10 Things: Hosting Edition
All my recommendations for what to cook, read, stock up on, try, consider, eat, and more if you're hosting a gathering
Hello My Loves!!
This week, I send you my must-haves when it comes to hosting. There are things to buy, things to cook, things to do, and other types of things. The first three are free! The rest are too hot to handle.
1. COOK FROM: The Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz
Whether or not you’re vegan, this cookbook is something you SHOULD HAVE. It is organized by holiday, and includes some fun ones like Mardi Gras, Oscars Party, Super Bowl, and Halloween.
My copy is totally shredded, because I’ve cooked so many of the menus. I love the Valentine’s Day menus, which are just super-fancy date night ideas; and the salads in Mother’s Day are some of my go-tos. But even if you just buy it for Thanksgiving, you won’t regret it: Isa is the queen of making her own “meat,” and her recipes are failsafe.
COLLECT: A few beautiful serving trays
I wasted a lot of my life not having serving trays. “A plate will be just fine,” I thought. This was incorrect. You should have at least one tray, and up to five, in all sizes. Grazing foods look so much better on a tray, and are much more accessible; plus, you create a little table of food that can move from here to there if you decide to put on a movie later. Rifle Paper Co. has incredibly pretty, sturdy ones that are often on sale — but these are also really fun to hunt for at antique and second-hand stores.
Now that I have a toddler, I’ve learned about making a Kids’ Table In A Tray, which is just the act of putting a bunch of fruit pouches, veggie straws, and apple chips in a corralled tray-place. The tray makes this look pretty and not pandering.
LISTEN TO: Lazy Jazz Cat on Spotify
If you’re not sure what to put on playlist-wise, behold: THE LAZY JAZZ CAT. It’s not too loud and not too quiet; it rests right in the middle of the jazz-chaos spectrum, and allows for lively conversation to happen without too much work. I always have it in my back pocket for any time I might be in mixed company prone to awkward silence.
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