Urban Girl Tips: Last minute dinner parties

Last night Rob’s friend from Boston decided to drop by our house for dinner unexpectedly I got the news at 5:00 and had to do some emergency planning to throw a dinner party for five people in two hours. Here’s three tips:

1. Cleaning – A clean bathroom is a necessity when you have guests because it’s the only place they’ll be able to spend some time alone looking at the baseboards. Along with organizing the medicine cabinet (admit it, you always look), I also put flowers by the sink as a distraction. Also, always clean the bedroom. For some reason you can never get away with keeping the door closed.

2. Stalling – Buy cheese and crackers for an appetizer (easy prep) and don’t skip the salad. Both these “courses” help you stall the guests and give you more time to cook. Also, provide plenty of alcohol.

3. Cooking – Go for something easy for the main course that can be roasted. Never try a new recipe if you are in a rush. I usually fall back on pork tenderloin stuffed with apples, pecans and cranberries. Brown the meat, boil some potatoes and stuff the whole thing in the oven. Also, don’t forget dessert. Pie is always a good choice.

Whew! Last night was so fun! One other tips is to leave the dishes for later. If you have been working for a few hours preparing for a party, you don’t have the energy to wash plates. Just scrape and toss anything perishable and save the rest for the next night. Or even better, throw dinner parties the day before the housekeeper comes!