parties

Menu Planning

Nibbles

Since we talked quantity last week, let’s talk quality now!

Here are some qualities of a properly planned menu:

1) It complements the theme of the party or event.
2) The food is prepared and served properly.
3) There’s plenty of it.
4) There’s enough variety that no one feels like they should have eaten before they came or pick up something on the way home.

To achieve a good variety on your buffet, you should evaluate each item you plan to include as to where they fall on the following list:

Flavor: Salty vs Sweet
Texture: Crunchy vs Chewy/Soft
Temperature: Hot vs Cold
Composition: Meat vs Vegetable

Most items will fall in more than one category, the important thing is that there is a balance between each. Shooting for at least 2 items that fall under each (whose other categories are different from one another) is a good target. For instance, at the last event I made both bacon-wrapped artichoke hearts and chicken salad puffs. Now, both of these are meats and both of these are soft but one is hot and the other is cold plus they featured different proteins so they balanced. If I’d have served ham salad puffs instead of the chicken, we would have had our single point of difference but we also would have had two very similar protein sources, so you also have to consider what is going INTO each item and look for variety there.

Of course, there are exceptions to almost every rule. At last month’s Pumpkin Brunch I joked that I should have called it the Pork & Pumpkin Brunch as there was ham, bacon and 2 types of sausage (links and bulk) spread throughout the various dishes. But, then, I knew my guests well and–as many said–they weren’t complaining! (There were several non-pork items as well: pumpkin pancakes, an omelet station and veggie quiches.)

Sure, sometimes in an effort to ensure a good mix of options there ends up being more food than was really needed for the number of guests. In my mind, though, it’s worth it to make sure no one feels left out, especially those with dietary restrictions or just a pickier palate.

How Much Food?

Nibbles

I’m helping a friend coordinate the food for an upcoming Open House and it brought to mind a common question when planning food for a party: how much to make or buy? I often say that a [Southern, especially] hostess’ worst nightmare is to run out of food. Food is synonymous with hospitality and just like the welcoming spirit we offer our guests, we want our tables to be just as bountiful. At the same time, we don’t want to go so far overboard that food goes to waste.

As much as I love not having to cook for the week after a good party [planned overs are a great thing!], there is such a thing as too much.  So here’s a few guidelines for figuring how much food you’ll need at your next party.

First: How many people are coming and how long does the party last? The first bit is obvious: the number of people is directly proportionate to how much food you need to feed them. Party length, on the other hand, can slide the portion scale up or down. Longer parties will need more food since people will have had time to digest and want a little something more as the party progresses, even if it’s a sit-down dinner it’s a good idea to have some nibbles (sweet or savory or both) out if the party will be lasting several hours past supper).

Second: What type of party is it? Plated dinners are the simplest to factor–3-5 oz of meat per person, 6-8 oz of side dishes, and 4-8 oz of wine (erring on the side of refills) or 8-10 oz of punch or tea. Easy. Buffet? Consider doubling it unless you have waitstaff to serve the guests. Now, if you have an entree choice or numerous sides, divide the total food needed in each category by the number of options within and add a bit–say 10%–for margin of error. That done, you should be good.

Cocktail parties require a little extra math in that you need to multiply the number of guests by the length of the party in hours  and then by the number of bites or servings per hour appropriate. A general rule of thumb would be 5 pieces per person per hour (5ph) but even this is subject to some adjustments.

1) What time is the party? A cocktail party held at an off hour (mid-afternoon, instance) can stick with the 5ph idea but one served at a normal meal time (noon, 6 pm or later) should increase the servings per person to accommodate the guests’ usual appetites.

2) Who’s coming? You wouldn’t serve finger sandwiches and petit fours to a Superbowl gang, would you? No, you’d serve heartier items. It’s the same with quantity. The heartier the expected appetites, the more items allowed per person.

3) Will a meal be served after or not? This can get tricky, but going back to the time of the party–if you’re serving cocktails and hors d’oeuvres before a dinner, stick to 5ph. But if you’re not serving a meal or it’s at such a time as your guests may substitute your party offerings for an actual dinner elsewhere, go up to 10ph.

4) Will there be alcohol served? If so, add a few more bites per person to try to offset the impairment alcohol can bring to the table. Cocktails on a full stomach are a lot less damaging than those on an empty one [though hosts should be careful to watch their guests’ consumption and call a cab when necessary].

Finally, adjust your numbers for the just-in-case factor. For smaller parties, add 25% to your expected number of items or servings to allow for an unexpected guest or two or some really hungry folks. A little extra never hurts. The larger the party, the smaller the bump-up needs to be to grant a similar allowance, never adding less than 10%, though. Once you have your total number of pieces, it’s a simple matter of dividing that by the number of different items you plan to offer to find out how many of each you’ll want to serve. Of course, the smaller the guest list, the fewer options otherwise these formulas might give you ridiculously small numbers per option that will look just pitiful on a buffet!

