Easy entertaining
Wauwatosa woman gets people together with one-pot meals and social media invites
One-pot meals and social media invitations make dinner parties a snap.
While fancy dinner parties may have their place, they’re not for everyone. ❚ Or every week. Sometimes you just want to have people over and have a dinner party, but without a several-course meal and all the planning and preparation that go along with it. ❚ Cookbook author Alison Roman, who also writes columns for The New York Times and Bon Appetit, is forever a champion of approachable cooking and easy entertaining. Roman gained a following for her first cookbook, “Dining In,” where sharing techniques that get stunning results without the stress became her calling card. ❚ In a recent New York Times column, she tells readers she’s “allergic” to the word “entertaining” and all its implications. Instead, Roman prefers the less imposing phrase “having people over.” ❚ Think of it as just dinner, but with more people.
In Tosa, ‘One-Pot Fridays’
No-stress ways of getting friends together are exactly the reasoning behind Aileen Smith’s monthly “One-Pot Fridays,” a series of dinners she started hosting in her Wauwatosa home in October.
She had a new kitchen and dining room that were perfect for entertaining. She had a new Dutch oven that was ideal for one-pot meals. It was a reason to have people over to share a meal, but she didn’t want anything stuffy or formal.
“My parents always had people over,” Smith said. “We moved a lot when I was a kid, and they were always a member of the newcomers club. They had dinner parties, and they collected friends from each town.”
“The other thing, I’m not a native Milwaukeean,” she said. “I’m from the Chicago area. If I wanted to know people, I was going to have to be social, because I didn’t have a built-in circle with family in town.
“The last thing, I’m a widow. My husband wasn’t super social, not as social as I am. I’d do things on my own that he didn’t feel like doing, but once he died, in 2011, I made the decision to not isolate myself. I had to work at that.”
‘A way to gather’
Smith chose one Friday per month for October through February, and invited local friends using social media. Each dinner was limited to nine participants, because that’s how many guests she could seat around her dining room table.
“I was looking for a way to get something on the calendar regularly, and to make it easy and casual,” she said. “I thought it would work to just put one simple pot in the middle of the table that would come across as not being too much trouble.”
“Making it a one-pot meal turns into a celebration and a way to gather,” said Smith. “I put it out there, here’s the date and this is when I’m having a party. If you can come, please sign up.”
Then she wondered, what if no one signs up?
Turns out, she had nothing to worry about. In fact, her calendar filled up for the monthly dinners, and, within about a week, she ended up having a waiting list. Now she’s working on the next batch of dinners for the coming months. “Using Facebook wasn’t perfect, but their method for events worked,” she added. “I invited anyone who was local, who I thought would be interested in coming to my house for dinner. That ended up being about 120 people. I told everyone they were welcome to bring a significant other or friend. Some people did.”
Smith notes that while she aims for one-pot meals to keep things simple, this concept could work as a potluck, too.
“Most people ask, ‘What can I bring?’ ” she said. “I let people know I have the meal covered and tell them I want them to come to enjoy without having to prepare anything. I try to assuage their guilt over not bringing anything — and, seriously, many people are not comfortable coming empty-handed — by stressing how this is a simple one-pot meal.”
How it works
When guests arrive for the evening, she has a few simple appetizers set out and serves drinks during what she calls the “cocktail hour.” Introductions are made, and everyone gets a drink.
For dinner, she starts with a greens salad.
“I always serve wine with dinner and make sure everyone has water and nonalcoholic drinks to start and to round out the meal,” Smith added.
Some meals have been vegetarian or gluten-free to accommodate dietary restrictions. She also takes into account personal preferences on ingredients, avoiding sweet potatoes one month, for instance.
Smith skips assigning seats, other than claiming the middle seat at the dining table for herself so she can serve everyone.
Dessert is a definite do, but she keeps with the theme of simplicity and stress-free. Think makeahead, and indulgent without being over the top. One dish works here, too.
A la mode is always a good option. A scoop of ice cream can dress up your favorite pie, brownies or bar cookie. A flourless chocolate torte can be made ahead, while fruit crisps and buckles are always crowd-pleasers when topped with fresh whipped cream before serving.
Smith’s approach inspired some guests to consider this more casual style of dinner gathering in the future.
“My thought after all the dinner parties I have given over the years, they’re a lot of work,” said Mary Jo Kern, who attended the January gathering with her husband, Dave, a retired partner at Quarles & Brady. “Sometimes you make it too fancy, it is a lot of coordinating.
I definitely could see doing this in the future.”
Smith is already thinking ahead for the summer season. “For me, it is easier to entertain inside because I have my oven and I can seat around my dining room table,” Smith said.
Still, not everyone has the space inside, and she sees an opportunity for a different kind of cooking.
“I do think a lot of people are more comfortable entertaining outside, when you grill or have people out on the patio. I may do that in the summer. I have a Big Green Egg Grill that I love, and that’s almost like the Dutch oven of grills. Maybe I’ll do Big Green Egg Fridays.”