Hosting an Open House Party

Since starting this blog in April, I’ve hosted a few parties and have gotten in the grove with thinking of party themes, what food to serve and how to decorate. So I am sharing some tips with you to help make your party planning just a little smoother.

Rezel Preping Cheese Gigantic Cheese Platter — Photo by: Carolina Vargas

Pick a Theme

I always start with a theme. This can be the decor or the food or even how the food is served! With New Years around the corner with little time to plan I find that doing an open house during the day for a couple of hours is ideal. When you do an open house there needs to be cocktail food on had that will last out on the table for a long time.

The perfect solution to that is a cheese board with a variety of food. An end to end cheese board with many options creates a way for your guests to get involved in creating their own food and for you as the host you can use the day before to prep (or even buy) the food you will be serving.

Rezel Kealoha Tablescape — Photo by: Carolina Vargas

A great thing about a huge cheese platter like this is that it makes your guests be creative and create their own cocktail bite. For example I had eggs, smoked salmon, capers and cream cheese so that they could create their own version of a smoked salmon canape.

Gigantic Cheese Board — Photo by: Mariel Villaluz Henry

Don’t forget to add in some color to your platter by providing some roasted seasonal vegetables and salad greens for guests that would prefer a lighter bite.

I also made an easy vegan cheesy dip where you throw everything in a bowl, microwave and pour in a serving dish. It’s called bread dip, as originally you are supposed to hollow out a big loaf of bread and pour the dip inside and use the left over bread to scoop the dip.

Vegan Cheesy Bread Dip

An easy vegan cheese dip that will fool even the most hard core cheese heads.

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Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 5

Total Time: 10

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Servings: People

Author: Rezel Kealoha

Ingredients

500 G Kite Hill Cream Cheese
500 G Vegan Shredded Cheadar Cheese
1 Can Creamed Corn
1 Bunch Chives cut into small pieces
Salt and Pepper

Instructions

Place all the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and mix until fully incorporated. Place in the microwave in one minute increments stiring in between each minute until the cheese is fully melted.
Pour into a serving dish and lay out some crackers and bread.

Did you enjoy making it? I would love to see it! Tag me on Instagram @rezelkealoha with the #rezelkealoha!

A variety of fresh seasonal fruit is always a good idea to add some freshness with all the cheese options. With the jam I served some red wine caramel sauce that just goes so well with funky cheese.

Setting The Tablescape

For the table I kept it simple and kept the focus on the abundance of food. I just used a some rustic white plates with black napkins and used mixed metal flatware to bring in some metallic touches. Keeping it beautifully simple is key to stress free hosting.

A nice touch were these inspirational cards I found at Target. Each guest received a different one to give them little reminders of how the right words at the right time can mean so much.

Drinks

Drinks are so important at a party and to cater for guests arriving at different times during an open house is to fill a bar cart booze and condiments. A Mimosa Cart filled with bottles of Champagne on ice and different juices, fruits and herbs to mix in is a great way to do that.

Mimosa Cart — Photo by: Mariel Villaluz Henry

Sweets

A great way to get your guest to contribute and to take a load off your shoulders is to ask them to bring a dessert. Just clear a space for a few chocolates, cakes and cookies and everyone can just mingle in between all the different food areas and with each other.

Chocolate Platter — Photo by: Rezel Kealoha

Enjoy The Party

Once you have all the food and drinks laid out it’s time for you to enjoy the party. That is the beauty of having a platter and a drink cart… Your guests just serve themselves and keeps you out of the kitchen! Enjoy what you have put together and celebrate with friends and family!