A Super-Easy Way to Host a Party

This past weekend I had the honor of hosting a ladies' dessert party while the men and boys were away at a father/son campout. It began at 6:00 PM and everyone was asked to bring a dessert. About 11 or 12 ladies attended and there was lots and lots of chocolate! While we were sitting in the dusk light after we had stuffed ourselves, talking about childbirth and breastfeeding, I asked if any of the women had actually eaten a dinner before they came or was dessert their dinner. Each and every one of them admitted that they had, indeed, not eaten a dinner of any sort. This was to be their dinner! What a female thing to do!

If any among you have a fear of hosting a party, let me give you an idea for a super-easy way to host. Idealistically, here's what I try to do...

1. At least 48 hours before the party, send an email out to the group you would like to have in attendance. In my case, I email every woman in my church group. If there are those who don't have email, they'll need to get a personal call.

2. In the email, state that you are hosting a potluck, state the date and time, and request that everyone in attendance bring a dish, whether it be a main dish, side dish or dessert.

3. The night before the party, send out a quick reminder email.

4. On the day of the party, after cleaning house to your satisfaction, and making a dish yourself, find a place where everyone can place their dish. If there is not room in one place for every dish, have a separate place for desserts or even salads.

5. On a nearby counter, place a stack of plates, a stack of cloth napkins, and a silverware holder, like this one we found at Sam's...


...or you can set the table and place extra dishes on the counter for those who won't fit at the table, as shown in the tablescape photos later in this post.

6. Find a place for a large drink dispenser such as this one...


(We purchased this for under $20)

...and a number of glasses, and fill with ice water or punch right before your guests arrive.

7. Once your guests arrive, simply direct them to the area reserved for the food, and show them where the dishes and seating areas are. If you don't not have enough chairs, guests usually don't mind sitting on couches or benches.

8. Have fun!

A few notes...

-Although emailing is easy, if people in your group do not regularly check their email, they could be left out of the loop.

-Because no one is assigned a particular dish to bring, sometimes things can end up unbalanced, such as too much green salad, or too much dessert and not enough main dish. One way I thought of that might minimize this is to assign people whose last name starts with A-H to bring a main dish, I-R a side dish and, and S-Z a dessert. I haven't really completely thought that out, so there might be some holes in that idea.

-Some might consider that it is too much work to use real dishes rather than paper plates. Let me just tell you that if the guests simply place their dishes in or near the sink, the time it takes to rinse and load into the dishwasher can be minimal. With over 25 people in attendance at the last luncheon I hosted, it took me less than 15 minutes to load the dishwashers. I am lucky to have two of them, but if you only have one, it should take the same amount of time, just at different time intervals. Plus, I like to avoid using anything disposable as much as possible, so I feel good when I use nice dishes and decorative tablescaping.

Here's what I did for the dessert party last week in the courtyard...

The main table, which seated eight...


I used my Mother's Day salad plates on this table because I love the color they add to the tablescape. Because we were just serving dessert, the setting was much simpler than it would have otherwise been...


Next, I set a small wicker table that probably only seats two, but I squeezed three in...


I don't know what I love more, the plates...



...or this Mexican-style pear I purchased for $5.99 at Ross. It is so perfect for my decor!


Last, but not least, there was an adjustable portable table set up for the children...


The surrounding benches were purchased at Albertson's, of all places, for $15 each. Look at this cute monkey detail...


The napkins were folded by the seven-year-old girl and my cousin-in-law's daughter. I think they did a great job!

So there you have it...the way I party! When is your next party? Let me know how it goes!

I am pleased to list this post at...
Between Naps on the Porch's "Tablescape Thursday"
and
The Apron Queen's "Vintage Thingies Thursday".

Go to these blogs and check out everyone else's stuff! You're going to love it!


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Mexican Tablescape (No Swine Flu Here...I Promise!)

I can't tell you how much I have been enjoying this warm weather here in Mexico. We've opened all the windows in the hallways that connect with the courtyard and it's wonderful to feel the fresh air inside.

