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Hospitality, Football, and FoodFiled Under: Let Us Entertain You

If you throw a shindig and want to make sure you pack the house then have food.  Nothing makes you a good host or hostess like a lot of food (except a lot of alcohol, only most guests won’t remember how great you were after they recover the next morning, so what’s the point).

Football season is gearing up, and so are my recipe piles for finger foods and easy entertaining.  Hospitality is one of my gifts, but in the past I would be so busy trying to get everything done that I missed visiting with all the guests.  Now I take a little longer to prepare, make things that are more convenient, and ask for help if I need it. 

There is also a limit to my prep time.  Thirty minutes before guests arrive, I’m done.  It’s like those competitions where they yell “time is up – hands in the air.”  It doesn’t matter how much I have left to do.  The next thirty minutes are all about getting ME ready for the party and into the party mood.  If I don’t get the mini quiches done, no body really seems to notice. 

The more I have gatherings, the more I find that they guests are here as much for the company as they are for the food.  If you have a warm and inviting atmosphere then most people are going to have an enjoyable experience.

Football may be the only exception to the food rule.  There must be good eats at a football gathering.  It takes a lot of energy to arm chair quarterback.  So freeze up some goodies that can be thawed and heated, keep plenty of chips and dip on hand, and what ever you do, keep the veggie tray for another day.