Happy holiday party planning!

The Omelet Station

Nibbles

This weekend was my not-exactly-annual BYOP (bring your own pumpkin) Party and it was a little different than the other’s I’ve hosted in the past. For one thing, it was ON Halloween instead of the weekend before (the reason being that carved pumpkins don’t last that long down here in Florida’s humidity) and it was held in the morning to allow guests plenty of time for other gatherings that evening or trick-or-treating.

Which meant, of course, that the meal changed from dinner to brunch–something I’ve not served to a group in quite some time.

I contemplating how to serve eggs (buffet eggs can become rubbery or unpleasant as they sit plus the fact that eggs + aluminum (as in the disposable steam trays) = green eggs and, while I enjoy Dr Seuss, I tend not to disguise my food on most occasions). Enter the grill.

Grilled eggs? Not exactly. At our housewarming party this June we’d been gifted a lovely gas grill that came with a side burner. Do you see where this is going? We used the grill to hold various add-ins (diced bell peppers, mushrooms, bacon, salsa, green onions, ham and cheese) and created a satellite omelet station as part of the buffet. Allowing 2 eggs per person (plenty for an 8″ pan) plus a little milk (water can result in fluffier eggs but they can also end up watery and tasteless–I prefer to use fat free milk which adds a little more flavor), I cracked and beat enough eggs for the party and then placed them into an easy-pour 2 qt container which was kept in a cooler of ice below the burner.

Our Omelet Station Set-Up

Our Omelet Station Set-Up

Some other tips if you’d like to replicate this for your own party:

1) Remove the knobs from the main grill to prevent any accidental flare-ups.
2) Place a baking sheet on the grill to hold your mix-ins and cover it with a tea towel or large napkins–even the cleanest grill still looks like a grill: dress it up a bit.
3) Make sure there’s a spoon or tongs for each ingredient option as well as a spatula.
4) Non-stick pans are great, but a little cooking spray (kept on the opposite side from the open flame) never hurts.
5) Have 2 pans available in case there’s an accident with one and it needs cleaning, the spare keeps the line moving.

As I was beating those eggs before the party I wondered would anyone really want to make their own breakfast? Granted, I had both quiche (broccoli-Swiss) and hash brown casserole (with 2 types of sausage, eggs and cheddar cheese) on the main buffet, so it’s not like they had to, but I was surprised how many people did partake of the do-it-yourself egg station. Definitely something I’ll keep in mind.

It also occurs to me that it would make an excellent pasta station with the same setup. Have a large bowl of pasta pre-cooked and oiled at the ready (bowtie, penne or rotini–something easily scooped up) with a variety of mix-ins (blanched veggies and pre-cooked meats, all cut to a uniform size) and a trio of sauce variations (garlic-butter, marinara and Alfredo?). Guests could then make their own selections, give them a quick toss in the frying pan to heat up and have just the supper they want.

No such gas grill? Check out the camping section of your local sporting goods or discount store for a camp stove and can of fuel. Same results without the grill-sized footprint.

The Party’s Over

Nibbles

Put down that calendar! Before you plan your next party, how about spending some time going over the one that just finished to see what worked, what didn’t and what could have been better.

The Guests

Look back over your guest list, this time concentrating on the ones who came. Did anyone make a fool of them-self, cause a problem or generally show themselves as an ungrateful boor? This is especially helpful when evaluating new members of your guest book so you know who not to invite in the future. More than the obvious offenders, were there more subtle clues that the guest was not right for your party such as not mingling, finding there own space amidst the party or even, say, spending more time inside when the party was out. They may not be bad guests, it just might not be the best party scenario for them. Also keep in mind who really enjoyed themselves, who got best into the spirit of the party and joined in the fun to the fullest. These are the people you definitely want to have back!

The Menu

While you munch on a few leftovers, consider what dishes were popular and which, if any, got a lukewarm reception. I’ll use my recent party as an example:

Appetizers & Nibbles

Crudites platter (pea pods, broccoli, carrots, celery, radishes) with dip
Spicy Black Bean Dip* with chips
Bacon-wrapped Artichoke Hearts*
Smothered Spuds*
Spinach Dip in Bread Bowl

Main Course

Barbecue Chicken Breasts
Shredded Beef, with Rolls and choice of sauces (including au jus and horseradish sauces)
Farfalle with Peas, Ham and a Tarragon Cream Sauce**
Cold Cucumber Soup**
Salad of Zucchini, Yellow Squash, Jicama & Radish with a Creamy Citrus dressing**

