How to Prepare Food for a Homecoming Party

You have sent the invitations, found the location and planned the menu for your homecoming party, and now it is time to prepare the food. Often, the final step in party preparations, making food for a group of people, is best done in stages. It ensures that you will have a good time at the homecoming party and the partygoers will not only enjoy the food, but appreciate your hard work as well.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• List of ingredients
• Service platters
• Food warmers
• Storage space

1. Choose the menu wisely. You don't want the food to be too difficult for you to prepare or too eclectic for the guests to enjoy.

2. Buy the ingredients. Be sure you have enough space to store them until they are needed.

3. Buy already-prepared items when possible. What you lose in added expense you will make up for in time.

4. Obtain the proper equipment to store and serve the food. Think food warmers and service platters.

5. Make a schedule. List the menu items and the amount of time they take to prepare. This will help you to manage your time wisely.

6. Prepare everything you can one or two days ahead of time. You can only do so much the day of the party.

7. Start preparing the food early on the day of the homecoming party. You don't want the guests waiting to eat because you got a late start.

8. Enlist the help of others. If you try to do everything yourself, you may be too tired to attend the party.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep your menu relatively simple; it will cut down on preparation time.
• List approximate times for when you need to begin preparing each dish. This will help you to stay organized and help ensure that everything will be done in time for the party.
• Stick to well-known recipes. This helps to make sure that nearly everyone will enjoy the food.
• Don't prepare anything too weird or eclectic or you may find yourself with hungry guests and wasted food, time and money.
• Don't prepare anything that you have not tasted yourself. This is not a time to try new recipes.
• Try to stay away from foods that are too difficult or messy to eat. For example, crab legs are delicious, but cracking the legs and pulling out the meat is messy and time consuming.