Take Time To Break Bread Together
I love entertaining.
I love being around friends and family.
I love attending parties and social events.
The hubs loves entertaining and being social as well.
But I get tired. At the end of a work week and afternoons and evenings and weekends spent delivering and chasing kids from point A to point B, I am exhausted. (This too shall pass, I know.) But it's not about me. It's about blessing others with hospitality and fellowship.
A few years ago, I was blessed with a perfect remedy in the book by Oregon blogger and writer, Sandy Coughlin, The Reluctant Entertainer - Every woman's guide to simple and gracious hospitality. My mom gifted me the book and I hold onto many great truths Sandy shares throughout the book. She starts out the book asking her readers to have a show of hands if they feel like they don't have what it takes to pull off a successful meal or party in your home and begins teaching the simple steps to keep us (and our families) connected instead of isolated - together instead of alone.
Crooked River Ranch, Oregon
One of my favorites Coughlin shares is that we "Entertain to refresh, not to impress." This is so true. Being around our friends is refreshing. It's not about preparing the most complicated gourmet meal but about the time spent enjoying the company of our guests.
Other favorite "take-aways" from her philosophy on entertaining include:
- Live a life that says welcome and let your heart be the home of hospitality.
- Celebrate the simple joys of good health, good food and family fellowship.
- Practice grace: our houses don't have to be large or beautiful - we can practice grace by sharing our lives, experiences and food with others with an attitude that says, "You are cared about exactly how you are."
- Hospitality rebuilds community, restores relationships and revives families.
It is only when I share life's experiences with others that I can enjoy them or endure them to the greatest advantage.You see, having a relationship calls for being in fellowship with others, and that cannot be done very easily at arm's length.It implies getting in touch, feeling the hurts, being an instrument of encouragement and healing.Fences must come down.Masks need to come off.Welcome signs need to be hung outside the door.Bridges need to be lowered that allow others to cross the moat and then share our joys and our sorrows.
My all-time favorite cookbook author, Ina Garten, always talks about how important it is to not be tucked away in a kitchen while your guests are visiting. Her strategies include preparing simple but good food in advance that can be somewhat thrown together "assembled" rather than cooking. or to employ your guests in helping prepare components of the meal. One of Ina's meals that I've replicated involved making pizza dough and having all the toppings available for the guests to assemble their own, then throwing these on the grill. Easy peasey!
Ina's approach coins parties as "recess" for grown-ups that everyone goes home saying "wasn't that fun!" Her approach allows that the parties are not only fun for friends but also for us!
- Keep an appetizer or dessert in the freezer - always ready for an impromptu guest or visitor.
- Determine your top three to five signature meals and tape the recipes inside your kitchen cupboard or pantry. Or better yet, master making a good basic recipe that provides a framework for many variations.
- Serve the meal family style so everyone can help themselves
- Think outside the box and realize that entertaining doesn't have to only mean Saturday nights. It can mean Sunday brunches or Taco Tuesdays or Saturday afternoon football games.
Final basting on the grilled Traeger Chicken
Ideas for Fall Entertaining:
- Chili Night
- Oktoberfest
- Apple Potluck - every guest brings a dish with apples
- Harvest/Fall Farmer's Market
- Fondue with Fall flavors such as Cheddar and Cider Fondue
- Soup Night
- Sunday Chicken Dinner with Comfort Foods
- Mexican Fiesta with Enchiladas
- Make Your Own Pizza Party
- Pie Party with Chicken Pot Pies, Tomato Tart Pie and Various Fruit Pies
The Traeger Grilling Guy
Resources for Entertaining:
Food Network's Entertaining a Crowd - tips for hosting a stylish and stress-free get-together
Allrecipes' Easy Entertaining recipes and menus including ideas from Game Night Party recipes, Fondue Feasts and Oktoberfest party food. I love that these recipes have all been reviewed by everyday cooks.
Martha's Quick Recipes for Entertaining - from Pacific Pork Kebabs with Pineapple Rice to Grilled Steak with Blue Cheese Potatoes
20 Easy Recipes for Weeknight Entertaining - Who says you have to wait until the weekend?
Serving Sizes for a Crowd:
- A portion of meat per person is 1/4 to 1/3 pound.
- A portion of vegetables, rice, pasta or salad is 1/2 cup.
- Count on 4 to six appetizer pieces per person if you are serving a meal but if you are just serving appetizers with drinks the amount would be 12 pieces per person.
- Plan on 3 drinks per guest. (A bottle of wine pours 5 glasses.) Always have non-alcoholic drink options also.
- It's safe to assume that at least one guest will be vegetarian so have at least one non-meat option.
- A pie or tart will serve 8 to 10 slices.
Birthday girl
Entertaining Cookbooks I love:
- Barefoot Contessa Parties by Ina Garten - Hands-down my favorite book for entertaining as I have never prepared a bad recipe and the recipes are simple but prepare amazing tasting results. I started typing a list of my favorites from this book but realized I wouldn't be able to stop until each tried recipe was listed. Trust me...this is a winner.
- Perfect Party Food by Diane Phillips packs all the recipes and tips you need for stress-free entertaining by making everything in advance via do-ahead recipes so you get to enjoy your gathering.
- The America's Test Kitchen created the Menu Cookbook that takes the guesswork out of creating party and seasonal entertaining menus that flow together seamlessly. Fall menu ideas include recipes for a Little Italy Pasta Supper, a Vegetarian Indian Night, an Autumn Harvest Pork Dinner and a Rustic Tuscan Supper. I love the fact that these recipes have been tested over and over until the best possible version of the recipe is discovered. Trust-worthy.
- For a fun starter book to entertaining, The Last-Minute Party Girl by Erika Lenkert contains easy recipes you can throw together or teaches you how to keep a stash of items in your freezer or pantry for those impromptu gatherings. A must-try is her recipe for Godfather's - amazing little dough balls that can switch from savory to sweet with just a sprinkling of seasonings.
Menus from Entertaining - My brain requires that I make a list of each item that we will be serving when entertaining (yes, even for the kids' birthday parties/meals). The lists are usually scratched out on scraps of paper, sticky notes or even printed recipes (gasp) but I have to say that I love looking back and these recipes and have found myself saving them in a notebook for future inspiration (also so that I don't serve the same meals to friends more than once).
Now if I could just start a little entertaining journal.
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Take the time.
Break bread together.
You will be happy you took the time to laugh and connect with others.
