At Home

There are four major categories of party-throwers: those who plan for weeks and do everything, in intricate detail, by hand; those who say 'screw it all' and hire a caterer, decorator, and bartender; those somewhere in the middle—and then, there are those of us who decide the day before a holiday weekend that we really must throw a party, and now we only have to get all the food and clean the house and decorate and invite everyone and get the first round of cocktails going in, oh, about 23 hours. The good news for those in the final category: you only need one hour* to pull off a pretty decent Cinco de Mayo party. Here's how:







1. Take smart shortcuts with the menu. Food (and drink) is more or less the foundation for any good event. Quality conversation and fun-loving guests are important, too, but when those fun-loving guests get hungry and cranky, the conversation could turn to less-than-fun-loving topics. One quick trick of efficient entertainers: Pair store-bought items with homemade extras. Real Simple did a Road Test of frozen hors d'oeuvres, and Delimex's three-cheese taquitos made the list (setup=5 minutes, not counting cooking time). Pair with fresh, homemade guacamole (10 minutes), and no one will be the wiser.

2. Pick up quick, easy decorations. Skip the sombreros and the flashing, hot-pepper shaped strands of Christmas lights, and pick up a crateful of tiny potted cacti—they're cheap, they're cute, you can buy them almost anywhere, and they won't be left there the next day looking like the clueless party guest that wouldn't go home. Look for ones with colorful flowers like those above (setup=5 minutes). If you happen to live near an educational-supply store or a Mexican specialty shop, pick up some loteria (Mexican bingo) cards; hang a length of twine across a wall and clip the cards to it, or tape them in a row down the center of the table like a runner (setup=15 minutes).

3. Provide engaging group activities, in case the margaritas aren't enough (more on those later). Mexican train Dominoes are easy to learn, equal parts skill and luck (so newbies won't get frustrated), and good for up to 8 people (setup=5 minutes). The game is no less fun for having nothing to do with actual Mexican history. If you'll have kids at the party, set out a roll of tin foil (remove the serrated cutting strip first), some poster board and safety scissors, and announce a milagro-making competition—in essence, cutting out shapes from the poster board and wrapping them in foil (5 minutes).

4. Stir up a pitcher of margaritas. Yes, this deserves its own category. And making margaritas for a group is different from making one at a time. Click over to Maggie's "Cinco de Margaritas" post for an appropriate recipe. If you can stir one up in 15 minutes or less, you're golden.

Now wipe that salt off your lip, open the door, and greet your amigos.

*Times do not include any driving/walking time to and from the store.

Related links on Shine:
5 sleep masks to help your hangover
5 salsa recipes for the farmer's market addict
A full Mexican menu for the truly committed