One of the reasons we built such a large home was because we wanted a place where friends and family could meet for lunches, parties, receptions, even church-related meetings, so when my friend mentioned that we should have a luncheon for another friend who was having a birthday, I jumped on it. I quickly suggested we have it at my house and began fantasizing about what dishes I would use, how many places I would set and where I would send the twins.

There's a wonderful woman who I can call when I need extra help, so I knew that it would be no problem to have the luncheon the next day, even though my house was a mess. The kids could help with the babies, she could help with the sweeping, dusting and such and I could prepare the food and set the table. Several hours later, however, I sat bolt upright when I realized that we would be having the luncheon on Cinco de Mayo! No one would want to work on this most celebrated of Mexican holidays, so I was to be on my own. To top it off, I remembered I had scheduled an appointment with my doctor in the big town for some routine blood work (related to being a vegan, about which I will report later), so that left even less time to accomplish the necessary tasks.

As luck would have it, the twins woke me up at 6:30 in the morning, so I was able to shower, dress, and assign, in writing, tasks to all the kids to finish while I was gone. I don't know if you find it ridiculous when I blog their chores, but I'm going to anyway. Some feedback on that would be nice.

The 14-year-old girl:
-Clean the kitchen and declutter the counters (I requested that she just please try to remember where she put the clutter for later reference)
-Bake "The-Best-Chocolate-Cake-in-the-World-That-Just-Happens-to-be-Vegan" and set it out on racks to cool (for the recipe, click HERE)...

The 12-year-old boy:
-Clean, sweep and mop the courtyard and the kitchen entrance sidewalks

The 9-year-old boy:
-Clean the living room, including putting away all of the clothes on hangers on the sofa
-Clean all of the large stainless steel appliances with Windex

The 7-year-old girl:
-Clean and sweep the entryway
-Clean the formal living room

When we arrived home about an hour before the luncheon was to start, everything was almost done. I did struggle a bit with the 12-year-old boy on his quality of work, but he made up for it by making some really great guacamole dip.

Now...the reason for this post....

The Tablescape!

I decided to set up a table out in the courtyard (which is not quite finished as you will see) as the weather has been perfect and there is a sandbox in the corner in case anyone brought their kids. I set a table for eight, then brought out four tall bar chairs and lined them up in a semi-circle next to the table to use as overflow.

Here's how it turned out...


The plates are pieces I inherited from my grandfather. To him, they were just his everyday, refried beans and tortilla plates, but to me, they are priceless and only to be used on special occasions. The bowls and glasses were given to me by my mother-in-law. They originally came from Guaralahara. The clear glasses were purchased at Big Lots, and the napkins and silverware were purchased at Sam's in the restaurant supply section. I love that section!


As a centerpiece, I used three different colors of geraniums we had just purchased that morning at our favorite nursery in the big town. I know, it was a little large and I ended up moving it after we all sat down, but I had to do something!


As a side note, this talavera tile in the background is some of my favorite tile on the property...


The table I used was actually two camping tables pushed together, so I had to use three table cloths to cover it up. My favorite is this pink shawl I actually purchased from an authentic Indian vendor in a kiosk in the mall. It is laid over a very Mexican tablecloth I purchased at, who would have known, Walmart...


Below is on of my very favorite pitchers in all the world. I bought it at Ross. Actually, when my mother saw it, she bought it, because I told her that even though there was only one, she could have it because I really didn't want it that bad. Yes, I had purchased the appetizer plate and bowl that went with it, but that was okay. She could have it. I really didn't want it. Really. Okay, true confession time. Every time I looked at the pitcher in her living room, displayed with the extra appetizer plate and bowl set she had also purchased, I coveted like a banshee. And every time I went to Ross, I looked for one of those pitchers to go with my set, but I could never find another one. It was only $12, but still, it was so perfect!

