A fun, informative guide to hosting the perfect party every time. "Every dinner party experience I’ve had in the last ten years at Corey’s has been incredible. But practice really does make perfect and I can now honestly say there is nowhere I’d rather be in the world than at his table ... I can’t begin to express the relief I felt in reading this book and realizing there was a method to his success." - Sarah Polley, from the introduction We’ve all been there: twenty minutes before guests arrive, and you’re unsure if you’ve got enough wine, or enough chairs, or whether your friend is a vegetarian or a vegan. Hosting a dinner party is hard, but Corey Mintz can help. For his popular Toronto Star column, "Fed," he has presided over 115 dinner parties, every week opening his home to strangers and friends alike in an effort to perfect the craft of hosting. And in How to Host a Dinner Party, he shares everything he’s learned in a hilarious handbook that will appeal to everyone — from those throwing their first dinner party to seasoned entertainers looking to enhance their skills. This book guides readers through everything they need to know about hosting, starting with the golden rule — that the goal of a dinner party is to have fun with our friends, not to show off our cooking skills. It will explain why we like to gather for dinner, when we should host, who we should invite, what we should cook, and how we should cook it. Featuring recipes, anecdotes, expert analysis, and an endless bounty of how-to tips, it is the essential guide to perfecting the art of welcoming people into your home.
The Art of the Visit is an invaluable resource for the socially minded. During tough economic periods people tend to visit with family and friends for a mini-vacation instead of taking more expensive trips. This practical and humorous guide establishes the ground rules for successfully spending time with those people who are most dear to us. Full of anecdotes from the author's experiences, The Art of the Visit illustrates the dos and don'ts of extended visiting from start to finish so that the reader can become the perfect host and/or the perfect guest.
A thought-provoking meditation on food, family, identity, immigration, and, most of all, hospitality--at the table and beyond--that's part food memoir, part appeal for more authentic decency in our daily worlds, and in the world at large. Be My Guest is an utterly unique, deeply personal meditation on what it means to tend to others and to ourselves--and how the two things work hand in hand. Priya Basil explores how food--and the act of offering food to others--are used to express love and support. Weaving together stories from her own life with knowledge gleaned from her Sikh heritage; her years spent in Kenya, India, Britain, and Germany; and ideas from Derrida, Plato, Arendt, and Peter Singer, Basil focuses an unexpected and illuminating light on what it means to be both a host and a guest. Lively, wide-ranging, and impassioned, Be My Guest is a singular work, at once a deeply felt plea for a kinder, more welcoming world and a reminder that, fundamentally, we all have more in common than we imagine.
There are important Biblical truths overlooked by much of Christianity. The Devil would have it so, and, unfortunately, our naturally sinful hearts find it attractively so. We prefer to be saved in our sins rather than from our sins. The term Gospel is in reference to the salvation of fallen mankind in Christ’s future, eternal kingdom of peace. Tragically, great differences in understanding of the Gospel is a major reason for the multitude of differing Christian faiths. The Bible speaks of “One Lord, one faith, one baptism.” (Ephesians 4:5). Jesus Christ made the claim: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6). Thus, the Scriptures teach that there is only One True Way to the heavenly Father, only One True Gospel—the Man Christ Jesus. When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden—embedding the trait of selfishness in humanity’s heart—Christ promised them that He would come to earth to take their punishment, and to crush their deceiver Satan’s head. As a perpetual reminder, Christ gave them the sacrificial system. They were to confess their sins over the head of an innocent lamb and then to slay it; symbolizing Christ’s future death on the cross for the sins of man. When the children of Israel were delivered from slavery in Egypt, Christ gave them a much more complete explanation of the various steps in the salvation process. In the earthly sanctuary and its services—a pattern of the true sanctuary in heaven—He gave a much clearer explanation of the salvation process as to how, when, and where the various steps occur in reality. For some 1500 years Christ worked with the children of Israel in an attempt to lead them, in their tabernacle/temple services to depict to the world the gospel of salvation through the coming Messiah. Unfortunately, Satan succeeded in blinding their eyes to the truths of their own religious services, to the degree, that they rejected and nailed to a Roman cross the long-looked-for perfect Lamb of God. Unfortunately still today, many of Christ’s followers are failing to appreciate the important truths of the gospel as depicted for so many centuries in the priestly services of the earthly tabernacle and temples of Israel. We are tending to ignore the New Testament teachings regarding Christ’s High Priestly ministry in the true tabernacle of heaven (see Hebrews chapters 3-10). We tend to not appreciate the important prophecy of Daniel 8:14: “And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” (Daniel 8:14). The dominant Christian faith of the Dark Ages has side-tracked our attention to a still earthly priesthood with the claim to forgive sin. For these and other reasons, Satan is again succeeding to a great degree in blinding Christ’s followers to the great truths of the sanctuary services, now going on in heaven. Through failure to understand as to the how, when, and where Christ is working to save repentant men and women from sin, rather than in sin, many will fail to be benefitted by His death on the cross so many years ago. It is the purpose of this publication to search for clarity as to what is the One True Gospel. It has found that a comprehension of Christ’s role as Surety, as the Lamb of God, and as the Mediator-High Priest of the human race goes far in achieving that goal. “We need . . . much more knowledge in regard to the plan of salvation. There is not one in one hundred who understands for himself the Bible truth on this subject that is so necessary to our present and eternal welfare. When light begins to shine forth to make clear the plan of redemption to the people, the enemy works with all diligence that the light may be shut away from the hearts of men. If we come to the Word of God with a teachable, humble spirit, the rubbish of error will be swept away, and gems of truth, long hidden from our eyes, will be discovered.” Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, book 1, 359, 360.
Relive a time of grace and elegance with this facsimile edition of Good Housekeeping's 1904 hostess manual. With all the original illustrations, it is far more than just a charming door into the past. Thoughtful behavior has never gone out of style, and the advice on everything from organizing a formal event to celebrating a wedding anniversary to writing sympathy cards will prove useful. And, of course, no magazine equals Good Housekeeping for offering scrumptious recipes and original entertaining suggestions. Here are complete menus, seating plans, decorating ideas, and games for a wide variety of social gatherings and parties: weddings and christenings; a children's Winter Picnic to enjoy indoors; a Curiosity Tea (where guests bring a "curiosity"); a Hayseed Carnival (with wedges of apple pie, milk, doughnuts, cider, and gingerbread), and many other holiday festivities. With this guide at your side, you'll be the hostess with the mostest!
