Entertaining Afterthoughts

As many of you know, I am in yet another competition . . .PROJECT FOOD BLOG - "Who will be the next food blogging star?!" I've been voted for and passed through to Round 3 and thus hosted "Ode to My Backyard," (a luxury dinner party) as my entry. You know what that means? You have to get to VOTE AGAIN!

Now that I've digested and am not entirely consumed with thinking about the food, family, and fun of the evening, I have some entertaining nuggets of wisdom to share!

Nugget #1

Always dab a little spit on your shirt before you put it on to test the moisture visibility of the fabric. Pitting out = ruined appetite! Go sleeveless or moisture inconspicuous. This way, even if you're not cool as a cucumber, you'll look like you are! Just don't tell guests that you spit on your shirt.

Nugget #2

Choose easy, room temperature appetizers! So if you are running behind you can always stop what you are doing, throw some pre-dinner food at guests and they'll stop asking, "How can I help? You look stressed." Seriously, that's like asking a bloated woman if she's pregnant or telling someone they look tired when they got 8 hours of sleep! Feed the people and they'll be polite while you finish up in the kitchen. Unless you are like some of the other Project Food Blog competitors and get everything done the night before. We can't all be organizational geniuses (that's my mantra when I read other blogs).

Nugget #3

Choose a theme. Even if you are having a potluck, a get-together must have a theme. For example, "Grandma's Recipe Potluck" or "Soup Dish" or "Fondue It." Giving even the most everyday occasion a theme can really pull a meal together and inject an energized feeling into an event. It is also a good starting point when you are planning a more complex menu. I think the funniest theme was "BALLS." This was not a child's birthday party. It was a vasectomy party! I had to throw a BALLS Party for my husband after his big day - Melon balls, Meatballs, Cocktail Wienies, etc. We even had AC DC music that fit the theme wonderfully.

 Go ahead and steal this idea. I stole it first (thanks Laura).

Nugget #4

An oldie but goodie - keep your centerpiece low. Put your tall bouquet on an appetiser table or buffet if you must but the dinner guests should be able to see each other. My favorite bouquet - bundles of parsley/cilantro/mint/herb. This is a super cheap option and you can cook it up later! Pillar candles are also a perfect go-to centerpiece - tie with ribbon, cluster, set on top of piles of old books, etc.

Nugget #5

When someone asks, "What's that smell?" The answer should be the food (hopefully they are not holding their nose when they ask). Therefore - no scented candles on the table or anywhere else!

I'm sure there are other tips floating around in this brain of mine but these are the one that I was able to pin down this afternoon.

Take-Away: Follow my blog for inspiration (click the "Be a Fresh FOLLOWER" button in the right-hand column). And VOTE me through to Round 4 to see my wonderful idea for the "Picture Perfect" post that will reveal how I earned the nickname "Smokey!"