If I could distill my perfect night, it would include being around the dinner table with family and friends, eating something homemade. In homage to a hearty winter 15 Bean Soup that my mom recently served me, here’s 15 things I’ve learned about life around the table. (Recipe provided at the bottom of this post.)
#1 You don’t have to be fancy to have people over. Cook and they will come.
#2 Cook seasonally when you can. Fruits and vegetables that are in season will taste better, potentially provide more nutrition, and disappear more quickly from your guests’ plates. For instance, no one wants 15 Bean Soup in July (except me, maybe). But in sub-freezing temperatures, it hits the mark.
#3 Your house doesn’t have to be perfect. I try to have my house mostly in order when I invite people over so they can unwind in a clear and uncluttered space. But I fight the temptation to have everything perfect. Otherwise, I’d hardly ever entertain.
#4 You don’t have to spend a lot of money. I love soups specifically for this reason. You can feed a lot of people for a minimal investment. Recipes based on basic staples like pastas, grains, beans, and vegetables can go a long way for a little amount.
#5 Cook what you know. Bring your signature dish or your mom’s specialty from your childhood. People love consuming the food that’s part of your story and tradition.
#6 Invest in a collection of bowls, dishes, and platters (over time). This doesn’t mean you have to collect expensive or fancy items. Just go with a theme you love and build on it. For instance, a few years ago I found some clearance Williams & Sonoma napkins. I use them when I’m serving my nieces and nephews frozen pizzas or setting the table for a fancy dinner party with adult guests. When people see those napkins, they know they’re at my house.
#7 Ask people to bring stuff! People are almost always happy to help. Tell them what you need to take the pressure off… cheese, crackers, drinks, a salad, dessert. Eliminating an item or two will make all the difference for you as the host.
#8 Be intentional. I can’t tell you how many times in a week I have the thought, I really need to have him/her/them over. And then 8 months go by. Put a night on your calendar and make it happen. Even if you have to schedule it 2 months out, it will be here before you know it.
#9 But know you can be last minute, too. The other day a friend of mine told me I needed to create an app that alerts my community whenever I’ve made a soup so they know to head over. Too bad I have zero tech skills. The point is, you don’t always have to plan a dinner party days out. A last minute invitation can be just the cure for friends experiencing a lonely or quiet night in.
#10 For fancier dinners, decorate classy but inexpensive. A few good Ball Jars filled with fresh cut flowers still does the trick—especially if one of your friends has an eye for arranging. My sister in-law is the best at this, so I always tap her to put the table together for fancier get-togethers. And on my own, even I can’t mess up a fresh flower.
#11 Takeout is allowed (just not all the time). A few weeks ago, I asked my brother’s family over for dinner. I had sublime intentions of making it to the grocery store and spending a couple leisurely hours chopping, sautéing and listening to Frank Sinatra. And then life happened. So I ordered burgers and fries for everyone. And it was altogether lovely.
#12. Cook what’s already in your fridge and pantry. You’d be surprised at what you can put together with that frozen pound of meat in the fridge, half package of pasta with a rubber band around it in the pantry, and that 28 oz. can of tomato sauce in your Lazy Susan. Jump online and Google recipes with the ingredients you already have.
#13. Keep good coffee and tea on hand. Whether someone’s just stopping by or I need something for after dinner, I always keep coffee and tea on hand. I have a tea and sugar set I love, along with an assortment of mugs and stirring spoons I’ve collected over the years. Presentation goes a long way with guests, and it’s easy to execute with a few economical pieces.
#14. Reserve a treat drawer for kids. Okay, I’m stretching here near the end. Right now I’m wishing my mom had made 7 Bean Soup instead of 15. At any rate, I actually do have a little wicker basket that I keep treats, snacks, and candies in for when little ones come to my house. They know right where it is. I keep it at their level. They love me for it.
#15. Learn a new dish in the new year! I tend to fall back on my old standbys, but last year I made an Indian dish in my crockpot and tried it out on some family and friends. It was a hit! I learned how to use spices I don’t normally use like saffron, cardamom and garam masala, and I opened myself up to a host of other recipes I want to try.
15 Bean Soup Recipe
My mom always has something bubbling on the stove or baking in the oven. As a result, she has a lot of kids and grandkids who have become expert grazers. The basic problem for her is that she’s set the bar high and now we expect her to perform. Every. Year. She’s getting a little tired, and we don’t really care. We can’t help it—she’s created food dependents.
This year, she threw together a 15 Bean Soup that we downed like Winter Olympic champions. This soup is easy to make, nourishing, and hearty—if you’re going to serve a soup in the thick of winter, don’t ladle into people’s bowls anything less than hearty. Winter is not the time to go meager on people. Check out the ingredients and steps below.
Download the recipe here.
As we go into a new year, I’m so thankful that we see calls to hospitality in some of the New Testament letters. I believe cooking, eating, and communing together is near to the heart of Christ. So let’s get cooking.
