Planning a Dinner Party: Getting the Timing Right

The days of the Martha Stewart 30-hours-of-planning dinner party are over in most circles. And not a moment too soon! Dinner parties are a fun and economical way to get together with friends and keep up on the news but, with today's busy schedules, it is difficult to find the time to plan one properly.

A small amount of strategic dinner party planning, however, can allow you to whip up a party quickly and have lots of spare time with your guests. Here are my favorite dinner party timing strategies:

1. Set the dinner party menu to have four stages.

One of the biggest time-wasters in cooking for a dinner party is to have several dishes that all have different preparation times and are ready at different times. Simplify your menu to have parts of the meal ready in one of four stages: appetizers, salads and starters, mains, and desserts. Plan meal items that can be pre-cooked or prepared ahead of time and need only be taken from the refrigerator or reheated on the day of the party. If serving warm desserts, put them in the warmed oven when you sit down to the main course. Serve a main course that doesn't need a lot of last minute preparation. Lasagna, chicken cacciatore, and beef burgundy are all good choices for make-ahead meals.

2. Have all ingredients purchased a few days before the party.

Once the menu is set, begin to shop for ingredients. Look for items on sale that you can freeze until the party, but make sure that you have all of the ingredients in the house before party day. Last minute trips to the grocery store can make you frazzled while you are waiting for guests to arrive.

3. Make a list on party day of all dishes.

Have your menu set out on paper before the party starts. Group the dishes by the four categories above and jot down what time each group of items needs a preparation step completed. This is especially helpful once you have enjoyed your first glass of wine with your guests and will avoid forgetting about the food.

4. Fill the sink with very hot water and dish soap before you sit down to dinner.

To make clean up easier, fill the sink with hot soapy water before you sit down to dinner. As you are clearing plates, you can soak them in the sink until the end of the meal. It will make washing up easier less time-consuming.