Savvy Entertaining

Although most of us don’t think about it, entertaining at home can really be broken down into three main areas: inspiration, preparation, and presentation. Although very different, each category has equal importance in your entertaining success.
Today we’ll focus on inspiration. It boils down to “what’s for dinner?” What are you going to serve the people you are entertaining?
The type of event or celebration will help narrow your selections. Choosing a theme also narrows the field and helps create some guidelines. Themes are a fantastic way to entertain, but we’ll talk more about those another day.
Inspiration can come from many different areas. Maybe you have been to a party and saw or tasted something there you want to try. Maybe you are under the gun to host a family event – like a family reunion. If you like food magazines or collect cookbooks, you’ll find a lot of ideas and inspiration there. The Food Network and websites such as allrecipes.com can also provide some great inspiration.
Take a look around you. What is fresh and in season? Let it inspire you! This time of year it is so fun to entertain with all the fresh goodness that abounds from gardens.
Inspiration doesn’t have to be difficult. Have fun with it and see how much your guests enjoy the fruits of your labors!
What is your favorite way to find inspiration in the kitchen? Please feel free to share your ideas!