My Summer Dinner Party To-Do List

Last weekend we had a few people over for dinner. It’s been a really long time – we have a lot of outstanding obligations. . .

So I started a To-Do list – in my head. My list may not be, probably isn’t, the same as yours but I thought I’d share it anyway.

Triage dictates that I start with the emergency repairs first so here goes:

• Bathe the Dog – My dog was pretty smelly so if I didn’t wash him he would be a pretty unwelcome party guest. Not that he has ever been welcome – he has that small dog personality – but the dog bath helps. Besides we get to watch him be a whirling dervish for a while as, temporarily the whole world becomes his towel.
• Mow the lawn. In the winter or any other time of year most dinners are served inside. This was an outside on-the-deck affair so instead of cleaning the house to make everything fit for guests I was mowing the lawn and hiding the sad -sent-for-special-nursing plants. (Special tip – I hid them behind the really healthy specimens). Oh, take the yellow dead leaves off too. I spent some long overdue time weeding and dead heading (at least the close-up stuff). This dinner started at 7pm so I didn’t think anyone was going to stroll out and get up close and personal with the garden . . .
• Clean the bathrooms. Even an outside party will require this – unless you have outhouses and I am assuming you don’t. Make sure you have plenty of toilet paper, soap and clean hand towels.
• Having decided on the menu days ago – I’m just that way – I now head to the market. The main dish was supposed to be – at my husbands request – filet mignon. You have to be willing to change at the last minute in case the market doesn’t have what you are looking for.  Such was the case last weekend so we “settled” on Angus sirloin which stands up to grilling better anyway. Of course thats a lot of meat. These days the amount is hard to judge. We have tons left over. . .
• The rest of the food and cooking. Honestly, It has been such a long time since we entertained. I had a lot of recipes saved up that I wanted to make. The theme (ha ha ha) was international to accommodate the crab hor doeuvres served in baked won ton shells, the mozzarella, cherry tomato and basil salad (we had to use the bounty from the garden -yum) – the Thai wraps I planned -but didn’t end up making- and the special honey, almond, saffron panna cotta recipe I tore out of Martha Stewart Living a while ago. I made a regular green salad (with nice light lettuces, herbed goat cheese, cucumbers from our garden and blueberries.) Oh – bread and potato salad made with red potatoes.
• Send husband out to play golf. (or whatever). I can’t stress this enough. He was extra useful in the morning though making sure the grill was filled up with gas, the outdoor speakers (yes you read that right) were in working order and clean. They were perhaps working too well and I actually considered cutting the wires (must have been those pesky mice) to save the neighbors eardrums. Mine too though I’d never admit that.
• Ok. The panna cotta thing. Any time I make a dessert that requires a technique I haven’t used before I make extra – and also – have a Plan B. My plan B was fruit salad (watermelon, strawberries, blueberries with snips of fresh mint from the garden) and sherbet on the side. Plan A was panna cotta with same fruit salad on the side. I made the panna cotta and after 4 hours unmolded one by placing the container in hot water briefly (too briefly) so it unmolded firmly – good but I thought perhaps the real thing should be dipped in hot water a bit longer so the presentation would be as advertised.

Turns out the Panna Cotta should be bathed in hot water longer than the first time but shorter than the second time. Well it tasted pretty good anyway.

The mosquitoes also ate well that evening. They have their own To-Do list.