Just Come Over! – A Fancy Night in a Tiny NYC Apartment
Hosting a gathering doesn’t need to be limited by your space! In this week’s episode of Just Come Over!, Casper and Michelle show Aimee and Troy how to have their friends over for an extra special, and fancy, evening in their tiny 400 square foot New York City apartment. You can find all of the recipes, activities, products and gathering details below to host your own adventure in a tiny, or not so tiny, space.
How to create your own Nespresso Martini Bar.
Michelle created a DIY Nespresso Martini bar for the guests to assemble their own martinis. Being a bartender has never been easier! 
Michelle used Nespresso’s Zenius Coffee Machine for Small Offices (or tiny NYC apartments!) for a perfectly crafted shot of espresso. Just Come Over! viewers can use the code “JUSTCOMEOVER” for 10% off their order.
As a host, you want to free up as much of your time to be interacting with your guests, not shaking martinis. Print out this recipe card (link to a printable Nespresso branded PDF of ingredients and instructions) to place next your Nespresso Martini station to teach your guests how to shake their own and save yourself time!
Ingredients:
25 mL espresso
15mL vodka
10 mL coffee liquor
Directions:
- Add espresso to you favorite martini glass.
- Put ice, vodka and coffee liquor into the shaker and shake it to chill (when it starts to create foam). Give your booty a shake while you’re at it, it makes it that much more fun.
- Pour the liquid and foam into the glass removing the ice cubes with the strainer.
- Serve immediately.
Ice breakers to get the party started.
It can be awkward as guests begin to arrive but don’t yet know each other. Fortunately, Casper has some great strategies to get people talking, connecting and comfortable.
- Always introduce guests as they arrive to someone they may not already know. Explain how you know each other and list something they may have in common to start talking about.
- “How are you doing?” is a fine question but what’s even better is asking, “What was a win for you today?”.
Cheesecake AND popcorn? Together? No way!
While popcorn is always delicious straight out of the bag, it can be just as delicious in a creative recipe. For Aimee and Troy, is was clear that the Smartfood Popcorn Cheesecake they made was the surprise hit of the evening. (While advertisers can choose to host the recipe on this site they can also host the recipe on their own site, driving viewers directly to their own webpage.) 
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Making the most of your tiny space.
There are several products that Michelle and Casper used this episode to make the most of using a Aimee and Troy’s tiny space to the max.
Not every gathering needs to feel traditional, even a fancy one! Thinking outside of the box eliminates the hurdles and lends to a memorable evening. Rather than traditional sit-down tables, Aimee and Troy opted to use these standing tables from Pottery Barn to save space.
And while it may seem impossible to create a fancy dinner for eight in a 4 foot by 4 foot kitchen, utilizing the pressure cooking abilities of an Instant Pot, Troy was able to prepare a perfectly cooked braised short rib while utilizing very little kitchen space. Not to mention, saving tons of time! No one wants to be cooking while their guests are mingling anyways.
Setting the Mood.
A playlist can make or break any gathering. Casper & Michelle worked with Aimee and Troy to create the ultimate Spotify playlist that would set the mood and tone of the party they were looking to create. Make sure to head over to Spotify and save it to play it at your next gathering.
Find details for our other episodes here:
Hosting My Big Fat Greek Family Reunion
Small Town To Big City, Where Are My Friends?!
Bad Moms Night IN.
