2020 & Covid-19 has brought about many changes in our lifestyle… “Social Distancing” has become a common term & we’ve had to start to put a little extra thought into our day to day activities & plans. With the holidays soon approaching, & many of us itching to see our friends & family, it’s good to prepare in advance for how to host a gathering as safely as possible for your guests.

I recently threw a small housewarming party for some of our friends, & took a few extra steps to be sure our guests felt safe & comfortable while still being able to enjoy some good food & share good company.

Before getting into the actual planning details, I wanted to emphasize that during these “uncertain” times, be sure to not take it to heart if some of the people you invite choose not to attend because of their comfort level of being around groups of people other than their normal circle. I promise they do still love you & will be sad not to attend, so don’t be offended or mad at a RSVP of “No”.

I also want to emphasize that being cognizant about the space available in your home, not over-inviting & utilizing outdoor spaces (weather permitting) are very important details that should be considered in the initial planning stages of your celebration.

Party Setup

Avoiding the awkward conversations…

I wanted guests to have a way to convey their comfort level with social distancing, hand shakes, etc… so I found this cute idea of having these wristbands available in the colors Red, Yellow, & Green.

I printed out this sign that I designed and placed it in a pretty 8×10 frame that I purchased from the dollar store & had the bracelets displayed at a table when people arrived. There are also some fun printable signs that you can purchase on Etsy already designed for you.

Keeping it Clean…

I also made sure to have a bottle of hand sanitizer at every food station & near drink stations with cute sayings that I printed & taped onto them: “Wash your hands you filthy animal” & “Be wise, sanitize”.

Another thing people overlook when having guests in their homes is bathroom hand towels. In both of the bathrooms our guests would be using, I supplied paper hand towels in a tray to avoid guests from reusing a cloth hand towel (even though your hands SHOULD be clean when you use it).

The Menu

In regards to food options, I nixed any idea of community chips & dip bowls, cheese & fruit platters, or anything that would require people to be reaching their hands into a platter & touching foods others would eat. I decided to portion all foods in single portions, this took a little extra work on my end, but it made for a great visual & also was a noticeable precaution to our guests. All of these items would be great options for a Fall gathering, Thanksgiving, or even a Christmas party. I’m including the recipes for the items I prepared below as well.

Appetizers

Veggie cups with Hummus:

These were simple & most of the prep work could be done in advance. About 2 days before the party, I cut up fresh carrots & celery and bagged it so the morning of the party I could put together the cups in about 10 minutes. I purchased a large container of hummus from Costco & that filled about 25 cups with enough hummus for a single serving. I topped the hummus with a sprinkle of smoked paprika (from trader joes) & a few sliced black olives (from a can). I ordered these cups, they were the perfect size to portion out these appetizers. I also placed these cute housewarming themed picks into the cups as well as a decoration.

Antipasto Skewers:

This was another simple appetizer to prepare, and some of the prep work could be done in advance. I purchased Costco tortellini & cooked it the night before the party. I tossed it with olive oil and a small amount of Trader Joes pesto sauce (so it wouldn’t get stuck together) & refrigerated it overnight. The day of the party I assembled the sticks with: Grape tomatoes, Fresh Mozzarella Balls, Basil Leaf & 2 tortellini noodles on these pretty skewers.

“Tasting Spoons”

I found these cute plastic spoons that were the perfect size to portion out small seafood appetizers. They looked pretty & were another easy appetizer to prepare the day of:

• Shrimp Cocktail: I purchased a bag of large frozen precooked tail on shrimp & thawed them overnight, rinsed & dried them off before placing them on top of some cocktail sauce on the spoon.
• Smoked Salmon bites: This is a surprisingly tasty snack, I peeled & sliced an English cucumber and topped it with a small dollop of fat free whipped cream cheese, a small slice of smoked salmon & fresh dill. These looked beautiful and tasted even better!
• Smoked Tuna on Seaweed Salad: I had a great find at Trader Joe’s which was smoked tuna with everything but the bagel seasoning, it was an “opportunity find” & not always available, but if you can get your hands on it there or at anywhere else, this was a hit. You could also make something like this if you purchase some sushi grade tuna at a local fish market.

