The Reluctant Entertainer: Every Woman's Guide to Simple and Gracious Hospitality by Sandy Coughlin

Author:Sandy Coughlin
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: Food*Cooking*Holiday*Entertaining, Cookbooks; Food Wine
ISBN: 9781441212153
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2010-07-31T16:00:00+00:00

When you’re looking for entertaining items, keep your desired style and theme of how you like to entertain in mind. For instance, if you serve only buffet-style, look for pieces that would work for a buffet line. My eyes are always peeled for tablecloths or runners, unique candleholders, vases, decorating items, and folding chairs and tables.

Last summer my husband and I eyed this very cool round antique cooler. We agreed that it could be used for ice and drinks or as a plant stand. There was no price, so I offered five dollars and it was a done deal. In this case we were able to discuss if we needed this item, whether it was worth the money, and what we’d do with it. The benefit of having a friend with you is they can talk sense into you to not spend the money if it’s something you really don’t need.

DIY WITH CANNING JARS

My love for canning jars stretches back to the days when Grandma Dubs was alive. I remember how she’d cut fresh flowers from her garden and place them in a canning jar. You just can’t make it simpler or more beautiful than that. But Grandma’s real purpose for the jars was canning, which I rediscovered about ten years ago. I went on a hunt for jars at yard sales and came back with five boxes of quart-size jars, all for a dollar per box.

In this economy I find myself looking for new ways to reach out and bless others by rediscovering what I have, so the versatility of a canning jar works. Here are some of my favorite non-canning ways to use canning jars:

• Gifts like layer mixes (soups, cookies, and breads—see cake in a jar

• Drinking glasses—provide colored permanent markers for guests to write their names on their glasses

• Layer desserts like ice-cream sundaes, fruit parfaits, or layered Jell-O (kids love it!)

• A silverware holder when entertaining potluck- or buffet-style

• Candle holders or party lanterns (with tea lights or votives) to illuminate a walkway

• A vase to display fresh flowers, with water and small rocks at the bottom

• An herb vase—think in terms of scent by filling a jar with fresh rosemary or your favorite herb

STEP OUTSIDE YOUR “NORMAL” STYLE

Once you’ve learned more about your style and finding ways to let your creativity flow, I hope you can challenge yourself to give entertaining a try.

I think back to a hot summer’s night when friends were coming over for dinner, and I warned them ahead of time to be prepared for a carefree evening. What was a carefree evening? I didn’t plan to have the table set or even the meal prepared, as I normally would have. I just wanted to relax with a game of Scrabble, and then later work in the kitchen with my friend Pam without a schedule or a ticking clock. When we did eventually get to the kitchen, we worked together chopping up fresh produce, slicing Pam’s dill bread, and setting the salmon to marinate.

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