We have a fabulous guest post for you today Lovelies on how to make your get-togethers extra special…with food of course! Take some advice from Trisha Jefford from EZ Cater and spice up your next meal at your next celebration!
Adventures in Catering a Get-Together!
How to Make Your Gathering Extra Special
{Photo Source: Seattle Municipal Archives Flickr}
I don’t know about you, but when I get an invitation to a party, the first thing I think about is the food. Second to good company, it is the most important element to making a party great. And hey, if the company isn’t so stellar, good food can more than make up for it! My favorite get-togethers are the ones where the host isn’t afraid to get creative with the food. It really has a way of making guests feel extra special.
Collaborative Cooking
This is such a fun way to spend the afternoon! If your friends love to cook (and even if they don’t) it is awesome getting everyone in the kitchen together to show off their cooking chops. Decide on a type of a cuisine beforehand and have everyone bring recipes and special ingredients they’d like to use.
{Photo Source: Food Loves Writing Flickr}
For communal cooking, tacos, pizzas, and even grilled cheese sandwiches are great options because they nature of these dishes provide room for creativity and personal customization. Every guest can top or fill their food according to their preferences. You can fancy it up or go classic and casual, providing everything from raw goat cheese and figs for the pizza, or slow-cooked brisket as a grilled cheese filling!
{Photo Source: Jason E Pink Flickr}
Potluck Theme Night
Instead of the usual potluck fare of potato salad and fried chicken, try to mix things up with a theme. Explore a new cuisine together, like French or Thai, and have everyone try their hand at making a popular dish from that culture. Dishes like crepes and quiche make French food a great brunch theme, and carnivores might appreciate replacing common ham or bacon with tender, juicy rabbit. Thai cuisine can be as simple as Pad Thai, or fans of spicy, sour foods could thrill your taste buds with Larb Moo, a dish that combines minced pork and liver with chiles, lime, and mint.
{Photo Source: Avlxyz Flickr}
Sure, it is very possible that not everything with taste or look like it came out of authentic restaurant, but that is to be expected and part of the fun! It gets all your guests out of their comfort zone and allows everyone to try something new. The end result will be spectacularly unexpected and unique.
Mini Bar
{Photo Source: Lisa Cericola Flickr}
Make several mini versions of your favorite appetizers, dinners, and desserts and lay them out for your guests to enjoy as they mingle. Try putting scaled down versions of 7 layer bean dip or trifles in small glass canning jars. Or bake mini quiches and banana cream pies in muffin tins. It may require a little more effort to miniaturize everything, but the end result will be well worth it. It is such a fun and lovely presentation that will create the illusion your guests get to enjoy even more of your delicious dishes!
Trisha Jefford has worked a variety of jobs across the food service industry from waiting tables to being a personal chef. She is the mother of two girls who tasted rabbit before they saw a live one. Trisha currently blogs and writes for EZ Cater, a site specializing in finding you the perfect local caterer.
