Entertaining

Those who know me best know that I love entertaining in my home. I loved it even before I got this nicer, larger home last fall. I don't care how much space I have, or if all the plates match...I just like to have people over to eat and visit. At the same time, I do enjoy trying to make a beautiful environment out of whatever resources I have. I'm never going to be a Martha Stewart, but every once and a while I feel like I created a pretty setting or meal and that brings me joy. Hosting book club twice a year gives me a chance to have "the girls" over. I like to try out new recipes or make old favorites. Sometimes I try new decorating ideas or centerpieces I have seen in magazines or other places. I get a lot of ideas from things I see others do, so I am posting a few photos to inspire and share as well.

One thing that I am absolutely drawn to is floral arranging. I want to be able to pick things from my yard and toss them in a vase. Right now, the pickings seem slim. First of all, I haven't even lived here long enough to plant the flowers I like. Outside in my yard right now, there are only daffodils and irises blooming. But as I looked closer, I realized that there was a beautiful tree covered in pink blossoms just beyond our back fence. I also saw that the sage had purple blossoms. So I gathered a few of these things, along with a few green vines. It made a beautiful arrangement for the dinner table.



As for trying new recipes...the dinner was a Southern theme so I decided to make collard greens. I have never looked at, bought, or even thought about collard greens before. I had no idea if they would taste good or not. But I did find a great recipe for cooking them on allrecipes.com. It turns out that none of my guests that night had tasted collard greens either. It was a fun new experience for everyone. We all thought they tasted great. It can't hurt that the recipe involves bacon! I posted it on our book club recipe blog in case anyone is feeling adventurous.