FRENCH COUNTRY DINNER WITH FRIENDS

Autumn is my favorite season for entertaining friends with a simple meal at home. This is such a crazy busy week here at FrenchGardenHouse, from Wednesday through Sunday we are entertaining or traveling every single day. But this is my very favorite time to gather friends and family around the evening fire and share meals.

First hostess opportunity here is a small intimate dinner with friends. Yesterday evening, while my soup was cooking, I thought about the appetizer and decided on cheese, grapes, crackers. I'll add some apple slices since our farmer's market had the most delicious honey crisps, and maybe I'll melt a little cheese in a small antique French crock.

If the weather is agreeable, we could have a very simple appetizer and a glass of wine in the back garden. Otherwise, it will be served in our kitchen, since everyone seems to always congregate there!

French Silver Plated Wine Bottle Basket

I'm keeping the menu super simple, appetizers and a simple country soup. My friends are bringing other parts of the meal: salad, wine, and dessert. One of my stylish girlfriends owns a tea salon, she always has her pastry chef create something magical for us! We are all always eagerly awaiting what is in those white pastry boxes tied with French ribbon that she brings along. Needless to say there are never any left-overs of those.

I started to lay the table in the kitchen and then got a little sidetracked by the flowers. I foraged these beauties from our almost bare fall garden, and decided to make individual little flower arrangements, one per guest. I'll be sharing them on a future Floral Friday.

European Embroidered Wheat Linen Napkins

In no time at all the soup was made, the table was laid and ready, and my friends arrived for an autumn supper.

This was such an easy get together. I made an appetizer, this soup, and an array of bread fresh out of the oven.

Dinner with friends, I love entertaining at home, do you? It doesn't have to be fancy, and no one really cares if your home is "perfect" - it's just one of the small delicious pleasures of friendship. I've actually had friends say "thank goodness your home isn't perfect everywhere, it's nice to see a little corner of mess, so much less intimidating" -ha!

There is nothing I love more than gathering a few friends around my country table, serving a simple meal, {soup, salad and dessert} and sharing all the "new" things that have happened in our lives.

I want to encourage you to entertain at home as much as you can this beautiful season. There is nothing wrong with making it a "pot-luck" or a super simple dinner like I served: soup, salad and dessert. You can buy it all too. I'll share the soup recipe next time. What matters most is gathering people you love and spending some precious time together.

SHOP FRENCH ANTIQUES

à bientôt

If you want to romance your Home and Garden with antique and vintage treasures to make you smile each time you come home, visit our shop FrenchGardenHouse.