Entertaining expert Diann Valentine answers viewers' questions on entertaining in your home.
Q: My silver platters seem to get tarnished quickly. What’s the best way to clean them?
A: The key to keeping your silver clean is to not wait until it is badly tarnished. I make it a point to polish all of my silver pieces once a month even if I am not using them. Then you can get them cleaned with a simple silver cleaning towel rather than pulling out the silver cleaner. Once you have used them for your night of entertaining, clean them and wrap them in a cotton cloth bag or piece of fabric and store them in a tightly sealed container. You can even use a freezer bag that snaps together to keep air out. This will help to preserve the silver finish a little longer than usual.
Q: We’re planning a formal dinner for some friends. How much time should we allow for each course?
A: I would say about 15 to 20 minutes, just enough time for your guests to finish the course and get in some in-between courses conversation.Q: Our work parties have been incredibly boring. I’m next on the list to host one. How can I get people from different departments to talk to each other?
A: Ask everyone to bring a small gift that they can exchange. As your guests arrive, tell them to pick up an envelope sitting on a table. They will assume that it's a placecard, but in reality it's instructions. The card could read, "Tonight your alias is Abbott and your job is to find Costello." When Abbott and Costello find one another, they can exchange gifts. Q: There are so many people on different diets right now. How can you please everybody?
A: You can’t tailor to everybody, but crudite is always popular. Add a few things that are Atkins or South Beach friendly. Chicken with barley cups, or a wheat free pasta salad, or celery with no fat ricotta cheese, or even a hot crab dip are some ideas. My guess is your non-dieting friends will dig in as well.
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