Everyday Entertaining: Making the case for a Friday night dinner party

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Tips for a Friday night (or any weeknight) dinner party

• This isn't the best time to try a new recipe. Make something you know is delicious and reliable — and make it ahead.

• Write out a game plan for what you'll do in the week leading up to the Friday night dinner, including what you'll do each day to prepare for the party.

• Keep the menu simple: a snack or salad to get you started, a main course and a dessert.

• Keep the drinks simple, too: My house drink is a gin and tonic, and our friends know it. They mix it themselves, or it's a quick one for my husband and me to make and serve. Wine is also a staple of a Friday night dinner party. There's no need to play bartender all night.

Some ideas for what to serve

Snacks

• A cheese board with one or two cheeses, crackers, fruit and pickled vegetables. This can be assembled the morning of the dinner and stored (cheese kept in their wrappers until serving) in the fridge. Bring to room temperature about an hour before serving.

• An herb-roasted nut mix.

• A simple, no-frills baby arugula salad with dressing made or bought earlier in the week.

Dinner

• Braised meat that can be reheated the night of the party. Think braised chicken, roasted pork shoulder or curry. That pork shoulder could be shredded before friends show up and then served with all the fixings for a build-your-own-taco night.

• A one-pot meat and grain or pasta dish. Think meatballs and orzo.

• Fish en papillote. For something light and in individual portions, prepare the pouches the morning before the party and store in the fridge on a sheet pan. Pop the pan in the oven and bake when friends arrive.

Dessert

• Bake a single-layer cake the night before, and top it with a simple glaze or dusting of powdered sugar just before guests arrive. Something simple like Marian Burros' famous Original Plum Torte, reprinted again and again in the New York Times, is perfect.

• Granita made earlier in the week and stored in the freezer. Coffee and watermelon are great flavors.

• Store-bought or homemade ice cream made earlier and stored in the freezer. Serve with crushed cookies and a homemade version of Magic Shell. To make the chocolate coating: Break up 3 ½ ounces dark chocolate into several pieces and add to a medium microwave-safe bowl. Add ⅓ cup coconut oil. Microwave in 15-second bursts, stirring between each round, until chocolate and oil are melted and combined, a total of about 45 seconds. The liquid mixture will be thin. You can use a spoon to add chocolate to ice cream or transfer to a squeeze bottle; the cold ice cream will cause the chocolate mixture to harden after several seconds. (Note: Chocolate coating will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for several months. If it separates over time, shake before using.)

• A selection of Girl Scout cookies.