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Party with a Progressive Dinner  
by Cheryl Gochnauer, Homebodies.org

The best banquet in town won't be found at the buffet down the street. If you want a great blend of friends, food and fun that won't cost you a bundle, try a progressive dinner.

The More, The Merrier! 

Round up a couple of dozen of your buddies and divide them into four groups. From each group, choose one person to volunteer their home as a stop on your tantalizing tour.

Usually, it's best to choose houses close to each other, so drive time is minimized. Draft mini-van owners to ferry people from point to point, so you don't freak your neighbors out with 20 cars in your driveway.

Variety is the Spice of Life.

Split the party menu into appetizers, salads, entrees and desserts, then assign each course to a different house. A group of 20, for instance, would break out like this: 

* House No. 1: five appetizers. 
* House No. 2: five salads. 
* House No. 3: five entrees. 
* House No. 4: five desserts.

Avoid repetition by coordinating with others assigned the same course. Brownies are great, but you don't want to face five or six pans of them when you could have pie...and cake...and cookies...and ice cream sundaes...and cobblers...and whatever other goodies your imaginative friends cook up.

Hosts furnish ice and soft drinks; everyone else provides their favorite treat. Make enough of each dish so everyone can have a sample.

Progressive Pre-planning.

When they sign up for the dinner, have each family pitch in a dollar or two to cover the cost of paper goods and utensils, which will be transported to each location.

Drop off dishes at the respective houses ahead of time, simmering in Crock Pots or cooling in refrigerators. Choose heated foods that can be microwaved or otherwise warmed quickly. You don't want to be stuck cooking an entree at House No. 3 while everyone else is munching on appetizers at House No. 1.

Grubs and Games.

Tie a group activity to each stop. While everyone snacks, draw them into a rousing round of Pictionary, Charades, Truth or Dare or another favorite game. Peg the last house as the place where everyone goes belly-up for a movie marathon or other low-key activity.

T.J. Stephens, who's chomped through many a smorgasbord with his Lee's Summit, Missouri church group, offers this advice: "The key to these dinners is, you keep standing up. That way, you can eat more."

And when you're done pigging out, and you've got to sit somewhere? "You don't," T.J. says. "You just lay down."

Cheryl Gochnauer is the author of "So You Want to Be a Stay-at-Home Mom." Visit her website at www.homebodies.org, where you can sign up for her free weekly email newsletter and take part in some active parenting message forums!

copyright 2003 Cheryl Gochnauer and Homebodies.org, LLC - All rights reserved.

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