In Case Company Seems Overwhelming...

When I hosted my third Thanksgiving, I was still a whippersnapper, fresh out of college, and excited to be trusted with a family holiday of that magnitude. In all fairness, when I say I "hosted," I should confess that my mom and aunt brought all the food except the stuffing and the ice cubes. I stood in my kitchen, dutifully stirring the stuffing {Dressing? Whatever.} and my Uncle Jerry stuck his head in the doorway and said, "Seems like you're enjoying this a little more this year!"

Apparently my previous attempts to mask my utter panic over hosting a major holiday the previous years had not entirely fooled him. He was right, though. Something about year three didn't scare me nearly as much as years one and two. {And rightfully so, since I was only in charge of two things!}

And just for funsies - some throwback pictures to that first year of enjoying my hosting:

But if you're not used to hosting, it can be that way, can't it? The panic about the house looking presentable enough. The mystery of how to make all the dishes magically conclude cooking at the same time. The dance of working and socializing simultaneously. Sometimes it can only be learned through experience. Trying over and over until you figure it out.

Sometimes the biggest problem is just deciding what to fix that will make everyone happy, meet all dietary restrictions, and coordinate well together. 

We just hosted our fourth "Tuesdays at the Table" and I wanted to share with you today our four menu plans {so far} in case you need some ideas. {And Ryan thinks the record should show I have learned to cook more food than the stuffing and the ice cubes. HA!}

Week One: 
The first Tuesday, we hosted Ryan's dad and step-mom, and yes, I was nervous to cook for my in-laws! We've had them over for a meal before, but I did feel the self-imposed pressure to prove Ryan had chosen a wife who could cook well. And even though it wasn't really fall-feeling outside, it was fall, so I wanted the food to reflect the season in some way.

* Chicken Pot Pie Soup
* Biscuits {From a can...I haven't advanced to biscuits from scratch yet}
* Zucchini Bake
* Apple Spice Cookies with Coffee
{I made the cookies the day before, I started the soup a couple of hours prior to dinner so it could simmer, and then shortly before dinner, I put together the zucchini bake and slaved over those canned biscuits.}

Week Two:
Our next guests were Ryan's grandma and her husband, and again, I felt the need to prove he had a wife who could cook well for him! I also wasn't sure what to fix for the woman whose tried-and-true cooking I have enjoyed immensely at holiday gatherings! So this time I went for breakfast with a fall-feeling twist.

* Pumpkin Pancakes with Syrup
* Breakfast Casserole {this version is a crock-pot recipe and is a bit cleaner-eating}
* Amish Friendship Bread with Coffee
{I had the friendship bread in the freezer, so I just got it out to thaw the day before. I put the breakfast casserole in the crock pot at lunchtime and let it cook itself all afternoon. I whipped up the pancake batter shortly before dinner and cooked the pancakes right before we ate.} 

Week Three: 
This time we had friends with kids come over for dinner! I wanted to make something that was fun for the kids and tasty for everyone. We also had to reschedule this dinner for a Friday {Ryan ended up with a last minute class to attend on Tuesday} so I wanted something that was fun for a weekend.

* Pizza stuffed crescents for an appetizer
* Pizza bar {Canned pizza dough, pizza sauce, pepperoni, turkey pepperoni, sausage, tomatoes, green pepper, green onion, white onion, mushrooms, black olives, cheese} - everyone could build their own pizza with whatever they wanted on it - and however much they wanted of each topping.
* Candy shop pizza with Coffee
{I made the candy shop pizza early in the day, though it easily could have been done the day before, I cut up all the pizza toppings earlier in the day, but that could have been done the day before, too. All I had to do right before dinner was put everything out, cut the canned dough into portions for everyone, and throw together the pizza stuffed crescents.}

Week Four:
Our fourth Tuesday brought some friends from out of town!! Dear Shari, that I met through blogging/working at the station and her husband came to visit, and we had the best time together. She wanted me to keep it as low-key as I could, and she even brought dessert to share!

* Shredded pork loin with BBQ sauce {The sauce is homemade and purchased from one of Ryan's patients' churches. DELICIOUS, but I have no idea what their secret is!}  
* Asparagus
* Roasted Sweet Potatoes
* Shari brought an apple pie with ice cream, and of course, we had coffee.
{The pork cooked itself all day in the crock pot, and the BBQ sauce came from a jar. I cut up the sweet potatoes about an hour before dinner and tossed them in the seasoning so they could cook. I made the asparagus right before we ate, and dessert was all a gift!}


A few other notes:
* I work hard to NOT stress about over-cleaning the house. Rosie runs every morning, so the floors are swept, and I run a dustcloth over the house before company arrives. And I clean the bathrooms. If we see cat hair on the couch, we lint-roller it, and that's the extent of our cleaning stresses. If something's out of place, it's out of place, and that's okay. {OH! And Ryan always cleans the front window because he sees dirt that is invisible to me, and it bugs him.}


* If we have kids over, I tell their parents to load up the car with whatever they love to play with, because we're boring. I want them to feel free to bring their own toys, books, movies, whatever they want.

* Sometimes things get messed up. {Shout out to pizza night when the oven was OFF for the first twenty minutes the pizzas "baked." Embarrassing? Yes. Anything I can do about it? No. Laugh it off and hand out more appetizers.}

* HAVE FUN. We do these nights because we want to open our home and spend time with friends. So we focus on that. We laugh, we tell stories, we catch up...and that's the whole point. It's not to impress them. It's not to win points. It's just to have fun. And you can only have fun if you allow yourself to do so.