Organizing A Progressive Dinner Party!

Organizing A Progressive Dinner Party!

     A delightful way to spend an evening with friends; organize a dinner party can be as simple or elaborate as you like!

          Progressive dinner parties can be as simple or elaborate as your imagination! They can include many people or as few as two. Just what is a progressive dinner party?

The dinner involves everyone going from home to home, and enjoying a different course of the meal at each home. Each person or couple can offer a part of the meal, or only several people may open their homes to all.

For example, six couples, all staging part of the meal, is a good number.

The six courses might look like this:

The first couple serves the appetizers, and cocktails, if desired.

At the second home, soup or salad is the offering.

The third home is where delicious pate and crackers, or a fresh vegetable platter cleanses the palette.

Fourth, the main course of roast beef, scalloped potatoes and vegetables is enjoyed.

The couple at the fifth home serves the dessert and coffee or tea.

The last home is the site of after-dinner brandy, or other relaxing beverages.

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What to Do First:

1. Decide how many households you will include.

You may include many people, and not all will host part of the dinner.

2. Set the number of dinner courses.

3. Schedule the time to be spent at each home, and travel time. You might allow 30 minutes for appetizers, five minutes travel time to the next home, 35 minutes for the soup or salad and so on. Of course, the travel times will depend upon the distances to each home.

4. Map out the course of travel. You may want to begin and end at the same house, so people can share rides to the other homes.

5. Tell each participant what course they will be serving and how much time will be allowed at their home. Each course should be prepared ahead of time, and left to chill in the refrigerator or warm in the oven. This allows for each couple to present their part of the dinner without undue stress.

6. When the details are set, send out the confirming invitations.

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The schedule for a six-course dinner might look something like this:

First Course - 5:30 to 6:00 p.m. - Davidson's home for appetizers.

6:00 to 6:10 p.m. - Travel to Roger's home.

Second Course - 6:10 to 6:45 p.m. - Roger's home for soup and salad.

6:45 to 6:50 p.m. - Travel to Jensen's home.

Third Course - 6:50 to 7:15 p.m. - Jensen's for a fresh vegetable platter.

7:15 to 7:20 p.m. - Travel to Moore's home.

Fourth Course - 7:20 to 8:10 p.m. - The entree is served at the Moore's home. Allow more time for the main course.

8:10 to 8:15 p.m. - Travel to Porter's Home.

Fifth Course - 8:15 to 8:45 p.m. - Dessert at the Porter home.

8:45 to 8:50 p.m. - Travel back to Davidson's home.

Sixth Course - 8:50 to end of party - After-dinner beverages are enjoyed by all.

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It is easy to see how a progressive dinner party can easily occupy an entire evening. The example above illustrates a somewhat complicated dinner.

A simple three-course dinner can be accomplished easily. Allowing an hour at each home makes for a less-rushed affair. Soup and salad at the first home, a main course at the second and dessert at the third, is still a nice evening, and a lot easier to organize.

Whatever the scope of the progressive dinner party, large or small, it can be a wonderful opportunity to enjoy friendship and fun!

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Great! It's a progressive dinner party!