Tag Archives: entertaining

Holiday Parties

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christmas-at-debbies-003Is it just me, or does it seem as if we’ve passed through some sort of christmas-at-debbies-006time-jumping holiday black hole? Just the other day it was fall and Thanksgiving and everybody was in an autumn-like mellow sort of mood and today suddenly it’s winter and Christmas and everybody is in panic oh-my-gosh-there’s-so-much-to-do mode. And by “everybody” I mean me, I guess. Deep breaths, deep breaths, in, out, in …. At least I got to start the holiday season with a calm and peaceful weekend as we four former college roommates gathered at my friend Debbie’s house in christmas-at-debbies-0041Nashville, Tenn. Debbie is one of those talented women who can create something so stylish and creative from bargain items she finds at the discount store. She’s amazing. I love the red oversized coffee cup she bought for christmas-at-debbies-012practically pennies a few years ago — now you see them everywhere and not for pennies, either. Her mantle decor was simple and elegant and made me itch to clean the clutter off mine and do the same. That’s one of the best things about good long-time friends: They don’t mind if you steal their ideas. And of course we had food: cookies and casseroles and cheesecake and Chex mix (slightly burned and crunchy, just the way I like it).  Our cooking has matured — a bit — since when we four were at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and party food meant Ruffles potato chips with French onion dip. Good times, good times. But I think we four have held up pretty well since then.

Election Night Food

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election-night-food-003My husband and I are enjoying election night with some fun party food inspired by a story on NPR. Here’s the menu: Deep-dish Chicago pizza with pineapple for Obama, New England crab cakes for Biden, tortilla chips with salsa and jalapeno cheese dip for McCain and wild salmon salad for Palin. To demonstrate party partisanship, I added blue cheese and red wine. Dessert is all-American apple pie, although the NPR story suggested Baked Alaska, of course. We’re settled in for the night, munching away with both laptops going plus CNN on two TVs and NPR on the kitchen radio. Almost everybody I talked to today said their polling places were the most crowded they’d ever seen and more new voters than ever had turned out. I had a half-hour wait at 8 a.m. where I vote, but at 6:15 p.m. my husband walked in and out in five minutes. I didn’t mind waiting though — it was like a neighborhood gathering where I saw folks I hadn’t seen for months and caught up on some good gossip. What a great day when you can combine patriotism, food, family and friends.

Tupelo Party

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tupelo-party-002When my husband and I went to a party some friends of his tupelo-party-0033hosted in Tupelo, Mississippi, this past weekend, I was blown away by this gorgeous space. It’s the Dance Studio in downtown Tupelo and it is really a dance studio as well as perfect party room. The gleaming wood floors and exposed brick walls were the background for soft fall colors of golds, browns and oranges. There was dancing, wine, good company and good food: Vegetable soup, fried chicken, a mashed potato tupelo-party-006bar — and cake. (Hmm … cake.) Every time we’re somewhere that has a mashed potato bar, my husband and I remember our wedding in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, four years ago. Our caterer recently had returned from a caterers’ gathering in California and was enthusiastic about the latest trend: Mashed potatoes in champagne glasses with a variety of toppings you add yourself. John and I looked at each other and agreed that while it sounded like a fun idea and we would certainly like to go to that party, the folks at our wedding might think it was a little weird. What did we know? Now a mashed-potato bar is everybody’s favorite party food. Check out The Dance Studio at http://www.thedancestudiotupelo.com/. And go vote today! You do not want to miss out.

Fall Parties

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I have a friend in Florence, Alabama, who is the most creative and stylish hostess ever. I don’t want to embarrass her here, so I’ll just call her … hmm, let’s see … for no reason whatsoever, I’ll call her Cheryl. Every time I go to a gathering at Cheryl’s house, I feel special because of her generous hospitality, beautifully set tables and scrumptious food. In fact, folks are still talking about a cheese party she gave a couple years ago — I only wish Gourmet magazine had been there. Recently she hosted our four-woman book club, and even though she had worked out of town all day, everything was perfect. Her house was glowing with autumn decoration in browns, golds and oranges; the table settings were so elegant; and you could smell the comforting scents of vegetable soup and pumpkin bread as soon as you walked in the door. Since the main decor at my house is cat hair, coffee cups and stacks of newspapers, I’m glad I have friends such as Cheryl to remind me how to live graciously.