How to Host a Pasta Party for Your Neighbors

Pasta is definitely comfort food. The delicious carbohydrate rich food, topped with a tasty tomato sauce is a wonderful meal that fills the stomach and feeds the soul. Fall and Winter is a time when our bodies naturally crave carbohydrates and socializing helps to stave off the cold weather blues. A great way to bring the neighbors closer together and add a bit of fun to the long months of little sun and indoor activity is to host a Pasta Party in your home. You don't need to break the bank, either, as your neighbors will surely love the opportunity to share their favorite sauce or "gravy" recipe with others.

Pasta Party Invitations.

After deciding how many of the neighbors you wish to invite to your Pasta Extravaganza, you can certainly extend the invitation by phone or email, as this is a very casual affair.You can also go the extra mile and craft unique initiations using card stock and your computer and printer. Take advantage of the thousands of free images on the Internet that depict pictures of steaming bowls and platters of pasta with rich tomato sauces covering them. Clip art photos of meatballs and loaves of Italian bread will also work nicely on the invitation. A cute idea is to include an image of the famous scene of Lady and the Tramp sharing a bowl of spaghetti and meeting in the middle of a spaghetti noodle on the Pasta Party invitation. Be sure to include the pertinent information of when and where the Pasta Party will be held, as well as what specifics about the dish you wish the neighbors to bring along. You may wish to assign certain dishes to certain guests, but most people would probably prefer to bring their signature Pasta dish and sauce to the gathering.

Pasta Party Preparations:

After choosing the day and time, and sending out the invitations, you will want to decide on what Pasta dish you would like to make as your offering to the party. You may choose to cook a dish that you consider to be one of your best, or make it one that is otherwise not going to be offered at the potluck party. A quick phone call inquiring what dishes are going to be brought to the festivities a day or two before the event will give you a nice checklist of what dishes to expect. Baked Zita, Lasagna and Ravioli Casserole are great to feed a crowd and can be prepared the day of the party. Be sure to inform your guests of oven and crock pot availability, and designate a long table or otherwise adequate space for displaying and serving all the Pasta offerings.

Pasta Party Decorations:

A fun way to decorate your Pasta Party space is to give it the flair of a traditional Italian restaurant. Cover the tables that are going to be used for dining in red and white tablecloths, drip some candle wax on empty wine bottles and pipe in some music of favorite crooners such as Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. This will give the party atmosphere some real fun and flair.

Pasta Party Purchases:

While the party is mainly potluck, you should certainly have certain items on hand to offer your guests. Prepare a nice green salad and antipasto for appetizers and cut up several loaves of crusty bread to place in cloth lined baskets for adding to the main dishes. Have several bottles of wine and an assortment of beer to quench the thirst of guests. A strong coffee or Espresso is a great hot drink for after dinner, as well as an assortment of pastries for dessert.