Fast Fetes

The perfect host or hostess slaves away for weeks in order to pull off a gathering that looks like it was done in a jiffy, right? Not necessarily. Here are two kinds of parties that will come together with a wave of a
wand (almost):

Your guests will swear you've been party planning since sunup.

THE TAKE-OUT TAILGATE

There's a big game on - why not invite everyone over? Cynthia Rowley and Ilene Rosenzweig (authors of The Swell Dressed Party and Swell: A Girl's Guide to the Good Life) suggest you liven up fast food for a fun sports party. "Decant a few Family Packs of KFC in a basket lined with a red-checked cloth and some sprigs of thyme, and your finger-lickin' guests will swear you've been sweating over a fryer since sunup!" they advise in The Swell Dressed Party.

Dessert? Sugar cookies in sporty shapes are nice if you have a few pre-party minutes to spare. Otherwise, the Swell ladies suggest palming an ice cream truck driver a twenty and ask him to swing by at halftime.

THE LATIN-THEMED AWARDS FIESTA

What better reason to have a party than to watch your favorite awards ceremony? Load up on Latin movie postcards - use them as invites or place cards and jot a few lines to each guest, suggests Latin Chic: Entertaining with Style and Sass co-author Isabel Gonzalez. "The details add a little bit of depth to the evening," she says.

Inside, save yourself a trip to the florist (and all that trimming of stems) and instead decorate the place with reusable Mexican paper flowers (available at DirectFromMexico.com), which can be put in vases or wrapped around napkins.

Need eats? Serve soup in cordial glasses (no spoons to wash!) and offer a tray of nibbles. "Nothing's more elegant than a plate of great cheese and good sausage," she says.

To make the drinks memorable, Gonzalez suggests mixing a quick sangria ahead of time (so you don't have to worry about getting cocktail ingredients), or filling a bowl with your favorite juice mixed with cava, a Latin alternative to champagne.

Before everyone leaves, tear open an envelope and announce that the award goes to…

Whoever does the dishes.

Posted on January 30, 2006