End of an Era
04/09/2010
done and done
Urgency Day: 497
500 Things Item #4: Stainless Chafing Dish
- Handy for keeping copious batches of party-sized meatballs warm
- Quite handy for copious-meatball party era
- Happy copious-meatball party era is over
- Sell
I am utterly and completely over the chafing-dish era of entertaining.
Don’t get me wrong. We had a blast doing all that “laminated lists” kind of partying, and I miss my “Tiny Heinies” catering buds like crazy! But the days of preparing a bazillion individual meatballs and canapés and skewers and tartlets? No thanks, I’m done.
These days, I enjoy a more relaxed style of entertaining. The big-pot-of-soup or throw- something-on-the-grill mentality. Everyone seems to enjoy themselves more with this kind of setting anyway. It’s easier and cheaper. Which begs the question:
What took me so long to figure this out?
- Glossy magazines?
- Glossy TV shows?
- Glossy celebrities?
Hmmm. How about, “That was then, this is now.”
So, my downsizing will include downsized partying. Keep the love, ditch the chafing dish. All that work’s no fun without the Tiny Heinies anyway.
One last thought:
Okay, I’m not totally eliminating copious and detailed food prep from my life. Of course milestones such as my beloved Erin’s wedding deserve the full-on, laminated treatment. And we did have a blast baking and decorating 223 perfect cupcakes!
properly laminated cupcakes
Thank you and I love you, Donna, Laura, Elizabeth and Sydney. And of course, our gracious hostess, Joy.
Sometimes, more really is more.
04/10/2010 at 12:34 pm
I can recognize that an era has passed and still long for it, right? No one is going to insist that as I dunk my tasty gluten-free roll into a bowl of delicious hearty soup that I have to say, “Thank goodness those ostentatious days of tortellini skewers and showy melon balls in Cointreau and mint are behind us. I can’t believe I overlooked this honest stew while noshing on crudités with lemon dip and cherry tomatoes stuffed with corn salad. And to think that I used to be lured by the easy flamboyance of orange muffins with smoked turkey and cranberry relish, and brie en croute!”
I am sooo glad I’m not meeting you for the first time now, captivated by all that you can accomplish with your one cast iron pot, only to find out that I missed the glorious era of chafing dishes and tartlets in your past. No, I got to be there, eyes wide, enraptured by the laminated magic.
I knew it was exhausting and that it couldn’t last, but those were heady times. I’m grateful that I got to eat my fill.
04/10/2010 at 3:14 pm
Maybe when you reach Day #1 of your purge we can have another cupcake party. Martha would be proud of us, and we don’t need a chafing dish. 🙂
Elizabeth
04/21/2010 at 12:26 pm
Today I wanted to know how many cupcakes you guys made and Sydney said that it was surely on your blog. 223! And they WERE perfect. I am chafing for one right now.