{"id":922,"date":"2022-05-17T18:30:08","date_gmt":"2022-05-17T18:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/havewinewillpair.com\/staging\/4627\/?p=922"},"modified":"2026-04-17T18:57:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T18:57:35","slug":"wine-party-2022-final-countdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/havewinewillpair.com\/staging\/4627\/wine-party-2022-final-countdown\/","title":{"rendered":"Southern Wine Pairing Party Plan – Final Countdown"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It is the week leading up to the Southern Hemisphere Wine Pairing event and I’m at the final stage of party planning. All the make-ahead and freeze work is done. Short bursts of power cooking these last couple weeks. Followed by my least favorite part, all the clean-up. I\u2019ve been told I\u2019m a kitchen tornado when in the thralls of cooking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planned Procrastination<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

No cooking today, just ongoing cleaning. But I\u2019d rather focus on other things. I\u2019m obviously procrastinating by writing, but top of mind is the final planning.  I\u2019m a planner by nature. I have several spreadsheets listing out all my party planning details. Seriously, I have an excel document with about 8 tabs of lists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Menu Overview <\/strong>\u2013 a break down of each course, element and # servings to prep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prep Time<\/strong> \u2013 each element’s make-ahead timing: weeks, a couple days, or day of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ingredient list<\/strong> \u2013 you should know what this is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food Check List<\/strong> \u2013to confirm all make-ahead parts are needed and I pack all the food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supplies <\/strong>\u2013 consumable items like plates, utensils, parchment paper<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Equipment <\/strong>\u2013 instruments needed (either I need to bring or is at the host house) Mostly my knives, whisks and things I like to bring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Party Day Time Table<\/strong> \u2013 very important. It is a break down of exactly what needs to be prepped and put together when in about 15 min increments.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Purchases <\/strong>\u2013 my receipt tracking. I\u2019m donating my time, but not the ingredients and supplies. So I carefully keep track of what I purchase for this event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Few Minutes More<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Welp, I learned today that the official start is 4pm, not 5pm. Supposedly this was something I should have known. Easy enough, I just shift everything ahead an hour on my planning schedule. Nothing like getting up at the crack of dawn to grill some prawns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plating Plans<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Another key document I use during the party is my dish sketches. This is to help guide plating These are not art sketches, they are more like diagrams. However, I do want people to recognize what I\u2019m drawing. I did take art classes long ago, so I can manage it to resemble food. Plus, I write notes for each plating element, because even a well-drawn cashew piece may not be obvious to others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is why we check our supplies first hand. I discovered that the dessert plates are square, not rectangular like before. Not a big deal and I am not redrawing the sketches.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Plating<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Plating<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Plating<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

House Call<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I made a quick trip over to the host house with my mom. We schlepped over some supplies and wine. Did a quick check on the grill outside for the steak dish. Futzed with it  to be sure I know how it works, plus noticed it does need quite a bit of cleaning. So mapping in some extra time and supplies to care for it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s been such rainy weather this May. I may be grilling in the rain. But, I\u2019ve committed to grilling the steaks.  You do what you must.  Plus, I\u2019m from the PNW and grew up blue-tarp camping. Outdoor cooking in the rain is practically a right of passage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next up will be the make-not-too-far-ahead dishes, will happen the 2 days leading up the party. So, I need to really clean out my fridge to make sure there\u2019s room for the party food.  Alas, more cleaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More Party Planning Posts<\/p>\n\n\n