Want to entertain more but you’re intimidated by it? It doesn’t need to be scary! Here are my best tips to make it easier to entertain at home so you can do it more often.
I grew up wanting to have the house where everyone gathered. We lived in a gated community out in the middle of an orange grove (I’m making this either sound glamorous or weird, but it was neither), so it was hard to be the social hub. Throw in the fact that I didn’t exactly have friends falling all over themselves and our house was not exactly a flurry of activity.
But my dream has not shattered! I now have a family of my own so I can try to be the hub for the next generation. I’m off on a stronger foot now because I live neither in a gated community nor in the middle of an orange grove, so I like my chances. My kids haven’t started elementary school yet, but they’re cute kids, so I’m hoping they will make friends easily. And they have cousins close by (which I didn’t as a kid), so if all else fails, I can entertain my in-laws.
But right when the glories of a dream deferred seemed to be at hand, I panicked. I was intimidated by the prospect of having so many people in my house. I thought everything had to be perfect to have people over, so I did it only sparingly and made plans only for times way in advance. The thought of an impromptu get-together would send me reeling. But after trying this method for a few years, I realized I had to change if I wanted to entertain more. I had to find ways to make it easier to entertain at home so I would actually do it.
And guess what? You don’t need very many tips at all to make it easier to entertain at home. Entertaining really doesn’t need to be difficult or intimidating if you have the right mindset and a few tricks up your sleeve. Lucky for you, I’m showing my hand today and sharing my tricks. You too can have the gathering place at your house. Let’s see just how simple it is to make it easier to entertain at home.
How to Make It Easier to Entertain at Home
Signature dish
One of my biggest hang-ups about entertaining when I first started having people over to my house was the menu. I really like to cook and feeding people brings me joy, so I put a lot of pressure on picking the perfect meal to serve when I entertained. What that usually meant was that I was trying to come up with a whole new menu every time I had people over to my house. Friends, don’t be me.
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time you entertain. In fact, my #1 tip to make it easier to entertain at home is to have a signature dish (or dishes) that you always make when you entertain.
What is a signature dish, you ask? I’m so glad you did. A signature dish is a dish that you have cooked many times that is generally well received by other people and is easy for you to make (and to scale up or down). That’s it!
Now, you can of course have more than one signature dish or a signature dish for each type of gathering you host. I’m not saying you can only make one type of food every time you entertain for the rest of your life. You can have one signature dish for a grown-up dinner party, another for feeding teenagers, and yet another for a backyard BBQ. The signature dish tip is meant to make it easier to entertain, not to be restrictive.
I don’t have a single signature dish, but I do have a common theme. I like to set out a buffet-style do-it-yourself meal when I entertain. That way everyone gets exactly what they want and how they want it. This style works well with tacos, pasta, baked potatoes, sandwiches – the possibilities are endless!
Simple drinks
You also need to keep the drinks simple to make it easier to entertain at home. Look, I know you see lots of fun ideas for cocktails (and mocktails!) on the internet that you want to try, and that’s great. You should try them! But, maybe try one at a time.
Similar to my tip of having a signature dish, I also suggest that you have a signature drink when you’re entertaining. Just a different kind of signature. A signature drink should be the only effort-required drink available at your get-together. Pick one thing and make a big batch of it. You can technically batch any cocktail you’d like, but I like the idea of a sangria because you can go so many different ways with it. I’m a Florida girl at heart, so this grapefruit sangria sounds delicious to me!
But don’t stress about picking one drink that you’re sure everyone will love. That’s impossible. Instead, have other drink options available that require zero effort. Cans of beer and/or soda, bottles of water, and juice boxes could all fit this bill.
Lesson plan
As I’ve mentioned before, my mom was an elementary school teacher for her career. She made lesson plans in the classroom, sure, but she also made them in the kitchen. Anytime we had a group of people over for a meal (most notably at Thanksgiving), she made a lesson plan so she would know what she needed to do when she needed to do it to keep the stress of entertaining down. Mom, you didn’t mean to pass on this fantastic tip to make it easier to entertain, but you sure did!
I’ve talked about my mom’s lesson plans before in my post about hosting during the holidays, and the same principles apply anytime you’re having people over. If you’re not having an impromptu get-together, sit down with a pen and a piece of paper a few days before and map out what you need to make or pick up and when you should do each task. Then, when the day arrives, just execute the list. You’ll thank yourself and your lesson plan.
Disposable everything
I am not a fan of using disposable tableware on a regular basis. I hate to use something once and throw it away when I have perfectly good reusable options available to me. The one exception I make is when I’m entertaining, especially if I’m cooking for a big crowd. The thought of washing all the dishes and cutlery alone could prevent me from having people over. This barrier is easily removed by just switching to disposable items. So, save your sanity and make it easier to entertain and just use the disposable items.
Easy prep
An often-overlooked tip for making it easier to entertain is to do a little prep work to make your get-together run smoothly. I’m not talking about the lesson plan. That’s a prep step that’s so important it deserves its own tip. I’m talking about preparing the physical space of your home for having people in it.
Wipe down the counters, run the vacuum, make sure the tablecloth has been washed in the last year. These are easy things that just make you feel better having people in your house.
One bit of prep work that is not quite as easy but is super important is to make sure you have an empty sink and dishwasher. Just because you’re making it easier on yourself and using disposable tableware doesn’t mean you won’t have dishes to wash, so make that an easy process. I always kick myself hen I go to load the dishwasher and there isn’t enough room in it and I have to end up handwashing a whole bunch of stuff that would have been perfectly fine in the dishwasher. Save your hands, your water bill, and your relationship with yourself and have an empty dishwasher when you entertain.
Come as you are
Unless you’re celebrating a super important occasion, I firmly believe that at-home get-togethers should be strictly come as you are. Your guests should know that there are no expectations on them when they arrive other than to be at your home and have a good time. You as the host should also not feel like your guests have expectations of you other than to feed them and offer them a good time. The rest is just a bunch of malarkey.
So, what does it mean to come as you are? If your guests have been at a kid’s soccer tournament all day, they are coming in sweaty clothes with red necks. Your guests who were painting their laundry room might have a little (or a lot!) of paint on them. Mom buns and elastic waists are more than welcome!
Ask for help
I’m saving the hardest tip to make it easier to entertain at home for last. At least this is the hardest one for me, even though it sounds pretty simple. Ask for help. It’s three words, how hard could it be?
When I first began having people over to my house for get-togethers, I thought I had to do it all by myself. From cooking every piece of food on offer to cleaning every single dish that was dirtied. It was a pride thing, I guess. But listen, don’t be like me. Your guests want to help you. They want to bring an appetizer or a drink. They want to help you pack up leftovers or wash dishes. So, please let them help. Ask your sister-in-law to make her famous apple pie bites for dessert. Give your mother-in-law a break from watching the kids to dry dishes. Whatever you need help doing, ask. Don’t be shy!
Other posts
Are you looking for other homemaking help? I’d love to try to assist! You might want to check out these posts:
I hope you’re convinced that it doesn’t have to be hard to entertain and you give it a try soon. For those of you who are old pros at entertaining, what are your best tips to make it easier to entertain at home? Please share below or over on Instagram @sarainseason so we can all realize our full Martha potential!
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