Party Time!

Recently I was recruited to do the cooking for a friend's birthday party. There were thirty guests expected. I was given only one directive: Most of the food needed to be vegetarian since that was the guest of honor's dietary persuasion.

Imagine that. Yours truly, who believes salad is the kind of food that real food eats, cooking vegetarian. No problem. I'll just throw a T-bone in the broiler for me.

Cooking for a party can be quite challenging. There is an overwhelming array of variables to consider. The juggling act is including a sufficient quantity of appetizing foods without inundating yourself with excessive labor or time demands. Here are some tips for accomplishing the task.

1) To begin, you will need a wide variety of foods. First and foremost because individual tastes are so variable. Now factor in the fact that Americans are beset with countless issues with many common foods.

This one's not eating carbs, that one can't have salt, this one's on the latest fad diet, etc., etc., etc. Good Lord. Our enemies don't need to plot against us. We'll all eventually starve to death.

Since the most commonly vilified food groups nowadays tend to be meat, fat, and carbs, I would plan on half my dishes being low in or devoid of these constituents. It's not as difficult as it sounds.

Many dishes will meet multiple criteria. The beef teriyaki skewers you present for the meat-lovers also serves as a "low-carb" dish. Vegetable soup, salsa, or salad will all appease the low-fatters and the vegetarians.

2) If you have the time to start preparing for the party the night before, you can relieve yourself of much burden the day of the festivities. I ensure that about half the dishes in the menu that can be made the previous day with no ill effects.

For example, some foods will improve in flavor after resting overnight. This is true of stews, soups, some casseroles, salsa, dips, and other preparations that are an amalgamation of ingredients.

3) Find short cuts. For example, consider dishes with ingredients that can be purchased pre-fabricated. Buy the mozzarella that's already shredded, the shrimp that's been de-veined, the nuts already shelled and crushed, etc.

These amenities will cost you more money but we're focused on saving time and labor. Ask the baker to slice your bread, your butcher to trim your roast, and the fishmonger to remove the skin from the fillets.

4) For the cooked items, do not select dishes that must all be made in the oven or on top of the stove. By divvying them up between the oven/broiler and stovetop, you can cook multiple entrees at the same time, and thus present them together as well.

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