Affordable holiday entertaining options

We all love to entertain around the holidays, but it can be difficult to figure out what kind of gathering is best for us. There are many entertaining options for you during this holiday season. Do you want dinner, lunch, brunch or something else? Let’s look at some of the types of parties to see what makes sense for you gathering.

Dinner party -- There are many options for how and when you want to entertain your guests. Most common is probably dinner. But if you want to have a large number of guests, sometimes a sit down dinner can be difficult to manage. I tend to do sit down dinners for groups of less than about 20. More than that, it’s way too difficult to plate dinner and serve that many people by myself. If I’m going to have a larger sit down dinner than that, I tend to make it a buffet style meal.

Buffets -- For larger groups, buffets are a great option. That means you have to be more selective on the foods that you serve. Some foods do not hold well and must be served immediately. Try serving a soufflé at a buffet. It doesn’t work. For buffets, it is best to serve food that will not dry out while waiting to be eaten. Chicken, beef and pork can dry out if you do not hold them in some type of sauce. Do not place your cooked chicken breast in a chafing dish and expect it to stay nice and juicy if you do not keep it in sauce.

Be sure to have a few options to serve with your buffet. I tend to do things in three’s (but we all know I am out of control.) By that I mean three side dishes, three salads, three desserts and sometimes even 3 main dishes. One of everything is perfectly fine, but for me, I like variety.

Lunch or Tea – Lunch and afternoon teas are a great way to entertain. It’s early enough in the day that you can serve lighter foods. Lunch tends to be more casual than tea, but you can choose your entertaining option and serve accordingly. I like to do soups and salads for lunch. If you have ever attended any of my Hearty Dinner Salad classes, you know how you can have a beautiful, impressive and filling salad.

Brunch – Brunch is a great way to get a group of people together. There are many great make ahead recipes that allow you to mingle with your guests rather than spend the entire time in the kitchen. Brunch is also a meal that can be really affordable. For example, if you must serve a carved dish with brunch (and I don’t know that is always necessary), a nice spiral ham fits the bill. It is pre-cut so you just heat it and serve it. There are some great brunch casseroles that can be made for a more casual party or a fancier one. Things such as blintzes are also interchangeable for a fancy or casual brunch. Pick your menu wisely and remember to include things that can be made ahead of time.

Oh yes, another reason to enjoy holding brunches is that we can start the party early, and have the rest of the day to do whatever we want.

Cocktail Party -- We refer to these as ‘appetizer only’ parties. Here are some thoughts on these types of parties.

What to serve at cocktail parties? -- The kinds of appetizers you serve and how you arrange them is all up to you. It's a good idea to have a variety of tastes and textures for your dishes. Throw in some dips, spreads or pates, along with some less delicate creations. Not only will this cut down on the work for you it will also help to bring all the dishes you are serving to the forefront.

Theme parties, such as cookie baking party – I love to do these types of parties. For cookie parties, I schedule them mid afternoon and supply all the pre-made ingredients for my friends to make delicious and beautiful cookies. The activity is already ‘built into’ the occasion and best of all, they eat what they make. All I need to have is a light snack and some beverages and your guests make the rest.

If you would like to know more about drinks, see drink tips for party planning

You may be interested in reading about easy holiday ideas cooking ideas using premade grocery store ingredients

For other cooking and entertaining articles by this examiner see Mesa Food Examiner