How to hostess (suggestion thread)

MrsRobertshaw · 2017-11-06T19:36:08+00:00

Hostessing is about making people feel welcome, drink in hand, food in mouth.
Love a big cheese board. Remember to pre cut a wedge out of the brie so no one feels awkward being the first to do so. You can pass around a platter but if it's just good friends they will get food when laid out. Plenty of places to sit with a small table or footstool close by to rest a drink or plate. Nothing worse than not being able to put your drink down. We have a dart board in the garage so the boys all have a game and the girls sit in the garden having a wine and a chat. Double check your bathroom, do you have a loo brush and spare rolls of toilet paper readily available in arms reach? Hand soap and a hand towel. Clean mirror. Clean toilet. That's all really. My mother in law is a fabulous hostess, she always opens the bubbles before people arrive and has a glass in hand so when she asks you if you want one it is subtly "no problem" because the wine is open and she's already drinking if you know what I mean.

littleeggwyf · 2017-11-07T18:03:03+00:00

Prepare as much food as you can beforehand and fridge it so you have more time to get ready and don't feel flustered
If children are expected set aside some simple food, a lot of children are fussy and don't like food being mixed up. Also set things up so you don't have to worry if mess is made. It's a huge stress for parents trying to keep a toddler from messing up a host's house
for more casual parties I sometimes make a little pizzas for children and let them choose toppings themselves
I always try to have a vegan and fish option (because that covers vegetarians and religious food restrictions)
little biscuits, sweets or cakes as a parting gift is quite nice

My favorite recipes at the moment are baked Rainbow Trout done 3 ways (1 is just soy, 2 is pesto, 3 is florentine with cherry tomatoes) It looks fancy but is so easy to just leave in the oven and serve with vegetables.

For dessert I reeeeaally like mascarpone cake and Chocolate Torte, you can't really go wrong with them. Or mini cakes and scones for an afternoon tea is always nice!

rpwthrowaway2016 · 2017-11-08T04:11:11+00:00

I like these 2 books on hosting: How to host a dinner party and What's a hostess to do

Based on my experience:

Stick to recipes you're comfortable with so you don't worry about messing up.
Try to prepare as much of the food as possible in the days before the party, if they will keep well.
Have your playlists and sound system ready before the party. I've had to spend time messing with the audio during parties before, which adds to stress.
Personally, I like to serve stuff like pasta and curry because they're one-pot dishes and the portions can be scaled up easily. Tomato-based sauces can be prepared beforehand. It's also easy to modify those dishes for people with dietary restrictions, by setting aside separate portions for them.

whitebunny87 · 2017-11-06T22:37:56+00:00

It depends on what kind of vibe you're going for, we host casual dinners almost weekly, and more serious parties every month or so.

I'd say that one thing that I always try to remember is that a big part of hosting is being present and having fun with your guests. It's very uncomfortable to turn up to a dinner/party and the hostess is stressed and tucked away in the kitchen. I always pre-prepare as much as humanly possible, so that once our guests arrive I just need to pop something in the oven/open a bottle of wine and we're ready to go.

Have a few go-to playlists ready. I keep a few organised on spotify for different moods, and can control the sound system from my phone so it's smooth and easy.

If it's more acquaintances/workmates you're hosting, it's worth having some conversation points saved up. Speak well of people, make good introductions - you want to keep the energy light and positive. I've been to dinner parties where it quickly turned to gossip and bitching about absent workmates/clients and it was super uncomfortable.

As for food, I like to have more casual "family style" dishes that the guests can serve themselves from. For a dinner party I'll usually do one meat dish, one fish, one hearty vegetable dish and a light salad, then let the guests take what they like. That way you don't have to worry about serving sizes or dietary requirements so much. Choosing a red wine to match the meat and a white to match the seafood is usually pretty safe. I also keep a decanter of nice whiskey on hand for a nightcap and it always goes down well!

tintedlipbalm · 2017-11-06T23:02:24+00:00

check out Entertaining with Beth on youtube.

Title	How to hostess (suggestion thread)
Author	proprioceptor
Upvotes	12
Comments	10
Date	November 6, 2017 7:24 PM UTC (8 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/RedPillWives
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/RedPillWives/comments/7b7gam/how_to_hostess_suggestion_thread/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/RedPillWives/how-to-hostess-suggestion-thread.208696 https://theredarchive.com/post/208696

Comments