Cleaning

As saying goes, "cleanliness is next to godliness". Unfortunately, cleaning is probably least glamorous task at hand. However, it is also one of most important because it leads to next major area, presentation. It is best to do as much of major cleaning as possible on day before special event. This will help prevent wearing yourself out on appointed day or cleaning too early and finding it necessary to reclean. We've included a handy check list and some pointers that we've learned from experience. This is all going to sound like pretty common sense information, but while being in middle of preparation, it is sometimes easy to overlook even most basic elements. Checklist:

Kitchen:

_____ Clear off as much as possible from coutertops. This will help area to look neat and uncluttered. It is expected to see certain things on a counter top such as a coffee maker, canister set or a cookie jar. But 3 cans of soup you bought last week should be put in their proper place. _____ Clean all dirty dishes. Nothing says unprepared like walking into a kitchen with a sink full of dirty dishes. _____ Once dishes have been cleaned, store them properly. _____ Have a trash can available in vicinity of serving area if this is not a formal dinner. Always be sure to use a clean trash bag. If necessary, take a half full bag and store it out of way until event is over. Bathroom:

_____ Clean toilet (including top of tank) and sink. _____ Again, clear off as much as possible from coutertops. _____ Do you have a large family? Are there various towels and washcloths hanging around? Put them all in a clothes hamper. It looks so much neater that way. _____ Place clean towels in a area where it is convenient for your guests to dry their hands. _____ If you have one of those liquid soap dispensers, ensure that it is atleast half full. Totally filled is best. _____ Place a spare roll or two of toilet paper where they can easily be seen. A small basket holding these can add to overall appearance. _____ It looks best if shower curtain is drawn shut. This will also hide any clutter from shampoo bottles, etc. If there are doors on shower, shut them.

Serving/Eating Area:

_____ Clean all corners and baseboards. These areas tend to be neglected during routine cleaning. _____ Dust any horizontal surfaces. This is another area that can be overlooked from time to time. _____ If you are using a room that will feature a view of outdoors, take time to thoroughly clean any windows. And you're done! Now that wasn't so bad after all.

Presentation

Congratulations!!! You've made it through most difficult section, preparation and moved on to presentation. This is area that is featured by most people, but we believe good preparation leads to good presentation. While it is important to consider layout and presentation of food serving area, we feel that some time should be taken to consider overall appearance of your event area with food starting out as focal point. As you are undoubtedly aware, serving area will become unkempt, therefore, it is a good idea to include entire event area when working on presentation. One point to consider is style of serving dishes. Once again, this will be somewhat dictated by location of your event. There are those who prefer clear or colored glass type of serving dishes. Others prefer a ceramic dish. The choice is yours. Since this is a special event, we suggest refraining from use of cheap plastic serving dishes if at all possible. Many people have told us they've picked up quite a collection over time discount stores. Some have even told us of finds they've made at dollar stores. The next thing you might want to think about is use of a center piece. While there is nothing wrong with this, we are of belief that food itself is center piece. Now that your guests have enjoyed food that you have prepared, it is time for them to relax, mingle and talk with each other. A nice idea that we've seen to help promote conversation during quiet periods is to place a few photo albums in an area where your guests can browse them. This is especially helpful if you have a group of people that tends to spend a lot of time together. As they flip through pages they will recall bygone days that you've spent together. If you have children, maybe an album of kids photos as they were growing up. This may spark memories of their own children or even their childhood which can lead to some pretty interesting conversations. Another idea we've been made aware of is setting out a conversation starter book. An example we've seen is a book that asks questions about Christmas. There were questions such as 'what was your favorite Christmas gift.' Remember, even though you may be dealing with adults, they're still children at heart. Produation

You may be asking yourself, as many before you have, "what is produlation?" It is euphoric feeling you get when you PRODuce a premier event and receive congratULATIONS of all who attend. You've done such a fine job you can even congratulate yourself. You've put all of hard work behind you. As you were preparing, I'm sure there were times when you were asking yourself if it was worth it. Now you know it was, so ENJOY yourself!!! One last thing, which will help produlation continue. If you read menu section, produlation will continue as you pull out some of food you've held back and restock your party feast. ranchandpenthouse.bravepages.com © Ranch and Penthouse 2003. All rights reserved.