31 Days of Hospitality: Day 22- Books


I feel that a lot of inspiration can be found in books.  I wanted to share three of my favorites with you.  The first one is an oldie but goodie.  First published in 1982, Entertaining by Martha Stewart is one of my favorites and one of my first entertaining books.  Twenty-nine years later it is still relevant.  One of the first chapters called Entertaining with Style covers everything from making guests comfortable and creating an ambiance to setting the table and making food look beautiful.  She has menus and ideas for a cocktail party, Thanksgiving for eight and much more.  I find this a lovely shower gift for the bride who wants to entertain.


Frugal Luxuries by Tracey McBride is kind of like a manual for me.  I have post it notes on quite a few pages.  The idea of the book is that you can live and eat well without spending a fortune.  And this includes entertaining and hospitality.  One of my favorite sections is called A Harvest Calendar which lists by month when each fruit, vegetable & seafood is in season.  Truth be told, if the store is selling asparagus for $4.99 a pound, you know it's not in season.  But I love being able to reference this list for more questionable fruits & veggies.  This book was written in 1997 when frugality wasn't quite as 'trendy' as it is now.  I am glad I have kept this one on the cookbook shelf for all these years.

Who doesn't love Susan Branch?  I have most of her books, in which she mixes recipes with decorating and entertaining ideas as well her beautiful drawings.  My go to book of hers right now is her Autumn book.  It just gets you in the mood for Autumn (even when it's still in the 90's - will it ever cool off here?)  If you haven't experienced one of her books, this is the perfect place to start.


Do you have a favorite entertaining, hospitality or cook book?  I'd love for you to share.  Leave a comment or go to my facebook page and leave a comment there.

See the rest of my 31 Days posts here,  Find the other bloggers taking part in this series here.

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