judge this

perfecting the "done before they arrive" party- a work in progress

Categories: Dinner Party, Sources, Well Equipped, Posted on May 21, 2012 by Sandy Bergsten

Tonight I am having twenty over for dinner. And to raise the bar these guests are some of the leading horticulture, flower arranging and photography judges in our country. So not only do I need to have an expert meal for this esteemed group everything inside and outside needs to be looking it’s finest as well. 

Planning a fete such as this takes weeks. Over the next few posts I’m going to take you back through time to show you how I put it all together. One thing to remember- the amount of preplanning that goes into an event pays off in spades, especially when you’re running frantic with an actual spade, hoe and wheelbarrow trying to get everything looking just so. Here’s the menu.

menu

Appetizers:

Cheese Puff Cups with Fig Preserves

Herb Mayonnaise with Crudite

Rosemary Almonds and Olives

Passed first course:

Cold Curried Zucchini Soup (in demitasse cups)

Buffet:

Citrus Marinated Grilled Chicken Breasts, sliced

Pistachio Pesto on Fusiili

Baby Heirloom Tomatoes, Fresh Bocconcini and Basil

Mixed Greens with Emulsified Dressing

Dessert:

Key Lime Tarts

bar

Components for the bar can all be purchased and set aside weeks ahead of time. For wine I find people like what they like, so I’m offering both Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio. A nice Pinot Noir or Bordeaux fits the bill for red. Sparkling water with fresh sliced lemons and limes round out the bar.

napkins

Take your time choosing festive napkins that fit your theme.

nametags

Do you need nametags? Make those as soon as you set your guest list.

invite

And speaking of invites- no one tops Paperless Post. Their glorious evites literally pop out of personalized envelopes.

Stay tuned for future posts where we will discuss how to make a large event manageable by tucking key components away in your freezer, prepping ahead of time and setting the perfect table (or in this case tables) and buffet. Wish I could write more but now I need to dash. Thank goodness I laid my outfit out yesterday!

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