The Art of Fall Hosting.

Foreword by Brandi.

Welcome to a new blog series! In this series, we have invited guests on the blog to talk about different topics and inspire us all in new ways! Our August guest is Chef Sarah Mikulski, a Detroit cookbook author and private chef. She is sharing her talents and expertise with us in the form of a Fall hosting guide including some of her go-to recipes for a Fall dinner party! So, sit back & enjoy! I hope you love this new blog series!

XO ,

Brandi

Hosting can be hard. Off the top of my head, I can think of about 100 different things that induce anxiety on what is supposed to be a fun day. Creating a menu, timing everything, keeping food warm, grocery shopping...the list goes on. If you've never hosted in the fall before, I know how intimidating it can be, and I want to help. I have hosted enough times to know where mistakes are made. I want you to have the confidence I've gathered over my years of trial and error, but from the get-go. I've tried my best to create a guide that answers all of your problems and gives you insight into how to stay organized leading up to the big day.

I hope this guide to fall hosting offers you something. I'll touch on menu planning, timetables for everything, how to deal with stressful situations and guests, recipes, and more. And remember, it's totally okay to mess up and make mistakes. Sometimes, it’s not a good night without a kitchen fire and a hospital run.

Start with a Schedule

Planning a menu

This is arguably the most fun part. Decide what sort of dinner you want to have and plan a menu around that. Divide your menu into courses. Typically, those courses will be drinks, appetizers, main dishes, side dishes, and desserts. Next, I would consult any of your guests who are bringing something. Figure out what they're bringing, or tell them what you want them to bring. If someone offers, accept! The less you have on your plate the easier this day will be for you. After you figure that out, you can create your full menu. Once you create your full menu, decide what you want to make and what you want to order. Don't feel bad for not wanting to take on a whole dinner yourself. If you don't like making something, order it. If you don't think you'll have time to make sides, order them. Most grocery stores and even some restaurants have options where you can pick up pre-done dishes a few days before or even the day of - the key is to ORDER EARLY. After you plan your menu, make sure that you have all of the kitchen tools and serving wear that you need. Your menu is personal, but I'll add some recipe examples at the end of the guide.

Making a Grocery List

This should be easy, but I overcomplicate everything to under complicate everything. I try to streamline everything, and creating an efficient grocery list is key to that. I know that this seems like an incredible amount of prep work, but it's what makes the day EASY and that's exactly what we're looking for here. Here's a step-by-step guide on how I make a grocery list.

Write a list of EVERYTHING that you need, and how much of it, to make EVERYTHING you're serving. Even if you already have it in your pantry, I still want you to add it to the list.
Go through your pantry and fridge to see what you already have and make sure that you have enough of that ingredient and that it's not expired. If all of those things check out, cross it off your list.
Organize your list in columns based on what section of the store they're in. This will make your shopping trip so much easier. You'll be able to find everything you need when you're in that section of the store so you're not running all over the place.

TIPS

● When you write down how much of the ingredients you need, you won't overbuy. If you only need 1/4 cup of flour, buy the smallest flour. If you need 1/2 cup of milk, buy a single 8 oz. bottle.

● Look at ads across multiple grocery stores leading up to your shopping trips. Find the store that's going to give you the best deal on everything, and pick up those things on different trips throughout the week.

● If you need something ridiculous, like one egg, ask a friend of neighbor. It’s no fun buying a large container of something when you only need a small bit of it and then it sits there in your fridge or pantry untouched for the next couple of years

Food Schedule

I have the most fun with this part. I'm sure that most of you will hate it. You can get fully into it and create an Excel sheet, or just write it on a sheet of looseleaf paper. This is arguably the most important thing that you'll do for that day. It'll keep everything on schedule, make sure all of your food is out on time, and alleviate you of SO much stress. After I started making a food schedule, life became so much easier. I've implemented this into pretty much every set-up I do. Below, I'll give you a step-by-step guide on how to create your food schedule and I'll add a sample.

