My weekend whatever

E

elaine

Well-known member
Dinner for 13 last night. Kind of a trial for Thanksgiving.

First time - a children's table. Wonderful - makes adult diners so happy.

Menu - Soup Kitchen mulligawny soup, new pasta dish from cook's illustrated- ingredients as if lasgne but using

ziti instead. It saves so much time and energy. Yummy chicken from a very old gourmet.

Made brownies just as I made them the very first time I baked and kept making that way while my kids were growing up. (I used to leave them a brownie under a napkin with a smiley face drawn on it in order to gain a bit more sleep on Sat. morn) When they finished I realized way back then I used a 8x8 square pan and now I had put them in a 13x9 (never bake anything smaller now). Sob.

Saved the centers and called them brownie cookies. The grands announced they like my cakes better.

Which brings me to ask - when do you clean up after a big dinner - do you do it the same night or the next day.

I just want to enjoy my guests or family and so leave everything for later. I run one dishwasher that night, put all the food away and then do the rest in the morning.

 
I make people shudder when I say this --- I don't clean till the next day.

Woman everywhere recoil in horror....

It's like they are in a slasher movie as near screams erupt from their mouths...

The day the kitchen didn't get cleaned before bed...the HORROR!!!!

Nope, I can live with it just fine thankyouverymuch. I have busboy trays, fill them with some water and dump the dishes in there to sit in the garage out of sight and I FOR SHAME go back to enjoying my party. I can clean anytime, but right now I have the option to enjoy my guests and party...IMHO life is too short not to choose that.

Once my SIL's, who are SO ingrained to clean, behind my back not only cleared the dishes, but ripped off the table cloth/candles/centerpiece off the table before I could serve dessert - dumping all my clean silverware/coffee cups in with the dirty so I didn't have any to use for dessert without cleaning everything. Also they then stood there going where do we put all this (stuff they'd ripped off the table). People! No! Live in the agony that is walking away from "helping" me.

Go forth and talk among yourselves, but stay outta my kitchen, you are a guest. The end.

Note: when I hosted TG I sat down 45+ people, so I would've had to spend have the evening in the kitchen doing dishes if not for the bus trays.

 
We have all the "kids" clean the dishes: They load everything they can in the dishwasher. . . .

and soak and scrub the rest, excepting maybe the turkey roasting pan.

Personally I have nothing at ALL against doing the dishes the next day, BUT lately we have had quite a few invasions of protein/grease eating ants (the totally ignore sugar) and so I like to get dishes at least loaded in the washer and get all pots and pans rinsed and filled with soapy water. I like the bus tub thing--we could easily leave things till the next day and avoid the ants by placing stuff outside on the patio/in the yard. . . well away from the house!

 
I do exactly as you do--put the food away and unwind while the guests are still there.

Jacques usually runs a load in the dishwasher but I'm happy to save it all till the next day.

 
This has made me feel much better - I had a guest who I could not keep out of the kitchen. ...

A friend who could not understand how I could leave it all for later which like Maria I get often. Happy my foodie friends understand.

 
I understand the "leave it all for later"...but having been a guest, I know the "later"

will not include me and I hate to see the hostess have to do it all by herself. I get out when asked, though. It is NOT my house, after all smileys/smile.gif

 
I much prefer to do my own clean up when they leave or the next morning. Put the food away, and run

one dishwasher load and leave the rest, if there is any. I have had guests who insist on helping cause more work than if they had not. They put flat silver in the dishwasher, for instance, which I have to pick through and sort out when they are gone. Everyone has their own kitchen/dishwasher rules I think.

 
I consider helping clean up a sign of gratitude and used to be offended

when people told me to stop. Now I know, everyone has their own way of doing things and if that's the way you want it, fine.

Perhaps your guests look at it like I do: I think hosting people is a major endeavor. Cleaning the house, shopping, being host, arranging the guests, etc. The least I can do is help clear the table and load the dishwasher. It's an act of kindness and appreciation for all the work you've done before I got there, and sincerely meant to help.

I have a monthly dinner party and many guests have been in the resto industry. They all pitch in and the kitchen is spotless before anyone leaves (just like the resto biz.) I'm so grateful for that. The next day I can enjoy the kitchen, lingering on memories, not a pile of dirty dishes.

 
I do exactly as you do. And make sure that any pans that need to be soaked are doing so overnight.

In my circle of friends, none of us cleans up with the host. And I don't want them to. Too many people doing things differently.

I love to fall asleep listening to the dishwasher doing my work.

 
Wouldn't it be nice to be able to end dinner like Lady Crawley by saying, "Shall we go through?"

 
I put the food away, put all the pots and pans in the sink with hot soapy water. Plates are stack

Plates are stacked off to the side, eating utensils are quickly rinsed and into the dishwasher. My glass goblets are filled with soapy water and done by hand later. Only takes a few minutes to do this and then I insist we all leave the kitchen. No way are they helping me with anything else. I have a friend who has a second, very small kitchen out by her laundry room. All dishes, and cooking stuff are put out there and the door closed. She puts the food away, but no one is allowed to do any dishes. I've often thought about putting everything in my service sink in the laundry room.

 
A sad tale about my mother in that regard. She always thought she was being helpful but her hosts

really just wanted to enjoy each other's company while they were still all there. My mom was the only one who just would not leave her host's dishes alone. I think they got so ticked off with her and that she would not believe that it was okay to do the dishes the next day, alone, that they eventually one night, left her out in the kitchen by herself doing the dishes alone.

She ended up in tears but I can't remember if it was there or when she got home.

The days before dishwashers.

She learned the lesson but it was heartwrenching. And of course, she never wanted to join them again.

YUCK. But she was a very stubborn woman.

 
Getting our kitchen back...

... one step at a time!

All appliances are installed, and I'd say the renovation is 90% done. A few details left, baseboards need to be put in place in kitchen, dining room, living room - two cabinets need doors made, the pantry shelves will be rebuilt using good quality wood and hardware (each shelf will completely and smoothly pull out)

So, let's see...

1. cleaned cabinets of all the dust from sanding floors
2. put back in pantry and cabinets a few things to make cooking and dining easier
3. made a souffle of artichoke perfumed with saffron to inaugurate the oven of our new range: a 6 burner Blue Star
4. grilled pork tenderloin with coconut peanut sauce for our dinner
5. Transferred all my summer clothes to storage and put winter clothes back into action. Made a huge bag of clothes ad shoes to donate to good will. Closet looks awesome!
6. Exercised hard Friday, Saturday, and today... ready for a busy week ahead!

Life is good!

 
Depends on the guests

With family, usually the next day. They are not big on dishwashing but willingly help clear and put things away. We do get together with several couples who, with DH and I, move into the kitchen and seamlessly complete the cleanup while still enjoying conversation and coffee/cocktails. Without a thought. Just another part of a fun evening. And we do the same at their homes. I like it both ways smileys/wink.gif Colleen

 
Thank you! (more inside)

yes, it is ash

I will have a full blog post about it all maybe next week, if I can write it up this weekend

the granite counter top is something! I cannot stop smiling....

the painters are giving the final touches on some walls and trims, the carpenters installing baseboards, a couple of outlets, and we still need to order a rack to put our appliances - but it's all shaping up so well, I cannot believe the transformation of our kitchen!

 
That is really sad. I have, at times, turned out the lights in the kitchen and told a guest,

"Thank you for the offer but NO, I'd like you to join me and the others in the living room," while leading them out by the shoulder. I wonder if I could leave someone in the kitchen all by themselves like that. But that's the thing--I want to close the kitchen and not be in it anymore.

 
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