[From the Vault] Cookout Season: Summer Hosting Recipes + Tips

I planned for this episode way back, but somehow it ended up right after we hosted 36 people in our house, our little three-bedroom, two-bathroom house.

We actually have a really great entertaining space.

We have a big open space where the kitchen is and the dining area.

I think it could've been a living room.

We have a separate living room as well.

But we've made it our dining area, and we have a pretty good size backyard too.

So we had Nick's two teams, Nick is my husband, his two teams over with their families, and it was so much fun, and it was for sure the most people we've ever had over ourselves.

Um, and it was actually probably the most people I've ever cooked on my own without any help.

Normally, I have an assistant with me for anyone, you know, over or any groups over a certain number.

But it went really great, and it was a blast.

I had so much fun, and I considered it kind of a primer for the private cheffing I'm gonna be doing this summer.

Uh, but because we just had this event with our friends over, it's giving me even more energy and excitement to share with you some of my best tips for inviting friends over, for get-togethers.

Whether it's just a couple or it's a whole bunch of your friends, whether they're small or large get-togethers, you know, cookouts, barbecues, just having people over for dinner, I want you to feel good about inviting them over and not feel like it's gonna be super stressful.

I want you to feel like you know what to do because the stress will be low and the fun will be high.

So let's break it down.

Let's talk about planning, menu, atmosphere, and the prep timeline, and let's simplify it because honestly, it is the only way to take the stress out of it, in my book, is to simplify it, to break it down.

So that's what I'm gonna do with you today.