Friday 5: Entertaining Favorites

Friday 5: Entertaining Favorites

Happy Friday my friends! Everyone knows by now that I love to get my party on. Entertaining is like second nature for me. Maybe it’s because I love to eat and enjoy a cocktail. But, I think it’s more so that I love to see my friends and family while making them feel special. With that, today on my Friday 5, I am talking about a few of my must haves when entertaining. Narrowing it down to only 5 was a challenge, but here is the list nonetheless.

1. Alcohol– Do I really need to explain myself with this one? People always wonder how much they should get. I say you should have enough for each person to have 2 drinks per hour and then add 25% more. Wine and beer is always an easy and less expensive way to go. One of my favorites lately is this Rainstorm Willamette Valley Pinot Rosé. You can get it here. Being that it’s from Oregon, it is definitely a favorite of mine. Oregon wines are the best. I also find that a Rosé goes with everything and is easy to drink. What is your favorite vino?
2. Charcuterie– Cheese, meat and more…I mean who doesn’t love this. Here is my perfect charcutreie board. Complete with fruits and spreads.
3. Fresh Flowers– Flowers are the perfect addition to any party. Whether a small bouquet or a larger arrangement, fresh flowers and greenery make a party prettier (see some photos below). I usually pick these up in bulk at Trader Joes, Mariano’s or Whole Foods.
4. Theme– A theme helps you create a mood and establish the kind of party you are hosting. It could be as simple as a cocktail party or maybe more elaborate like this Pancakes and Pajama’s party I threw earlier this year. Whatever the theme, there are a million ideas all over Etsy and Pinterest.
5. Food– This should always go with the theme. More is less as you should always have too much vs. too little. Some of my favorite party recipes are here, here, here, and here.

Bonus: Make sure to have enough seating and good music. Make the music fun…maybe ask what people want to hear in the invite and make a playlist with those songs.