They say the dinner
party is dead, and really when was the last time you had friends over for
coq au vin? But, for parents with young children, having friends over
is the easiest ways to socialize.
We've hosted brunch at our place an
average of once a month since Catherine was born. Now that the days are getting longer and she
is getting bigger, I thought I might be ready to a dinner party. The
problem is, I don’t really have the time or energy to cook, clean, and do the
dinner party shopping expedition? So this weekend, we invited two
other families over for pizza. Not homemade pizza, but delicious Pete’s Pizza that was delivered to our
home.
Here are some tips for a grown-up
pizza party.
Make the
invitation. Invite friends with children
roughly the same ages as yours. Let them
know you are inviting them over for takeout pizza. It’s not about the food
it’s the company right? It’s still nice
to dispel any illusion that you are going to make them pizza out of a the wood
burning oven in your back yard.
Timing: If you have toddlers, earlier is better. They can play,
you can have cocktails. If you start too late, they will be crying by the
end of dinner. On the other hand, maybe they will all be crying anyway. .
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A
table setting so easy, that even my 1.5 year old could help set the table.
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Set the table
ahead of time. Make it easy. Set the table
with a simple centerpiece, placemats, and dishwasher safe plates and
flatware. If you want to go super easy, then serve everything on nice paper
plates.
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If
only things were this civilized
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Set a kids’
table. If you your
young guests are old enough, set them a separate table with an ample supply of toys nearby.
Order the
pizza from your favorite pizzeria! If you can get the pizza delivered, make sure
to order it in time so that it arrives a half-hour after start time. If you need to pick it up, then make sure the
pizza is at your house before your guests arrive. For a time saver, write our
your order ahead of time making sure you are conscious of your guests dietary
restrictions and food aversions ahead of time.
We ordered one basic pizza with meat and a more elaborate vegetarian
pizza. Estimate 3-4 slices for
adults. Serve it with a green
salad.
Have
drinks and age appropriate snacks ready to go.
Lord knows what tantrums your
guests they endured getting over to your place. Not to mention, little
ones don't usually wait for dinnertime to eat.
Dessert: Sorbet and cookies. If you like, you can ask your
friends to pick up these things on their way over.
Voila, you have a relatively easy Saturday night
planned. I hope that you can head off to bed without doing very many
dishes.
