Drop-In Dinners: Forget About Perfection!
Awhile back we had friends stop by to deliver something to us (it was actually a delicious cake!), right at dinner time, right as I was pulling this lasagna out of the oven.
Of course I wanted our friends to stay, but they had other plans.
I think back to times when friends have stayed. Even though the tablecloth I quickly threw on the table might have had a few wrinkles, our time together was still the best!
The beauty of drop-in dinners is to not lose your mind, but to invite, give yourself a quick pep-talk that you are not going to overdo, and then keep it simple.
And then to prepare yourself to relax and ENJOY your company, no matter what happens!
– Offer your guests a beverage
– Give them a chore to help with in the kitchen
– Hand them a stack of dishes and silverware to set the table with
– If you need something from the store, ask them to make a quick food run
The key is to not worry about perfection.
I bet at the end of the evening, with this kind of meal, that your guests will hop up and help clean the kitchen too! As I recall dropping in to bed, and thinking how surprised I was by simple the dinner turned out to be, it gave me a sense of satisfaction that I really don’t have to spend the time worrying about making things perfect.
It always seems to flow …
When’s the last time you had a drop-in dinner? Did you enjoy it or were you stressed?
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
I wouldn’t say so much, “drop-in” as last minute invite, as in..dinners on and hubby says “do we have enough for so and so if I invite them over?” Rarely do I say no. I take account of what I have and if I need to throw and extra piece of chicken in I do. Our eating is very casual…we actually like to curl up on the couches with TV trays or our laps and eat and visit. If we have more than one person over, we’ll sit at the table, but even then it’s nothing fancy (C:
We have had people stop in maybe right after we had eaten and we always offer them some in case they hadn’t eaten.
One of my favorite stories is about a time my husband and I were at a friend’s house and another friend stopped by. It was close to dinner time and this other friend was on the way home from grocery shopping. We just raided her trunk and had a great time. It was so interesting because she was a single mom with one child so there would be like 2 pork chops, one pound of ground beef. It was a real smorgasbord! Lory and I replenished her stash the next day :o)
We still talk about the fishes and loaves dinner.
Love, love, love it when joy drops in, unexpectedly!
My mom is the pro at this. We always had this happening when I was growing up. It has only happened a few times in my married life. My worry is always that there won’t be enough. I actually wish it would happen again soon…now that you mention it! Great post, thanks Sandy!
Pingback: Tweets that mention Drop-In Dinners: Forget About Perfection! — Reluctant Entertainer -- Topsy.com
I am looking for advice and/or suggestions…
Here’s the situation: 7 months ago, we moved to a new town, a whole new area. In October, we bought a house (15 minutes away from our current rental living-situation) with the intention of renovating a few house features. We plan to do the major renovations before moving into the house. If all goes as planned, these renovations should be under way in a few weeks.
We haven’t met any of our neighbors yet, simply because we’re not living there.
We want to start things off on the right foot with the neighbors. I have been thinking about making a few batches of brownies and bringing them around to the neighbors and introducing ourselves.
Being the wonderful hostess that you are, can you think of anything more creative and/or better?
Thank you (in advance) for advice and help!