We love having guests for dinner.
And last year we were lax at having people over.
Often, we just met friends at a restaurant . . .
But it's not nearly as much fun
as having people over!
Two of my favorite parts of dinner parties are:
The dinner table after every one has gone and before we've
hauled the dishes to the kitchen.
And
The table in all it's finery
just before
the guests arrive.
Everything is perfect
The house smells of cooking food
We've showered, cleaned up and dressed in company togs.
And we've got the anticipation of the party yet to come.
A dinner party we had a couple of weeks ago.
For two other couples
For me, the perfect number of guests.
All can contribute to the conversation
(which with a table of eight, you often have two fours)
And not so many dishes
(and glasses)
that the host and hostess
(mainly the hostess)
have to deal with.
And I've learned, to have a simpler meal
Appetizers in the parlor with a cocktail or wine,
A first course
(often a salad)
A main course
Rigatoni with Gino Stipo's bolognese sauce
(the best bolognese sauce I've ever made)
And coffee served with dessert
A lemon yogurt cake
With wee glasses of a liqueur to finish up the meal.
Good company, good food, a good evening.
It's Thursday and I'm joining Susan at Between Naps On the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.
14 comments:
It all looks beautiful and delish.
Sounds like a perfect evening! Lovely setting and great menu.
We like to have 6 around our table because our dining room is small. When I'm planning the menu, it is simple, but my "chef" often gets carried away when he is the menu planner. We make a good team though. I'm in charge of the table, the chef the menu.
I so agree with you about enjoying the moments right before the dinner party guests arrive! I love to have a few minutes to sit and relax while waiting for them to arrive, knowing all is ready!
So where is the sauce recipe?????
Looks wonderful! Will you share the sauce recipe?
Recipe please...Thank you, Linda
My table is best with 6, too. Great minds -- we had bolognese this week, too. The husband loves it.
Hi Martha,
I hope everything went off without a hitch at your dinner party. The table looks delightful as well as the menu.
What a perfect table for such a great dinner! I'd feel great about it, too!
It looks lovely, Martha!
I want the recipe too! Your table is beautiful. It takes really good planning to be able to have everything ready with time to spare before the guests arrive for dinner, good for you!!! I wish I was as prepared when company is coming. I love to entertain but it wears me out.
Whoa..I almost missed this ! Just lovely !
The table looks perfectly inviting! Couldn't agree more about having a little breather before guests arrive. We usually have just a small glass of wine together..
I love that you showed that you enjoy seeing the "after the party" view of the dining table- I love that too! I also like thinking about how the evening went as I wash up the glassware (usually the next a.m.!) Thank you for the reminder to keep the guest list smaller and the menu simple...we have been having dinner parties for 10 lately and with way too many courses and it has burned us out. We need to get back to the basics and enjoy entertaining again! Loved this post and glad I stopped by from BNOTP!
DD
Martha,
Lovely menu and tablescape, dear friend!!!
Fondly,
Pat
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