Hosting friends and family for meals,
birthday parties and other events allows us to sit with them and enjoy
time together without the distractions of daily life. When putting
together such an event, we may sometimes feel overwhelmed by all the
things that need to be taken care of - from serving dishes, through to
the menu, all the way to cleaning the house. To save yourself time and a
headache, you may want to try these next 15 hosting tips and tricks.
With their help, the next event you organize in your home or elsewhere
will be stress-free, simple to organize and most importantly, fun!
1. Make use of muffin tins for simpler
serving
The use of multiple serving dishes not only complicates serving but also
adds work to the end of the party – they’re not going to wash
themselves. An alternative to 25 serving dishes is to use a muffin tin
for condiments and small snacks. So guests can take the snacks, or use
the condiments they want and pass them around the table without a
problem.
https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations
2. Use muffin tins as a beverage tray
Another wonderful use for muffin/cupcake tins is as a tray for drinks.
While your guests mingle you’ll have no trouble walking between them
serving drinks, with no risk of drinks slipping and spilling all over
the place!
3. Save dish-washing by using lined mason
jars for condiments
Sauces add a great flavor to many dishes, but they also tend to dirty
the dishes they’re in. However, with the help of small mason jars and
paper cupcake liners you’ll save yourself a lot of work after hosting.
Just put the cupcake liners (preferably two together) into jars or bowls
and then pour in your condiments and sauces. Guests can dip away and
you won’t have to deal with that pesky pile of dishes later on.
4. Keep cutlery together with Washi Tape
Don’t know which side the fork should be on? Scared the wind will blow
the cutlery away? Save yourself a headache and just tape the forks and
knives together. Doing so will also add a pretty little touch to your
beautiful table.
5. Serve watermelon easily with skewers
On hot summer days, there is nothing like cold watermelon to cool the
body and finish the meal off sweetly. To serve watermelon easily, cut it
into triangles and place them on skewers from the rind. This way, each
guest can easily eat watermelon without getting all messy.
6. Chill drinks in an inflatable swimming
pool
You can DIY your own cooler using a cheap children’s inflatable pool.
Just fill it with ice and place the drinks in it. This trick is
especially effective for large-scale parties, since inflatable pools
hold much more than tiny coolers.
7. Or use a bucket of water balloon
ice-packs
If you don’t know where to purchase bags of ice, why not make your own?
Fill water balloons halfway with water (be careful not to overfill them
because water expands when frozen). Tie the balloons well and freeze.
Remove the balloons from the freezer before the guests arrive and put
them in the bucket along with your drinks.
8. Prepare a "first aid kit"
The next tip is especially suitable for outdoor dining - where there is
sun, insects, and dirt. In order to provide your guests with maximum
comfort, prepare a summer first aid kit containing sunscreen, mosquito
spray, hand sanitizer and anything else you could possibly need when
outdoors. Place the kit within arms reach so that your guests can use
what they need, and everyone can enjoy themselves without getting
bitten, sun-burnt or dirty.
9 . Make vases from empty bottles of wine/ any suitable bottle you've
Flowers add beauty wherever they are, but that doesn’t mean you have to
place large expensive bouquets throughout your house. Instead, put
individual flowers into empty wine bottles and spread them around the
house and on the tables. This way, you can decorate quickly and
effortlessly when you’re hosting.
10. Stave off insects using essential oils
On summer days, insects abound, both inside and outside the house,
harassing everyone who encounters them. To kick these pests out of your
party, make "torches" with essential oils: Fill a glass jar with water ¾
of the way up, place 2 slices of lemon, 2 rosemary stems, and a few
drops of essential oil such as citronella, lavender or lemon, into the
jar. Place a wick over the water and light it so that it creates a
pleasant atmosphere while inconspicuously kicking out these pesky
insects.
11. Protect your drinks using cupcake
liners
To keep insects away from your drinks, it is important to cover them,
especially those that are sweet and naturally attract our four-winged
friends. The simplest way to do this is by placing a cupcake liner
upside-down over the top of the cup and sticking a straw through it.
This way, you’ll protect your guest's drinks in an original way. You can
take this a step forward and customize each guest’s cup protector, that
way they’ll never be mixed up.
12. Serve snacks in plastic sand buckets
Snacks such as popcorn, pretzels, samosa, cutlets and chips are always a good way to
allow guests to have a bite before or after dinner, and serving them
this way will take it that extra step further. Put the snacks you want
to serve into plastic buckets with the spade, such as those found in
kids' beach toy sets. In this way, they won’t even have to get their
hands dirty and it’ll add a fun element to your party.
13. Use party hats as a snack box
Using part hats instead of plates adds charm to the sweet table. Each
guest can fill their own party hat with sweets and treats, and walk
around mingling without skipping a beat – you only need one hand to hold
a party hat.
14. Serve salads, chaats in disposable takeaway
cups
To prevent your salad from running out, prepare individual salads for
each guest in disposable takeaway cups: Place plastic cups side by side,
cut vegetables and put them into each cup in layers. Cover the cups
with a lid, place a fork in the center (where the straw would go) and
place it next to each plate.
15. Serve ice cream OR gulab jamuns/ barfis easily by pre-scooping
If ice cream is on your dessert menu, do yourself a favor and pre-scoop
them. To do this line a muffin tin with cupcake liners, or used dessert
cups, place 1-2 scoops in each liner or cup, and place in the freezer.
Once dessert time comes, all you’ll need to do is pull the scoops out of
the freezer and serve. For barfis, jamuns you can just place them in cups and cover them up before-hand.
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