One of the “tricks” I find most useful for hosting stress-free dinner parties is to make some of the recipes ahead. I find that too many last minute jobs can overwhelm me, so I plan ahead to eliminate as many as possible.
The more dishes you can prepare a day or some hours before guests ring your doorbell, the more you reduce your stress. Here are some reasons:
• You avoid a last minute crisis if preparation takes longer than you thought it would.
• If you like to cook, you’ll have the leisure to enjoy what you’re doing instead of feeling frantic about a deadline
• You have time to clean up after you cook.
• If there is a disaster, say you burn something, you have plenty of time to come up with an alternate plan.
• If you have prepared the dessert ahead, you don’t need to leave the table for a long stretch just when the conversation is getting really interesting.
Put your imagination to work for you! Try to imagine your way through the last minute jobs you will have to get dinner on the table, and reduce them to a minimum you feel comfortable with. It helps to think about what all those last minute jobs are: setting out the ice water pitcher, lighting the candles, putting items in serving dishes and getting the guests to the table.