Help Your Guests Help You

If you often feel that guests in the kitchen are more confusing than helpful, here's a way to change your outlook. A few days before your party, make a list of all the serving pieces you will need to use. Dig them out of your cabinets, basement, attic or wherever else you've stored them. After cleaning off the dusty ones, write the name of each menu item on a piece of self-stick paper, and place it on the appropriate dish. That way, when your helpers ask for a serving dish, you can simply point them to the pre-selected pieces.

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