You’re ready to host a party. There’s a reason to celebrate. You’re dusting off your best china (or Chinet) and even searching high and low for that gravy boat you’re sure is packed away somewhere. There’s just that one small nagging in the back of your mind: Will I get an accurate guest count?

Guest count! Today we have more ways than ever of getting in touch-home phone, cell phone, e-mail, snail mail, fax, and pager. Accessibility is at a new high (or low). And yet, getting us to respond to party invites is more challenging than ever. The question of the day is, what is the gracious party hostess to do? The invites are out, the house cleaner is scheduled, menu planning is underway, but the respondents aren’t responding. What next?

Let’s back up here. Put on your pessimist hat-the party palace is half empty and all that. Let’s assume guest count will be a challenge. Before the invites even go out, give yourself a few extra days as a cushion when listing the "respond by" date. If you need five days for your shopping, menu prep, etc. (or the caterer), give yourself eight.

If you’re hiring a caterer for your party, put that on the invitation. "Hey folks, a real caterer will be preparing real food here, and we’ll be paying them real money for it. So let us know-really-if you can make it or not." Or you may want to go with a more subtle approach: "As the caterer will need a guest count, please respond by X."

If you find yourself a few days before your event with many responses unaccounted for, you can try these options:

• Plan that half of the non-responses will attend and half won’t. So if you haven’t heard from 20 of your invited guests, plan that 10 will show (and hopefully, with heads hung in shame as they apologize profusely).
  
  
• Follow up with those invitees. Aren’t you glad you have a few extra days as a cushion for just this purpose? It gives you time to track them down, without carving into your vital prep time.

After that, just be flexible and go with the flow. And remember, chips and salsa are always available at your nearby grocer.

Chili 

    1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained 
    *1-1/2 cups crockpot beef, shredded 
    2 large cans (29 oz. each) crushed tomatoes 
    1 cup chopped onion 
    1 package chili seasoning 
    1 tbsp. minced garlic 
    6 oz. can tomato paste 
    Corn, diced carrots (optional) 
    Smokey barbeque sauce, about 1/2 cup 
    2 cans beans with juice (butter, northern, kidney- your choice) 

Mix in crockpot and cook on low three to five hours. This recipe will require a large crockpot (5 quart). Reduce ingredients by half for smaller crockpot.

*Crockpot Beef 

    3 to 5 lb. boneless beef roast (top or bottom round, chuck-anything you like).

Cut meat into two- or three-inch cubes and remove most of the fat. Throw it in your crockpot with one-half cup of water and an envelope of onion soup mix or some beef bouillon. Turn crockpot on low and leave it eight to 12 hours-until beef is tender and shreds easily with a fork. Keep about one and a half cups of beef for chili. TPW