be the perfect host/ess | . |
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copyright ©1999-2002 |
So
it’s the long, long Friday afternoon of a dull, dull work week and on
a whim, you send out an email to your best buds to invite them all over
to hang out chez vous that evening. Or it’s 6:30 pm Wednesday and
you’re just leaving the office, stressing out on the drive home
because you’re supposed to play host to your book club at 7:30 that
evening. Or maybe it’s a lazy Saturday afternoon, and you and your
longtime sweetie are sitting around the house realizing you need a break
from your usual quiet quasi-married Saturday night home alone, and so
you call up your friends for a last-minute movie or game night. Whatever
the case may be, you somehow come to find that you have a dozen friends
arriving at your door in an hour or two, and no food yet prepared to
feed the crowd. Panic time? Of course not – check out our tips on how
to put together a tasty spread that can be thrown together at a
moment’s notice. if
you’re feeding them a meal ... 1
Make it a do-it-yourself type deal, and invite your friends to come over
to cook dinner with you. A pizza bar works well – just buy some
pre-baked pizza crusts, some marinara sauce, mozzarella, and an
assortment of toppings, then let everyone pitch in to top and bake the
pizzas when they come over. Or
ask everyone to bring along one topping that they’d like to have on
their pizza. In warmer weather,
grill-it-yourself gatherings are great– just ask each of your friends
to bring over
something they’d like to grill. You
fire up the grill, and everybody throws whatever goodies they like on
top. As the host(ess),
it’s nice if you prep a side dish or two, say a big bowl of salad
greens, maybe a potato salad, some fresh fruit. 2
Quickie pasta: many of the best pasta sauces can be whipped together in
the same amount of time it takes to boil some water, toss in some penne,
and cook it to al dente perfection. Basically, thirty minutes or
less. For a very simple, very easy tomato sauce, all you’ll need are
some canned tomatoes – crushed or diced, or a combination thereof –
fresh basil, garlic and onion. You can add in whatever other veggies you
like, though it isn’t necessary – mushrooms, spinach, and bell
peppers are all good – or toss in some Italian sausage if you’re
looking for something heartier. Pick up a bag of ready-to-serve salad
greens while you’re at the supermarket, a loaf of bread and some wine
perhaps, and you can have a tasty, completely homemade meal on the table
in no time. 3
Order out. There’s no reason in the world anyone should expect you to
feed a horde of hungry pals without sufficient advance notice. Not every
gathering has to involve you slaving over a hot stove, so get over the
guilt factor. In the end, a party isn’t about the food, but about the
fun. ---------------------------> lounge . nourish . host . laze . home . |