#2. Plan Ahead, But Not Too Much…
It’s important to be organized, but not to the point where you freak yourself out! When I first started entertaining I would come up with a menu on Monday night and spend all week pouring through cookbooks looking for the perfect side dish or desert. I was confident the entree I had selected was a winner, but felt I could do better with the sides or dessert. By the end of my research I was so confused I didn’t know what to make! Guess what I discovered? I always came back to my original menu! Learn from my frustrations, don’t over plan, come up with a menu, stick with it, and spend your time getting yourself organized so you can feel confident and enjoy the entertaining process. Stay tuned for Tip #4 – it’s a great tool that will help you stay organized!
Must Have’s for Easy Entertaining:
1. Vacu Vin Wine Saver; a cool gadget you can buy at your local liquor store. It’s a rubber stopper that removes all the air from a wine bottle, preventing it from spoiling and works so much better than all those pretty wine stoppers. This would be a great hostess gift if you’re bringing a bottle of wine.
2. Paper napkins; I have a fetish for cocktail size paper napkins – in fact I have a large wire basket that sits on my counter filled to the brim with napkins that are colorful, and beautiful designs. It not only looks great on my counter but I never have to rush out and buy cocktail napkins I just look in my basket for the ones that match my appetizer, cocktail or glass of wine!
3. Williams Sonoma Pecan Pumpkin Butter; makes the best pumpkin pie in the world! Seriously, it’s amazing and only requires a couple of other ingredients. This is a must have product for your pantry. The other cool thing is that it comes with several recipes attached to the top of the jar. You need to buy two jars because the recipe calls for 1 ½ jars. Not to worry, you can spread the leftovers on your bagel, or mix it in with the whipped cream cheese and serve it with the Carr’s Whole Wheat Crackers or the Trader Joes Ginger Snaps – yummy!
4. My other favorite holiday item at Williams Sonoma is the Turkey Gravy Base. All you have to do is add milk and some of the turkey drippings, its so yummy and easy! One jar makes 4 cups of gravy.
Be sure to check out my 2nd Five Minute Shot interview with Pam Atherton of A Closer Look Radio!
http://acloserlookradio.com/5minuteshots/mcardle.php
It’s also on YouTube!
Holiday Entertaining Part 2 – Five Minutes with DeeAnn McArdle
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