Entertaining really can be fun and stress-free, where not only are your guests enjoying themselves but you actually are too. I find that when I plan ahead and keeps lists, everything seems to go smoothly. I also like to keep some aspects simple, and put more of my energy into whatever it is I really want to “highlight” for the occasion. Sometimes I make more complicated dishes while keeping the décor simple and sometimes I put more effort into the dishes, decorations, and background effect while keeping the food super easy. If I try to have a perfectly clean house, manicured yard, fancy food and drinks, all while looking fabulous… well, it can be overwhelming, even for an old pro like me.

Last week I had 5 friends over for a summer brunch on the deck and it turned out quite lovely with good food, conversation, and a couple of hours of just relaxing. (We also had mimosas which helped with the relaxing part.) I wanted to try out some new gluten-free recipes that even people who weren’t gluten-free would like so my focus was on the food.

Why do I look so happy? Cause the brunch was a success and no stress! Good food, fellowship, and fun…

PLAN YOUR GUEST LIST

I wanted to eat outdoors for this particular ladies brunch so I planned on 6 to 8 of us, which meant we could sit on the deck without me having to rearrange furniture. I do think about seating before I make an invitation list so that everyone fits comfortably. Of course it depends on what type of occasion it is. For cocktails, where most everyone will be walking around, mixing and mingling, it’s not that big of a deal. For more of a potluck get-together, I’ll plan seating areas in various rooms inside and outside, which makes it easy for guests to eat while visiting with others. For a sit-down meal, where we’re all gathered around one table, I keep the guest list smaller, especially if I’m using a more formal table setting. The key is to be able to accommodate the number of guests with not only seating or space but even with the number of dishes, glasses and even eating utensils you have. (Unless you just want to go buy something new that is.)

I chose to use some colorful plates that I have collected from Goodwill, the Dollar Tree, and garage sales. None of these cost more that a buck each and I love the versatility of mix and match dishes. I usually use linen napkins when entertaining but I had these lovely yellow paper napkins on hand, which looked pretty with my other colors and could be tossed in the recycling bin when we were finished.

PLAN YOUR MENU

If you’re an excellent cook, have the time and love putting together complicated dishes, and aren’t on a budget, well then you can whip up whatever you want with no worries. But if your cooking skills, cooking space, money, or time is limited, you want to plan accordingly so you don’t end up frazzled before the party even starts. If I’m cooking a more labor intense dish, I’ll keep the other menu items simple. If we’re having a lot of guests at one time, I try to make most everything ahead of time. Also consider your oven and stove top space and even the space in your fridge so you have plenty of cooking and storage areas for whatever you’re planning.

You know, truth be told, I could have served peanut butter sandwiches and chips and the ladies would have been just fine with that, simply appreciating a brief respite from everyday life. But I wanted to make these 2 hours a little extra special for them so I  chose dishes that were a little different from what they typically eat for lunch/brunch. I also based my recipes for this occasion around what produce was in season, making it super fresh and affordable, what I had on hand as far as staples, and what happened to be on sale at the grocery store that week.

Sale prices can really make a difference on your budget. Chicken breasts were on sale for $1.99 a pound so I knew I’d serve a chicken course and eggs were on sale for 99 cents (for a dozen) which made an egg dish an economical choice. Cucumbers have been super cheap and they are so juicy and hydrating, making them a good option for a warm, summer day.

For our brunch I served –

Chinese Smashed Cucumbers

Curry Chicken Salad in Parmesan Cups

Spinach & Mushroom Frittata

Caprese Skewers

Truffle Deviled Eggs with Pickled Mustard Seeds

Homemade Lemon Ice Cream with Brownies and Mint

White Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Mimosa, OJ, Lemon and Basil Water

Fresh veggies, meat and meatless option, fruit and chocolate…how can you go wrong? Added bonus with this particular menu is that I could make everything the day before and just had to add garnishes the day of.

PLAN, PLAN, PLAN

Some might call me anal but I like to think of it as being prepared. The more I am, the more fun and relaxing time I have when entertaining. (And why would I want to entertain if it wasn’t fun?) I like to set out all my dishes the night before, including the platters and bowls I’ll be using for serving, along with the appropriate utensils. I also make a little label or card with the name of the dish that I set next to the foods. This not only saves me time on the day of, but if there are any smudges on the dishes, I can fix that, and I can also see how everything looks and make any changes I want.

