I love to entertain.  Casual dinner parties are my all-time favorite.  They remind me of growing up with my wonderful family.  Each night my mom (who is an amazing cook) would have a full spread including salad, two types of vegetables, a main dish, bread, and usually some delicious fruit for dessert.  No wonder she's barely 100 pounds!  We would sit down - as a complete family - to a beautifully set table.  There were never butter or sour cream cartons sitting on the table.  Forget putting the ketchup bottle on the table - that was unheard of.  Everything was in it's own separate lovely dish.  Each dinner was an event.  One where the family actually talked about their day and took part in one another's lives.  Sometimes dinners, especially ones on Sunday would go on for a couple of hours.  After we would finish eating we'd just sit and talk.  Nevermind the dishes in front of us, it was family time.

I enjoy that feeling.  I love cooking delicious food for those that I love, setting a lovely table and really enjoying a meal.  It's not just about eating; dinnertime is an event.  Tonight we had two lovely couples over for dinner.  I pulled out the velvet tablecloth, lit the candles, and made the delicious Chicken Divan I mastered a couple of weeks ago.  It was delicious (phew!)  We sat and talked for 2 hours after we finished eating and then topped the night off with strawberry rhubarb pie warmed and topped with vanilla bean ice cream.  It was such an enjoyable evening with amazing food and even better company.  I think the world would be a lot better off if neighbors, friends and associates would participate in a meal together once in a while.  It's amazing what you can learn across the dinner table.  Funny, interesting, and touching experiences just flow so easily in a relaxed environment like that.  And that - my friends - is why I love entertaining.

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