Postscript: What I've learned
Regardless of where you put the hors d’oeuvres, people will still want to congregate by the kitchen when you’re in there finishing up
Draining pasta just before serving may not be the facial you want or need before sitting down for dinner
You do not need to make hors d’oeuvres from scratch, but if you do, people will be very impressed (there are lots of easy dips in here)
Take out your recycling before people arrive — everyone will bring wine in a bag and they will need somewhere to put the bag and ultimately you will need somewhere to put the bottle
It’s fun to have a dessert people can pick at — grapes, gummy worms, chocolate chips — you get the idea
Anything can be a vase, and flower arranging is not scary
The food processor is so much better at chopping parsley than I am, it’s worth having to clean it just for this purpose
No one eats as much pasta as Nick and I
Make dessert in advance…there is no need to be flipping over a tarte tatin while you could be hanging out with your guests
It is really really nice to be able to feed the people you love and not have to go anywhere at the end of the night
