Holidays, Holidays, Holidays! How many Foodies do I have out there? I absolutely LOVE great food! It has to be flavorful otherwise I can’t be bothered. Living in the South, there is so much to choose from. My favorite is either home cooked or a beautifully decorated restaurant for date night.
I love to duplicate what I’ve seen in a lovely restaurant. Soft music, beautiful white linen tablecloths, fresh flowers in a uniquely designed vase, candlelight, divinely shaped dinnerware, flatware, and glassware. When you go out to dinner you’re paying for the ambiance and everything that goes along with it.
When entertaining at home, I tend to be more laid back yet unique in my dining or buffet table scapes. Buffets are great for entertaining. Simple decorations go a long way. I tend to seek out Table Runners more so than tablecloths for home entertaining. You can get multiple designs during the Fall. You can purchase amber, gold and rust colored runners, and crisscross them as a design pattern. Add a crystal vase with a fall bouquet of freshly cut flowers as a centerpiece and position candles on each side of the vase. (Insider Tip: Flameless Candles are awesome, they’re battery operated so you don’t have to be concerned with wax drippings).
Now, what I get excited about when entertaining is finding the best high-end looking disposable dinnerware, flatware and glassware. You can find plastic porcelain China at Wedding Supply Stores and Party City’s Wedding Section. There are different shaped white dinnerware plates trimmed with gold. Knives and forks in gold plastic also look great. At a glance, you would not know the difference, until you use them. Clean up time is easy breezy! There’s no washing them unless you want to re-use, (Insider Tip: These plastic plates can be cleaned with soap and water as well as dishwasher safe). As with paper plates, you can toss them in the garbage after the party and be done! Glassware in these specialty stores are great as well. Champagne flutes, wine, and water glasses are my go to and they are made out of a high grade plastic and are reusable as well.
I usually re-use the utensils and glassware more often than the plates. (Insider Tip: The entrée will dictate if the plates are worth using again). If your entree is Pasta with red sauce white plastic plates tend to stain, therefore toss. All of these entertaining ideas are very inexpensive, so there’s no guilt when tossing them out!
Enjoy the festivities and achieve the look of a high-end party without the expense!
