It was my turn.
My turn to host the dinner group….the group of gourmet cooks.
The group who plans magnificent dinners a year in advance.
Ordering wonderful ingredients from France…having special chiles fedexed from New Mexico.
And then there is me….the plain Jane cook.
I love this group…..so I try and distract them from my “Plain Jane” food
And direct most of their attention to the table…and good times with wonderful friends.
So to begin…rather than placemats, I folded dish towels in half….worked well…great size..
Then I gathered all my supplies.
Loved the metal red, white and blue picnic basket
that I saw on Mary’s blog, Home is Where the Boat Is…
So I went to World Market, hoping that they had some left…I was lucky…they only had 2 left!!
I bought red “take out containers” and filled them with goodies for my guests to take home.
I love making up things so that my guests have an additional “treat”
Maybe another way to detract from my “plain Jane” food.
Talking about food…I was so busy cooking and serving that I forgot to take pictures!…
We served baby back ribs, wonderfully cooked by my hubby….
One of the appetizers I made was a Blueberry Salsa…
a recipe that I got from Mary (Home is Where the Boat Is)
and then, there was my very first attempt at Cheesecake!!
Will be posting about that “miracle” soon…and thanks to Laura from Top This Top That for the recipe!
Love those little pinwheels
So now…I shall leave you, as I am putting appetizers on the table
and getting ready to greet my wonderful friends, who I love so dearly
to enjoy the evening with great food, drink, conversation, and lots of laughter!!
Have a wonderful and safe 4th of July everyone!!!
And I would like to give a big shout out to Susan from Between Naps on the Porch.
She is celebrating her 200th Tablescape Party…What an enormous accomplishment!
Her tablescapes are always gorgeous perfection!!
I am joining:
Cuisine Kathleen Let’s Dish
I love this!!! I just adore the centerpice and the place seating boxes. Such a great idea. Just love this I couldn’t say it enough.
Cynthia
I love all of your attention to the details. What a fabulous and festive table- I especially like your goodie boxes for your guests. Can you please invite me next time!! 🙂
Shirley, there is nothing “Plain Jane” about this table and I’m sure your friends will absolutely love it! Can’t believe you didn’t put any Oreo cookies in those treat boxes!
I KNEW your dinner party would be a success!!! I’ll bet they loved every morsel of your so-called “plain Jane” fare! When it comes right down to it, people want food that TASTES GOOD. Whether it is prepared with spices flown in from India or eggs pulled from under the chicken out back that morning doesn’t matter. It matters that it tastes good, is presented nicely (which you did WONDERFULLY with this table!!!), and that the conversation is flowing. Hooray! So happy it all went well!!! You had absolutely nothing to worry about! Congratulations!!! Have a great 4th!
It looks great, Shirley! Love that retro basket.
I am sure your food was wonderful! Many people don’t like peppers, etc, so good food, plentiful and with several choices is the way to go!
I am sure you were a wonderful hostess, and they enjoyed your beautiful table and delicious meal!
A true salute to the Red, White and Blue!!
Everything looks great Shirley!! Nothing “plain jane” about it!! Have a Happy 4th!
PS– LOVE your table and chairs!
It all looks so good! I love the centerpiece. Good thing they had some left at the store! The take home boxes are so creative too. I’m sure your guests will love those. Why you should’ve just ordered a cheese cake from The Cheesecake Factory! (I’ve heard they’re really good! – ha!) Hope you have a great holiday week. I’ve got to get busy and put out some flags. I’m behind the ball this year!
Another beautiful tablescape, Shirley. I wanted to put the sparklers on my table but thought it would send the wrong message to Jackson so I used confetti poppers. No fireworks this year in Colorado. That’s a good thing. Happy Fourth!
Shirley, I love this table. So nice of you to send them home with those very cute gifts.
Hi Shirley~ I’m glad they had a picnic basket left at World Market and I love your little buckets sprouting sunflowers! Your folded dish towels make the perfect placemats~ so clever! I’m sure your guests were thrilled with your table and adorable take out containers of favors~ there is nothing plain jane about it! Baby Back Ribs are All-American in my book~ you can’t go wrong!
Wishing you a Fabulous Fourth filled with fun, family & wonderful food!