[clickToTweet tweet=”I believe eating and communing together is near to the heart of Christ. So let’s get cooking.” quote=”I believe cooking, eating, and communing together is near to the heart of Christ. So let’s get cooking.”]
Guest Blog And A Few Other Things
Just a quick note to let you know that I did a guest blog for @edstetzer ‘s Thursday is for Thinkers. Today I wrote about The Gospel versus Religious Mission. If you get a chance, check out what’s going on over there and leave a thought… or two. www.edstetzer.com
It has been a whirlwind summer as I’ve been finishing up a book on the virtues entitled The Fitting Room: Putting On The Character Of Christ. It will be out in April of 2011. I say all this to let you know why I have been terribly absent from the blog. What my excuse will be for the rest of the year, I have no idea. Social media is not my strong suit.
A HUGE thank you to Beth Moore and Living Proof Ministries for their enormous blessing of facilitating the Ruth study during the Summer Siesta Bible Study. I love Beth’s teaching and am grateful for real women who live with integrity and love Jesus passionately. You get all of this with Beth and her studies and live events. And, many, many thanks to all of you who participated, as well as for your kind comments. They have been a blessing.
Off to water the flowers. They are dying in this Nashville heat!!!!
Shipping Update on Beth Moore Summer Study
Hey Everyone,
I’m sorry that I have been quite out of touch since being out of the country in Brazil, specifically on a boat cruising down the Amazon. And when I say ‘cruising’, please don’t think anything even close to a cruise ship, because the only thing the two have in common is their ability to float. Much more on what God did on our trip in posts to come…
Many of you are wondering if you can get your Ruth Study(s) from this website and how quickly they will arrive, especially in regard to Beth Moore’s summer study. Yes, you can order them here, (or get them at your local LifeWay Store). Please know that we are expediting our shipments to you so you can get your Ruth study(s) as soon as possible. If you have any questions or issues, please contact us at Minterstore@comcast.net, and we’ll get back to you right away. If you need more info on Beth’s Summer Study you can visit her blog by clicking here.
Can’t wait to share with you about my trip to the Amazon. God is so desirous to use His people to take the Gospel (and everything the Gospel means and does) to the ends of the earth. To be entrusted with the treasure of the Gospel is one of the greatest gifts God has given us. This I know.
Flooding And Devastation In Nashville
As many of you know, Nashville (and other areas) experienced widespread flooding over the weekend. Currently the sun is out, the wind is calm and the birds have returned to their morning songs. However, the wake of devastation is enormous. I am thankful to be in an area where the worst we had was running up and down our rickety basement stairs to empty buckets and trash cans of water, along with several trees down. You can see my ahead-of-its-time water catcher above, something my friend put together when suddenly water started pouring in through a loose brick. This was absolutely nothing compared to all the lost homes, and even lives, that have been lost over the past two days.
Recipe of The Month Folks!
Alright, I missed the recipe of the month in March because I got a little overwhelmed writing this book on the Christian virtues. It’s due soon, actually tomorrow, though I don’t think I’m going to quite make it – especially if I keep doing things like blog about French toast. Will let you know how it goes… Again, thank you all so much for your very helpful comments on the blog regarding the book a few months ago. They were very helpful. Alright, onto the French toast!
This is what all the people gathered around my table are eating on Easter morning. My dear friend, April, whipped it up the night before, and I’m telling you, this dish will make you a hero in your family, neighborhood, social network – wherever you need hero status. Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients:
1/2 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
7 Eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
Egg Bread (or Italian Sweet Bread)
Directions:
Put 1/2 stick butter and 1 cup brown sugar and 2 teaspoons in bottom of 13×9 inch pan and put in oven until butter is melted. Take out of oven and mix all three ingredients together until you have a nice glaze covering the bottom of the pan. Place thick slices (1.5 inch ea.) of Egg Bread (or bread of your choice) over the glaze covering the entire dish (just one layer). Then whisk 7 eggs and 1-1/2 cups of milk together in bowl. Once whisked, pour over the bread slices in the pan. Cover and put in fridge overnight. Wake up the next morning, preheat your oven to 350 while get your coffee on… Then bake uncovered for 45 minutes.
Super easy. Delicious. Not healthy, but great for the psyche!
Hope you all are enjoying spring. Thanks for the prayers regarding this book. More to come soon…
Forgiveness
Okay, so a few months ago I posted a blog regarding the Christian virtues, or graces, that we are to “clothe” ourselves in, and your responses were very helpful – and honest, which I love. (Here’s the link if you missed it, or want to add a thought). Since then I have been writing furiously on the virtues listed in Colossians 3:12, along with a bunch of other aspects that go with how to practically put these virtues “on”. All of which will help get me to my goal of 50,000 words. Yes, writing is that romantic.
And since this book has managed to coil its tendrils around every waking moment of my consciousness I have all but ignored my blog, something my friends remind me of every day (probably because they’re the only ones who read it, or sincerely believe others do…)
So, I’m posting an excerpt on forgiveness from the book that will be out in May of 2011, if I don’t first die from staring at my computer screen. (Click the title to keep reading…)