Progressive Dinner

Why I love them

I cannot say enough just how much I LOVE progressive dinners. My first progressive dinner was in 11th grade the day of the girls choice dance. I remember that there were 4 couples... so 8 of us. And my date I think was a 10th grader! (he was the electric guitar player in our Show Choir- yes a younger man), two other couples were all seniors and then two were juniors. Mom lent us her van so that I could pick up everyone (guys and girls). Then we went to someones house for a soup, then to my house for the main course, and to the last house for milkshakes. I remember at that house my friend had arranged for a wait staff (younger friends) to make our shakes fresh and serve them. I remember they even had a menu for us to choose our flavor of milkshake. That was my first experience with Progressive dinners. I had another one while dating my husband. I think they are great!

How it works
Here is a good explanation of how to do it as a dinner date with friends:
This party style works especially well for friends who live close to one another. It's even better if you are actually neighbors because then everyone can walk from home to home without worrying about organizing cars and designated drivers. It also facilitates digesting between courses!
When planning your dinner, you should schedule no more than 3-4 courses. Beyond that the logistics become too complicated with too much time wasted on traveling. Plan on at least a three hour evening, in order to allow for 45 minutes to an hour at each stop.
Here are suggestions for potential courses:
Hors d'oeuvres and cocktails
An appetizer course
A first course such as soup, salad or pasta
The main course
Dessert

Make it Fun
Some groups hold monthly Progressive Dinners with a different theme each month. Each dinner courses responsibilities can be rotated among participants, or everyone can always be responsible for their favorite course. You can pick holiday themes, seasonal themes or different cuisines for each dinner. Tie-in your decorations with the recipes, asking each host home to use decorations representing the nationality of the course they are serving, or picking up on your seasonal theme. Or make the menu items challenging by preparing alphabetical dishes, e.g. the first home prepares an appetizer beginning with the letter A, the second home prepares a main dish beginning with the letter B, and so forth. The next month continue with the letter where you left off in the previous dinner. Good luck to the host who gets the letter X! Whatever you do, have fun with it!

Large Group Suggestions
If you are doing this with a large group maybe a group of women from church the hors d'oeuvres course could be held with everyone gathered in one home or location such as the church. Then the group splits off into small groups for the next two courses in volunteers' homes. At the end of the evening the whole group reconvenes in a large home or facility to share dessert. If this is the case, some people might be asked to bring appetizers and a side dish, others might prepare a side dish and dessert. The members hosting the main course have no other responsibilities.

Drawbacks and Tips
From my experience, and after checking with friends who have participated in progressive dinners, there are several drawbacks to this plan. Unlike a potluck dinner where everyone brings food to one location, every host has to prepare his home for receiving guests, as well as having the cleanup afterwards. Also, it can be difficult to move people out of a home to go to the next course when the party is really rolling along. Finally, unless you pick the right recipes, the host for the subsequent course generally has to cut her current course short to run home and get ready for the next round. With all of that in mind, here are some final tips for hosting one of these dinners:

1.The closer the participants live to one another, the better for minimizing travel time.
2.Never plan on more than three changes of locale.
3.Choose recipes that can be made ahead and simply reheated and served when the guests arrive. There's no time to fuss in the kitchen when everyone needs to get up and leave within the hour.
4.Set your table prior to leaving your home for the first course.
******some ideas from entertaining.about.com

Start Your Own Gourmet Dinner Club

Not only is this blog a place to share the dinner parties that my husband and I host, but also a place to collect ideas for future parties for myself and anyone looking at this blog to do their own parties. I came across an article on a blog about a dinner club/dinner group and thought it sounded like a great idea for any of you who want to party every month, but share the work and the cost with friends. It's a great idea... I may try it some day.

Some groups call it their Gourmet Club; others name it a Dinner Club. Whatever these clubs are called, they're all about groups of friends who share a passion for food - both cooking it and eating it. They usually meet every 4-6 weeks and share a special meal.
Some groups use these clubs to be adventurous and experiment with new cuisines or gourmet ingredients, unlike the recipes you would find at a typical church potluck supper. Some are based on a theme, for example, apples to celebrate autumn or a beach party to welcome summer.
In some cases the host couple for that month (the home where the party is held) plan and cook the entire meal while other guests will have their own turn at doing a full meal later in the rotation. Another method is to give out food assignments making each month a potluck. In this case the host is usually responsible for the main course. In some clubs the host of the month plans the meals, in others the group gets together to plan it. The typical size of these groups range from 8-12 members.
Here are tips for organizing and running your own Dinner Club:
Decide the overall club objective. Is it simply camaraderie? Are you looking for a gourmet experience?
Invite friends who share similar food interests and skill levels to join the club. You don't want novices to be intimidated by professional chefs in the group.
Determine a set schedule for the club in advance, such as the second Saturday of every month.
Decide how the menus will be planned and where the food will be cooked.
Establish how many courses will be served, and how they will rotate among members.
Discuss whether budget is a consideration, and if so, what it will be.
**********this post comes from http://www.entertainingabout.com/

Sample Dinner Group rules and guidelines

Dinner Club
Objective: To surround ourselves with friends, try new restaurants, have fun, and enjoy adult
conversation.

