Easy Peasy Entertaining

For the past two seasons of The Bachelorette I have been hosting a watching party at my place with two gal pals. Sometimes we bring our own food, sometimes we order in, but lately I’ve been making dinner for the three of us. It's an adventure for me, while I’m an excellent hostess I haven’t always succeeded in the dinner category. I tend to take on too much, run out of time and then spend the first half of my get together fussing over the not yet cooked food.

Last week I had been out of town the whole week before and had only picked up a few items at the grocery store and moderately straightened up my place. That Monday, I confirmed the gals were coming over and thought about what I had at home that could turn into dinner. I came up with broccoli cheddar omelets. They were delicious.

As we sat around the coffee table eating eggs and critiquing the ridiculousness that is reality TV dating, I thought to myself, this is entertaining. Whipping up something to eat and enjoying the company of others in my home, blissfully ignoring that my floors needed a wash and I should probably also dust. EASY PEASY.

Successful entertaining isn’t about fancy dishes and spotless condos. It is about your friends being comfortable in your home and wanting to spend time with you there. It doesn’t matter whether the ironing board is up in your hallway or that you ordered pizza instead of cooking something from scratch.

Sometimes you want a menu that impresses… like brined pork chops with pineapple glaze, roasted potatoes, green beans and to finish, a chocolate orange torte. When you serve that meal, you’ll probably also want to clean the floors and put away the dishes. Most of the time, though, you should stop stressing about the details and enjoy the experience that is sharing your home with others.

It wouldn’t hurt to take a quick run through your bathroom to make sure there’s toilet paper, though. Just because you’re a relaxed hostess doesn’t mean you should leave your guests empty handed.