Spring Dinner Party

Last night we had long-time friends over for dinner. Laura, a lovely, young mother is our dentist. She assumed this mantle when she took over her father's practice. Actually, our family friendship began when Laura was in high school with our son. The years have passed, and now at our table we had three generations.

Laura is married to an Irishman, and they have two adorable, freckle-faced children. Grandmother Sharon, my peer, is a multi-talented phenomenon. She is a gardner, a quilter, and a professional food stylist.  Needless to say, entertaining such a consummate "foodie" made me perseverate over the tablescape, the menu, and the presentation of each course.

You who have followed my blog for awhile know my favorite part of party planning is designing the tablescape. Usually, I let the fresh flowers in the grocery store set the stage. This week pink tulips, freesia, and miniature roses were available. Perfect for spring!

Because this was a casual multi-generational dinner party I used nubby placemats and pottery to take the formality down a notch.

(The children had perfect manners and added so much to our conversation. We were brought up-to-date on school schedules, reading expectations, and elementary school sports.)

With spring and the Irish in mind, I developed the menu the day before the party. I decided on lamb chops, buttered-parsley tiny new potatoes, and apricot-glazed carrots for my main course. With the heart of the dinner settled, the bookends easily followed. Before the meal, we sipped pear juice tinged with lime and nibbled from a cheese board with brie, an herb-infused cheese spread, and a mango-Helvita. To compliment the main course, I served spring green salad and honey oatmeal bread. At the end of the meal, we enjoyed chocolate lava cake with raspberries and ice cream. Then we all lingered over coffee or hot brewed tea. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food, especially our Irish guest.

My favorite addition to this season's entertaining is this funky vase holder. Filled with more pink tulips it complimented my tablescape. If you see one, snap it up. It makes displaying tulips so easy.

Entertaining takes effort, but deepened friendships are more than enough reward. Here's to more spring dinner parties.