What could go wrong? Over dinner with family, my wife suggested that we entertain a few close friends at our place in a “men-cook-for-the-women-night”. It’s true: She put me on the spot! However, I do love to cook so I thought it sounded like fun. Entertaining guests can be a challenge even with careful planning, as I’m discovering.

The biggest obstacle to making this evening possible has been getting the rest of the guys to overcome their reluctance to cook. That aside, there are one or two things will require some further thought, particularly preparation space. My wife and I have a smaller kitchen than we’d like, so space is at a premium.

As an added surprise for my wife, I decided to order the Pillivuyt Tabletop collection. She had emailed me a few weeks ago about the “adorable cow creamer” and I thought the 1920s restaurant-feel of the Brasserie Pitchers would be a hit with our guests.

The weather has been nice lately, so I think the ladies can enjoy some time on the balcony or in the garden while the guys and I prepare appetizers. Moving around in our modest sized kitchen might cause a touch of claustrophobia so it is important to handout food preparation assignments and make sure that everyone has an adequate working space. This will keep us from tripping all over each other. The benefit of the small working space is that it will help us stay engaged in conversation.

Timing is important as well. Adhering to a schedule keeps the evening flowing. It will prevent back-ups and can have the same effect as having more space. Once dinner is nearly complete we can invite the ladies in to top off their wine and be seated. By this time our work is nearly over and if we have managed our time and space well, the guys and I will have made the ladies so happy that they won’t even notice that the meal isn’t quite what it should be.