Never cook too much food and keep the portion sizes small with no option for a second helping.
The sensory qualities of your food, such as taste, smell and visual appearance, should be top notch, stimulating all the five senses, leading to a balanced perception and maximal pleasure. Provided you can do this, you will not need to cook too much food and can afford to keep the portion sizes small. People tend to appreciate and savor food much more when there is a limited quantity. After all, you do not want your guests leaving your house feeling stuffed or bloated, but instead desiring and longing for more of your high quality food.

Before the Guests Arrive
Ensure that all cooking has been completed before the guests arrive. The kitchen should be spotless, with no signs of you having slaved over a hot stove, and the table laid in a simple manner without any fussy tablescape. Above all, make sure you are showered and dressed and wearing a great fragrance that reflects your personality. Light the candles and enjoy the anticipation of a great evening.

How to Serve the Meal
The meal should always be served restaurant style, with all plating done in the kitchen by the host. This will be more orderly and give you full control on managing portion size and visual presentation of the food on a plate. I do not favor family style serving, which necessitates the need for serving dishes and more to clear and wash up and, not to mention, overcrowding the table and causing chaos.

Conversation
Just remember, even though it might be a dinner party or a luncheon, food should never take center stage. Any social event should be about the company, an opportunity to interact with other humans and joyful exchange of ideas, stories, filled with laughter and humor. As a good host, avoid hijacking the conversation at the dinner table. Encourage all your guests to talk and if they are on the quiet side, ask them questions to help them open up as it were. Stay away from politics and religion as a general rule of thumb. In summary, no one will remember what they ate but they will all remember how you made them feel.