How to Write a Dinner Menu

Write a dinner menu and entice guests to come taste the meal. Whether you're planning a wedding and need to write the dinner menu for one hundred or you're hosting a dinner party for eight, writing a dinner menu will help you create the perfect meal.

Write a dinner menu to stay organized and on task. Let menu planning be part of the fun when hosting guests.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. ~Know the Number of Guests~
   
   Determine how many people will be at the dinner. This will help you decide what you can serve. Factors to consider in planning and writing a dinner menu include:
   
   - if you plan to cook yourself and want to use all fresh ingredients
   - whether all of the food has to be prepared in advance
   - transportation to where the dinner will be held

2. ~Decide What Food to Serve~
   
   When you know what food to serve at the dinner--two meats, three vegetables, a salad, bread basket, dessert tray--you'll be better prepared to write the dinner menu. Nail it down so you can get started.

3. ~Take It Course by Course--The Formal Dinner Menu~
   
   For meals that will be served in a formal setting, there will probably be more courses, such as:
   
   - salad
   - main course (meat, casserole, etc.)
   - vegetables
   - fresh fruit
   - dessert
   - wine
   - iced tea

4. ~Take It Course by Course--The Informal Gathering
   
   When you host a Super Bowl party, menu planning is more relaxed, but it's still necessary to write a dinner menu, if only for yourself. This dinner menu can look something like this:
   
   - chili
   - vegetable soup
   - cornbread
   - relish tray
   - fruit salad or tray
   - football shaped cake
   - beer

5. ~Make It Sound Elegant~
   
   Write a dinner menu, especially one that is sent out with an invitation, to sound elegant and enticing. Use wording that goes beyond the every day to set the mood for the occasion, such as:
   
   - Oven-baked Ham and Egg Tarts (instead of ham and eggs)
   - Bountiful Bread Basket (instead of rolls)
   - Layered Fruit Salad (instead of fruit bowl)

6. ~Sample Dinner Menu~
   
   Shrimp Cocktail
   Baby Greens with choice of dressing
   Chicken Cordon Bleu
   Wild Rice
   Steamed Vegetable Medley
   Three-layer Brownie Bombshell

Tips & Warnings

• Be flexible. Dinner menus aren't set in stone.

Resources

• Fundamentals of Menu Planning

[veryirie]

on 10/10/2009 Love this idea! I actually have one of those restaurant "menu boards" with the interchangeable letters that I use in my kitchen to write "Specials of the Day".

[Gottaloveit]

on 7/14/2009 Super tips for writing a dinner menu. Thanks!

[SimplyCuttings]

on 7/11/2009 Another amazing article!

[Rachellewms]

on 7/10/2009 This is an excellent article, especially for someone who is young and just starting out with their family. Great Job! 5*