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Over the years I have perfected my entertaining  strategies.  Gone are the days where I slave away in the kitchen while everyone else is enjoying themselves.  Gone is the stress that everything will come together.  With a little prep, I usually have everything made days ahead of time.  All I really need to do on the day of a party are add a few simple touches.

I prefer buffet style serving.

I found a wonderful Carne Asada at the market.  All we have to do is grill it for a few minutes and we are set.  For this party, I grilled all the meat about an hour before our company was scheduled to arrive at kept it warm in the oven.  When we were ready to eat, I simply put it on a serving dish.

Yummy condiments allow everyone to customize their tacos to their own liking.  I chopped the onions and cilantro the day before and stored them in zip lock bags.  I made the salsa and guacamole the day before as well.

Spanish Rice and refried beans can both be made ahead of time as well.  I prefer to use refried beans from a can.  I add cheese and enchilada sauce to them to make them special.  I also keep this in the oven on warm.

For the table decorations I simply used recycled jars, stone, and fresh flowers.  The ivy is fake. I used it a few years ago for a spring dinner.