Chips & Salsa

I packaged nacho chips in separate bags so no ones hands were reaching into chip bowls repeatedly. I pre-portioned salsa in 4oz plastic containers a few days before the party as well so there would be no “double dipping” in a salsa bowl.

Grab & Go Entrees

Autumn Salad

I made these salads the morning of the party, it took less than 15 minutes to make 25 salads and they tasted amazing. I portioned each salad in a paper box with the salad dressing separately portioned in a 4 oz portion cup so that the salads would not get soggy.

• Trader Joes Champagne Pear Vinigarette Dressing (30mL in each portion cup)
• One big handful of Spring Salad Mix & Baby Spinach
• 1 TBSP Fresh Chopped pear
• 1 TBSP Craisins
• 1 TBSP Feta Cheese crumbles
• 4 to 5 Candied Pecans (I used Trader Joes Brand but other brands do sell them)

Ramen Noodle Salad

This is a recipe I got from my mother-in-law that can be prepared 2 days in in advance & is sweet & different than a normal pasta salad recipe. I portioned separately in 8 oz containers the night before the party.

• One bag of broccoli slaw
• 3 Packages of Beef Ramen Noodles (with 2 packets of the seasoning that’s included) – Broken up into 1 inch pieces)
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup chopped scallions
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup sugar
• Mix all ingredients in a large ziplock bag or bowl and let sit in the refrigerator for 1-2 days before serving.

Cole slaw cups:

I portioned a pre-made Cole slaw from a local deli in 8 oz containers for another simple side.

Assorted sliders:

This was the only item I can’t take any credit for making or portioning out. I pre-ordered 3 boxes of fresh made assorted sliders from a local shop in New Jersey called Pricillas Pantry. These were grab & go & so delicious. I made sure to make a sign labeling what was in each type of sandwich so people wouldn’t pick around in the box. If you live near by, I highly reccomend having these at your next party.

Desserts

Apple Cider Donuts

We purchased some fresh delicious Apple cider donuts & placed them all in separate fall themed baggies (from the Christmas tree shops, less than $2).

Pumpkin mousse Cups

This recipe is very simple to prep & I was able to make it 3 days in advance. I portioned in the cups the day of the party because we didn’t have enough space in the refrigerator to keep them. If you have the room, you can most certainly portion these out in advance. I found the perfect little cups that came with a cap & spoon:

Ingredients

• 4 Packages sugar free vanilla pudding mix
• 6 cups fat free milk
• 2 (15oz) cans of pumpkin puree
• 2 Tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 2 cups thawed fat-free cool whip
• crushed graham crackers
• Candied pecans

How to Make it…

1. Whisk pudding & milk in large bowl for 2 minutes
2. Add pumpkin puree & pumpkin pie spice
3. Mix in cool whip
4. Let sit in refrigerator for a minimum of one hour

Portioning cups

1. Sprinkle a small layer of graham cracker crumbs into the bottoms of the cups
2. Add pumpkin mousse mixture
3. Sprinkle a generous layer of graham cracker crumbs on top of the mousse
4. Top with a candied pecan.

Drinks

We decided to make this party BYOB, but we did supply cans of soda, small water bottles, & plastic cups. There were no community bottles of mixers or drinks, and this turned out just fine.

I did prepare a warm apple cider station (one which had vodka & brandy mixed in & one non-alcholic). I had a little fun with the quote by that drink station: “An Apple a day keeps the doctor away”. We supplied hand sanitizer & napkins to use while self-serving the drinks & opted for disposable insulated cups.

Presentation

Many of my display baskets were items I had laying around the house, but I am linking my amazing Crate & Barrel display towers here because they helped present all these foods so nicely without cluttering the table & requiring guests to reach over the foods. These trays were items on my wedding registry and I was so excited to finally get to use them!

Favors

You can’t send your guests home empty handed, so I bagged up some of my favorite kettle corn (Trader Joe’s Maple Bacon Kettle corn) for my guests to grab on their way out.

Do you have any planning tips to add to my list?

Disclosure: This page includes affiliate links for which I could receive commission from purchases made through them. I purchased all of the items used in this post.