Today: Special made simple.

In my dreams, I am a younger, brunetter, shorter Martha Stewart.  I love to entertain, but in reality, I am a bit more frazzled than Martha.  I also lack her team of chefs, decorators, paint swatch consultants, and yoga instructors. I imagine you might too?  Few things make me happier than hosting friends for wine, snacks, and conversation, yet few things make me more harried that hiding that pile of laundry I forgot to fold (the one I have shoved back in the drier twice to, um, get the wrinkles out), dimming the lights appropriately, and putting my face on before guests begin arriving.  To ensure the happiness overrules the harriedness, I’ve developed a few tricks over the years to keep small occasions simple, but still special.  You can find last year’s tips for entertaining here.

If you’re pressed for time, serve what you know.

If friends are due within the hour, now is not the time to whip up that Scandinavian sandwich cake thing you pinned from Kitchn.com.  It looks cool, yes.  And it’s probably worth trying at home.  Just not today.  Today’s a day to trot out your standbys, the recipes you know by heart.  If you’re like me, that might mean cheese and crackers.  I have that recipe memorized (cheese… and crackers… serve promptly).  I once almost poisoned my husband, my brother and my sister-in-law with under-cooked chicken (How’s a vegetarian to know?  You don’t really expect me to look inside it, do you?), so I rarely touch main dishes.  Appetizers and little bites are where it’s at.

A few of my favorites:

• Lemon and artichoke pesto with gluten free crackers
• A cheese plate with dried fruit and olives
• Baked brie (you can add just about anything before or after baking: red pepper jam, fresh herbs, cranberries, apple slices)
• Miniature desserts (baked or bought the day before)
• Single-serve lasagnas (these can be prepped ahead of time, and popped in the over shortly before guests arrive – your condo will spell divine, and you will appear a domestic god or goddess)
• Vegetables and hummus (or your favorite dip)

This weekend we took an especially lazy simple route, and set out platters of sushi from our neighbors, Owl Station.  Sushi is always a crowd pleaser around here.

Make what you know a bit more special.

With a few adjustments or additions here and there, it’s easy to elevate simple offerings to something a little more… welp… special.  And occasion worthy.  Sometimes I make my own hummus.  Most of the time, I go straight to the vegetarian cooler at Whole Foods River Street, grab two containers of 40 spices hummus and call it a day.  While you could simply peel back the plastic covering and place the container alongside some cut veggies, you could spend two minutes and trick your friends into thinking you made it yourself earn a few presentation points.  I like to scoop the hummus into a small white bowl, and top generously with freshly cracked black pepper and cayenne (and maybe a sprig of rosemary, if I’m feeling really sassy).  A little garnish goes a long way.

As for the vegetables, there’s no shame in purchasing them pre-cut.  I oddly enjoy chopping vegetables (except for the time I nearly lost a fingertip and donated quite a bit of blood to a nearly done pot of homemade arrabiata sauce), though, especially when I have fun gadgets laying around.  I found a crinkle cutter for two bucks at Homegoods and use it whenever I have the chance.  I can’t tell you how many people have asked how long it took me to carve my cucumbers (…fine I will tell you: it was one person, and one person only.  I think he thought I cut each slice, one by one, with a ninja star or something).  Regardless, it’s simple to make crudite a bit more special with inexpensive tools. I sort of feel like an inexpensive tool for having typed that last sentence.  Can’t win ’em all.

Plan (and execute) what you can ahead of time.

If you can do something, or anything, ahead of time – do it.  Spend twenty minutes tidying each night leading up to your soiree.  If you live in less than 800 square feet like we do, your place with be sparkling by day three.  You’ll be eating off the floor on day five.  Maybe.  No.  Probably not.  Set out platters and serving plates, wine glasses and candles early in the day.  Make the perfect playlist while you pretend to listen to your neighbor talk about cat sweaters.  (Sorry.  That was rude.  Even cat People deserve our full attention.)

Make a list, but allow for flexibility.

Inevitably, the fire alarm will go off at the very moment you planned to create a cozy conversation nook in your foyer.  Somethings are just not necessary.  As I’ve mentioned before, no one should be looking inside your dryer or under your bed.  If you only have time to clean and tidy your living space and bathroom, that’s probably perfectly sufficient.

One non-negotiable in my book: getting dressed and ready cannot be my final task.  This would ensure someone would show up early and catch me arranging cocktail napkins in one of Nick’s old tee shirts, fashioned into a mini dress, and a pair of compression socks.  Give yourself the time you need to be presentable and relaxed and maybe a tiny bit drunk? when company arrives.  I’m a much more welcoming hostess when I feel and look like a milli.  Or even a hundi.

But don’t take yourself so seriously.  Please.

I am constantly reminding myself of this.  Entertaining is supposed to be… entertaining.  For everyone involved.  I imagine my friends could care less that I threw Clark’s half-chewed octopus behind the sofa as the door buzzer rang.  Similar, I imagine the last thing people are thinking is, “Is this hummus store bought?”  (For the record: if you don’t have something better to think about, you’re uninvited.)  The key to a good get together is not lighting.  It’s not music.  It’s not adequate seating (though that helps).

It’s the company you keep.

Also On Tap for Today:

• Dinner and Yankee swap with my BC pals 
• 20 gluten free party snacks
• Baking up a storm

What’s your best entertaining tip?