- Publish Date: Jun 21, 2010
Hosting Without the Headaches
Impressing party guests is easier than you think.
Half the fun of entertaining guests is impressing them. But half the reason not to play host is how time consuming the preparation can be.
Lulu Powers, a Los Angeles event planner, has a better M.O.: wowing without overdoing. It's all explained in her new book Food to Flowers: Simple, Stylish Food for Easy Entertaining. Think of it as tips for hosting elegant affairs yet exerting the same effort you would for keggers.
We love many of Powers' suggestions--chief among them, swapping your stemware for juice glasses. That might sound like sacrilege coming from us, but the glasses are easier to clean, they're cheaper, and they're the standard in relaxed, European bistros.
Also, if you've amassed a collection of empty wine bottles, Powers says not to recycle them all. First, use one as a rolling pin if you don't have one. Use the other empties for serving water.
And perhaps our favorite recommendation: Serve sangria in empty jam jars or mason jars. A variety of sizes and shapes gives that rustic feel. Also, add red-wine ice cubes to your white sangria.
For the rest of Powers' offbeat wine tips, recipes, and hosting ideas, pick up a copy of her book. And if you have a tried-and-true hosting tip of your own, share it here.
