Top 10 Tips for Planning Your Party Like a Pro

GABS — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 22:42:45 +0000

Entertaining people in your home is always wrought with a bit of stress and anxiety. Simply getting everything ready before the party is enough to make most people pull out their hair. And, the self-doubt and worry about last minute details is enough to send most people over the edge of comfort. However, planning your party does not need to be this way. Here are ten time tested tips to help you plan the best party with the least possible pre-party stress.

Tip #1 – The best thing you can do for yourself is to write down a master party shopping list and a list of what needs to be accomplished around your home before the date of the party. Get out a calendar and mark off some time to shop and clean your home.

Tip #2 – Enlist the help of your spouse or children in the process of cleaning and de-cluttering your home for the party. While they may not do the “perfect” job that you would, you can always go back with a quick vacuum or dust cloth and finish up the job later.

Tip #3 – When your guests arrive they will need a place to hang their coats and place their purses. One of the easiest things you can do is to clean out your entry-hall coat closet for them to use. If you have a bunch of stuff in there, then you should either find it a new home or box it up until after your party is over.

Tip #4 – When you shop, think about if you will want to send home leftovers with your guests. If you will, then you should pick-up some inexpensive containers which you can send home food in and not have to worry about retrieving your plates or bowls at a later date.

Tip #5 – It is also nice to plan for enough leftovers from your party that you will not have to cook or prepare food on the day after your party. Let’s face it, the day after your party you will be exhausted, and by not having to cook you can relax and enjoy the day with your family.

Tip #6 – When you go to the store to purchase the non-perishables for your party, you can leave them in the grocery bags until the day before the party. Rather than unpack everything and put it away in your cupboards where people might mistakenly eat it, you can simply leave everything in the bags and keep them in an out of the way place until the day before the party. (I highly suggest looking at everything the day before and making sure you didn’t forget something at the store which is vital. This will keep you from having to make emergency store runs on the day of your party when you have other things to do.)

Tip #7 – If you are having an evening party near the Christmas holiday season, you might want to get together ahead of time with your friends and organize a cookie exchange. By doing this you can have tons of different cookies to offer your guests, even though you only had to make one kind of them.

Tip #8 – If your guests will be drinking wine, it is a great idea to use some inexpensive wine glass charms. This will allow your guests to always know which glass is theirs and keeps them from using too many other glasses. Put the charms on before your party to save time when you are serving your guest’s drinks.

Tip #9 – One of the best things you can do when planning your party is to ask other people to bring food or beverages. Many times people ask what they can bring, and you should take them up on their offers. Not only does this cut-down on the budget for your party, it also allows you to spend less time cooking and more time with your guests.

BABY SHOWER FOOD IDEAS

GABS — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 23:07:47 +0000

Baby showers are a traditional way of celebrating the coming (or the birth) of a new baby and welcoming him or her as a new member of the family. They can be hosted and organized by anybody, usually the close friends/group of friends or relatives of the expectant parents. It was once considered improper for family members to host baby showers (because they usually center on the gift giving), but nowadays it is fine for family members to help (and plan) them.

Baby showers are usually held a month or two before the mother’s expected due date (some cultures, however, consider it bad luck to hold baby showers before the baby is born). They are intended not only to welcome the baby but also to help the expectant parents by giving them gifts that they will need for the baby.

Planning for a baby shower can be an enormous task. Everything requires a great deal of planning – from the guest list, to handing out invitations, to the decorations, to the games, to baby shower favors – and, most especially, to the food.

A party cannot be without food, as they are considered as one of the best parts or the highlight of a party. This applies to baby showers as well.

There are numerous types of food that you can serve during baby showers. Some of them are the following:

Bread or sandwiches

Dessert (cakes, cookies, ice cream, etc.)

Chips or fries

Pasta

Pies (pizzas, etc.)

Salad

Drinks (punch, juice, wine, etc.)

Tips and guidelines:

The baby shower food that you serve will largely depend on the time of day when it will be held. A baby shower that will be held at noon or at dinnertime usually requires a full ‘sit-down’ meal, while early afternoon or early evening showers can do with appetizers, salads, and finger foods. In addition, the amount of food that you need to prepare will depend on the number of guests you will be inviting.

Have multiple snack trays for serving different varieties of food – you can have one with an assortment of finger sandwiches, another with sliced turkey or smoked chicken, and still another with sliced fresh vegetables served with a dip that you can place in the center of the tray.

Try to match your food and keep them in-line with the baby shower’s theme (if ever there is any). You may consider serving scones and finger sandwiches if your baby shower theme is a tea party. Or, if you are having a nursery rhyme-themed baby shower, cakes and pies that resemble the characters from famous nursery rhyme (such as Humpty Dumpty deviled eggs).

Put some ‘life’ in the baby shower foods that you will serve. Instead of serving your fruit salad in a simple salad bowl, try presenting them in a melon bowl (or better yet, in a baby carriage-shaped melon server).

Decorate your food table by tossing baby pacifier candies, chocolate bars, and confetti all over it.

Personalize your eating utensils. Match their colors with the color scheme of the entire party. Consider using disposable cups or plates for easy clean up.

It is important to take into account the special diet of the mom-to-be, so try to avoid serving food that the pregnant mom herself would not eat. In addition to her allergies and food aversions, avoid the types of food that are prone to contamination and food poisoning, such as soft cheeses, uncooked meat and (most especially) alcohol.

By following these food tips, you will surely be able to pull off a successful (and memorable) baby shower.

Give A Baby Shower » Catering the Shower

Top 10 Tips for Planning Your Party Like a Pro

BABY SHOWER FOOD IDEAS

Tips and guidelines: