Weeknight Dinner Party: Yikes! They'll be here in an hour!

People seem to have this conundrum a lot: How will I have time to prepare a dinner party when I only get home from work one hour before my guests arrive? My advice: Keep It Simple, Prepare Ahead, and let it be a Casual Affair. Don't let working all day deter you from hosting a dinner and enjoying your friends' company during the week. It doesn't have to be a stressful event. I’ll continue to offer more menu and set up ideas, but here is one from this week.

We had talked about going out to a Mexican Restaurant, but ultimately we decided to eat at my house.

The Menu:

Green Salad with Mint (leftover), Cucumber (leftover), and Olives

Green Chili Enchiladas

Sour Cream on the side

Foil-wrapped Chocolate Hearts to nibble after the meal

I did my grocery shopping two evenings before the dinner. The next evening I made the enchilada sauce, cooked the chicken and shredded it. I have some amazing green chili powder from New Mexico that makes a great seasoning for an onion-based enchilada sauce. I had some Valentine chocolate hearts which I scattered down the center of the table. They livened up the table and looked good with the pink roses I got for Valentine's Day, and they also served as dessert so I didn’t need to make one myself.

When I got home the night of the dinner all I needed to do was assemble the meal and set the table. Or so I thought.... There was one unforeseen hitch in my perfectly timed out plan. I had ended up painting walls all day so I was speckled and smeared with yellow paint. I hadn't foreseen that I'd need time to shower and change my clothes as well, so I answered the door in my paint splattered jeans and tee shirt. What can you do. A bit of paint-dipped host didn't seem to bother anyone. We had a delicious post work day meal, took our shoes off, and enjoyed one another's company.