Figure out what time you want people to arrive, what time you want to serve appetizers, and what time you want to serve dinner.
Pull ALL of the recipes you're using for ALL of the food you're making. In sections labeled by course, list the dish's name, the method of cooking, the temperature at which it needs to be cooked at, how long it needs to be cooked, and if/how long it can be made in advance
1. This isn't the organized list, yet. It's just to put all of that information together in one place so it's easy to look at
2. Sample:

Appetizers:

- Baked brie and onion dip, oven, 350, 20 minutes, yes, assemble the day before, cook the day of

- Charcuterie board, no cook, yes, week of

- Mini meatballs, crockpot, low setting, 6 hours, no

- Baked garlic dip, oven, 350 10 minutes, yes, assemble the day before, cook the day of

Side dishes:

- Mashed potatoes, stovetop, 45 minutes, yes, make the day before, reheat the day of

- Brussels sprout salad, no cook, yes, prep the day before, assemble the day of

- Main dish:

- Turkey, oven, 350, 3 hours, no

- Pasta, stovetop, make the day before, reheat the day of

Desserts:

- Apple Cobbler, 350, 25 minutes, assemble the day before, cook the day of

Organize the list. Make it smaller and easier to follow and determine what needs to be cooked when and where. This still isn't your final list.

Create your oven schedule. Group dishes together if they can be in the oven at the same time because they cook at the same heat! If a dish is being served at 3, and it takes 20 minutes to cook at 350, put it in the oven at 2:30. If another dish needs to be served at 3, and is being cooked at 350 put it in the oven with the other dish. If multiple things need to be cooked at once at different temperatures, take advantage of other methods of cooking like an instant pot, toaster oven, or stovetop. Sample:
1. 9:00 AM: Mini meatballs, crock pot, 6 hours

2:00 PM: Turkey, oven, 350, 3 hours

2:30 PM: Baked brie and onion dip, oven, 350, 20 minutes

2:40 PM: Baked garlic dip, oven, 350, 10 minutes

4:15 PM: Assemble brussels sprouts salad

4:30 PM: Reheat mashed potatoes, stovetop

4:50 PM: Reheat pasta, stovetop

5:45 PM: Apple cobbler, oven, 350, 25 minutes

Dealing with Hosting

This is arguably the hardest part about the day. Conversations about politics, a burnt dish, the guest that pries way too much...there are so many things that can cause high levels of stress. Dealing with this is very personal but I'll try to give insight into what I like to do to ease these feelings and I hope you can get something out of it.

TIPS

● Start the day by doing something that will keep you grounded. What makes you calm? Do that right when you wake up. No matter what, I like to start my day with a run, a cup of coffee, and a crossword puzzle. I don't care how chaotic or busy that day is going to be, keeping that morning routine sets the tone for the day and puts me in a relaxed state.

● Recognize your triggers. What sort of conversations create anxiety within you? Politics, school, significant others, work? If a conversation is started with any of those topics, change the course of the conversation or simply just take yourself out of it. Excuse yourself to another room or engage with someone else.

● Step out for moments of calm. When things get too chaotic or stressful, do something to bring yourself back down to earth. Step outside, excuse yourself to the bathroom, take a drive...whatever is it that puts you back in a relaxed state.

● Pre-game. If you're hosting or not attending, prepare yourself with a vice or two. There's no shame in showing up to an event with a little buzz.

Hosting Hacks

This day will never be perfect, but it can be fun. Don't stress out too much and recognize what your gathering is all about. The meal is important, but it's not everything. At the end of the day, I'm pretty sure you can still get takeout.

● If any of your pre-made food seems dry, add liquid to it. Chicken broth fixes everything

● Nothing is too small to do ahead! Prep is key to a smooth day

● Know the difference between what should be store-bought vs. what should be made. Don't overcomplicate and try to make homemade chicken broth, purees, etc. Sometimes store-bought is the best option

● Don't put your served food where you're working. Guests congregate around the food, if you're serving where you're cooking, the kitchen will become crowded and it will stress you out

● Ask about dietary restrictions within your group ahead of time

● Don't test drive a new recipe for the big day. Use recipes you know

● Use a crockpot! It keeps food warm and frees up the oven and stove space

● Say YES a guest offers to bring something

● Use a meat thermometer if you're nervous about cooking meat

● Print out what recipes you're using and tape them to your cabinets. This is so much easier than using your phone

● Buy all of your serving platters at Dollar Tree. They'll be cohesive and you can just throw them away after

● Clean as you go!

● Ask for help if you need it

● Don't over-commit. Store-bought pies and sides are fine if you're nervous about getting everything done

● Plan a menu that doesn't need to be entirely cooked in an oven

● Find a way to make your cooking fun! Play music, bring your laptop into the kitchen and watch your favorite shows, listen to a podcast, etc.

● If you know that you're going to be sending home leftovers, ask your guest to bring their own tupperware, or purchase disposable to-go containers in advance

● Put out a vegan option, gluten-free option, dairy-free option, etc

Next, I am going to share my Fall Hosting menu with the recipes for you to recreate this season!