Do You Like to Entertain?

Do you like to entertain? Do you entertain often?

Pam Anderson in her book Perfect Recipes for Having People Over says that the very word "entertaining" makes people fearful. She sites a Gallup poll that found that Americans rank entertaining--along with filing tax returns and visiting the dentist--as the number-one stress-related event in their lives. Entertaining scored even higher on the stress chart than childbirth. She says that we should stop entertaining and just have people over.

Well I like to cook and I like to try new recipes and I like to sit at the dinner table and talk. So I don't mind having a few people over. Six people at the dinner table is my favorite number. If I get eight people at the table the conversation gets fragmented with one end of the table talking about one thing and the other end talking about something else. I hate missing out on either conversation. The food is important but the intimacy and conversation is what is best.

Perfect Recipes for Having People Over is a great cookbook because not only are there recipes but she also gives tips for prepping ahead of time so that you don't end up in the kitchen. Of course that is settled in our house because the kitchen and dining room are connected. I can keep up with the conversation at the dinner table.

Are you getting the picture here.....conversation, conversation, conversation. And do you know one of the things your children will remember when they are grown? Times when family and friends shared a meal together. I've found that if you just have people over and keep it simple you can get over being stressed. So yes, I do like to entertain because the payback is such a wonderful way to stay connected with family and friends.