Entertaining Your Guests

Whether you're preparing a candlelit dinner for two, hosting a holiday meal for your entire extended family or hosting a sports-watching event, check out these helpful tips and suggestions on entertaining your guests from Farmer John:

Be Prepared

Prepare as much as you can before the gathering so you are not stressed the day of. For example, fresh vegetables can be prepared the day before and stored in plastic bags or containers. Add several ice cubes to keep vegetables crisp until serving.

Too Much is Never Too Much

Be prepared, it's always better to have too much food than not enough — you don't want to run out of food for your guests. To gauge how many appetizers you should make, generally three to four appetizer pieces per person is a safe guideline for a host to follow.

Garnishing and Presentation

For something different, serve soup in hollowed out bread bowls, sprinkle lemon zest over your main dish for extra seasoning and color, or finish off your serving plate with cherry tomato flowers.
Get more garnishing tips

Beverage Patrol

Below are some helpful tips to consider when it comes to beverages:

• Adjust beverage amounts according to the type of gathering and the drinking habits of your guests and always remember to provide non-alcoholic beverages for guests who do not drink.
• Keep a bucket of ice water handy to chill wine if needed.
• To prevent misplacing of beverages, provide your guests with wine charms and/or personalized beverage holders.
• Serve a variety of hot and cold appetizers if a sit down meal does not follow.

Plan a Themed Meal

Spice up the night for you and your guests with a themed dinner menu from Farmer John. Check out our complete meal ideas for tons of tasty ideas.