When they got home yesterday they quickly jumped in to help prepare for our company. Emily made her wonderful brownies and Lindsay vacuumed. I had already been very busy...why I do things in such a crazy way, but I decided that I needed to finish the weeding in all the flower beds...well it was a bigger job than I anticipated! duh! Tim helped me finish up, and then I made bread.
Ah, heavenly bread! I used to make bread a lot, many years ago. Then I wanted to do it again, so we bought a bread machine. Used it till it died...it was going to cost more to fix it than buy new, but it wasn't in the budget at them time, and we had a Pepperidge Farms outlet near us with very good bread, for very little dough...(ha ha ha get it very little dough).
Over the last year friends in the blog world, jAne, Becky, and Karen have been showing wonderful homemade bread...and I was hooked again. Yesterday with company coming I decided to use Karen's "Sweet French Bread" recipe. It is an easy recipe and it turned out divine! My husband was impressed and loved it - our company - a husband and wife that Tim works with - couldn't get enough. In fact, I had made a double batch of the bread and tried Becky's tip of making smaller braided loaves instead of two larger loaves. I was able to send a loaf home with them! I told them that Karen says it is her favorite bread for making French Toast.
Our guests were happy campers when they headed home! They had full bellies, we had had good conversation, the kids delighted them...it was a great evening.
I have to brag about my kids just a bit...I am so impressed with them. They fully participate when we have guests. Lindsay and Emily stayed at the table with us and joined in the conversation...they even told stories about their weeks running the store...the little ones offer hospitality by offering cheerfulness. Sarah and Rachel took our lady guest outside to see the horses....Kyle showed off his "bridge" he built and then learned to spin a penny! He had such fun, too. Sarah joined us as we walked our guests to their car...Kyle joined us too.
I am off to make some breakfast, perhaps some delightful french toast with the yummy bread....hmmmm.
What kinds of things do you like to do when you have dinner guests?
9 comments:
Sounds like a wonderful time! As I seem to say almost daily-I wish we lived closer!
Glad the bread came out well. I'm sure your guests will enjoy their gift, whether or not they try it as French toast.
(I usually make a double batch every time, too. It isn't any more work and I'm much more likely to get French toast that way.) ;-)
Oh my, it sounds like you had a wonderful time.
How about posting that bread recipe for us sometime???? I am always on the look out for a new one. PLEASE.
Love & Prayers,
Ronda
I am not a fancy cook but a good home cook. So many, today, do not have time to slow roast or take the time nursing a soup or stew all afternoon. So, I often will fix a one pot meal like beef stew, or a soup with a salad, homemade bread, and pie with homemade icecream for dessert. I set the table with my best china and treat each guest as if they were the queen.
Ruth, PA
And the sweet french bread finds a new home to love it! Spreading the love.
It has been a long time since we have had "new" people over. I think the last "new" people were Kelly and Duane and now they are regulars.
Maybe we will have to do something about that.
Smiles...
Becky
Karen,
I wished you lived closer too, I think our girls would be friends also!
Ronda, I will either post the recipe or provide a link to it! You will love it!
Ruth, you cook like I do...in fact I made a roast last night with potatoes and carrots, gravy (which was made by my daughter Lindsay, it was excellent!), homemade bread, Brownies for dessert (made by my daughter Emily). Lots of yummy slow roasted goodness. Our guests just loved it all!
Becky, I am always so pleased to have had new folks over, even though sometimes I am nervous about it ahead of time. We usually end up so blessed!
MMMMMM.....homemade bread, thats the best and the smell is so wonderful!!
My friends mom makes all kinds of breads, I was always excited to get a piece when I was little!!
Glad you all had a nice time!
I'm so glad you are going to post the recipe or make a link. I love making bread -- and am always looking for new tried and true recipes!
Sounds like your gift of hospitality has passed to the next generation already! That's just the way Jesus intended it to be! One day your girls will be hosting people in their homes with great ease because you took the time to teach them to operate in the gift of hospitality! What a treasure!
How wonderful that the kids help out so much and participate in entertaining your guests! And Mmmm... I can smell that fresh bread from here! Hubby has been on a bread baking binge (say that quickly 3 times, LOL) for several months now and it has been terrific!
We don't entertain nearly often enough. But we love to share good food and laughter, show pictures from our travels, talk politics, etc.
This sounds like a wonderful time... for your guests AND all of you. I do crazy things like that too, trying to weed all of the flower beds.
I'm much more comfortable now than I used to be about having people over. I think in these fast -paced days, people are happy to be invited for a home cooked meal, and aren't concerned about all of the little things that we, as women of our own homes, see.
I'm so proud of you children for not only helping you get ready, but for being good company as well. Way to go, guys and girls!
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