After a fun and full weekend, I thought it would be fun to write a blog post about all things hosting! Growing up, I associated hosting with big events and parties that involved 20+ people. However, in the past four years of being in college, I have discovered that hosting can actually be a lot more intimate and simple. So, I would love to share some hosting tips & recipes that I pull from whether I am hosting a large gathering or a sweet night in with friends!
The Details
First, lets start with the fun details outside of the food prep!
For me, the easiest way to elevate a kitchen and dining space is to decorate with flowers! It takes little to no effort, and it invites so much color into a space. You can find inexpensive flowers at Trader Joes and an affordable vase from a local thrift store to create a beautiful arrangement for your guests to enjoy. My personal favorite kind of flowers to use is tulips as they provide such vibrant colors as well as fullness with the thick stems and leaves!
Another great way to fill your table or serving space is with candles. You can use tealight candles in crystal votives, tapered candles in brass candle holders, or cylinder vases with floating candles in water. Especially if you are hosting a dinner meal or night event, candles can truly change your overall vibe for the better!
Need more details to elevate your table space? Try adding a patterned or solid color table cloth— the best thing about these is that you can re-use them so many times! You can also add handwritten name cards and/or a handwritten menu for your setup. To glamorize your dinnerware, you can grab an assortment of thrifted china plates with varying colors and patterns as well as an assortment of silverware for a fun twist!
Appetizer Recipes:
Corn Dip:
Two cans of white or yellow corn
3 cans of southwest corn
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 bundle of green onion, chopped
2 cups shredded cheese
tortilla chips
— Mix all together and use the tortilla chips to dip!
Bruschetta Bites
1 Baguette cut into 1/2 inch slices
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3 cloves garlic, minced
4-5 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup basil, thinly sliced
1/4 purple onion
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
— Set your oven broiler on high. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and place the baguette slices onto the sheet. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle garlic powder over each slice. Place bread into the oven and let the pieces brown for about 2-3 minutes and then flip and repeat. Meanwhile, add olive oil into a skillet over medium heat until warm. Then, add minced garlic briefly before removing from heat— but don’t burn the garlic! Once the garlic infused oil has cooled, add diced tomatoes, onion, basil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and combine. Serve on top of the toasted baguette slices and enjoy!
Game Ideas:
Empire (for larger groups)— this is one of my favorite games to play when I have a lot of people to entertain as it only requires pen, paper, and a gathering space! Have everyone right down one person that comes to mind (famous, not famous, dead, alive, ANYONE!) and put them all into a bowl. Mix the names and have one person be the reader of all of the names (I suggest reading them twice through, at least the first time). Then, the person to the left of the dealer will start the guessing round. They will choose one of the names they remember that was read aloud and guess who wrote it— if they get it right, the person guessed will join the guesser’s “empire” and they will work together to discover the next person. If they get it wrong, the person that was guessed now has the turn to guess someone. The object of the game is to be the only person who hasn’t been guessed! So easy and so fun!
Fishbowl (for medium to large groups)— this one is a family favorite! Similar to Empire, all you need is pens, paper, a bowl, and a gathering space to play. Have every player right down 4 things onto separate slips of paper (person, place, thing, short phrase, etc.) and mix them up in a bowl. The first round is taboo style— all you have to do is describe as many slips while avoiding saying the actual word/s on the slip. Each person has 30 seconds to get their team to guess as many things as possible until it moves to the next person (teams should be divided into every other positioning). Once the bowl is empty, move to the next round— charades! Similar to taboo, you have 30 seconds to act out and have your team guess as many slips as possible. This round requires no speaking or sounds, only acting. The last round is one word ONLY! Now that you are familiar with all of the words, this round is less intimidating. However, if you say “um”, that counts as your one word. Within all three rounds you only get one skip per person! HAVE FUN!
Hosting can quickly become a scary task the closer you get to the event, but there is so much potential to grow in confidence and joy in the practice just by trying new things! I hope this blog sparked some ideas for you and creates an excitement for what is to come!
Have a wonderful week!