If a guest who follows a low-sodium diet eats a little too much salt at your party, it won't kill her. But if she bites into something to which she's allergic, it can be fatal, cautions Jordan. So it's best to play it safe and not use the offending ingredient in any of your dishes. Request that any partygoers bringing a dish avoid the troublemaking ingredient as well. Remember that your home is not a restaurant.
Many hosts end up making three or four main courses to try to please everyone.
Just look for a common food denominator. Serve dressings, gravies, and sauces on the side. And some toppings, such as gravy or Caesar salad dressing, don't qualify as vegetarian either. So let your guests decide how much, if any, they want. If you're serving a buffet, avoid endless questions by putting a card near the dressings that describes them.