Our Feed Lot Rules

Our dinner party, The Feed Lot, has become something we really look forward to each month.  Here are our rules, for anyone who is interested in doing something similar:

1. The Feed Lot is held monthly, on a date that suits everyone - usually a weeknight
2. Each month there is a different theme, ranging from a particular ingredient, a country, a style of cooking or a celebration
3. A different household hosts The Feed Lot each month
4. Everyone contributes, nominating to bring either entree, main or dessert

All of the above rules are determined at the end of the previous Feed Lot...

Other things we do:

1. BYO drinks
2. Two of the couples in our group have children.  They bring them along generally having already fed them, and set them up in another room with a DVD or game until they fall asleep.  Works well so far!
3. Our group has four shift workers, which is purely coincidental, which is why we couldn't set the same date each month (EG every second Wednesday)
4. Sometimes a 'host' will add to their Feed Lot with rules such as dressing up in theme, making a short speech based on the theme, playing a game (eg Celebrity heads) using the theme etc.

This is what works for us...