luluAs you may know, I spend roughly half the year in Rockport, Maine, and half in Houston. This is the time of year when we start thinking about the return to Texas, and this is done with some regret. It is always hard to leave friends with whom we enjoy so many good summer times. This week we have shared meals, a last one at our house so I could use up whatever edibles were left.
Setting the table is always the first thing that happens when folks are coming for dinner. Ordinarily that is the easy part, but this one had me going in all different directions. I wanted to use the pumpkins and gourds that have been part of every table for the last month. To change them up a bit, they were worked in around a piece gotten some years ago from TJ Maxx.
That was the easy part. For some reason I couldn’t decide where to go from there. I tried this and that and finally decided to let the centerpiece be the star of this last table.
Playing off the colors in the runner, black plates were used on brown placemats. That’s pretty subtle for me!
From there, I added the harlequin patterned plates that are favorites.
For whatever reason, they just didn’t strike me right so it was back to the cabinet for more black. Additional color would have to come from the salad that would be served on them.
I liked the coppery tone of the flatware with the darker ones, but having it lay alongside the plate didn’t satisfy me. Are you beginning to feel my struggle?
Ultimately, copper and silver were combined and after several arrangements contained in a napkin.
There’s nothing left to do but add a mix of stemware
and sweet little cordials for the remainder of the puffball soup that had been in the freezer.
After so many tries, it was time to walk away and be satisfied with the result.
Considering the changes, it’s a good thing I started early preparing the table otherwise dinner may never have happened. Later in the day the sun hit just right on the pumpkins and gourds, and I knew it had been the right decision to let them be the star. Now if I can just figure out how to get them to Houston…….
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While dinner is cooking away, I prepare the table, and there is usually something on it that gets me started. Here, it’s some of my trusty bottles filled with flowers from the garden. What would I do without them as they make a centerpiece so very easy. These are left from San Pellegrino beverages, and I find them perfect for grouping.
Subtle hued dishes, one of my many sets gotten at TJ Maxx, are tonight’s choice.
Just as I was finishing the table, the placemats made me think of the little monkey bells sitting on a bathroom shelf. How could they not become part of what is turning out to be a very fun table!
Well, that’s it. Everything is about ready, and in a few minutes the doorbell will ring announcing the friends who we are lucky to have join us. I do love these last minute gatherings!
The most important thing is to provide comfortable spaces that allow guests to unpack and settle in. A bedside reading light is always a good idea as is having books and magazines for nighttime perusal. 
Adults like having their own bathroom, and I make sure each has shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and, of course, fluffy, fresh smelling towels. There’s also a hair dryer just in case someone forgets to bring their own. 
Before guests arrive, I stock the refrigerator and pantry with foodstuffs making sure to have checked in advance to see if anyone has any special dietary needs. Most people don’t expect us to provide much in the way of meals, but I like to have some things ready to share. For breakfast, there’s generally a made ahead of time egg casserole ready to pop into the oven and always there are muffins bursting with those wonderful little Maine blueberries. These, too, are so easy to make in advance and freeze until time to use them. The important thing is to make it easy for guests to find something to eat that will make them feel at home and, of course, you never want to run out of coffee in the morning!
For most of our guests, traveling to Maine is an all day affair. Rather than go out for dinner the first night, we have a lobster dinner with lobster a few hours out of the water thanks to my lobster guy. 
To finish dinner off, there is blueberry cobbler topped with ice cream made in minutes in a little electric freezer, one of my favorite kitchen tools. We may have another dinner or two at home, but we alternate with meals out at one or another of the wonderful restaurants in the area.
The whole key to having guests is to enjoy yourself and not try to do too much. I’ve found that most people are more comfortable in our home when they feel they are helping out whether it’s assisting with a meal or cleaning up after. I welcome their participation not only because it makes things easier on me but because it’s fun to work together. No time is this more true than at 5 PM tini time when we relax on the porch for appetizers and drinks that everyone has had a hand in preparing. 
In the last post, I confessed to not being able to leave a dining table top bare, and these azalea filled chicks took over the center. A couple of days later, they have become inspiration for a tablescape.
It took only one glimpse into the cabinet to see what dishes would be a perfect complement. As with so much else that is used here, these came from TJ Maxx.
The thumbprint glasses were a great find at a very cluttered antique shop. It was the color that made them irresistible. There has to be a reason , don’t you think?
Not being in this house all the time, I forget what things are where. When I opened a drawer and rediscovered this flatware, the stainless went back into the drawer. The quality of the flatware is not the best, but the colors couldn’t be better. 
I am in Maine a few days ahead of the hubby which is good excuse for a girls’ night, always such fun.
The gals have already volunteered to bring appetizers, salad and dessert which makes for very easy entertaining. I think we all enjoy meals more when we don’t have to do all the preparation. Speaking of, now that the table is done, it’s to the kitchen to do my part. I’m thinking lasagna, always a good dish to feed a crowd and easy to make ahead. 
It didn’t take too many years of marriage to realize that if Valentine’s was going to have a romantic dinner it had best be at home.
It’s possible he wouldn’t even remember Valentine’s unless he saw it on the calendar or someone reminded him.
Then he would call and suggest we go out for dinner. Good deal I would think, but when the time came we’d go first one place then another only to find out there was no room.
After a couple of hours of being turned away, we’d go home, both of us a little irritated, for a bowl of cereal or on a good night a grilled cheese sandwich.
Now we look back and laugh at those attempts as we enjoy dinner at home. Sometimes it’s just the two of us, other times we have friends join us.
I think the other husbands are quite happy to come here as it takes the pressure off them to plan a special night out. For all of us, it’s an enjoyable evening in a relaxed setting with what is usually pretty good food.
To reengage with friends, I make an effort to have someone over for dinner most every week.
Many, especially the husbands, are very appreciative because most of our Houston friends have ceased to prepare meals at home but opt to eat out or pick something up.
Most of the dinners are quite simple as the purpose is to visit. The table isn’t fussy either, but I do give some thought to the personalities that will gather round it and go from there.
Like many of you, I have lots of dishes and since I have no rules for how they are used, mixing and matching comes naturally. 
Often, I have no idea what is going to happen, but surprise is part of the fun.
Can you tell I was in a very playful mood, pushing the boundaries with pattern, color and texture. Whether or not a table setting makes the food taste better is debatable, but it sure does go a long way toward making people feel welcome and in many cases reflect the character of the people who join there. What would you say about this foursome?
When it’s my turn, as it was in January, I have as much fun setting a table as planning the menu. In fact, I usually set the table several days in advance and let it help determine what should be served.
More often than not my table is inspired by whatever textile I pull from my abundant collection. This one is a beauty from Thailand handwoven of silk.
From there, I look around the house to see what would work as a centerpiece, and it is always a surprise to see what captures my eye. Very often you can be sure it has a touch of whimsy.
With this being the first gourmet of the season, it seemed right to add a little glamor to the table, and I chose to use china that once belonged to my mother. That means the table is as fancy as it’s ever going to get in this house.
As I was finishing the table, it struck me as somewhat sophisticated which made me think the meal should be the same. From somewhere in the recesses of my mind came an image of Beef Wellington. Along with brie topped with a sundried tomato mixture, watercress soup, roasted fingerling potatoes and a chocolate raspberry tart it was perfect for a dinner celebrating friendship and a new year. 
