Hospitality: Feeding Guests

If you have been reading here for long, you know we are committed to hospitality.  We find it a wonderful thing to host others in our home.

When we were a part of a family integrated church we hosted families from church every Sunday; anyone was welcome to come after church.  Sometimes we had nearly 50 people here.  The kids had lots of places to play, Lindsay taught people to ride horses.  Sometimes our home was the landing spot after an afternoon hike, then it would be pizza and games into the evening.

We greatly enjoyed those times, and over the last two years we've missed regularly having guests.  We'd begun to host again, when the coronavirus lockdown hit.  During that time we still saw family, though my parents have been isolating, and a few friends who were not worried about catching the virus. (no one that we have personal contact with have caught the virus)

Yesterday, we hosted a young couple from our church for dinner and conversation.  Rachel and Wes were here too, and our friend Denny.  It was great.

I cooked a pork loin in my crockpot all day, and we had pulled pork sandwiches, coleslaw, beans and watermelon.  For dessert I made Brenda's recipe for peach cobbler.  It was so good! You can find it {here}.  We served it with vanilla ice cream.

With just four of us living here, we have just one leaf in our table, so yesterday we added two leaves, I had my enamel pitcher on the table full of rudbekia golden glow.

We set everything up as a buffet, so plates and flatware, along with napkins and all the food were on our long counter.  We all ate together at the table and enjoyed the food and conversation.

I dished up dessert right at the table, and we made tea and coffee.  By then my lower back was protesting the hard wooden chairs, so we all moved into the living room.

It was a non stress way to enjoy spending time with this couple and getting to know each other better.

I've found that when we host people that if I am calm and create a welcoming atmosphere that sets a good tone for how the time spent with our guests will go.

I know most people are worried about feed guests when they host, so I thought I'd give you a list of foods we have made when we've hosted people in our home.

Pizza

Ziti, salad, and garlic bread

Pulled Pork sandwiches, coleslaw and beans

From scratch pancakes 

Curry

Fajita chicken salad

Grilled Hamburgers

Hot Dogs and S'mores over the campfire

Potluck - everyone brings something to share

As I always say, I find that people love to be invited to come to your home, for a meal or coffee and dessert, and you don't have to do fancy food.

If we are having guests and serving pizza, I rarely make homemade pizza, anymore. No one cares.  They just enjoy that you've thought of them and invited them to come.

I hope that soon everyone will feel comfortable going about our lives again, and that when you feel comfortable doing it, you will invite someone to share a meal, or dessert and coffee with you.

It's such a great way to get to know each other.