The Art of Entertaining: Dishware

en-ter-tain: to have as a guest; provide food, lodging, etc., for; show hospitality to.

The definition may seem simple in describing what it means to entertain, but there are a variety of categories adjoined to the Art of Entertaining and they are: Tableware, Centerpieces, Place settings, etc. Over the next few weeks we'll take time to help you sort through the BASICS of entertaining, starting with DINNERWARE.

I found myself apologizing to my family one night at dinner as I delivered their food on plates with forks carelessly hanging off of them and paper napkins placed in the center of my bland and poorly set table. "Look at this table!" I muttered to myself. My family seemed to be uninterested in the awful display I presented before them.

Lovely...isn't it?

Where is my napkin?

I offered a voluntary explanation to them that while growing up, I was taught that it doesn't have to be a special occasion for a perfectly set table; A charming table seemed to make the food taste even better. Although I strayed away from the everyday formalities of table setting, those lack luster tendencies are no more when it comes to entertaining. I digress.


Let's talk...dishware!

Every cupboard should house a BASIC set of white dishes, nothing fancy. In fact the dishes don't have to match! Go ahead, let your creative juices kick in, mix and match pieces to give settings a unique display, and might I add, WHITE goes with just about everything!

There are a number of places to find PLAIN WHITE dinnerware, these places include: kitchen supply stores, department stores, discount stores i.e. Home Goods, and even thrift stores. One of my favorite places to buy BASIC white pieces is at Crate and Barrel. They have shelves and shelves of white dishes and bakeware.

I also found one of my favorite pieces here-a pancake warmer, for my oohh so delicious homemade buttermilk pancakes!

You may wonder why you need this piece of bakeware? Well, have you ever made pancakes for breakfast and put them in the oven to stay warm until the others were finished? The end result-hard and dry pancakes. If you are cooking for a large group, i.e brunch, your pancakes will stay warm and fluffy in this warmer. (and again I digress :-)

Let's get back to dishes! For a perfectly stocked cupboard, it's best to have at least 10 to 12 place settings which include, dinner plate, salad/dessert plate, shallow soup bowl, cup and saucer. Once you've built up your repertoire of WHITE dishware, you can start to introduce COLOR into your collection.

Here are some interesting finds that are "outside of the box" of normal dishware. Enjoy!

Floor Plan Square Plate $ 16.95
http://www.fishseddy.com





Impression Crockery
http://www.funktionalley.com

Glass Water Serving Bottles (So Clever!) $31.99
http://www.popdeluxe.net

(Postscript) , here is the recipe to:

The BEST Buttermilk Pancakes...Really!

Follow the recipe to the tee, and you will understand why they are the best!

40 min | 20 min prep

20 pancakes

• 3 eggs, separated
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2/3 cup of milk
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3 tablespoon sugar (reserve 1 tablespoon for egg whites)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted until slightly brown
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Beat the yolks until smooth.

Beat in the buttermilk, milk, vanilla and baking soda; mix well.

Sift in the dry ingredients mixing as you add; make sure the batter is smooth.

Make sure to mix well...No Lumps!

Add in cooled melted butter and mix well.

Add 1 tablespoon sugar to egg whites.

Beat the egg whites in another bowl or mixer until stiff.

Fold into the batter until no bits of white are visible.

Let batter stand about 20 minutes before making pancakes.

Make sure your griddle is really hot!

Ladle batter onto griddle; turn when bubbles form across the cakes and allow to lightly brown on the second side.

I added Blueberries to mine! Yum!

Serve with warm maple syrup and fresh sweet butter.

mmm...mmmm...mmmmmmmm!!

SWEEEEEEEET!

Ciao!

BIRTHDAY No.5

As usual, I started planning my daughter's fifth birthday party the day after her fourth. I realized that I didn't want to dish out a large sum of money that my husband and I put out for her fourth birthday at another one of those local kid entertainment venues.

So I looked toward my empty living room,that we had yet furnished
and thought to myself,"This space is perfect!" I actually turned the entire first level into a Paradise Island, and made the wall decorations out of a pile of old construction paper I found during our move into our home.

Flower Decorations $5.99 per doz.
http://www.orientaltraing.com

For the most part children are easy to please, it's us the parents that get bent out of shape when it comes to pleasing our little ones. There are so many ways to save money when it comes to parties for children. I purchased a few low cost items that served double duty, the leis, sunglasses, and grass skirts were not only part of the entertainment, but were also favors.

Fun Flamingo Sunglasses $5.99 per doz.
http://www.orientaltrading.com

In the end, this turned out to be one of my daughter's best birthday parties, even though she was a bit apprehensive about having a party at home...I made her a believer! :-)

Ciao!

Fruit Kabobs or Fruit Skewers

Fruit Kabobs or Fruit Skewers are a fun and creative way to serve fruit to children, especially if the child is impartial to fruit. Here is a simple recipe to make these delightful yet simple treats.

Fruit Kabobs/ Fruit Skewers

Prep time: 20 minutes


Ingredients

1 small watermelon- sliced
1 pineapple- sliced
1 honeydew melon- sliced
1 or 2 pints of strawberries- whole
1 cantelope- sliced (optional when serving children)

Directions

Cut fruit into shapes with cookie cutters. Thread fruit onto wooden or plastic skewers. Serve plain or with a fruit dip. You may choose to use any fruit variation.
Chill and Enjoy!