Guest Post: Throw that Party

Hi!  I am Ali from www.thehealthyhostess.com and I am so honored and excited to be writing a post for the famous oatmeal designer and bookmaker, Rose!  I write a lot about entertaining for family and friends with healthy foods as well as life as a pregnant third grader teacher!

For the many city readers out there, Rose and I thought it would be fun to include some tips for having a party in an apartment!

1. Plan Ahead:  Let people know early that you are having a get together so they can plan accordingly.  It seems like there is always something going on in the City and knowing about something in advance will allow more people to come!

2. Think about transportation: If transportation is an issue, include the closest route to the L, subway, or metro as well as your stop. This will help people to picture where you live and how they will get there.  If they are able to drive, give details on the best parking for the day of your party.

3. Arrangement is important: Since many apartments are not too big, planning out your space is important.  Think about spreading out the food and drinks so people are forced to move throughout your place rather than huddle in one spot around the food.  Also, think ahead about where you will put people’s boots, coats and bags.  By having a place for these things, you will make sure they don’t end up on the floor in the middle of the party.

4. Think about the BYO part: When asking guests to bring something to your party, be conscious of where they are traveling from.  If they have a long commute than asking them to bring something hot is not a good idea.  Other things to avoid asking them to bring may be a case of beer (heavy and awkward on subways),a messy dessert (likely to get smushed or ruined on the way) and hot soup (a bad idea all together).  Good things to have them bring: a bottle of good wine, an easy appetizer like brie and crackers (easy to pack and travel with) or a healthy dessert like angel food cake and fresh fruit. 

5. Decorate simply: Since you may not have much space, you may not have many of the big things you need to entertain.  Make do with what you have and add in some small touches.  Always have a fun napkin to serve dinner and drinks with.  Napkins are cheap and they can set the mood for a party.

6. Serve Tapas style:  Whether you are serving dinner or just appetizers and snacks, if space is limited doing lots of dishes will not be something you want to deal with.  Serve all of the food as tapas.  This will allow each guest to refill their plate, but not use as many dishes.  When people are eating a few bite of things, they don’t need a salad bowl, a bread plate, and a dinner plate.  This will make things easier on you and it will be fun! 

7. Relax and Enjoy Yourself!  It is not fun to be at a party where the host or hostess are stressed out!  Whatever you plan for friends and family will be fine, don’t worry if something does not go as planned.  If this happens, have another glass of wine and laugh it off – your guests will be more comfortable if you are! 

If you are looking for fun ideas or recipes for hostessing a party or just a quick healthy dinner, check out my website at www.thehealthyhostess.com