A month(ish) ago I wrote about my new life as Gwyneth Paltrow, and how I wanted to cook with friends. Well, this weekend I did the next best thing — I cooked for friends. And it is now official — I love dinner parties. I don’t know if this means I’m officially a grown up (blech) but I was so much happier eating duck and drinking wine and chatting for some hours with new(ish) friends than I have ever been trying to get the bartender’s attention while screaming over the music so my pals can hear me in a crowded bar. Well maybe not ever. I really liked that screaming and drinking exactly ten years ago. (Again, grown up. Gross.)
I guess this is what married and 30 looks like.
Dinner parties are the new pub crawl. Quote me.
You can’t see friends here because they had to take the pics. But trust me. They were there. This is not a Snuffleupagus situation.
Tell me: What is your single favorite way to hang with friends? Dinner parties? Girls Nights? Book Club? Dance party?
MWF Seeking BFF 
Rachel is right – I was there!! The duck was fantastic. I can’t imagine Gwyneth could make the duck as great at Rachel did.
LOVE, Jordan
Looking to read some books, that were as easy and enjoyable as yours. Might you give me some suggestions?
Thank you
_____
Like you, my favorite way to do just about everything has changed through the years.
I loved the bar meets and screaming over the loud music for many years, too. Then I longed for a venue where I could actually have a conversation: small groups at restaurants that became hangouts before babies came along.
Your duck feast looks delicious and from Jordan’s comments, must have been a wonderful night. You are a born hostess.
I prefer more casual hostessing: barbeques outside at our old summer house, game nights with pizza, screening nights with chinese food. You get the picture.
The older i get, the more i enjoy just hanging out eating, drinking, and chatting with good friends. Weekend brunches are a perfect excuse to enjoy all three. I also love girl dates, going out with a friend, shopping together, getting pedicures together. Even dancing, which i do enjoy, is best in a small venue at a reasonable hour. The only way i can be ok with this is by fully accepting and embracing my age. I am not 21 anymore!
Rapidly approaching my 30s, I feel like I am rapidly being edged out of the heavy-bar-traipsing crowd, or, what I guess is the same, no longer interested in that whole thing. An afternoon at the pool, a morning playing volleyball, a game night with friends, all sound more appealing to me now than going to “the bar”.
I completely agree. I went to 3 bars the other night and stayed out til 1 and I woke up sick the next day and a scratchy voice from yelling to friends over the noise in the bar. Clearly my body is too old for this nonsense. Dinner parties…I’m on board with this trend.
Looks delicious! I love the thoughts on the evolution of what we want in life. Priorities change, people change. It’s a fact. Glad you’ve found change that is putting a smile on your face! That’s what’s most important.
Rachel,
I think you are absolutely right, dinner parties are a sign of growing up. I started to love to entertain about a year after I got married, and now that I am about to have a remodeled kitchen, I am going to love it all over again. There is just something about learning new things (recipes and techniques) and then sharing them with friends. Congrats on your first of what I assume will be many, great dinner parties.
Jody
Dinner parties are the the best 🙂
I like games nights, playing cards or board games with friends when I have friends. Usually we’ll have a late light supper as a break. I love to play games! If I could get more people interested, I would play murder mystery games at every gathering.
I had a dinner party with friends last Saturday night and it was really good fun, apart from the hangover the next day. I still like going out for dinner – saves me from washing all the dishes – but it’s nearly impossible to do it regularly. It’s too expensive when you factor in babysitters and the cost of food in London restaurants. This is what 40 and married with kids looks like. Trust me.
Congratulations! I invite you to try the fantastic Italian food, your friends will remain amazed!
It looks very delicious
Thank you!
thank you very much! it is the reality! Italy and especially Puglia is a treasure waiting to be discovered!