Have I told you before that I love having dinner parties? Actually, I love having gatherings of any kind; afternoon tea, Easter brunch, Labor Day parties, you name it and I would be happy to host it. Any day that I can bring people together to eat, drink, and be merry, is a good day for me! I will usually use any excuse to invite friends and family over to my place, so when I heard that one of the challenges for Project Food Blog was to host a Luxury Dinner and to share entertaining tips, I squealed with delight.
To me, luxury means a lot of different things...Buying fresh flowers from the farmers market; relaxing with a latte and a good book; treating myself to a beautiful trinket from a local boutique; or relishing in a well-prepared meal at my favorite restaurant surrounded by family and friends...I think all these things are simple luxuries. When it comes to food, I think of the luxury that is more traditionally fancy, where crystal wine glasses, rich, creamy foods, full-bodied wines, and decadent desserts are involved. I knew that I wanted to have this type of dinner party, although I didn't want it to be too over the top.
For my dinner, I wanted my table to be colorful, elegant, and to have simple beauty. I think one part of hosting a good party is making sure you have a space where your guests can feel comfortable that is appropriate for the occasion.
If your party is casual or you are serving foods family-style, then keep it simple with an uncluttered table and plenty of room. For a formal dinner party, I try to use coordinated place settings to set out everything before the guests arrive. But here, lets be realistic: not all my silverware matches, I might not have four of the exact same wine glasses, and I am not Martha Stewart. I work with what I have, and I usually add extra items like fresh flowers or matching napkins if they are within my budget. I have a penchant for pretty glassware, so I used some of that for the table, along with a candle arrangement that I have had on my buffet for years. The idea is to make it look fancy, but not put you out of a lot of time and money. I also printed out menu cards (a first for me!) which made the occasion feel even more special.
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