By random.org the winners are…
#22 Terri
#9 Sherri@Design to Shine
#14 Natasha@ Saved by the Egg Timer
Congratulations, I will be emailing you for your addresses!
I have books on the brain of late. I think we all do as we send our children back to school. I love books. To read them. Give them as gifts. And treasure them. Have any of you met my friend Sandy yet? She is the writer of the blog Reluctant Entertainer and author of the book named for her blog. From reading her blog you should be able to conclude that Sandy is one of the nicest people in the blogisphere. Her genuine stories gently lead her readers who are Reluctant Entertainers into confident hostesses.
Years ago Sandy realized that the gift of hospitality was quickly becoming a dying art. Less and less women were comfortable with opening their homes to friends, family, and their neighbors. She discovered an array of excuses, “My home is too small, messy, too simple. I can’t cook, I’m clumsy, I’m too shy, I am afraid.” In her beautiful book, The Reluctant Entertainer, Sandy maps out ways women can gain confidence in opening their homes to guests. Her prose are gentle and kind as if she were sitting right there with you, holding your hand as she encouraged you to share your home and yourself. Using the saying, Keep It Simple Sister- KISS, Sandy’s simple tips on decorations, recipes, and conversation will turn any reluctant hostess into a hospitality goddess! I loved reading her book and have already sent one as a gift and have it on my favorite “books to give as gifts list.” If you are a Reluctant Entertainer or know one, may I suggest Sandy’s book. It is truly the bible of entertaining!
Big Red Kitchen is happy to announce that we are giving away 3, yes THREE, of Sandy’s beautiful books.
1. To win a copy, leave a comment telling of your favorite hostess triumph or even funnier, mishap.
2. For an extra entry, tweet this contest being sure to include @bigredkitchen. If you don’t tweet, facebook it.
3. For another entry, mention this giveaway on your blog with a link to Big Red Kitchen!
4. I must have a way of contacting winners, so please leave your email address.
Contest will close Sunday September 12, 9 pm EST.
Place this book on your Christmas list, to give or receive. Christmas is only 107 days away! Scream!!!!
Robin Sue
61 Comments
Funniest hosting moment – realizing 5 minutes before our 16 guests arrived for the first ever Ian & Lisa Crafford dinner party (Aussie style roast lamb) that we had been so preoccupied about getting the food right we forgot that we only had 8 chairs!
My first Thanksgiving was my first turkey to ever cook. The apt. sized stove cooked the turkey great, but when I put the cornbread in to cook for the dressing, the oven wouldn't come back on. So, off to a friend's home where the cornbread cooked and we continued preparation. All went well!
vmcml1@hotmail.com
I have hosted my in-laws for Thanksgiving twice and will probably do it again this year. My husband has 7 brothers and sisters. All are married and as a group we have 21 children. We move our furniture and set up tables end to end down the middle of the living room and dining room. Not easy setting it up so everyone can sit at the same table.
I remember the first time I prepared Thanksgiving dinner. That year, my Mom was kind enough, and trusting — to say the least, to pass the turkey drumstick to me. I was 17. I wanted to impress my family with the BEST stuffing/dressing they've ever tasted. Like I could really top ANY dish my Mom prepared! I chose a "rich" recipe that called for 1/2 cup unsalted butter. I thought that MUST be a typo because that didn't sound "rich" to me. I thought the more butter one added the better it'd taste. This was WAY before anyone heard the name Paula Deen! I added 4 POUNDS of butter. Yes, 16 sticks! OMGoodness! The bread was OOZING goo. It was greasy, soggy, and a perfect disaster. My Mom, the ONLY person brave enough to take a bite, said, "Thank you for preparing this lovely feast. The stuffing is unarguably rich, but please don't make this again." I never did. Although, I MAY, if Paula Deen comes for Thanksgiving dinner!
debradisneydior@aol.com
I have a cute picture of me when I was 4 or 5, standing on a chair in the dining room next to the window. We had a big puffy wreath that hung in that window and there I am, with my head through the hole in my little apron.
Back in those days, you still put them in photo albums and the caption there is " The Hostess with the Mostess"
What a great concept for a book! I am finding that very, very few of my friends will even consider entertaining, while I on the other hand absolutely thrive on it! Maybe I should give this for Christmas.
Every Valentine's Day party we host I consider a huge success. Can't really think of failures other than things happening just to us, like forgetting to turn the crockpot on. Now with my basic crockpot (the one that doesn't flash at me), I leave the switch on and just unplug it so I never have to worry about that happening again. LOL
Hugs,
Shirley
glutenfreeeasily@gmail.com
I tweeted!
Shirley
My grandmother was known for burning the rolls. Every family function, every holiday, and Sunday supper we all knew Memommie was going to serve rolls akin to charcoal briquettes. We all went into the function telling ourselves to remind Memommie to take the rolls out of the oven BEFORE dinner was served, but nevertheless we always thought someone else was on "roll patrol" and, sigh, another meal with burned rolls. I didn't really mind – I was the youngest by 10 years and thought even a burned roll tasted delicious with a ton of butter on it. Well, flash forward 11 years later, and one year after my beloved Memommie had passed away. I took over the dinner duties being that I was 21 and was wanting to get my feet wet in the kitchen. Everything went smoothly from cocktails to appetizers to the main course until we all smelled smoke in the kitchen, and alas, I had left the rolls in the oven! I like to think it was Memommie's way of still asserting herself in the kitchen, or a way for my family to always be able to pigeonhole me into the roll of "the baby." Regardless, I ate my burned roll with lots of butter and a little smirk on my face. The meal really was perfect.
tinsley@celiebo.com
I have LOVED reading all of the these stories, what a great idea! Hope to win the book, but regardless I've had a handful of great laughs!
I typically do a lot of hosting for friends. The main mishaps we have are usually related to not getting enough info about what people like to eat (AKA remembering that people HATE Fish). This is no longer an issue as I am more aware of the necessity or asking and getting clear info after starting the gluten free diet.
The one Mishap I do remember is holding a large movie party and attempting to make my own popcorn from an ear of corn in a paper bag. Needless to say the crease of the bag caught fire when I took it out of the microwave and I frantically ran around with a flaming paperbag.
Georgianna.Reilly@gmail.com
http://www.celtic-celiac.blogspot.com/
We had a SMALL townhouse and I was hosting all of our family for Thanksgiving, so we just set up two card tables in front of the TV in addition to our dining room table. I thought it looked horrible, but the men all fought for the seats so they could watch football (muted of course
)Good food and my husband smoked his first turkey…success!
hi, i realized i forgot to share my email address… it's curlgurl54@gmail.com
(my post was the one about not making food for the gluten free guests)
~Nathalie