Posts from Entertaining at Home

Writer and editor Melanie Warner Spencer's apartment in Uptown New Orleans is filled with charm, but no guest bedroom. So she's come up with a way to transform her dining area into an inviting space a guest would actually want to stay in — and has tips and ideas you could steal for your own home.

A Spring Vegetarian Dinner for Six

So you're sitting around the table after dinner, or having drinks at a house party, or maybe even a bar, and you're with friends, and someone says, wouldn't it be fun if we were to play a game? But your brother borrowed your copy of Risk and never gave it back, and your old roommate absconded with Settlers of Catan. Not to worry! There are plenty of highly entertaining games that you can play with your friends that only require a pen, paper (napkins?) and a little bit of ingenuity.

Dear Alice,

We live in a coastal town and often have houseguests to stay on weekends. There is one couple we invite regularly, (a close friend of my husband's) who always arrive without any food, wine or a hostess gift. They sit and wait to be served and don't offer to help in any way. They often stay longer than we would like and they sleep in past nine, when our household is usually up around seven, even on weekends.

This is not the way I was brought up to be and I find it enormously frustrating! What is today's etiquette or expectation for an overnight houseguest? I'd like to know if I'm being a stick-in-the-mud about this or if there is a new etiquette that I have just never heard of?

Thanks ever so,
The constant entertainer and provider

I've just finished listening to Serial, the 12-part podcast spinoff of This American Life narrated by Sarah Koenig. It's taken about ten days of time in the car, on a plane or just at night before bed to work my way through the whole thing. It was gripping, intimate and so stickily led by Koenig's sharp, slightly gravelly voice, as she injected this 15-year-old murder case with her own personal conviction. "I am going to figure this out," you can hear her thinking. Why? Because she's smart, a seasoned reporter (ie. good at digging for facts) and what CAN'T be figured out these days? Well, this case for one, but that's another issue and she comes darn close.

But what fascinated me the most was how I couldn't stop listening to something that was so long that it almost defies the current Laws of Media where everything needs to be 30 seconds long. I thought we'd lost our ability to have any reasonable attention span? Well, maybe not. So, as an advocate of living the Good Life and slowing down, I thought I'd put together a few thoughts on why I think — and this is a good thing — Serial has been so popular. (Note: spoilers ahead!)

What's the best gift you can give to a generous host? A compliment. (Although wine has to be a close second!) We all know how good it feels when a guest praises our taste. Make it a habit to spread the love the next time you're invited to a friend's home, and let's see if we can start a movement.

If you are hosting a party this Sunday, you may be pretending that it's all about the outcome of the battle between Patriots and Seahawks. But, everyone knows that the real reason for any party is for everyone to have a good time and the best way to guarantee that happens is to be a relaxed and happy host. If you want your Superbowl shindig to be a success, the time between now and Sunday evening is key. Once the kickoff happens, you'll be able to kick back and ENJOY along with the rest of your guests. Here's how...

As I drove to work today in -7ºF/-22ºC weather, I couldn't help but wonder, "What the hell am I doing out of the house?" Now that I'm home from all that pesky money-earning, I'm going to stay home watching movies, until spring. Please continue to pay me, employer!

Here's a very cool and beautiful DIY I learned from Angela Kelly and saw on her hometown news website in Washington State. She went outside with her 7 year old son and blew bubbles in a chilly arctic wind ranging from 9 to 12 degrees. Her pictures are above.

From The Kitchn: A Pizza Party on the Porch

You know the kind we're talking about. They open the door, dressed comfortably but stylishly, with a warm, welcoming smile, no perspiration in sight. The home's clean and fresh, but not so immaculate you don't feel like you can't get comfortable. You leave later that evening feeling revived, renewed and energized by the experience. Want to be that kind of host yourself? There are four things you can do that will add to giving off the appearance of being an effortless and gracious host next time you entertain (though unfortunately, it will take a bit of effort to appear effortless looking).

Well, that was a whirlwind! Apparently it's now January and yet my festive to-do list remains a mile long. Let's take stock of all the winter fun we didn't manage to get around to... yet. I'm still planning to do all of the following: