The holidays may be over, but there is always room to have family and friends over for dinner, especially for a Mediterranean style dinner party that all will enjoy, even the kiddos.

Cooking delicious food for the people we love the most is one of the things that I love most of my husband. And it is a great excuse to try cooking new dishes too. Typically when we have people over outside of the holidays, we try to cook something different. Whether it's a new recipe altogether, or we recreate a well-loved recipe with a different take on it.

When you think about Mediterranean style dinner, what do you think?

Oil, bread, and wine?

While a Mediterranean style dinner may have those three staples, they also consist of vegetables, seafood, poultry meats and many other everyday staples that you probably already have in your kitchen and pantry.

Delicious Mediterranean Style Dinner Party Tips

There are some cuisines that are effortlessly crammed with flavor and health benefits too. One of those is the Med diet. So here are some tips for creating a beautiful evening, with delectable dishes. 

Prepare

One of the most important things you can do for yourself is to have as much of the food prepared in advance as possible. And Mediterranean food really lends itself to this possibility. The meze platter and be prepared and stored in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it. Make sure that your dishwasher is empty and ready to be stacked as each course is finished. 

Make sure that you have ordered or sourced all of the ingredients that you are going to need. There is nothing worse than planning on salmon, only to find there is nothing available that can replace it. 

Theme

You can really play around and have fun with your table settings here. Using bring plates and glassware. Vibrant colors will already give the table a lot of interest.

You can have a hint of Greek inspiration and add a blue and white table runner or place name cars too. Small tealight candles can create a calm and relaxing atmosphere also. Smaller tapas bowls dotted along the table will fill up any space and give you the opportunity to add extra snacks too. 

Menu

There are some flavors and ingredients that most people will expect on the table. This seafood recipe is great for your main meal. In general, you will have plenty of olives, lemon, seafood, herbs, and chickpeas (hummus) as the food options.

Go for dishes big in flavor. And one of the most joyful things about Med cooking is they the dishes are rich and flavourful but relatively simple to prepare. 

Meze

The Meze platter can be a feast for the eyes and the stomach. The great thing is that they can be served at any time of day, so if you are having lunch or dinner, it is always the perfect time. Try to create a mixture of textures and flavors in your platter.

Here are some suggestions for excellent meze. 

• Feta cheese
• Eggplant dips
• Hummus dips (try to have spicy and plain, you can create your own hummus too)
• Stuffed grapevine leaves
• Sun-Dried tomatoes
• Spanakopita
• Breadsticks

Meze is the perfect thing to get people eating and chatting. Maybe even a little dancing, which leads me to my next point.

Music 

Try to find a range of traditional music. It will help add to the experience and bring your dinner party the full 360 experience. 

Having fun is the real aim of a dinner party, though, for both you and your guests. When everything is prepared in advance, you have a much higher chance of being able to kick back and relax throughout the meal. And, even though it looks luxurious, it’s an incredibly healthy option!