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?
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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!
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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!
I’m afraid I freak out at the thought of having a drop-in dinner guest! I’m such a planner for everything, so I don’t do well w/ surprises.
We have way more dinners with drop in guests than without. To me, it makes are home feel even more like a home when we have the chance to share a basic human need with those in need of encouragement. There is something wonderful about being able to say “can you stay for dinner?” A few weeks ago, we had a single mom and her son over for a drop in dinner. As my hubby blessed our food, she cried. That night, it was the prayer that she needed mor than the food. I think we should all take advantage of the blessings we have in sharing a meal with others…even if it is using paper plates and grilled cheese sandwiches!
This is actually my preferred way of entertaining! My father in law and his girlfriend called a few weeks ago in the morning, just after I put bread in the bread machine and dinner was in the crockpot. They wanted to come for a late afternoon visit with our new baby and I was able to invite them to plan on staying for dinner. No sweat. No stress. :)
We have drop-in dinners all of the time. Waay more than just our family for dinner. I love it. It makes our home feel even more like a HOME. It is casual, but special being able to share our home with others. A few weeks ago, a single mom and her son dropped in and as my hubby prayed for our dinner, she wept. The prayer, not the food…was just what she needed that night! I feel as though it is a priviledge to share meals with those around us. It is not about table decor and fancy food, but the encouragement we have to offer others by meeting a basic human need. But if there is a party to be had or a dinner party to host, I am first in line!
This happens to us a lot…even more in the summer (inground pools are magnets for people lol)
Sometimes I get jittery, but then it all works itself out! It ends up being wonderful and the people we really want to be with like our BFF’s and family – don’t really care if everything is not a magazine layout – it just works :) Beautiful table BTW!
I’ve never stressed over pot lucks with 50 people…so easy for me. It’s just recently that I have finally conquered the fear of a sit down meal with one other couple. The thought of them liking what I prepared, how to get it timed right and on the table…oh so many things. But two weeks ago I out of the blue asked another couple to come over and it went fine. I will admit there are some people I wouldn’t invite like that…I hear them talk about their picky taste buds and other nit pickin…I just have to remind myself that not everyone is like them. Breathe out and go with the flow. It was so fun…I think I might do this more often.
I don’t know if it’s coincidence, or unknowing intent, that we have become much more spontaneous with having people in our lessthanperfectalwaysbeingrenovated home. Between my neighbors and us, drop in dinners have become the norm for Saturday night. Never know how many will be there but it starts with prep and talk and ends with talk and cards, and our kids falling asleep in front of the TV in the playroom. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Haven’t done this is a long time! We used to do it often when the girls were little as we usually either had their friends over playing or were at friends playing. Love, love, love and impromptu bbq!!
I did that just this past weekend. A girlfriend I had known for years stopped by to see the kids, esp the baby. And, I had just finished cooking my spicy broccoli and cheese casserole and she grabbed a plate and sat down to dinner with us. It was a lot of fun, because we got to catch up and after we were done, she played with the kids, while I straightened up and got everything ready for the new week.
To me drop in dinner’s are the best! The spontenaity of the event adds to the fun…and little to no expectations. I always enjoy them…haven’t really done in awhile.
I do have to say your first line…forget about perfection…and then your picture below it….made me look twice. That table in my mind, is perfection! But, if you have last minute guests, I wouldn’t be surprised if you threw together that table setting. :)