Dear Martha:

I have a problem. I’m planning a dinner party for a bunch of good friends. I know what I want to serve, but when I invited my friends, one said she couldn’t eat gluten, another was vegan and a third couldn’t eat dark greens.

This pretty much rules out my plans.

What do I do? Cancel the party? I can’t afford to buy premade foods and I’m not much of a cook.

Any suggestions?

Frustrated

Dear Frustrated:

With today’s awareness of what foods work for us and which ones don’t, when you invite company, you either only invite those who can eat what you’re planning on serving, or turn it into a pot luck.

The advantage of pot luck is that everyone can eat at least one dish, so no one goes home hungry.

The other option is to not host a dinner, but rather snacks and appetizers. Include entertainment and set up enough games that everyone can play.

Not every gathering has to be about food.

I hope it goes well for you.

Martha