Have guests prepare their own pizza.
Many people enjoy hosting dinner parties. They work well for most occasions, from birthdays and holidays to meet-and-mingle situations. No matter what the occasion, dinner parties give people something to do and discuss; they sample the fare and talk about it to get the conversation going. A successful dinner party keeps people mingling and talking from appetizers to after dessert.
Unfortunately, dinner parties can be very expensive. One way to keep expenses down is to throw a "make your own pizza" party. The guests get the chance to create their own cuisine while you keep expenses down by purchasing simple ingredients. These parties can be simplified for a children's party or matured slightly for adult guests. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Kid's Party
This kind of party works well for children; many children get excited when given the ability to make their own choices. This also contains the party and much of the mess to the kitchen, making for easy cleanup afterwards.
Purchase ready-made pizza crusts at your local grocery store. These crusts often come in several sizes, from large to about the size of your palm. Older children might like tortilla-sized crusts while smaller children may only be able to eat a single palm-sized pizza. Get traditional toppings like pepperoni (turkey pepperoni is healthier and tastes the same), canned mushrooms, mozzarella cheese and canned sauce. Chop up your veggies before the kids arrive and set the ingredients up in an assembly line on the kitchen table or counter. Let the kids use large cookie cutters to further customize their crusts.
College Style Party
This kind of party works for college as a break from cafeteria food. Save money and a little time by treating the party like a potluck: assign a few people to bring crusts or bread for the crusts. They can get mixes or use Italian or French bread for specialty pizzas. Let some others make or purchase white and red sauce. Take votes from your guests about which toppings are the favorites and give a few people the task of gathering them and coming up with a few original toppings like string beans, avocados or shrimp.
Part of the party in this case is preparing everything; floor- and dorm-mates can get to know each other better by mixing, heating and chopping crusts, sauce and toppings. Set all the ingredients in bowls in an assembly line in your kitchenette if it is large enough, or on borrowed tables outside the kitchen. While the pizzas bake, play Twister or games from your childhood like "Call Down the Valley."
Semi-Formal Party
This party is perfect for entertaining guests you want to get to know better. Start with a crust from a mix and add a little Italian seasoning and garlic powder, then coat it with olive oil to give it some flavor. Pull the dough into fist-sized balls and lay each on a decorative paper plate under some plastic wrap.
Make your own sauce with a little plain tomato sauce and a few herbs. Add basil, onion flakes, oregano and a pinch of garlic to a can of tomato sauce and heat it on low in a sauce pan. The flavors will infuse with the sauce. You can also make a simple pesto for white pizza from olive oil, crushed garlic and Italian seasoning.
Choose toppings like fresh or sun-dried tomatoes, mushroom caps, spinach, red onions, bell peppers and avocados. Canadian bacon, smoked turkey and shrimp along with traditional meats add an air of sophistication to the event. Give your guests several cheese options as well, including fresh mozzarella, cheddar and parmesan.
Tags: dinner parties, Party This, toppings like, assembly line, expenses down, from your
