How to host a dinner party, minus the stress

My husband is a real socialite and is always inviting people over for dinner. Sometimes I have a few weeks or a few days notice but often I arrive home and there are a couple of people there already. My husband will then follow me into the kitchen and sheepishly declare that he has invited them for dinner. I would also often find myself catering for a dinner party of an uncertain size when he casually mentions that he has invited a few more to join the party.

My enforced philosophy is 'the more the merrier' and over the years I have developed various coping strategies to deal with situations like this. An side effect of this is that we have developed a reputation as a couple who put on a good show for dinner parties. Very unfortunate for me as I always have to uphold a certain standard for these little soiree's.

Let me paint two scenario's that I regularly find myself in.

Scenario #1: Planning a dinner party with advance notice

The ideal scenario. My husband sends a diary invite via his outlook to inform me that he has invited two couples over for dinner the following week. I have plenty of time to plan the menu and shop for supplies so I decide to cook 'Moules à la Marinière' to start, stuffed chicken breast wrapped in prosciutto for the main course and finished of with pears poached in red wine with vanilla creme fraiche.

I work full time so anticipate that I would be home by 18.30 and will then start all the cooking so all my recipes are designed to have minimal preparation time.

I start with the mussels first. If possible, for this dish, I try and buy mussels that have already been cleaned to save on preparation time. First chopped a medium sized onion into a pot, followed by 5 or 6 finely chopped cloves of garlic (more if you like more garlic) and sweat these in a knob of butter until the onions are clear. Add some fish stock. I usually just make this up from the stock cube or stock powder varieties. Before adding the mussels make sure they are all closed. If you find one that is not, tap it a few times and if it closes you can add it. If it doesn't the mussel is dead and you should throw it away. Add the mussels into the boiling mixture and let it cook for a few minutes or until all the shells have opened. Add a few dollops of cream and finish off with chopped fresh flat leaf parsley. Serve with slices of french loaf. I generally serve this starter as a small portion to ensure my guests have enough room for the rest of the feast!

Next I get the chicken in oven. for this dish I prefer to use deboned chicken thighs. The meat tends to be more moist and it is easier to stuff and wrap than a chicken breast. I fill them with a bit of pest, some mozzarella and some sun dried tomatoes, I roll then up and wrap them in prosciutto and pop them in the oven (180 degrees). In a saucepan I brown some onions and garlic, pour in a bottle of passata and add a bit of pesto. When this mixture is ready I take the chicken out of the oven and pour this mixture over the chicken before returning the dish to the oven.

I then peel my pears leaving the stalk in place and stand them up in a saucepan filled with red wine, sugar, a bit of cinnamon and a scraping from a vanilla pod. I put the lid on and allow to simmer but checking regularly to spoon some of the sauce over.

By this time the guests start to arrive and my husband is in his element getting them some wine and entertaining them. I get the starter ready to serve and we are off to a good start to the evening.

Once the starter has been finished, I pop back to the kitchen to check on the pears and the chicken. I also put together a quick salad using a couple of bags of baby leaf lettuce, halved cherry tomatoes, some sun dried tomatoes and some chopped chives and spring onions.

After a ten minute break entertaining our guests I pop back to the kitchen to dress the salad with a balsamic vinegar dressing. I dish the salad onto the plates and top with a few shavings of Parmesan and dish the chicken up. Usually I cut the chicken pieces in half so that they guests can see the stuffing.

I like to leave about 15 minutes after the main meal before I start the desert. By this time the pears are nice and soft and have turned the colour of the wine. In a small dish I mix the creme fraiche with the remaining contents of the vanilla pod and squeeze in a splash of lemon juice and mix this together. I then remove the pears from the pot and add a bit more sugar to the sauce, turn up the heat and allow it to reduce. Sometimes I decant it into a pan to allow it reduce and become a think syrupy sauce quicker. I then drizzle the sauce over the pears and add a dollop of the creme fraiche before serving.

Voila, a perfect evening!

Scenario #2: Planning a dinner party with no advance notice

The worst kind of situation a hostess finds herself in is arriving home only to a find a number of guests her husband has invited over for dinner. While they were waiting for you to return home your husband has been bigging up your cooking skills so that by the time you arrive they are salivating for your culinary treats!

What is a girl to do! I have a few fail safe recipes that I can fall back on quickly. Generally with short notice such as this I fore go the traditional starter and just provide some olives and bread with balsamic vinegar and olive oil for dipping to tide them over and keep the guests busy while I prepare the main meal. I make a very easy Thai green curry which is so quick and never fails to impress.

I add some peeled ginger, garlic cloves, a whole bunch of coriander, some lime juice, green chillies and a small piece of lemon grass to my blender to create the green curry paste. I then add a bit of oil to a pan and then add in the paste and fry gently to release the flavours before adding roughly chopped chicken breast or deboned thigh. Once the chicken is sealed I two thirds of a can of coconut milk and then add baby corn, chopped courgette and if available, halved baby aubergine. I also add a spoon full of green pepper corns. and allow he dish to simmer on the stove. I then prepare a bit of Thai or basmati rice (depending what I have in my kitchen) before joining the guests to entertain. Ten minutes later the meal is ready and I serve the curry over the rice in bowls with chopsticks.

