Pizza Party

Are you are planner or do you live more on the spontaneous side of life? I love to plan for special occasions and events, but also love watching how things just come together when you don't plan. 

As with most things in life, I like to believe we can have a healthy balance of both.  You can plan the most amazing event, but if you get too attached to how it all goes then you don't enjoy it.  

There is something so fun about having a vision in my mind come to life.  I am a detail girl, so it is exciting for me to send out invitations, plan a menu, set the table and prepare a wonderful meal.  

In a perfect world the vision in my mind would play out like a well choreographed dance.  The people I invited would all be laughing and having a great time. The food would be perfect. My house would be spotless. At the end of the day the dishes would just miraculously be done and put away.  How's that for a fantasy?  The best laid plans never take into consideration that everyone has plans of their.  If they could only see what my perfect holiday gathering looked like. They would all climb on board the train to perfection and I would live in utopia.  Alas, that is not to be.  While my perfect holiday gathering may not come to fruition, I can still plan a great event!  This holiday guide can really be used for any holiday, I just am writing it the week before Easter. 

 These ideas are just guidelines. Adjust them to fit your needs. There are no fast and hard rules in event planning.  The important part is to take the stress out of the holiday. With a little planning and prep work you will be able to fully enjoy your gathering instead of slaving away in the kitchen. 

Count Down to Event

7 days out: Plan Menu

I am doing Easter Dinner this year.  My menu will be as follows: 

Pre-Dinner Snacks - 12pm (I always have kids that are "STARVING")

Deviled Eggs

Vegetable Tray

Dinner - 3pm

Ham

Mashed Potatoes and gravy

Fruit Salad

Sauteed Asparagus

Dinner Rolls

Dessert - As wanted

Cheesecake

This year I will also be offering a  sugar-free option 

Sweetened/unsweetened tea and Lemonade 

Once I have my menu planned I check my recipes and make a list of the ingredients I will need to make the menu.  I then check that list against the items I already have in my pantry.  

We live in an amazing neighborhood, so I put together Easter Gifts for my neighbors.  I include the ingredients for these items in my list as well.  

If you still have small children that visit your home then you may want to consider having a small Easter Egg hunt for them.  I really enjoy watching my great-nephews collect and find Easter Eggs.  I do use plastic eggs and fill them with change, candy, small age appropriate toys etc.  These items are also included in my list so that I can accomplish all my errands on one day.  

Sometimes it is necessary for me to shop on two different days.  I like to make some dishes ahead of time but want my vegetables to be as fresh as possible.  

6 Days Out: 

On this day shop for the items that are not perishable and will help you to prep your event in advance.  

If you are holding an Easter Egg Hunt, stuff your plastic eggs and set them aside for Sunday afternoon.

5 Days Out: 

Clean your house.  This is the perfect time to de-cluttered and put away things that tend to get left out.  The mail that has piled on the counter. The bathroom garbage cans. The laundry that got washed and dried, but not folded.  (does anyone else do this?) Once you have things de-cluttered you can clean the areas of the house that are important for you to have clean.  For me the downstairs is  my top priority.  The bedrooms are all upstairs and not many of our guests go up there.  I do make sure the main bathroom, upstairs, is cleaned and that the hallway and stairs have been vacuumed. 

4 Days Out: 

Start your meal prep.  Looking at my menu, this would be the day I would hard boil my eggs. I would also make my homemade rolls and freeze them. I process them through the first rise and them form them into rolls. At this point I freeze the raw dough. Then on Sunday morning I pull them out of the freezer so that they can thaw and rise for the second time.  Think about each of your menu items.  Can they be made ahead, or are the better made the day before or day of the event? 

3 Days Out:

If you like to decorate your house this is the perfect day.  My Easter Decorations have been up since Valentine's Day, but there are a few things I enjoy doing right before Easter.  I iron my tablecloth and put it on the table. If you are using china you haven't used since Christmas this is the perfect day to pull it out and give it a quick wash.  If you are using paper plates then don't forget to add them to your list. :-) I also do my tablescape on this day.  I love a festive centerpiece on my table.  I try to do something floral and organic. Again this is completely up to you.  If this is something you enjoy doing, do it.  If not...then don't. 

2 Days Out: 

Do any last minute shopping you need to do. 

Make your desserts.  As you can see from my menu, I am making a cheesecake.  This can be made 2 days ahead of time and then all I have to do is add my topping on the day of the event.

1 Day Out:

Evaluate what you can do today to ease your stress on Event Day.  For example with the menu I have posted I could put my ham in a roasting pan and get it ready to go into the oven at the appropriate time Easter morning. This is also a great time to figure out what time to put my ham into the oven.  I want it to sit for about 30 minutes before I crave it so I need it to come out of the oven at about 2:30. It takes about 20 minutes per pound to reheat a ham, so once I know how big my ham is I can determine my start time.  I can also peel my potatoes and put them in cold water in the fridge.  My vegetable tray can be put together and covered with a damp paper towel and plastic wrap to keep it from drying out. I can also make the topping for my cheesecake and make my deviled eggs. I will also make the tea and lemonade today. 

Event Day:

I will take my rolls out of the freezer and place them in a baking dish. I will then cover them with a damp cloth to rise.  

I will put my ham in the oven at the pre-determined time. 

I will set the table (Don't forget to set butter out to soften for your rolls) 

I will top my Cheesecake

I will make the fruit salad.  I wait until the day of to do this salad because it is best fresh. 

At noon, I will set out the deviled eggs and vegetable tray.  We will also do the Easter Egg hunt around this time.  

When the Ham comes out of the oven I will start my mashed potatoes, asparagus, gravy and rolls.  

At 3pm we will be ready to sit down and enjoy our celebration.  

At this point we enjoy our time as a family. We play games. Chat. Eat Dessert. Take a Walk. Whatever the moment calls for.  

I might also say that as much as I have broken this down into bite size pieces, life sometimes just happens.  This morning I exploded butter in the microwave that took me 20 minutes to clean up.  I am a firm believer in going with the flow.  Sometimes we are just meant to be doing something else.  Helping a friend. Writing a blog. Resting. 

The point of this blog is to show you that you can prepare and plan for an event.  When you do, it gives you flexibility.  For me, just looking at this plan puts everything into perspective. That anxious feeling is gone. This allows me to enjoy both the event and my family.    

I hope this helps you as well.  May your next event be a huge success and leave you with joy in your heart. 

Happy Easter and all my best,

Kris