Throw a Memorable Dinner Party

A sit-down dinner party is the kind of party that we often have. Even if you are entertaining your best friends, make it special. For one thing, celebrating with friends is special and for another thing, it is good practice for finding techniques to make dinner parties a breeze. Here are some tips for an easy dinner party:

Be careful with centerpieces. Centerpieces are attractive but they can get in the way. If they are too tall, they will keep guests from being able to see each other. If they are too wide, they take up valuable space so that there is no room for wineglasses, butter dishes, and all the items that you really need on the table.

Use a white tablecloth. It’s a good idea to have one of these on hand -- it does not have to be linen. Get something in a nice easy care, no iron, fabric. A white tablecloth adds a touch of grace and will show off any color of china nicely.

Don’t overdo the menu. There’s no need to lay it all out at once. If you have six great recipes for appetizers, invite people back some other time to enjoy them. Don’t pile up the meal with too much food. An appetizer soup or salad, a nice entree, dessert and tea or coffee -- that’s all you need.

Make it colorful. Splash up the dinner plate with a bright vegetable. Add some color to the salad.  Look for the foods that are in season and use them to their best advantage. Fresh blueberries sprinkled over a basic vanilla pudding that you can make out of a box ramps that dessert up into the range of elegance. If the soup is cream of mushrooms, add a sprig of parsley to the top of the bowl of soup. It looks so elegant and gives the impression that you worked your fingers off.

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