Cocktail-party pointers

By Joelene

Ingredients

• - Cheating is OK. Buy shrimp-cocktail sauce or an appetizer from a high-end grocer. You don't want to buy the whole spread, but you don't have to make everything yourself, or from scratch.
• - Keep cheeses, tapenades, crackers and other nibbles on hand. If you run out of hors d'oeuvres, quickly assemble an antipasto platter.
• - For cold foods, chill platters in the refrigerator. For hot foods, warm platters ahead of time.
• - End the party with a sweet, a decadent cookie or chocolate candy. Nothing too big, nothing too fancy. Serve with coffee.
• - Don't stress over serving dishes. Be creative and use what you have on hand. A cutting board can be used to serve cheeses, cast-iron skillets for hot sandwiches. Buy into the mix-and-match mentality.
• - Holiday-themed paper napkins and plates are fine for serving.
• - Stagger serving the food, and clean up as much as you can while the party is going on.

Preparation

Step 1

- Keep a notebook of the party plans to use for future parties. What appetizers were most popular? Include menus, shopping lists and pictures of decorations. After the party, note what worked, what didn't.