We don’t all love hosting dinner parties. While it’s fun to show off just how great a cook you are to your family and friends, it can be a nervewracking experience if you aren’t 100% confident in your culinary abilities. Being the host can be intimidating, with all the preparation, cooking, cleaning and multitasking of having guests over for dinner. However, if you follow these tips and try these simple but effective dinner party dishes, you’re sure to impress your loved ones.
Top Tips For Your Dinner Party
Before we take a look at our dinner party dish ideas, here are some top tips to make your dinner party go with a swing.
- Always cook something you’ve prepared before. It’s not worth the stress of cooking a brand new dish and worrying the whole time that something is going to go wrong. Choose something which you’re already experienced at cooking for the most relaxing dinner party experience.
- Clean up as you go. When you leave all of the cleaning up to the end of the night you’re going to have a lot of stress after your party. Nobody wants that! As soon as you’ve finished using an item, put it away. Wash up as you work and tidy up after each step of the process. That will make cleaning after the event a much simpler experience.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help. When you’re preparing all the food it’s not inappropriate to ask for your friends to bring some items along to help. Perhaps ask them to bring a dessert, a bottle of wine or pre-dinner snacks. You don’t have to feel pressured to do everything yourself.
- Enjoy yourself. If everything doesn’t go exactly as planned it doesn’t really matter. Just put on your favorite tunes, enjoy a glass of wine and don’t worry too much about it.
Now you’ve got some advice about how to get the most out of your dinner party, it’s time to choose the right recipes for you. Make sure to try them out before the party itself so you can have the complete confidence in your cooking abilities before the big day itself. Here are our ideas for some delicious yet simple meals that are going to wow your friends and family.
Spatchcock Chicken And Braised Asparagus
Spatchcock chicken always looks impressive and it always tastes great too. This way of serving chicken yields an especially tender and juicy bird and your guests probably haven’t made it themselves so they’re sure to be impressed. It’s also something that involves very little effort. Just pop the bird in your oven and leave it to cook for an hour and a half. It couldn’t be easier – perfect for dinner with friends.
Lemon & Fennel Branzino
There’s something about serving up fish at a dinner party that always seems impressive. It might be a worrying idea to cook a whole fish however it’s one of the best ways to ensure your fish isn’t dry but instead is very flavorful. All you need is a few simple ingredients. Fennel and lemon are easy to obtain and seven simpler to prepare. You can add some extras too if you want to add an exotic feel. Experiment with ginger and curry powder, or chipotle peppers and chili powder, or even sundried tomatoes and basil for a Mediterranean feel.
Rosemary Mash
If you need a delicious but simple side dish to accompany the main event, you can whip up a bowl of rosemary mashed potato. It couldn’t be easier to prepare and the rosemary adds something really special to the taste of the potato.
Brown Rice Bowls
If you’re looking for something healthy to serve to your dinner party guests, you can whip up some brown rice bowls. They may not sound especially appetizing, but they taste fantastic. You can prepare some brown rice, add some canned beans, roasted vegetables, sun dried tomatoes, freshly chopped herbs and, if your guests aren’t vegetarians, some shredded chicken, and you’ve got a delicious and nutritious dinner.
Try these tasty recipe ideas and wow your friends and family at your next dinner party. It doesn’t need to be a stressful experience!