Paper Palate

With gorgeous weather still here, there’s a bit of time left to take advantage of outdoor entertaining, and the folks at Williams-Sonoma want to help us take advantage of it. Their newest tome, appropriately titled Outdoor Entertaining, found its way into my shopping cart at Costco the other day.

Over 140 pages of ideas you can put to use immediately, the full color pictures throughout will get you in a party planning mood in no time flat. Whether it’s a beachside picnic, an Italian family-style dinner or a grilled feast after work with your neighbors, you’ll find recipes, lighting ideas, table settings and complete menus to get you on your way. What’s more, the table settings and suggestions are simple and classic, keeping the focus on family and not available funds. That’s my kind of planning.

Not enough? You might want to check out their Thanksgiving Entertaining and Christmas Entertaining books as well. Yeah, they found their way to my library shelves long ago. As if I need more temptation, there’s a Cocktail Party edition heading to stores next month too. Happy reading!