Hosting a dinner party with all of my family and friends is something I love to do, especially around the holidays. However, with the holidays fast approaching and time in short supply, it can seem overwhelming to add a dinner party to your list of “things to do”. As a matter-of-fact, most everyone has so many demands in their life lately that it keeps us from spending more time with the ones we love. Before you know it, months go by before you see anyone. My family solved this by taking turns planning a progressive dinner party once a month.
What is that you ask? It’s a very unique dinner party idea, where a group of family or friends plan a meal together. The catch, not one person has to do all the work! Each household prepares and serves one of the courses at their home and the party moves from place to place, enjoying bites and drinks from each course, during the allotted time of the party. EVERYONE shares the load! Have you moved recently into a new neighborhood? This is a great way to meet and greet your new neighbors and make some new friends!
How It Works
- Invite eight to 10 people (four-five couples or singles) as that seems to be about the right amount of guests for this type of dinner party. If you have more than that, you will need to plan more time for the party.
- You should then pick a theme such as a Christmas or New Year’s Eve party. Or perhaps an ethnic food party (i.e. French, Mexican or Italian) or have a scavenger hunt. No theme is also fine, as long as you get together, but a theme just makes it more fun!
- Then you plan your dinner courses. Those could include appetizers, salad and/or soup, the main course, dessert and after-dinner drinks.
- Make sure you have a representative from each “host” get together to discuss the menu so there are no repeats. Most recipes should be able to be made ahead and each host should also provide a beverage that pairs well with their menu. Decide who will take each course and determine a time frame for the dinner. For example, appetizers start at 6:00-6:45, soup and salad 7:00-7:45, and so on. If you plan to do this once a month, you can alternate what course each host has so not one person is always doing the same course.
- Once a theme is chosen, menus are decided upon, and who is responsible for each course, create an invitation showing times and who is hosting each course. You can mail them or simply send an email to each guest. Be sure to check for any food allergies that anyone attending might have to ensure everyone can enjoy the party.
- You should plan to allow 45 minutes to 1-1/2 hours at each home since the appetizer course may need less time than the main course. Of course, allow for travel time as well and that will vary depending on the distance between homes. Have someone watch the clock at each home so you don’t lose track of time and stay too long at one home. Just remember to plan on four or five hours to get through all of the courses. You might want to start early in the evening if you’re not a night hawk!
- Be sure to plan for transportation, such as an Uber, unless you’re close enough to be able to walk to each location or you have a designated driver. And, if you are walking and it’s late and dark, wear some sort of light or glow in the dark items so you can be seen. You might think about carpooling with your fellow hosts!
- Take LOTS of pictures to have for memories and to share at your next progressive dinner party. And, remember, this dinner party is designed so that everyone can relax and enjoy themselves!
- If you have more couples than courses, you could possibly share the burden and help another couple with their course. Or plan another course, or split up the soup and salad.
Appetizer Course
The host that has the first course of appetizers doesn’t have to worry too much about getting things done and set up in advance, but there are some things that they can do to make it a little easier on themselves.
Find recipes that you can make a day ahead that can be stored in the refrigerator until just before the party starts. For example, throw together a cheese and meat tray, a cheeseball or antipasto skewers. My favorite place to find amazing appetizers is Taste of Home and they never disappoint. For some other great appetizer ideas, check out our Dining With a View series our website.
Soup and/or Salad
This course can be soup, salad or both. How about a large pot of Creamy Shrimp and Crab Bisque (pictured) or many other options of soup that you can find at the Happy Muncher website? Maybe a Fresh Broccoli Salad with Lemon or a light Spinach, Apple and Pecan Salad? Soup would be perfect on a cold night to warm everyone up from their trek to this course. If it’s a summer dinner party, the fresh salads would be a perfect match! The soups can be kept hot in a crockpot and the salads will be just fine in the refrigerator until you arrive to set them out and serve.
Main Course – Make Ahead
The most difficult of the courses to make ahead is, of course, the main course. You have to be able to keep them warm until you return home from the previous courses. Depending on your theme, there are numerous make ahead crockpot dinners and, besides a crockpot, there are a few options you can use to keep them hot and fresh until you are ready to serve them. Pictured here, you can keep it warm in a buffet warmer or there are also triple buffet slow cookers. Or you can use chafing dishes if you have them. You can also simply pick a meal that you can keep warm in your oven for a few hours. There are also so many options for delicious and stunning main course meals. One of my favorite places to find make ahead dinner ideas is The Kitchen. They offer ideas from chili to lasagna to chicken divan, so you can make your dinner as casual or as fancy as you would like. And, like the appetizers, don’t forget to check out our Dining With a View series for Crockpot Mozzarella Pesto Chicken Pasta (a real crowd pleaser) or Pulled Chicken Sandwiches.
Sensational Desserts
In the words of William Powell, dessert is the most important stage of the meal, since it will be the last thing your guests remember. It’s also the easiest course to host at a progressive dinner because desserts can be made in advance, some a few days ahead. For some sensational dessert recipes, a favorite website of mine is Southern Living and here they boast 70 Top-Rated Desserts That Everyone Should Try Once! The Mary Ada’s Smith Island Cake is not only stunning, but it also starts with a box mix and is so good! In 2008, it was named the official state dessert of Maryland. The Cherries-And-Cream Icebox Cake (pictured here) would be beautiful on your table at Christmas or any time of year.
Drum Roll Please….For the Finale
Now that everyone has completed their meal, it’s time to end the evening with a nightcap! The meal might be finished, but the party shouldn’t be, so head to the next home where you can all enjoy the evening a little bit longer with a time-honored ritual…after-dinner drinks! Bring back an old tradition that dates back to the 1800’s Europe, where fashionable people served “digestfs”, considered to be digestive aids, to cap a decadent feast! My Bartender (no, not mine personally) offers up 14 of the best after-dinner cocktails out there, from an Expresso Martini (my choice always) to a Hot Toddy. Be sure to check out our Sunkissed Cocktail blog series for some fantastic cocktails to brighten any dinner party!
If you’re looking for more ideas for recipes for your progressive dinner party, Taste of Home offers 67 recipes for the perfect party from the appetizers to the after-dinner drink!
This moving dinner offers hours of entertainment with a limited amount of preparation. It’s a wonderful way to entertain a group of friends or neighbors without shouldering the whole responsibility (or cost) of a multi-course dinner party.
Staying in a condo long-term with us as a snowbird? What a great way to spend time with fellow snowbirds and get to know them better and make lifelong friends! If you’re not booked with us, be sure to check out our website for our great rates and premium condos! They are stocked with almost everything you will need to host your progressive dinner party and make it a success!
We’d love it if you shared your photos with us of your dinner party. To do so, please send photos to reservation@premiumbeachcondos.com.