Hi Shirley, lots of people love Plain Jane food! Including me! I love it all! Your table was fun and festive, thanks to the La Crema! 🙂 wonderful metal basket too! We’re hosting a neighborhood BBQ with baby back ribs too!
Cheers!,
Barbara
Shirley, what an amazing table! There is nothing plain Jane about it! You are just the “hostess with the mostest”! LOL! What a wonderful way to serve your guests!
Look at you go! Wow, that’s fantastic!! You are amazing, ps where’s my invite??!! 🙂
Nothing wrong with “Plain Jane Food”!! Especially when served in such a festive way! It looks great!
Love it Shirley, great centerpiece and lots of color for the 4th of July, certainly doesn’t look Plain Jane to me. Plain old hotdogs would work perfect on the table. Enjoy the 4th.
Shirley, that table is beautiful. So colorful and festive. You did a fantastic job with the centerpiece. It is just beyond words. I couldn’t tell if that was tissue or ribbon in it. Love the idea of the dish towels for placemats. The takes are decorated to pretty. Am I too late for the ribs. Oh well, I will just get my party favor anyway! LOL!
Hugs and have a blast on the 4th!
Ginger
How insanely festive is this! I love it. I like the folded towels as place mats, and the centerpiece is fabulous. Nice job.
Great presentation to celebrate our country. So festive and perfect, and I’ll bet the meal was second to none. You’re a great cook! Happy Fourth of July.
Your table looks fantastic — so fun and festive!
I was one of the lucky guests that was treated to Shirley’s “plain Jane” dinner. Let me assure you that it was anything but ordinary. We enjoyed a wonderful All-American feast to celebrate the holiday and the festive table decorations added so much to the party. We’ll be lighting our sparklers tomorrow for the 4th.
Beautifully done, and so festive! I love the pop of yellow from the sunflowers!
What a fun 4th of July tablescape! Thanks for sharing your awesome ideas!
I love that you just folded those cute dish towels in half! How clever!
Happy 4th, Shirley!
xoxo-Lisa
The little buckets with sunflowers and flags are such fun additions to your table. You did a great job with the centerpiece in the picnic tin, too! The treats for your guests look fun as well. Very festive and patriotic setting! Happy 4th of July!
Hi Shirley, I was the lucky winner of Mary’s giveaway, and I agree that the basket is fabulous! Using it for the centerpiece is a great idea, and I love your tin buckets too. Have a wonderful week. Linda
You are a master of distraction and plain Jane food such as ribs is always delicious. The centerpiece and gifts are wonderful and your attention to detail surely made your friend feel very special indeed. visiting from Let’s Dish. Olive from Olive Out
Wow, the pressure was on, with such a group of gourmet cooks, but you rose to the occasion! Your table is fabulous — LOVE that centerpiece, and the little red takeout boxes are darling! I know your guests were delighted with the festive setting for what I’m sure was a delicious meal.
So darling!! I love all your ideas on here! The little metal pails and cute takeout boxes are just perfect! Come link up to Centerpiece Wednesday and share your ideas!
Karin
Fun, fun, fun! I rushed out and bought one of those baskets too. Mary has pointed me in the direction of some wonderful things. 😉 Looks like you had a festive and delicious 4th.
Love everything about this it is wonderful. I am ready to come over! I wish we had a world market that store has amazing finds. I will have to see where the closest one is located, I am guessing it is in another state. 🙁
Love the dish clothes as placemats! Great idea. We had baby back ribs too! I know what you mean about cooking and not having time to make pictures. Your guests were treated well with all the treats. Don’t we love getting ideas from other bloggers like fabulous “Mary at Home is Where the Boat is! ” I did one of her recipes also. It is so much fun to see everyone’s tablescapes. Susan, at Between Naps on the Porch has enriched all our lives with her talent and TT party.
Don’t see anything plain Jane here. Everything looks fabulous. I would love to have attended!
What an absolutely fabulous patriotic setting, Shirley! I love every little detail, I’m sure they felt so special being treated to the fun favors. And, ribs are the perfect summer bbq entree!
As always, AMAZING tablescape!! Loving the favors:D Can I have one:P
Fabulous!!! Love every detail!!! There is NOTHING plain Jane about this…or the food! Food that tastes good is all anyone wants. In our dinner group we don’t have any gourmet cooks but always enjoy every dinner. I am sure your guests loved every minute of the party. XO