For desert I love chopping some sweet pineapple and then flambe it in a bit of rum and serve this with vanilla ice-cream. This menu is so fuss free and after all the cooking my husband knows he has the clean the kitchen so I can relax with a glass of wine!

Elegantly Waisted

I recently organised a hen night for my sister and right from the start I knew I would be deviating from the standard pamper party, spa weekend or male cabaret act. I knew my sister wanted something a little more classy and glamorous so I invited her friends to a frivolous evening of old school glamour to celebrate her right of passage from ‘singleton’ to smug married.

The theme was ‘Gentlemen Prefer Brunettes… and Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend’. The occasion called for opulent burlesque inspired vintage glamour… think Dita von Teese, oodles of diamonds (them being a girls best friend and all), corsets, feathers and top hats. I also asked all the girls to get their own blonde wig to afford them some individuality and so that my darling sister could be the only brunette.

The Preparations:
Décor: I bought a Marilyn Munroe cut-out, red carpet and silver tinsel curtain for the entrance, red and silver balloons and I also got a black and white flocked tablecloth with a red overlay for the snacks counter. I switched off all the lights leaving on only a few accent lamps to set to the mood.

Food and Drink: We drank copious amounts of champagne, mango and passion fruit daiquiris, red and white wine and alcho-pops. To eat I did antipasti, salmon blini’s, a cheeseboard, crudités, dips and bite sized baklava for something sweet. I then sprinkled lingerie shaped confetti in between the dishes.

Entertainment: I hired a Cheeky Butler to mix cocktails and serve the drinks and food freeing me up to mingle with the girls and to ensure my sister was having a good time. He also assisted with the games which included ‘pin the edible nipple tassels on the butler’!

The Bride to Be: We dressed my sister in a pink dress and pink gloves, inspired by the pink dress Marilyn Munroe wore as Lorelei Lee when singing Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend. We accessorised her with masses of pearls as I couldn’t find a suitably glitzy necklace, a feather boa and a tiara with a veil.

Extra touches: I research burlesque names and allowed each of the girls to pick the name of a character they thought suited them best as they arrived. The characters included outrageous identities such as Fanny Divine, Floozy Fishnets, Dolly Diamonds and Phelia Bits!

The Result:
It was the perfect opportunity for the girls to showcase some vintage style and everyone rose to the challenge dolling up to the nines. Because each of the girls could decide on their own outfit and hair they could really create an identity that suited their own personality and pocket. Everyone had a great time and we finished off the night at a local club where we had access to a private bar, closed off for an hour especially for us, before joining the masses to dance the night away.

Best Bodies

Last week I was trying to tuck my white shirt back into my navy high waisted trousers for the umpteenth time, lamenting the terrible creases and lines going across my behind when I snapped a fingernail. I vow that I am not having another thing to drink today because I will not be going back to the toilet to try this feat again. No matter how hard I try I can never get my blouses and tops tucked in sleekly and always seem to end up with an inevitable furrowed conclusion.

Enter the cure-all to all wrinkled silhouettes: The Body. Inspired by lingerie and swimwear, the body is certainly not a new invention. Even though it has been around for a long time it really only became de rigueur in the age of Dallas and Dynasty. Tight, cut high around the thigh and with a pop open gusset it was a perfect accompaniment to an aerobics sculpted figure. Inspired by lingerie the body was often trimmed with lace and was designed to neatly peak out from underneath the high shouldered jackets of the eighties woman.

The modern body evokes some of the eighties connotations but take away the enormous shoulder enhancements and high cuts legs and you are left with a highly practical and elegant garment.

The body is perfect when worn with those high waisted trousers and skirts and leave you with a beautiful smooth effect.

My favourites are this body from http://www.asos.com/. It has a lovely retro feel with its off the shoulder shape and at only £14.95 a bargain to boot. Perfect with high waisted flared trousers and a pair of platforms. I recommend that you wear a strapless T-shirt bra with this body and accessorize with a scarf cheekily tied around your neck to complete the look!

I also love this elegant little £22.00 number from http://www.missselfridge.com/. The lovely sheer mesh detail adds a gothic glamorous touch and this item is best worn with a tight pencil skirt. Try putting your hair up to make the most of the low back!

If you are feeling slightly more flush try this futuristic Fendi body at http://www.netaporter.com/. At £405 this ivory and patent leather trim bodysuit is a little expensive but would look great with trousers or a skirt teamed with skyscraper heals. This is such a statement piece so keep accessories to the minimum. This bodysuit is also great if you are planning a day to night look. Wear with your suit trousers and jacket during the day and at night loose the jacket for a whole new look!