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Do you want to throw a dinner party, but planning one seems like more work than you can handle? Don’t sweat it. As long as you create a fantastic menu, the rest of your party planning will fall into place.

Most of your attention should be put toward the menu of your dinner party. Planning a formal dinner party, or is casual more your thing? Do you want to plan a sit-down dinner, or is buffet going to work better in your house?

To answer some of these questions, you first need to know how many people you want at your party. If you’re preparing the food yourself, it’s a good idea to keep your guest list under ten people. This will keep your preparations manageable; becoming overwhelmed before the party is not what this is all about.

Next, plan for the menu to have a little bit for every type. Even though this is your party, you should still make sure you know your guests’ preferences. Serve foods that will satisfy meat lovers, as well as vegetarians.

For your main dish, whether it’s steak, chicken, prime rib, or fish, make sure it’s fresh. For the freshest meat selections, visit your local meat market or fish market instead of a supermarket. They’ll have the freshest cuts available. Once you try this for your party (if you haven’t done so already), you’ll have a hard time going back to supermarket meats.

When buying produce for your menu, you should also stick with the freshest stuff available to you. If you have your own garden, then you should definitely use whatever you have there. If you don’t have your own garden, and it’s summertime, head out to a farmer’s market in your area. Depending on how big the market is, you can usually get a good selection from the various farmers.

Your other option for produce is going to someplace like Whole Foods, Trader Joes, or some other organic food store. In a lot of cases, your local supermarket will be just fine for produce. Just make sure that whatever you purchase is the freshest you can find.

Whether you get your food from Whole Foods, Trader Joes, a farmer’s market, or your own garden, it’s important to try to come up with something seasonal when planning your dinner party menu. For example, you don’t want to serve a summer fruit salad in the middle of January. You can’t always stick to this philosophy, and all of your guests may not notice, but the ones who do will appreciate it.

Dinner party planning doesn’t have to be some monumental feat. Just keep in mind how many people you have coming, your guests preferences (if you know them), and that you should always buy the freshest when it comes to meats and produce. Having these few planning points on your checklist will help you throw a successful dinner party that your guests will enjoy, and will have them looking forward to your next party.

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Whether you’re planning a big event or a gathering for a few people, the basic steps are still the same. It’s up to you to decide how simple or elaborate the details get. When people come to a party there are certain things they expect. One they want to have a good time, they want to meet and mingle with the party goers, and they want to have good food and drinks. A good party needs to have a good party planning menu that tailors to all guests.

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The first step is preparing your party planning menu is knowing what is the theme of the party. Is it a holiday party, a special event party like a bachelor party, or is it just a gathering of old friends. Once you determine the theme of the party and whether or not a sit is down or stand up event, then you can decide what types of food and drinks you need.

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The next step is picking a date and time for your party.  If your party is going to be held late in the evening after dinner then you probably only need finger foods and snacks.  If the party is held during the middle of the day then you need to have a complete meal prepared for each guest.

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The next step is deciding if the party will be indoors or outdoors. If you are having your party in the backyard you probably only need finger foods and snacks.  If it’s inside a rented hall then you want to full spread of food.

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Who will attend your party?  Your guest list is very important when determining the types of food you will have at your party.  If you are inviting your boss over for the party you don’t want to have chips and dip. 

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How much money to you have to spend on your party? Your budget will play a big role in the types and amount of food you will serve at your party.

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Are you serving casual finger food, potluck, or a multi-course feast? You should cater to your guests: vegetarian, low-fat or sugar-free options, tolerance for spices, food sensitivities, and the willingness or reluctance to try new food should all be considered. Ask ahead of time if there are food issues you should know about. You need to offer a good variety of choices, but don’t go overboard and spend too much money on the food.

These were just a few party planning menu ideas and you can learn more about planning a party at the site listed below.

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