When I was a little girl, it seemed our weekends were always filled with visiting, going on family outings and entertaining friends and family. It was all very simple, mind you. In fact I’m not even sure if we would refer to it as “entertaining”, in today’s context.
Nowadays I sometimes feel that entertaining comes with an unnecessary and unrealistic pressure to be something that you’re not. As though if you don’t have the perfect dinner setting, or that must-have tablecloth, that you might as well not waste your time.
“Entertaining”, to us, simply meant gathering somewhere and making sure there was lots of food and lots to drink. The fabric covering the chairs you sat on or the quality of the drinking glasses meant zilch. Seriously.
We were too busy having fun to worry about that kind of stuff.
Now don’t get me wrong. I like fine linen as much as the next person, but I don’t think you need it to enjoy yourself or your guests.
And now that I’m on this little soapbox, what happened to our weekends, people???
Why is it that when I was a kid, it seemed like we had all the time in the world to fit in socializing. In fact, that’s what the weekend was for. Those two end-of-week days were for events with family and friends (picnics, trips to the beach, dinners, etc.) and there was always time for that. Nowadays, I sometimes feel like Saturday and Sunday are just an extension of the work week.
What happened? Where did we go wrong?
I’ve been thinking a lot about this for two reasons. First of all, I don’t think I’ve ever been busier in my work life than I am now. I’m not complaining, mind you, but I’m finding it difficult to maintain the line of separation between work and home. All too often I find myself spending my evenings thinking about work and worse, thinking about it over the weekends.
The other reason why this examination of how I spend my weekend time has come about is because of a cookbook that I had the opportunity to review: Katie Brown Celebrates: Simple and Spectacular Parties All Year Round.
To be honest, I didn’t really know who Katie Brown was until I received her cookbook. But when I did some research, I was surprised to discover a personality that I would consider a kindred spirit. Artistic, creative, charming and calming. That’s how I would describe the Katie Brown that I read about and that I came across in the pages of her book.
As for the book itself, as you might expect it’s a pretty book filled with lots of beautiful photos and tonnes of great entertaining ideas that include recipes but also ideas for making your own party decorations for any occasion.
When I was a kid, that’s what we used to do. We’d decorate everything ourselves with whatever we could find around the house. We were encouraged to be creative and to use everything and never throw anything away.
Something about the book struck a real chord with me and it just got me thinking about weekends and lots of cooking and just doing nothing but enjoying yourself.
While I wanted to try everything, I only tried three recipes. I started with these amazing Apple Popovers with a Brown Sugar Mascarpone Cream (mascarpone cream not pictured). These were so good and they’re a fast and easy way to use leftover apples. You can serve them with ice cream warm out of the oven.
I made Cinnamon Crisps with a Crème Fraiche Dip. These are like palmiers, but with lots of cinnamon and the dip was the perfect accompaniment.
Lastly, I made Feta Herb Puffs, which we enjoyed before our Easter lunch. These were easy: a bit of mashed feta and cream cheese in packaged puff pastry. And they were delicious!
The book is filled with so many recipes that are quick and easy but delicious. And it just has a really warm and fun feel to it that I guarantee will have you dreaming of the weekend throughout the year!
Ciao!
16 comments
Lauren
I definitely agree. Entertaining seems to have such expectations, and these look like perfect alternatives to the fine linen option =D.
Rosa
You are right! Entertaining can be quite stressful…
Cheers,
Rosa
Jamie
I remember my parents having what I thought were the most glamorous, fabulous parties which started down the street and ended up at our house – the hostesses dressed alike, the men wore matching burgundy polos and dark slacks. Each person was responsible for a course. Very 1960’s chic right down to the satin party pajamas!
Here is France, “entertaining” is so formal, even if it is an informal dinner between friends, organized, planned and of course “returned”. No dropping by casually or just group get-togethers just to have fun, no impromptu picnics.. It is very sad.
This cookbook does look like a winner, if the three tasty treats you made are any clue! They look so delicious!
Natashya
Yay! Party at Creampuff’s!
Save me a herb puff, please. 🙂
Scott at Realepicurean
I don’t have a glut of apples right now but in Autumn would love to give this a go. Thanks!
Simone (junglefrog)
I so agree with you on the whole weekend thing… We always seem to be buys, there is no room anymore for spontaneous things as everything seems to be planned full completely. Maybe it is time to sit back and relax a little bit more often and just socialize with friends and have fun!
noble pig
It’s so true..the weekends are like poof…and gone. Sounds like a wonderful book!
Valérie
These morsels all look so tasty!
I can’t remember the last time I didn’t work during at least part of the weekend… But then, I have relatively strange working habits: it’s like I’m semi-working, semi-resting all year long! I guess it amounts to some sort of balance. Still, I do miss real weekends.
It’s funny: two weeks ago I didn’t know what popovers were, and now they seem to, well, “pop up” all over the place! I keep coming across recipes and references!
Liliana
Although I wasn’t raised that way, I used to think that having guests over for dinner meant hours of preparation – until I had children. Now friends and family drop over anytime – and we even cook together. How fun is that?
Great book review – this sounds like a book I definitely would like to add to my never ending cookbook collection.
Sweet Kitchen
Yes! What happened to dropping in on friends and neighbours and having laughs over a glass of wine (no fancy wineglasses necessary) and anitpasto? Like you, my family always got together at weekends, whether at someone’s house or taking a drive out in the country with a picnic lunch, and we always had homemade goodies stashed away in the fridge so that we could quickly pull something together when someone stopped by unexpectedly.
Kasha
I used your caramel sauce/frosting recipe for my cupcakes. Thank you so much!
http://grubandstuff.blogspot.com/
Kasha
My Taste Heaven
I am that type of person, who cares only on food and friends but not the decorations!
snooky doodle
tHESE RECIPES LOOK SO GOOD.I LIKE ESPECIALLY THE CINNAMON ONES . oH I LOVE CINNAMON.
Claudia Haas
I often tell stories of the “olden days” when Sundays were for visiting. You would call – and say you were coming and go! Or receive. It was always informal and it was always a treat. Speaking of treats … those dishes look scrumptious.
BC
I think Sunday shopping came along and we crammed more errands into that day too. It’s lovely when everything shuts down.
Talita
Yummmm… This looks delicious!