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Entertaining At Home: Gracious, Lots Of Fun And InexpensiveE
Just a few short years ago, when you wanted to entertain friends, you may not have thought twice about picking up the phone and making reservations at a nice dinner house. Unfortunately, that's all changed. Now, you may entertain friends at the upscale restaurant on occasion, but these days you lean more towards entertaining at home, purely for economic considerations. Well, this is not such a disaster. In fact, you can organize a dinner party at home that vies with, or even surpasses the carefree restaurant experience. Here's how to make home entertaining a gracious and memorable event.
Think of all the kitchen conveniences and appliances we now have at our disposal. In the economic heydays, we used our bread makers, convection ovens and do-ahead recipes to make everyday family meals a stunning success. We could show off our talents in being super-cooks, with a fabulous meal ready at the drop of a hat. We haven't exploited these time-saving tools in our entertaining at home idea baskets.
Entertaining at home used to summon up visions of long hours at the stove and last-minute preparations which left us worn out before the party ever began. Wanting to provide a top-notch meal for our guests seemed beyond our reach or reserves of energy. This is simply no longer the case.
Take that bread maker, for example. Many bread makers have 'dough only' settings, as well as bells which alert us to the proper time to add fruit, nuts or cheese. This nifty appliance gives you the wherewithal to produce artisan breads your guests will surely applaud, with just a few minutes of your time.
Convection ovens are another handy appliance when you're entertaining at home. You can roast a gourmet chicken dish in no time at all, with very little supervision required on your part.
As for do-ahead recipes, there are literally thousands of delectable dishes which may be prepared ahead of party day and are actually enhanced by sitting in the frig, marrying seasons and flavors to perfection. For a repertoire of such recipes fit for a king – or queen, go online and Google 'recipes (type) do ahead'.
With a little careful coordination and planning, entertaining at home can be a snap. Your biggest worry on party day is setting the table and picking or buying flowers for a lovely centerpiece. Have the coffeepot ready to push the brew button.
Once you realize that entertaining at home can be so easy, it will also be apparent that not only are you saving lots of money, but your guests may also enjoy the conviviality and comfort of your gracious home more than going out. When the party's over, you simply slide into bed. You can do the dishes tomorrow. There is that handy dishwasher.
Summary
Money is tight these days! Don't let the fun stop. You can entertain guests at home and have a wonderful time without the big expense of going out. Food for guests include easy recipes using basic foods like chicken, and having snacks prepared ahead of time so you can enjoy the party as well.
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