What does everyone like to do when the weather is cold outside? Eating a scrumptious meal is probably high on that list. Everyone could probably agree that: 1) People like a well-planned meal, 2) No one likes the do all the cooking themselves, unless you’re Martha Stewart, and 3) The fun and variety is multiplied when several cooks are involved.

How about planning a family party around those assumptions? It’s called a progressive dinner.

If you don’t have a large family or relatives who live nearby, then you can always plan this with neighbors and friends.

This is called progressive because all the guests progress from place to place for each course.

According to the wikiHow website, there are six steps to planning a great progressive dinner party:

1) Select the hosts; three to four is a good number.

2) Develop the guest list. (Six to 12 guests is a manageable number.)

3) Send out the invitations. Include the times and addresses for each host’s home, and include RSVP.

4) Follow up with guests who haven’t responded. You need an accurate count of guests, so cooks know how much food to prepare.

5) Follow up with each host a week before the scheduled date. Tell them the final number of guests and ask for confirmation of participation.

So, let’s say you have four family members, neighbors or friends who want to do this. In any of these scenarios, you can involve the kids in the planning and preparation.

Here is a sample menu:

Host No. 1: appetizers with cran-grape punch (just mix with lemon-lime soda), ham and cheese muffins.

Host No. 2: soup course, tomato bisque

Host No. 3: main course with tea, water, etc.; grilled steaks, twice-baked potatoes and buttered asparagus.

Host No. 4: dessert with coffee, milk and iced tea; “survival biscuits”

Making survival biscuits is easy. Follow the chocolate chip cookie recipe on the bag of semi-sweet morsels. Make sure you use real softened butter. Add a cup of walnuts or pecans, a cup of milk chocolate morsels and a cup of butterscotch morsels.

(If anyone has a nut allergy, then you can add the nuts as a last step and have a separate bowl of dough.)

For each additional host, you can add a salad course, etc. This is your progressive dinner; tailor it to your own preferences and style.