We love a good dinner party, especially when it’s at your house. No but seriously, throwing a dinner party can be so rewarding. It’s a chance to bond with loved ones over delicious, homemade food — hopefully!

While you want your guests to be comfortable, throwing a dinner party is no casual affair. It takes planning, forethought and quite a lot of work. Before you spend lots of time going all Martha and making napkin rings out of recycled bicycle tires or whatever, focus first on what matters, and you’re guaranteed to thrill your guests with quality chow, and still have time to clink glasses with them. Derrick at SFist lays it out for you. (via Derrick’s blog, An Obsession With Food)