Planning a dinner for friends or family can seem overwhelming to the average person.  What should I make?  How much should I buy?  How do I swing it so that I’m not spending the entire night in the kitchen?  What about special diets, picky eaters, and allergies?  How do I get everything on the table at the same time? 

Planning Basics:

It’s all about doing a little due diligence beforehand, thinking everything through, and not biting off more than you are comfortable with.  Don’t experiment with new recipes on guests, stick to things you have made before.  If you must try a new recipe, make sure it’s not the main entrée and have a backup plan.

Know some basic information before you start planning the menu.

Your Guests:

Who’s coming over?  Are they big eaters?  Do they have special diets, allergies?  Are there any children or picky eaters?  Are they big starch, meat, or vegetable eaters?  Knowing your audience will help you to better plan your menu items and the quantities.  

For example, Uncle John put away three plates of pasta last time you ate with him, but Aunt May only had a small portion of pasta and ate 2 portions of vegetables and dessert, and little Bobby would only eat a small portion of plain pasta and dessert.  Cousin Cindy and her husband are gluten free and allergic to shellfish. 

Let’s tackle the allergy first.  Although someone with a food allergy should always ask questions and be certain of what they are about to eat, this is not always the case.  This means it’s up to the host to do their best not make anyone sick or dead.  Since you have two guests that are allergic to shellfish, it would be easiest to not serve shellfish at this dinner.  If you need to serve shellfish, make sure that food prep areas, pans, plates, cooking utensils, and your hands are washed thoroughly after dealing with the shellfish and before dealing with or serving the other food.  Keep the shellfish far away from the other food and don’t share serving utensils. Warn your guests ahead of time that shellfish will be prepared and served.

Gluten free diets may be due to Celiac Disease or simply to reduce carbs or make the person feel better.  Make sure to take note of how you prepare food and what comes into contact with the food so that you can inform your guests of what foods have gluten.  Gluten can be transferred from one food to another if you use the same oil to fry or the same water to boil. If you use some packaged foods in your meal, read the labels to see if they have gluten.  A good rule to follow, if the package doesn’t say gluten free, it probably is not gluten free.  Gluten is present in many places you may not expect, like some spices (to keep them from clumping), and soy sauce.  Look for gluten free substitutions online if you come across an ingredient with gluten.

Choosing Your Menu:

Choose your main course and build a menu that goes well with it.  Pay attention to menus when you go out to restaurants, and when you eat at other people’s houses.  Make mental notes of what foods go well together.  Think about what you wished would have been served with that Pot Roast you ate at the last dinner party.  This will help you when it’s time to plan your menu.  

Think about all the senses when you build a menu.  We first eat with our eyes and nose.  When the plate looks appetizing and smells good, we start to get hungry.  When we start eating, taste and texture become the focus. Choose items that complement one another.

Some things that work well together are sweet with salty (think chocolate with sea salt or glazed ham), sweet with sour, rich/fatty with acidic (think about a juicy greasy cheeseburger with pickles).  Also pay attention to colors and textures.  Your menu will be more pleasing if it contains a few colors and opposing textures.  Try topping soft dishes with a crispy garnish or including something crispy on the side.  Examples would be topping your Mac & Cheese with Panko breadcrumbs or adding crispy garlic bread on the side with Lasagna.  

Let’s say your main course is glazed ham.  How will you prepare it?  Will it be in the oven, in a crock pot, in a pressure cooker?  You will want to plan your meal so that all your items aren’t using the same appliance.  It would be difficult to bake a ham, bake potatoes, and bake a casserole in the same oven at the same temp.  Plan your menu so you are using different kitchen appliances or so that they can be staggered. 

What will go well with glazed Ham?  We know that Uncle John loves his starch and we also know that we have two gluten free eaters and one picky child.  This is where a potato or a rice dish will come in handy.  Roasted or scalloped potatoes, cheesy potatoes, risotto, pilaf, or creamy polenta/grits are all good options. Perhaps keep a small portion of rice or potatoes aside with just butter for little Bobby.

Next you will want to choose a colorful vegetable to offset the brown/pink ham and the white potato or rice.  Maybe Green Beans, Asparagus, Broccoli, or Brussel Sprouts.  These vegetables could be steamed or sautéed on the stovetop leaving your oven free for Ham and something else.

You may also want to have rolls or corn bread.  Bake these ahead of time and then warm them quickly in the oven when the Ham or potatoes come out of the oven and are resting.  

How Much Food to Make:

Protein – I like to plan for 6-8 ounces per person

Starch (as a side dish) – For rice, quinoa, and other similar grains I figure ½ cup of uncooked, per person.  Pasta, potatoes, polenta/grits, 4 ounces cooked (about 1 ounce dry) per person. 

Vegetables – I use the handful measurement for long veggies like green beans and asparagus, one large handful per person.  For peas, carrots, corn off the cob, I plan for about 6 ounces per person.

Rolls – 1 per person (some will eat 2 and some won’t have any).  

Pro tip: Think about how much of each food you put on your plate and try to visualize that amount multiplied by the number of people.

Note: If pasta is the main course, plan for 8-12 ounces cooked per person (about 2-4 ounces dry)

Adjust these numbers slightly if you want leftovers or you know that Aunt May is going to eat less starch and more veggies, but Uncle John is likely to have two servings of meat and two of starch. In this case you may want to add one or two extra servings of veggies and one extra serving of starch.  Don’t get too hung up on this though, people usually overeat and won’t be left hungry if you run a little short on potatoes because you followed the amounts above without making adjustments.  Plus, there’s always dessert. 

Six tips on saving time the day of your meal and managing time wisely:

Aside from letting other people bring side dishes or dessert, here’s some tips to help you spend more time with your guests and get everything on the table hot.

Tip 1: Put someone in charge of making drinks so that you aren’t pulled away from visiting and cooking.

Tip 2: Include some easy and pre-made finger foods to set out while dinner is cooking.  This will keep your guests occupied and they won’t be starving when dinner is served.

Some good choices are cheese, salami, marinated olives, nuts, Veggies and dip or Hummus, Shrimp cocktail (if no allergies), dips and chips or pretzels. 

Tip 3: Make sauces or gravies and crisp up bread in the oven while your meat rests.

Tip 4: Wash and cut/trim all your veggies and assemble casseroles or multi-ingredient side dishes before your guests arrive.  If you are making a cheesy potato or a mac and cheese dish, make it the day before except for baking.  Blanch or steam your veggies so they are halfway cooked before your guests arrive or even the day before. Then you can quickly sauté them 10-15 minutes before the other food comes out of the oven.  Store all food in refrigerator until you’re ready to cook it. You want everything to be ready to cook when the guests arrive so that you can spend time with them.

Tip 5: Put someone else in charge of slicing the meat so that you can wrap everything up and get it all on the table.

Tip 6: If you are baking dessert, do that ahead of time before guests arrive. 

Hopefully following these tips will help you plan and execute your next dinner party smoothly.

Bon Appetite’