This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Party Patter: Ho, Ho, Ho, Planning A Holiday Appetizer Party

The holiday season will soon be here.  Sleigh rides, snow ball fights, the hustle and bustle of xmas shopping. A special time of year to spend with our family and friends. I am sharing a few tips with you on how to take the stress out of your holiday parties. We all have such busy lives ,these ideas will give you more time with your friends and less time in the kitchen.

 
 •Have guests bring an appetizer or dessert to share to take some of the load off you.
 
•Buy three or four quality store-bought appetizers that are easy to prepare.

•Pick a few of your own recipes

Find out what's happening in East Hamptonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Here are a few menu ideas for you that may help cut your preparation time in half:

•Buy simple blocks of cheese, olives, and nuts to arange on your table.

Find out what's happening in East Hamptonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

•Cooked shrimp arranged on a silver platter makes for a beautiful display for  your table.

 •Store-bought deli meats displayed with some marinated vegetables always seem to be a crowd pleaser.

•Place pre-made meatballs in a crock pot and add your favorite sauce.

•Buy store-bought vegetable trays. It may be more expensive but it will save you time in the end.
 

Here are also a few more things to consider while in the planning stages of your party


•Do menu and shopping list a few weeks in advance.

•I try to get most of my prep work done the day before my party. It takes some of the stress away the day of the party
 
•I also make a list of things I need to do the day of my party. Sometimes I enlist help from my family or friends, who come over earlier to help before the party begins.

•You also can hire a local agency that provides servers who can completely move you away from the kitchen. These people will help arrange your food, pickup, and cleanup everything before they leave. I don't think enlisting this type of help is unreasonable if you can enjoy yourself for a change. Do you have any time saving tips or recipes you would like to share?
 
For more information visit www.barbaraseleganttouchstaffing.com

 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?