Lisa L Elliott

Most women perform a juggling act on a daily basis.  The balls in the air are a combination of family, friends, church, marriage, children, charity work, exercise, career, business, etc.  However, everyone still needs a social life and can often times be expected to host for various celebrations and occasions.  When does anyone have time for that?  As the founder of A Little Bash, an entertaining and party planning business, I give you my tips and tricks to reclaim your hosting skills for easy at home entertaining.

7.13.TW

Host a Brunch

Breakfast is calling or if you are not a morning person, perhaps lunch is calling.  Meet in the middle and host a brunch!  Breakfast food is the easiest to cook and most beautiful to display.  A small simple menu can take you far with showing your guest you care.  For example: A frittata, mixed fruit salad, homemade waffles, and signature mimosas take very few ingredients, but will make your guests feel like they are having a culinary treat.  

Smart Tip:  Ask your friends to each bring one item while you provide the main dish, coffee, and decor.  This is what I do when I feel disconnected from my girlfriends and is a great alternative to a dinner party after a long week.  Also, you still have the rest of the day to clean up and have fun outside.  A brunch is an easy way to give your guests a great presentation with minimal work.

Cocktail Hour

Hosting a cocktail hour before dinner is always a blast, but requires a little more knowledge than scrambling an egg or two. What’s a girl to do to pull this off?  Provide two signature cocktail drinks, two mocktail drinks (a pretty cocktails with no alcohol in the drink) some water and a few hot and cold appetizers to nibble and keep everyone conscious and participating in the fabulous conversation.  Hosting your own cocktail hour beats a crowded bar happy hour any day.

Smart Tip:  For cocktail hour, I order tasty treats from The Perfect Bite and simply pop them in the oven or thaw out.  Yes I know, you can thank me later.

Summer BBQ

A barbecue is the perfect way to show your guests you care now that the weather is great.  Before the chorus of ‘are you kidding me’ and ‘isn’t that too much work?’ takes over let me explain.  I recommend you barbecue with a twist and grill meats and vegetables you can leave and walk away.  Simply drizzle a little olive oil (or truffle oil if you really want a delicious flavor) and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a few seasoning herbs.

Smart Tip: Grill Red Snapper en Papillote (En Papillote simply means small portions of food cooked in a wrapper, usually aluminum foil on the grill or paper in the oven).  Grill corn on the cob, asparagus, peppers, zucchini, potatoes and yes, a little red meat if you like.  You’ll find it isn’t as bad as you think. Most items can be cleaned up very quickly and these options are healthier than the standard food consumed at barbecues.

Now go have fun connecting with family and friends over brunch, drinks, and in the great outdoors!

 

Lisa Elliott, founder of A Little Bash, is a Home Entertaining Expert & Party Planner.  She helps people create the celebrations they deserve for their once in a lifetime occasions and give people confidence to entertain in their homes.  Follow her @alittlebash and on Facebook and Pinterest.

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