I was over 30 before I had a dining room. Until then, we tucked a small round table in the kitchen or a corner of the living room.
That entertaining excuse was one of my favorites: I can't possibly have people over. They don't even have a place to sit down and eat!
Then I checked out a '60s party book from the library. The bohemian
author described huge bashes squeezed in a NY studio, with drinks
served in the bathtub and inventive buffets laid on the bed.
(Get your mind out of the gutter! It was not that kind of book.)
That's when I learned the magic of One Fork Entertaining.
If the food doesn't need to be cut, your guests can comfortably eat
anywhere: the sofa, chairs, or even big floor cushions. No table
required.
I use this strategy whenever I have more than 8 guests for supper. Here are some guidelines:
- Main dishes that don't need to be cut: casseroles or stir
fries with cubed chicken, ham, or beef; quiches; short pastas instead
of long spaghetti strands. - Salads that are already mixed and chopped: Cobb salads, cherry
tomatoes and mozzarella chunks, couscous with roasted vegetables. - No-drip foods: soups, cobblers, and ice cream are better eaten at table.
You won't have an elegant four-course dinner, but you will have a
house full of happy guests in a relaxed and comfortable setting. Bonus: If you're short on silverware, pick up an assortment of vintage forks at the nearest Goodwill.
Head on over to Blissfully Domestic Living to chat about your favorite One Fork Dinner!
Meredith, a pro at at things lovely and frugal, blogs at Like Merchant Ships
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Yay for drinks served out of the bathtub! Sounds super fun to me:)
What I really want to know is WHAT IS THAT DELICIOUS LOOKING THING IN THE PHOTO?! I must eat it. Now.
I love this article. We took the kitchen table out of our family room when we put it back to being a master bedroom (back of house addition by previous owners) so our kitchen table is back to being a true "kitchen" table. I hosted a summer tea for my daughter's second birthday in July and had my best girlfriends and their children over, and it wasn't as hard as I thought to entertain without having a formal seating area…being with kids helped. ;o) I second that no-drip food rule…we had a few popsicle incidents, LOL!
Drinks served out of the bathtub, eh? Have you SEEN most people's bathtubs?
There is a reason for shower curtains, and it isn't just to keep the water inside.
RE: drinks served out of the bathtub…
You use the bathtub as a cooler, not a giant punchbowl. LOL
Good ideas!