We are having friends for dinner at our house this weekend, and I can’t wait. We take turns entertaining, and it is always a good time. As usual, it’s been too long since we’ve gotten together.
My food planning starts weeks before we get together. We have had this couple for dinner many times, and I always like to serve something different. It got me thinking about how some foods or meals, although delicious, do not work well for entertaining.
Ina Garten has told her nightmare entertaining story. She had a group of people for breakfast and made individual dishes, something like omelets, if I recall. Instead of being able to have fun and enjoy her guests, she was tied to the kitchen cooking. I am betting the food was fantastic, but not fun for the cook.
Weather permitting, because in Minnesota, you never know, we are planning to grill. Because grilling involves timing, my side dishes will be made ahead of time. Right now, my plan is potato salad and broccoli salad with the grilled chicken. I wouldn’t have to worry about the grill taking extra time to heat or the chicken taking longer than expected because my sides will be ready to go.
This is the key for me. If you are making a dish that involves timing or is more labor-intensive, make the rest of the food easy.
This is also the time for tried and true recipes. Granted, I have tried new recipes for guests and often gotten away with it! But who needs the stress?
Ideas
Sheet-pan dinners are the epitome of easy. All the ingredients on one pan, and your oven does the work. I have served orange ginger chicken and chicken with gnocchi dinners to guests.
A pan of lasagna is a great choice, along with garlic bread, and a green salad. I have served turkey florentine pasta, another great choice.
Sheet pan and baked dishes work great for entertaining, but what about the heat of summer? A one-pan dish like jambalaya can be prepped ahead of time and just requires an occasional stir.
The key is to make something that you love and want to share, that doesn’t keep you from enjoying the fun.