How to Throw a Simple Dinner Party the Whole Family Will Love
Soup season is back and I thought it would be fun to talk about how I use this seasonal menu item as the basis for fun family parties that everyone, kids included, enjoy.
At least once every fall I end up hosting a non-holiday dinner for our entire extended family/neighbours. This event inevitably becomes a party due to the number of people in attendance. So to keep the meal easy and economical I often default to a soup and grilled cheese extravaganza that everyone adores.
Here’s how it works: As soon as my plans are officially in place I start thinking about two soups I can make. I like to go with a smooth puree made from seasonal vegetables, like butternut squash, potatoes and leeks. It takes less than 20 minutes to prep a pot of soup, and it freezes beautifully, so I usually make a few containers to tuck into the freezer a couple of days (and up to two weeks) before my get-together. Soups like this can be transferred to a slow cooker and slowly warmed over the course of the day, or placed into a pot to simmer on the stove until it’s time to eat.
The trick to the entire success of this idea is to serve the soup in coffee mugs. Everyone loves this casual approach, and the kids get a real kick out of sipping their soup. Plus, you don’t necessarily need spoons, which means there are fewer dishes to wash’a total bonus in my opinion.
As for the grilled cheese, it can be a lot of work to stand stove-side flipping sandwiches, so I go for an open-face approach and toast large trays of cheese-topped bread in the oven. You can also bake two trays at a time, which means everyone can eat together. I set out a selection of bread, cheese, condiments, meats, fruits and veggies, and include popular kid-friendly items like pizza sauce, bacon and mozzarella cheese. I then let everyone build their own sandwich while I prep the soup. One tip I love to pass along is that cheese melts best when it’s grated, so take the time to do this before your guests arrive.
What do you think? Would you ever be so bold as to serve something as simple as homemade soup and DIY grilled cheese sandwiches at a party?
