You know that saying, Jack of all trades, Master of none? Well, lemme tell you, when it comes to hosting a dinner party, I am the Captain now.

My sister was in town (as she often is!) this past week, so I was inspired to throw a little Mahjong Night with the girls. The back-story: Every time I have played mahj the past 3 months, she has threateningly reminded me that I better teach her or else– and ASAP!

Although it is one of my favorite activities, hosting has mostly been on hiatus since Thanksgiving due to sheer exhaustion and cooking burnout. I was teetering that line of resentment, so knew I had to completely shut it down for a few months.

So back to Mahj Night x Sissy— I decided immediately that I was going full Tex-Mex with homemade enchiladas, tacos/nachos with all the fixings, and would complete the spread with my sister’s legendary spicy grapefruit margs.* Yum, correct? If this was going to be my first foray back into the dinner party, I would need to take the Queen Ina route and go homemade on nearly everything. Yes, I was truly “going to turn up the volume.” :)

I searched the web for homemade enchilada sauce and landed on this version, but added a shit ton more seasoning– like double the measurements on every spice. My fave combo was organic chili powder + cinnamon + Penzey’s Northwoods and Chili 3000. The sauce is the star of the enchilada show, so it could not be bland!

Next, I knew that I wanted to cook the chicken myself rather than go with store-bought rotisserie. What Gaby’s Cooking to the rescue with what is now my no-fail shredded chicken recipe– marinate skinless chicken breast or thighs in a tablespoon of enchilada sauce for at least an hour; cook over medium heat on the stovetop in a tablespoon of oil for 10 minutes; add half a cup of salsa, cover and finish in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes.

As the chicken finished, I moved onto cooking the beans– an organic canned mix of pinto, navy and black– with a similar spice mixture to the enchilada sauce. The key to cooking great beans is diced onion and/or bell pepper, generous cumin and strategic salting. Canned beans absorb salt like none other, so season gingerly. I also let my beans cook at a simmer for about 20 minutes to soften.

We were now ready for the main event! I relied on the www as well for enchilada tricks/tips, and saw universally that authentic recipes called for corn tortillas (I bought three versions) that receive a slight shallow-oil fry before assembling. The construction was the most fun part because, babes, it was haphazard as my friends lingered in the kitchen munching homemade salsa and guacamole.** I did combos of chicken + beans, chicken with shredded cheese, beans and cheese…you get the point. I loved that I could create delicious little vignettes within a single dish.

I pivoted to tacos once I realized there weren’t enough chips for my go-to sheet pan nachos, and quickly cooked off some ground beef in the above seasoning mix. I had never made enchiladas in my life, so needed a confident back-up!

Taking a brief break from the cooking, let’s talk about my table setting/serving process as this is always one of the most key elements of the whole evening.

Following Fat Tuesday/Ash Wednesday, I fully transitioned to Easter season (my favorite!) and placed a few decorations throughout the house. Chic colorful eggs, bunny napkin rings, vintage painted eggs in a Tiffany crystal catch-all, and green and yellow candles + candlesticks to compliment the whole thing. Fresh quince branches climbed from an oversized vase in the center of the table, negating the need for cut flowers. I played into the playful spring hues with bright-colored melamine plates from Sheila Bridges x Harlem Toile, blue and green high-ball glasses and lipstick red napkins. Tip– don’t ruin white-ground napkins when serving red-based meals. Love these!

I have yet to get my own Mahjong set (coming soon!), but do have the perfect wooden folding table for playing. I got it from that place we used to love, but are now actively boycotting, so won’t link. However, you can find the same brand here. It’s sturdy and the perfect height for stacking tiles and talking mad shit with your girls!

As is my general hosting rule, I served the first round and then let everyone help themselves to seconds and thirds. The enchiladas were a MF hit, and I cannot wait to add them to the rotation!

Other hosting tips/tricks:

• Get dressed first, and then finish off the cooking as your guests are milling in! It’s way more communal than being stuck in your bathroom, and everyone inevitably winds up in the kitchen anyway.
• Place all glassware on the table so everyone can serve themselves throughout the evening.
• Have separate cocktail and dinner napkins because people always use more linens/paper products than you were expecting.
• I’m bad about this one, but clear room in the main or wine fridge if friends are BYOBing!
• For game nights, eat at one table and play at another. It’s too much transition to make one surface play double duty.
• If someone asks “what can I bring?” just say dessert– it will be such a relief to simply serve something vs. adding a whole other dish to your list. Store bought is even better– sorry, Ina!
• Double-check the guest bathroom/powder room for extra toilet paper, fresh flowers and clean hand towels. Light a candle if you can remember to blow it out at the end of the night!
• I love my local Pottery Barn/Williams-Sonoma outlet for napkins, runners and tablecloths; small boutiques always have the best glassware, and I must have an arsenal of good knives and various kitchen tools to be the homemade hottie that I am. My non-negotiables: a citrus juicer; quality can opener; tongs of all sizes; sturdy pots, pans and baking sheets; so many dish towels; measuring spoons; and plastic quarts for storage.

Ok, lovelies, Hosting Mimi is back (sporadically!) so come on over! What spring dinner parties are you looking forward to throwing? Tell me Xx

*maybe Ari will grace us with the spicy grapefruit marg recipe in the comments <3
**the key to my guacamole recipe is so much fresh lime juice vs. salt, chunky avo vs. creamy and some cut cherry tomatoes. Jennifer Fisher was my OG homemade salsa recipe, but the key is blitzing diced tomatoes, onion, garlic, half a seeded jalepeno, cilantro, lime juice and salt in a food processor (blender is too soupy!)