Entertaining Made Easy

by Erin King (née Sernasie)

Well, here it is, post holiday season, just, and I am back. This article I've decided is going to be a review of my experiences as a sort of forensic breakdown of what I have learned by watching and working this season. Hopefully this will serve as a guide for next year and for all of the entertaining you may do throughout the coming year. Christmas is the season that you get "entertaining shock". You see more people in three weeks than you have seen all year and you are expected to feed, house and entertain them. It is the best of times and the worst of times.

Here are a few rules that may help lessen the load next time:

Rule #1: If you can get someone else to do it, then get someone else to do it and if you can pay someone else to do it, even better.

What this means is, plan your party/dinner/brunch first. See what needs to be done. Then figure out what your budget is and act accordingly.

• If you can afford to rent dishes, glasses, table wear and linens then do so. They can be a bit expensive but it is the best way to have a nice table without the hassle of having to drag out all of your good china and silver, cleaning and washing and polishing these items can take hours. Rented settings will come clean and wrapped in plastic to your door all you do is open and set. Best of all, you do not have to wash or even rinse before returning, just scrape, place back in the containers and wait for the rental company to come back and pick them up. You can leave the boxes in your garage or on your back deck and the guys will come and get them even if you are not home. Simple. I recommend this for formal family brunches, dinners and work related in home cocktail parties.
• Hire help. I run a bartending and waitstaff business and I will say that people can't thank me enough for providing this service. If you are having a cocktail party for friends, colleagues or if it is a large or formal family gathering I recommend hiring a bartender and/or server. This service will cost you about $30.00 an hour each (usually there is a four hour minimum) plus tip but it is the best money you will spend all season, especially if you do not rent your dishes. Usually I will arrive one or two hours early and receive a list from the hostess - a run down on how things will go and what needs to be done (this will allow her to save money on catered food as I will set up the platters, cut fruit, veggies, desert trays). I will heat store bought appetizers, set the table, put out decorations, and just generally help her get ready. In this way the hostess doesn't have to worry about the big things and can concentrate on the details. If you can't afford two people just get one, because having one set of hands that is there just for you is an unbelievable help. Having a bartender is good because it takes time to open wine and set up a bar and it is good to have someone there to be your eyes and ears when drinking is involved. As hostess you can not keep track of everyone's drinking and you can't be standing in one spot making drinks all night as well as "working the crowd". The server/bartender will also make rounds picking up discarded plates, napkins, glasses etc. If you have a large or important party to host, I suggest that hiring service is very important. If you need to save money, save it on the food. Buy ready made platters from a good grocery store or make some of the food yourself before hand, you will thank me later. (Don't forget to be respectful to the help, make sure they get a good plate of food and tell them of a discreet spot that they can sit and eat while everyone is eating their meal. If they do a good job, tip them well. You will end up using them again if they are good and the tip is not place to skimp as it is how you say thank you.)
• Hire a chef or caterer if you can, either for the big things like the dinner or for the small things like the appetizers. Not everyone has the time or the knowledge to do all of the cooking. The more things you can get pre-made, the better. I worked at a family party this year where the hostess bought the appetizers at the grocery store and I put them together (smoked salmon, cheese and crackers, dips and veggies) and had the dinner catered (spiral ham, grilled vegetables, breads and salad). Doing both would have been too much strain on her and her tiny kitchen, but I came early and put the apps together and when it was about an hour before dinner I just popped the ham in the oven to heat. The grilled vegetables were served at room temperature. She was able to contribute some of her own touches, (a very nice cranberry mold and her signature salad dressing) to personalize the meal. It was served buffet style at which time I was stationed behind the bar. The gathering went off like a dream and because I was there she had very little clean up to do.
• Get as many of the appetizers done at your local grocery store as you can. Get cheese trays, veggie and fruit trays, and cracker platters done for you. The cost for these is usually very good. Many times it is cheaper to get these pre-made because buying all of the different cheeses and fruit at retail prices is often more expensive. Also, if you count your time as labor, that is actually an added cost that you have incurred. Go to your big box store for your hot appetizers, dips and crostini. Unless you are a real foodie and have time on your hands to make meticulous beautiful appetizers, don't bother. Stick to platters and maybe one signature dish. It's not worth your time and effort. That way you can focus your time on a big batch of your special roasted potatoes and vegetables, a nice ham/roast beef/turkey and a beautiful salad (with bagged lettuce, of course) and no one will be the wiser.

Rule #2: Do as much ahead of time as you can.

• Find out what can be made and then frozen and then make it and freeze it.
• Get your meal bases done early(a tip from my mother). Make a base of sautéed beef and sausage meet with onion, garlic and spices and freeze in portions. This can be taken out and used to whip together a chili, pasta sauce, frittata base, the possibilities are endless. Most meals can be broken down into certain basic ingredients before seasoning.
• Prep! Prep! Prep! Any chef will tell you that having your prep done is half the battle. Cut your veggies a day or two ahead, most will keep. Make your dough and freeze. You can even roast your meat a day or so ahead, more if you freeze it. Then all you have to do is (thaw and) reheat.
• Check your staples: spices, herbs, onions, garlic and potatoes. Make sure ahead of time that you have enough, that you have what you need and that what you have is usable. There is nothing worse than looking into that bag of potatoes that you were sure you just bought and seeing little potato men and women looking back. Especially if you have just returned from your three hour shopping journey and need to get going on the cooking.
• If you are having a cocktail party, open your wine ahead of time. A day before will not kill the taste and red wine likes to breathe an hour or two anyway. If you are making fancy martinis make them ahead of time, up to three days if you keep the mix in the fridge. Cosmos, sour apple, or just about any martini made ahead of time in a jug or in a juice container can be shaken over ice and served with a nice garnish (or not) will be just as appreciated as one made fresh. This goes for margaritas, daiquiris and pina coladas too, just make the juice portion separate from the alcohol portion if it is to be blended (you don't blend alcohol, you blend the mix with the ice, pour the alcohol in the glass and then pour the blended mix over the alcohol) or make it together if it is to be shaken. Easy peasy.

Rule #3: A good guest is an independent guest.

• If you have overnight guests, have lots of breakfast food that they can make themselves. Continental breakfasts weren't invented for nothing. Buy bagels and cut them and then freeze them for the ultimate convenience (my husband came up with that tip), buy and freeze scones, have lots of nice easy breakfast food on hand and lots of fruit and coffee and some fancy jams. Invite your guests, no insist, that they not be shy and help themselves.
• Have snacks and small meal items handy for the guests. If they are staying for a few days, you may not want to have to make a big dinner every night nor be making lunches every day. Keep cold cuts, cheese, buns, frozen pizzas and lots of eggs on hand. Let your guests know where these items and again encourage them to help themselves.
• Show them where the towels are, the extra toilet paper, the extra soap etc. Let them know that they can get things for themselves and do not need you to ask you for everything. Chances are they are family, so you can trust them to look in your closets if they need something.

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