An added bonus to this is that when guests ask “What can I help you with?” you can have them help set out the food and they know exactly where it goes. And hey, we’re usually all standing in the kitchen as everyone arrives so why not put them to work? (Ha!)

Have my friend Patricia adding basil to the caprese skewers…

And my friend Julie is in charge of the OJ and juice decanter…and doesn’t her jewelry look fabulous? (It’s from Noonday Collection.)

https://www.noondaycollection.com/pws/JKortenhoeven/eventstore24059/AMUS/default.aspx

THE FOOD…

Everything was a huge success and tasted delicious! The Caprese Skewers and Truffle Deviled Eggs I made are two of my summer staples I make when entertaining so those were two easy dishes and took no time at all.

https://www.719woman.com/food/two-easy-yet-elegant-appetizers-and-fairly-inexpensive/

https://www.719woman.com/food/black-truffle-deviled-eggs-with-pickled-mustard-seeds-so-good/

I thought white chocolate would look more “summery” on the strawberries but what I didn’t think about was the chocolate and heat…they tasted great but the chocolate was beginning to melt a bit. I would make these the day of instead of the day before.

A lot of times I’ll ask my guests to bring a dish to share, which is totally fine, but since this was a taste-testing brunch, I chose to make everything. I did request a few bottles of sparking wine to be brought which the ladies were happy to do. On a personal note, I think guests want to bring something most times. No one expects someone to entertain on a regular basis and provide all the food all the time. Sharing food, having everyone pitch in, keeps costs down for the host and believe me, people are happy to help out.

My new recipes were the Chinese Smashed Cucumbers (recipe included at the bottom,) Curry Chicken Salad in Parmesan Cups (recipe to come out next week,) Spinach & Mushroom Frittata (recipe comes out next week,) and Homemade Lemon Ice Cream, which I shared last week.

https://www.719woman.com/food/ice-cream/

Even something as simple as adding a few lemons (I also added sprigs of basil,) to a pitcher of water kicks things up a notch.

Everyone had a relaxing, fun time, with lots of laughs.

Another thing that made this a bit special? Everyone “dressed up” a bit, wearing summery, fun clothes and jewelry. Really love my dress from Ashley’s Attic, which is where I get a good portion of my clothes…all fabulous, higher-end labels without the high-end price. This dress I’m wearing was $10.95. Oh, and I do love my friend Ashley too!

https://www.facebook.com/ashleysatticcoloradosprings/?fref=ts

ADD A FEW FUN THINGS…

Because we were eating outdoors, I didn’t feel the need to decorate a lot with flowers since we had Mother Nature for our scenery. I did buy a colorful bouquet of flowers for $7.00, which I divided into 4 different vases and set around the food. A Tiffany vase, gifted vase, and the two in the front are from Goodwill. Love mixing things up!

I have a ton of mint growing in my garden so I try to use it as much as I can. (I know, I say this a lot but I seriously have a lot of mint!) I snipped sprigs of mint and put them in clear vases (49 cents from Goodwill,) and set them around outside. I also made baskets of mint for everyone to take home. (The mint sprigs actually were rooting in the water so you could send those home as a nice option for a little take-home goody too.) Your guest can enjoy fresh mint at home and also plant it for mint in the future…a lot of mint, (just saying cause it does grow like wildfire.)

Just a few simple tips you might want to consider when hosting your next event. If you have an easy or budget-friendly idea you’ve used when entertaining, we’d love to hear about it.

Here’s the recipe for Chinese Smashed Cucumbers, which I found in the New York Times. Before I found this recipe, I had been simply slicing up fresh cucumbers and adding soy sauce and a bit of toasted sesame seed, which is so simple and really refreshing. I personally think this recipe can serve a lot more than the 4 to 6 servings it says it does. There were 6 of us and I think there was enough left over that I could have served 6 more people. And for budget purposes, I used regular cucumbers instead of English, which were twice the price. But it will make a difference in the texture.

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017629-chinese-smashed-cucumbers-with-sesame-oil-and-garlic