Desserts

Blueberry-Lemon cupcakes with Lemony Cream Cheese frosting
Mexican Chocolate Fondue w/a variety of dippers & fresh fruit
(cookie bars, brownies, marshmallows, graham crackers, cake cubes, strawberries, pineapple, red & green grapes, blueberries and apple slices)

Beverages

Sparkling Citrus Punch (non-alcoholic)
Melon Balls (alcoholic)
Beer, Wine, Water and Sodas plus a full bar

*=old favorites, the dishes everyone expects at one of my parties
**=brand new recipes, never before tried

The old favorites continue to be popular and the main dish spread was balanced and mostly popular. The pasta dish was very tasty and a good gamble, as was the salad and dressing, even though I could have made a lot less but that goes for the entire party as there were a lot of no-shows from the maybe and non-responder segments. The only no-go was the cucumber soup: the taste was okay but most people found it very unfamiliar. Also, I’d served it in shot glasses (which is an idea I picked up a while back from magazines and television) to avoid the need for spoons and so forth but some people thought it was an adult beverage and not a soup. I opted not to do signage for this buffet, maybe I should have.

Of course the desserts were popular, even though the blueberry-filled cupcakes ended up as blueberry-bottomed ones (the filling sunk, unexpectedly, sank–should have stuck to fresh or frozen berries instead of prepared filling!). A few people found the fondue a bit odd as the mexican chocolate included bits of cocoa nibs so it wasn’t 100% smooth. It was still really tasty, though, and more of a one-time thing since we’d brought the chocolate home from our cruise in January and won’t be repeating the trip any time soon (more’s the pity).

The Entertainment

Even though some of the best parties I’ve been to just offered a platform for people to mix and mingle, I like my parties to have something for the guests to DO (like carve pumpkins, watch–and critique–movies or play yard games). This depends as much on what you provide as well as the people you invite as to who enjoys what. Did one game receive a better reception than others? Bring it back! Others not go over so well? Try it on a new group or retire that idea and look for something better. Never be afraid to try something new but don’t be so married to one idea that you stick with it even when it doesn’t work.

Now, pick up that calendar and address book and plan the next shin-dig with another fabulous success under your belt and the knowledge of what worked and what to change.

The RSVP

Nibbles

Répondez s’il vous plaît. Please respond. Such a simple concept but something that is so often overlooked.

RSVP, whether placed as corner copy on a larger invitation or as a separate response card intended to be returned by mail, is a simple request that your guests let you, as host[ess], know who will attend and won’t. Depending on the type of party, this information can be crucial to both planning and the budget.

For my parties, if it has a printed invitation, it has RSVP information included. The less formal a get-together the less I need a for-sure head count but most of the time there are rentals involved (tables and chairs) and a menu to plan–I like having leftovers but there’s a line between not having to cook for a few days after an event and just plain waste. So it can be frustrating when someone doesn’t pick up a phone or send an email to let me know they have other plans.

First thing to consider is how much lead-time your party may require. For a wedding with a sit-down dinner, for example, your caterer should be able to tell you when they need an absolute number. If you’re doing it all yourself, try to figure out how late you can squeeze in extra chairs or make one last trip to the grocery store. When you have that information, add it to the invitation or response card.

When you’re hosting a pot-luck or something where it’s just a case of adding another pizza to the order or a few more burgers to the grill, you can consider who you invited and deduct about 10%. Small dinner parties or game nights being the most common exceptions, any time you invite a group of people over for anything you can guarantee that at least a tenth will have other plans or just not come. If it’s a holiday or other big event day, it might actually be 15 to 20-percent.

If you have included RSVP information (a name and phone number for the short notations, emails are appropriate for less formal situations) and it’s a week or so before the party with the majority of your guest list unresponsive, it’s completely appropriate to call or email those you know well to as if they will be joining you at the party. But only do it once–hostessing isn’t about badgering the guests, after all. A quick note about how much you’re looking forward to seeing them again is a nice way to make them feel, truly, like an honored guest and not just a name on a list.

Still, if even that doesn’t work you’ve got 2 choices: prepare for those who replied or count the non-responders as maybes and prepare accordingly. Since my biggest nightmare of having a party is running out of food, I go with the latter and send leftovers home with willing guests.

One of my favorite scenes from the movie Clueless is the debate over Hatian refugees. In it, the main character, Cher, says

. . . when I had this garden party for my father’s birthday right? I said R.S.V.P. because it was a sit-down dinner. But people came that like, did not R.S.V.P. so I was like, totally buggin’. I had to haul ass to the kitchen, redistribute the food, squish in extra place settings, but by the end of the day it was like, the more the merrier!

And that’s what really matters, isn’t it? In a perfect world everyone would RSVP, there would be no glitches during party preparation and we’d all meet our guests at the door in a calm manner and not scrambling to get that last dish (or 2) out onto the buffet. Until then, we just have to deal.