PARTY PLANNING: THE MENU
Wednesday, August 15, 2012 at 5:22AM Have you ever had a tough time planning the menu for a party? I'm gonna come right out and say it: I'm not a foodie, or really a cook, and I always seem to plan the food last. I think it is probably because I am a simple eater. I like comfort food. I want the party to go smoothly and never really give much thought to the food. I think about what I can cook, what is a tried and true recipe, what works over and over. I use regular dinner menus. I use my time to think about cupcake flavors, cookie shapes, and tidbits. In all honesty, my dessert tables aren't even that complex. When I first started blogging parties I thought it was fun to go all out and buy all the cute coordinating candies. Now, I don't know, it just seems excessive.
Does anyone actually eat it? I tend to use the decorations to be the focal point and I am kind of over the dessert table trend. I know you guys probably want to smack me right now. A party blogger that doesn't go nuts with desserts? Dessert tables are sure pretty, but even as a sugaraholic (I've been known to eat candy melts if that's all I have in the house that is sweet) I realize that is a crazy amount of candy. It's always good to have options for your friends and family to eat, but does it have to be sweets? Does it all have to be fancy? I don't see anything wrong with serving a veggie tray, provided it isn't still in the plastic one it came on. Do I have one at every party? Yes, disclaimer: I do chop my own, those trays are kind of dry. Will I photograph it for the party and show it on my blog? No.
What I am getting at, well, just don't feel stressed about planning the menu. Parties should be easy. Simplify. Have a few amazing things to eat and decorate like a mad woman. Besides, how many platters do you really want to wash after the party?
Reader Comments (4)
I love your stuff here! So fresh and personal! Your writing style is simple and cute! I'm Chris' wife! Just shared your sites with all my friends that are DIY fans! Hope we can meet someday soon!
This is great!! I feel like I have this same problem, I stress so much over the food when the main focal point should be the tablescape and decorations!! It is so nice to know I dont have to stress about it anymore. Thanks for this post!!
This is a great post! It's so true- no matter how much time and thought I put into a huge coordinated dessert spread only about half of it gets eaten. I also find that with appetizers the more fancy "blog-worthy" items are not always the first to go. It is usually the tried and true comfort food staples that get picked clean.
I support your mantra of keeping it simple and decorating like crazy!!!
-Natalie
I feel the same way about dessert tables. I think everyone should just put their time and effort into what is most important to them. Personally, I like the games and decorations the most. Great post!