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On this episode of The Better Buy , cookbook author and Food connection wizard Katie Lee Biegel shares her hint for commit together a political party everyone will love .
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The Better Buy , a podcast from Better Homes & Gardens , explores all thing home — from decorating and DIY to renovating and budgeting . For season 2 , we ’ll turn over into the full home purchasing process , from mansion hunting and travel to interior design and landscaping , with stories , hard-nosed tips , and advice from our guest each week . We ’re on a mission to inspire and empower you to create your dreaming habitation . New episode every Wednesday !
On This Episode
Host Mélanie Berliet talks with Food connection host and cookbook author Katie Lee Biegel about what goes into throwing the double-dyed dinner political party , how her host substance abuse have changed since becoming a mom , and what to keep around the house for off-the-cuff get - togethers .
Meet Katie Lee Biegel
Katie Lee Biegel is a chef and co - host ofThe Food connection ’s Emmy - propose talk showThe Kitchen . She also stars inWhat Would Katie Eatand the Cooking Channel’sBeach bit with Katie Lee . She ’s the author of several cookbooks , includingIt ’s Not Complicated , which sport easy - to - make recipes for daily life . Katie also co - founded Kind of Wild , a rude vino company focused on sustainability . She ’s now raising a daughter in New York City with her husband Ryan .
Advice from the Episode
Katie divvy up her tips on planning a mythologic dinner political party that ’ll make an impression on your folk and ally without stressing you , the emcee , out .
Katie Lee Biegel
Do n’t bite off more than you could chew , so to speak . So do n’t give yourself this unattainable estimate of what your company ’s gon na be like , with a fare that ’s super complicated and takes a lot of time . And where you are in the kitchen , having to do it all at the last minute and plate it separately and make it really fancy . mean about a bill of fare that ’s easily viable and that you could do most of it beforehand of prison term . Make it easy on yourself . And solid food does n’t have to be fancy to be delicious or to be memorable . And use your best china . expend it all . What are you save it for ? Make a meat loaf and put it on that china that you cause for your wedding . revel it .
You Don’t Have to Stick to the Dining Room
I really like insouciant entertaining . I think that when everybody ’s got ta sit down at the dining table , that sometimes it can feel very formal , and then people feel a slight morsel more uptight . So to be able to just have a buffet , take a plate and a napkin , have your home on your lap and corrode , I recollect just reach everybody really relaxed and you do n’t have that feeling of having to keep up a dining table conversation . Everybody ’s just mix in and mingling and relaxed … I register once somebody say the quickest path to kill the vibration at a dinner party party is say , “ OK , countenance ’s move into the dining room . ”
Take a Deep Breath and Enjoy the Company
The most important thing for setting the atmosphere at any party is the boniface . If the host is relaxed , everybody else is too . If the host is quick to have a dependable meter , everybody else is gon na have a respectable time . If the host is jumpy and nervous , everybody else will be that way too .
Expect Imperfection
I think you have to have go of the belief of everything needing to be utter . I used to always want my house to be gross , I wanted everything to be cleaned up , and now I just do n’t care if there ’s toys everywhere … Now that I ’ve allow go of this flavor of require idol , I bask myself so much more , and I also have more time to focus on the solid food because I ’m not running around trying to clean up every small last thing .
Keep Amenities in Mind
The invitee bathroom is really authoritative . And speaking of neat and goodish , ensure that you have that guest privy sparkly . I think that ’s an significant billet to put your efforts and have a fresh hand towel or disposable hand towels , a nice sweet-smelling soap , put a candle or some mixed bag in there . Always put a discreetly place plunger … I think that your john ’s getting used a mass , and that helps stave off any kind of embarrassing position .
Elevate Your Table Decor With Floral Arrangements
I do like to decorate the tabular array . I suppose it does make things special . It ’s not something that I spend a flock of time doing , but I wish minor flower arrangement . I ordinarily make a few bloom arrangement that are on the smaller side and put them with votive candles around the tabular array . And then I set the table . I remember bloodless peach always look really good . And then whatever color napkin I wanna play around with for the table setting . That ’s kind of where I mix things up , are the napkins . That ’s where I get crazy these days .
If You’re Not the One Hosting, Plan Presents Ahead of Time
I think it ’s really nice to send something ahead of time . So if you are going to somebody ’s theatre for a extra dinner , or if you ’re gon na go be a house Edgar Albert Guest , to ship a small-scale flush musical arrangement onwards of time is really overnice . Versus express up with a redolence of flowers that then your server call for to stop and find a vase for .
