If you don’t know what Dinner Club for Underachievers is all about, go back to this post where I introduce the concept.

The gist is this:

• As hosts, we provide the drinks, plates/napkins/utensils, and a few appetizers
• Everyone else is assigned an appetizer, side, entrée, or dessert
• Our kids are home with a sitter, but everyone else’s kids stay home to keep an adults only atmosphere (We fed our kids before the guests arrived, and they were happy to watch a movie on our bed with the sitter until bedtime.  The sitter left after they went to sleep.)
• We have a dinner every other month

Philip and I hosted our inaugural Dinner Club for Underachievers dinner a few weeks ago, and it went smashingly!

The Logistics

Since we had 24 couples joining us (holy high RSVP rate!), I thought I would help smooth over everyone’s entrance by putting in some extra work for the first dinner.

First, I put this sign on the entry table:

Here’s the entry table in all its glory after the party:

I knew I’d probably be busy playing hostess and wouldn’t be able to greet everyone at the door (Note to self: Put a sign on the door next time that says, “Come on in!” for the next dinner), so I thought this would help direct traffic.

With so many guests, I thought it would be a nice hostess gesture to put out name tags.  Everyone dutifully amused me.  Guests were able to find their way around with the help of some signs I whipped up.  For example, we hung this sign up above the doorway to the basement office.

I know, I know, you’re probably thinking, “You’re calling it an ‘Underachievers’ group, so what’s with the signs?”  I knew I’d only have to make the signs once and re-use them for our future dinners, and they definitely helped everyone to find their way around.

After making their name tags and dropping off coats and purses, guests made their way to the kitchen where I had laid out laminated, tented signs in different spots on the counter that said:

• Appetizers
• Entrées
• Sides
• Desserts

That way, guests knew exactly where to put their contributions.  Again, we were feeding 24 couples, so it helped everyone to know where to put things.  I had put out all of my serving utensils on the kitchen counter for people to add to their dishes as needed.

I printed off all of the signs, laminated them, and kept them generic enough that we’ll be able to use them for future dinners.  (They’re stowed away in my binder for next time.)

The Food

The theme was Mexican, and everyone definitely brought their “A”-game (even though I specifically said it was an UNDERachievers Dinner Club!).

If I were a real blogger (ha!), I would have snapped pictures of the all of the fare before we dug in.  We had just the right amount of food.  Having a spreadsheet with everyone’s RSVP status and food contribution helped.  Even with a few last minute cancellations due to kids getting sick or life happening, we were in great shape.

Drink

We don’t have a wet bar in our house.  Instead of using our kitchen counter space, we thought we’d convert our pantry/laundry room into our cocktail and coffee bar!  It actually worked really well.  I probably should have taken pictures before guests arrived and the bar looked so empty and sad, but I was having too much fun!

Seating

We used the main floor and basement for our seating.  We ended up borrowing a few card tables and folding chairs to get enough seats for everyone, and we ended up having room to spare.  The only stressful part of the evening was when everyone had congregated in the kitchen at the beginning before we started eating.  Philip kicked off the evening by getting on the step stool to get everyone’s attention.  (He channeled his former summer camp cabin counselor.)  He welcomed everyone, gave some instructions on where things were, led us in grace, and told everyone to dig in.)

I got a really crummy quality picture of people starting to eat the food.  The appetizer table ended up becoming a bunch of sides since everyone was chatting so much that they forgot about them!

It’s tough to play hostess in a crowded kitchen at just 5’3″!

The People

Few things make me happier than a house full of great people enjoying some great food and enjoying one another’s company

 

 

 

 

We had a great, great time!  Aside from the initially congested kitchen, the whole evening was remarkably smooth for how large the party was.  I learned a few ways to make things go even more smoothly next time, but I would say our inaugural Dinner Club for Underachievers dinner went great!  Looking forward to the next one in March.