Today’s installment in the Muses of Megret “Homemaking Mini-Series” focuses on entertaining, namely, dinner parties. When I say “dinner parties” I mean the inviting over of other families and their kids, not just no-kids, black tie affairs. Even a humdrum night with friends can become extraordinary with a few thematic touches. Themes can be fun — don’t let them overwhelm you. There are a ton of great ideas out there, and equally as many tips online and in entertaining books to give you pointers on how to pull it off.
Here are a few meal/food themes ideas gleaned from Keeping Entertaining Simple by Martha Storey. I noted these years ago, before we had children, and still refer to this list often when planning get-togethers:
~ Host a pancake breakfast. Sometimes it’s nice to break the tradition and have guests over for breakfast instead of dinner. Afterwards, leave the dishes behind and go scout yard sales, do some mall or antique shopping, or hiking.
~ Work for your meal. All of us have big home-related jobs that need to be accomplished (painting, assembling new furniture or a swing set, or gardening). Invite your close friends over for a day, and after the work’s done, serve fun food and plan the next work day to be held at someone else’s house.
~ Book clubs. Generate a group of readers who enjoy discussing what they read, and agree to meet once a month at rotating members’ houses. Serve coffee, tee, cookies, cakes, breads, and muffins.
~ International flair. Choose a country on which you’d like to center your dinner, then ask each guest to bring a particular course. Choose appropriate music, napkins, simple entertainment (such as a foreign film), and decorations.
~ Game time. Host a game party. Have a game board tournament with game munchies and prizes for winners.
~ Zucchini party! These vegetables are so plentiful at the end of the summer. Ask your guests to bring their favorite zucchini dish with a copy of the recipe to share.
~ Be nostalgic. As everyone to bring something his or her grandmother made or might have made. It doesn’t matter if food is fattening for this party; once in a while it’s okay to splurge!
~ Boxed lunch. Ask couples to bring a picnic lunch for two people, including eating utensils and napkins. The meals can be fancy or plain, hot or cold, multicourse, finger foods only, etc….but they should be creative and fun. Use a basket or cute box to package the picnic meal. When everyone arrives, have people bid on their boxed lunch of choice, winning the meal in that basket or box.
~ After-the-harvest bounty. Everyone brings a favorite dish of corn, tomatoes, or whatever is in abundance at a particular time of year.
~ Moving along. Host a traditional, kitchy progressive dinner, where you travel to different houses for different courses.
~ Saucy. Host a sauce party! You provide the main ingredient, asking your guests to bring a favorite sauce. You barbecue the chicken and have friends bring sauces….you provide the ice cream and have them bring toppings. You cook a variety of pastas and let people create their own sauce masterpieces.
~ Cheese tasting. Have a cheese tasting party. Offer a variety of simple and lavish cheese varieties, hard and soft, and a wide variety of breads and crackers to serve alongside (rye, pumpernickel, sourdough, French, rosemary, etc.).
~ Soup party. (We did this on a cool, fall night several years ago, eating outdoors on patio tables by candlelight — it was so much fun!) Prepare three or four types of hearty soups; keep warm in crock pots or on heating trays. Guests may bring dipping accessories such as French bread, cornbread, corn chips, cheese, croissants, pita chips, etc.
~ 50s TV party. Send out kitchy, 50s-style invites and ask everyone to come dressed as their favorite 50s TV character. Serve a 50s-type meal on wild plastic plates. Play 50s TV theme songs or music from that decade, and decorate with plastic flowers and other retro decorations. After dinner, watch 50s re-runs and play TV Trivial Pursuit.
~ Make-your-own-pizza party. Provide homemade or storebought crusts, and divide toppings up among your guests. Have them create their own perfect pies when they arrive. Limit guest list to 5 or 6 so you have enough room for everyone’s personalized pizzas in your oven. Play Italian music, of course! An easy salad would be a great side. Dessert ideas include tiramisu, Italian ice or gelato, or spumoni cookies with ice cream.
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Michelle (2 years ago)
wow! I love this list!! Thanks so much Meg!
Stephanie (2 years ago)
I really like that “pancake breakfast + garage sales” idea. Very unique. And perfect for families since kids tend to be happiest in the morning after a good night’s rest!