How to Throw Your First Dinner Party

Throwing your first dinner party can be a little bit daunting...cleaning, cooking, and being a gracious host take practice and time. However, simplify the steps in order to make your first party a breeze. Remember, it's a party -- it's mean to be fun!

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Clean over the course of several days. Nobody said that you have to clean your entire house (or apartment) on the day of your party! Split the cleaning up, and it will be much more manageable.
2. Buy your decorations at the grocery store while shopping for ingredients. Don't go out of your way to buy things at the florist for your centerpiece (if you're going to have one) or your living room. Instead, buy flowers at the grocery store or stock up on lemons and pile them in a glass bowl.
3. Light a candle and leave it in your bathroom, and unwrap new soap for guests to use.
4. Cook something you already know how to cook well. Now is not the time to try out new recipes! Even if your best dish is spaghetti made entirely of store bought ingredients, your guests will appreciate something simple and well done than something sophisticated and...well...bad.
5. If you're not a cook, think about buying a rotisserie chicken from the store, and add on great sides like mashed potatoes, a salad, bread, and other simple dishes. Warm them up and put them on beautiful dishes, and nobody will be the wiser.
6. Have at least two bottles of wine: one chilled white and one red. Offer these to guests as they arrive, and have plenty of water on hand for non-drinking guests.
7. Make sure to have plenty of dishes and napkins on hand for guests. Serve dessert with coffee and tea.
8. Enjoy yourself and your guests! Don't spend the entire evening in the kitchen, or you'll never want to have another dinner party again.