Setting the Table Early

Our niece Haley, who recently moved to Seattle from New York had an old high school friend visiting. We really wanted to see them both, share a meal, and catch up. Week night entertaining need not be stressful or impossible with a few plan ahead tips. My #1 ‘stress free entertaining’ thing to do is to set the table in the morning before we head off to work. This actually makes the task enjoyable as you are not watching the clock while you are setting down glasses & silverware waiting for the doorbell to ring. It allows you to walk in the door at the end of a work day and head straight to the kitchen to begin the meal. Last night we had that super simple one pan chicken with Meyer lemons & olives I wrote about the other week. With the table all set, it was just kitchen time and we were relaxed by the time they arrived.