Reluctant Entertainer

I love the meal that we had this last weekend when our friends came for dinner. We’re really aiming to eat healthier as a family, and it had been awhile since we had steak, so we wanted to treat our guests. When we entertain we usually try to keep it as simple as possible: meat, potatoes, veggies on the grill and a salad and bread.

The lovely part about the evening was that it was our first time to eat outside this year! We hosed down the back patio, pulled out the new umbrellas that we had stored in the shed, and spruced up the entertaining area a bit.

It wasn’t perfect, but the evening temp was perfect, the food was tasty and the company and conversation was soul-inspiring!

First off, my son set the table. Teenage boys don’t know the difference between a salad fork and a regular fork. Or if they do, they don’t really care! So the table was set with salad forks. Now normally I would have just left it, but I do think adults like to use a regular fork with dinner, so I swapped them out. Oh, and he used the larger spoon, but I left that in the setting. I’m always reminding myself that things do not have to be perfect.

The tags were still hanging on the new umbrellas. I purchased a stash of umbrellas about 3 years ago on sale for $19.99, and have stored them in the shed.

We started off with a delicious bean dip, packed with crisp, juicy vegetables. I can’t wait to share this recipe with you in my NEW BOOK. It’s so good, it’s almost a meal!

Getting the food ready to barbeque …

We cut fresh chives from the garden for the potatoes, to go along with the salad and bread.

And fresh flowers from the yard.

The lights were strung and added a beautiful ambience when the sun went down.

In the morning, it looked like this. This is where we had a fire the night before, sitting for hours, talking with the kids, laughing and telling stories. We laughed with each other. We laughed at ourselves! There were some pretty funny moments!

Hosting a dinner party is a way to reflect God’s love through hospitality.

Share the preparation with your friends allows them to contribute to the meal so you don’t have to carry the burden of the cost. And if you haven’t thought about Easter yet, it’s time! My friend Anne and I grabbed a piece of paper and wrote out what we plan to serve for Easter Brunch this year.

I’m not sure if we’ll be able to eat outside for Easter this Sunday, but even if it’s too chilly, we can still open the doors and let the fresh air in …

I’d love to hear if you’ve opened your doors to outdoor dining this year? And how’s your Easter menu coming along?

Don’t forget tomorrow is Home is … Day here at RE! Link up and share about a delicious scent in your home! Check out the side bar for the weekly post ideas. You can read more details at the end of this post.