One day we were sitting in her living room after my dad died. She looked over at the pitcher, appetizer plate and bowl and said, "You know, Jen, those really never did go very well in this house. Why don't you take them?" Finally! I agreed that they never did go well and that they would look much better in my house. And doesn't the pitcher work out well?...


Although I think the table is gorgeous set like this...


I think it looks much better like this...


...and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it because John took the five youngest to the big town for lunch and Mexican popsicles. Thanks, John! Love you!

I am pleased to list this post at...
Between Naps on the Porch's "Tablescape Thursday"
and
The Apron Queen's "Vintage Thingies Thursday".

Go to these blogs and check out everyone else's stuff! You're going to love it!

If you liked this post and would like to join me here on a regular basis via email or other reader, please...
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(You'll be helping to pay for at least one of the nine kid's college tuition.)
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I Can't Believe It's a Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie

It's hard to bake without using eggs and butter. There are a lot of recipes out there that suggest using bananas, apple sauce, baby food, or even steamed carrots as substitutes, but the resulting product usually tastes a little off. And I can tell how my kids feel about the results as they will eat the first one I give them to try, but decline seconds. The following recipe, however, is one exception to this rule.

I found this recipe at Post Punk Kitchen and it is to die for. I modified it a little bit to avoid the use of so much refined sugar, but it still tastes so much like a "real" chocolate chip cookie and my kids can't get enough of them. I'm not going to lie to you. I wouldn't call this health food, but it's animal free and it's a great snack to send to school when your kids need to provide a treat for the classroom, for a church activity or just as an after-school indulgence. Here's the recipe...

Ingredients
1 cup agave nectar
1/2 white sugar
1 1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or your favorite non-dairy milk)
2 tablespoon corn starch
4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Directions
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease two large light metal baking sheets.

Step 2: Combine agave nectar, sugar, oil, almond milk, and corn starch in a medium-sized bowl with a mixer for two minutes. Don't get lazy and skip this step. It's important to keep combining with the mixer until it looks like a caramel syrup. If you don't, your results will be an oily, spread-out mess.

Step 3: Mix in vanilla.

Step 4: Add in flour, baking soda, and salt and combine until mixed thoroughly.

Step 5: Fold in chocolate chips.

Step 6: Spoon 1-inch balls onto baking sheets and bake for 6 to 9 minutes, or until the edges are just barely lightly browned.

Now here is the way I served this recipe at my lady luncheon today. I made the dough. I asked my friends if they would prefer the dough baked into cookies or just raw. They all voted for raw, so I got one of my prettiest bowls, spooned most of the dough into the bowl, stuck four spoons in it and set it on the table for all to enjoy....


Do with it what you will....

(Here is the baked result, if you get that far....)



Thanks for visiting me today!

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I'm posting about my kitchen again. If you're sick of hearing about my kitchen, then go ahead and skip to your next blog...

Yes, it's another post about my kitchen. If you're reading this, then I guess you want to hear more, so here you go...

Today I am participating in Cielo's...


I think Cielo is one of the coolest names I've ever heard of. It means "sky" in spanish. Anyway, she asked her participants to post about an item or items in their home they treasure, and you know it, I had to pick my kitchen.

During the past six Homemaker Mondays, I have chronicled how I designed the kitchen, step-by-step, but today I would like to show you exactly why it is a treasure: because we live in it, together, one big happy (mostly) family of ten, with one to nineteen more visitors on a regular basis. It's where the kids plop their back packs down and start rattling off about their day. It's where we eat our family dinners together, at least five times a week, it's where the babies hang on my legs as I mix up a bowl of cookies for the Family Home Evening treat, and it's where my friends sit (some breastfeeding) and become my therapists while I cut vegetables or knead bread. It's where my husband does Christmas projects with the kids, tries crazy combinations of condiments on his sandwiches, invents new recipes and encourages the kids to all pitch in and help. Truly, it's where we live and it's my treasure. Here, take a look...

















Why don't you go check out "The House in the Roses" blog for lots more treasures!

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