Rules
1. Organization:
• We will meet the 4th Saturday of every month. (Except December.)
• At least two couples will rotate into a different group each month.
• Each couple will host at least two dinner clubs each year.
• No children. However infants are welcome.
• Please no restaurants with the majority of entrées over $25/person unless agreed
upon by the group.

2. Chair Couple Responsibilities
• Remind the Host Couple’s it’s their month to organize the club.
• Organize the rotating schedule.
• Pass out surveys.

3. Host Couple Responsibility:
• Select the restaurant and/or activity for that month. (Anything goes: game night,
dinner out, dessert, etc. Please no movies.)
• The assigned host couple is responsible for sending out an invitation to each member
of the club two weeks prior and send an e-mail reminder a couple days before.
• Make sure the restaurant has the capacity for our group and make a reservation if
required.
• If the majority of one group cannot attend the dinner, the hosts can invite a guest
couple or call the other group to see if they can join them.

4. Couple Responsibility:
• Get a babysitter.
• Each couple should RSVP to their host couple at least a week in advance.
• If an emergency comes up, call the host couple as soon as possible. This eliminates
people from waiting on you at the restaurant and holding up dinner.
• Each couple should have a great attitude and be willing to try new restaurants, foods,
and activities.
• The participating couples do not need to worry about getting a substitute couple if
they are unable to attend.

5. Likes and Dislikes: A survey of likes, dislikes and theme meal preferences will be gathered
from each member.

Dinner Club Agenda:

1. Name of Club _____________________________________________
2. Set regular date in advance: ____________________________________
3. Do we want to rotate two couples each month?
4. Do we want to get a substitute if we can’t make it?
5. Do we want to limit any activities such as a movie?
6. Sign up as hosts then rotate schedule.
7. Survey.

How to start your own Supper club a.k.a. Dinner Group

I had heard about supper clubs, but I wasn't sure what it was. To read more on this subject see my other posts (http://maggiesdinnerdates.blogspot.com/search/label/Dinner%20Groups) Cooking Light Central.com had a great article explaining how to start one, tips for hostesses, and for the themes listed below you can get printable invitations, menu, recipe cards, and place cards. Check it out!!!
A supper club is, in many ways, a glorified potluck dinner. The food is often excellent, the company is entertaining and the work is split evenly between the friends in the club. Although we often consider quickness of food service to be more important than taste or quality, a supper club turns this concept on its head. Time is the least important consideration, while the quality of the food and the friendship is paramount.

Tip Sheet (this is a great resource open it up and check it out!) - Plan an organizational meeting to plan: How many and Who will be in the group? How often will you meet? What day of the week will you meet? Will the club cook together on site? Will it be potluck by couple? Who will host party? Will menus be themed? and many other questions you will need to answer.

Here are basic guidelines to think about....
Step 1 Invite your friends. You may want to include old friends or new friends in your entertaining. It doesn't matter, as long as they enjoy cooking and are passionate about their food. You can select a small group or a big group, depending on the space you have available.
Step 2 Choose a menu. Your supper club may want to concentrate on a specific type of food: Thai food, Italian food, vegetarian food or comfort food. You may choose to vary the menu from time to time.
Step 3 Divide up the cooking. The host of the supper club will usually prepare the main course with the guests bringing side dishes, salads and desserts. More accomplished cooks may choose more complicated dishes, while beginning chefs may choose simpler fare.
Step 4 Set a schedule. Some supper clubs meet every other month, some meet quarterly. You can do whatever works for the members of your group.
Step 5 Take turns visiting each other's homes. Supper clubs usually rotate between the homes of the various members. This way no one is committed to always making the main dish or preparing their home for entertaining guests.
Step 6 Cook, eat and enjoy. The entire purpose of a supper club is to eat good food while spending time with people you like. Take the time to enjoy this delightful style of entertaining.

Themed Parties (you have to check these out!!!)

The Other Side of the Mediterranean (gorgeous invites and placecards)
Southern BBQ (leather looking invites and placecards)
Pan Asian (fun! the menu sheet will be fun to fill)
Homestyle Italian (not my style, but still cute)
The Exotic Flavors of India (beautiful invite and recipe cards)
The World of Japanese Cuisine