Red and blue tablescape with transferware dishes for elegant Southern entertaining

Entertaining

 

imagining joyful pleasures for gracious living...

Sharing your home with others is what Southern hospitality is all about. Inviting friends, neighbors, and family in for a hot meal, a cocktail, some lovely conversation, and camaraderie is the stuff of life.

On P&P I love to share gracious Southern entertaining tips, tablescapes, party ideas, and recipes.

Scroll down to get started!

Tableware Under $125

Tablescapes

Bows & Bunnies – An Easter Table

March 24, 2023

Celebrate a joyous Easter with a colorful Easter table filled with spring florals, vintage linens, cabbage ware, and Bavarian china + an easy napkin folding trick! Once upon a time there were four little rabbits, and their names were — Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail, and Peter. I found this darling vintage tablecloth at a thrift store,…

My Grandmillennial Chintz Valentine’s Tablescape

January 31, 2023

Communicate your love and devotion with a Grandmillennial Valentine’s tablescape covered in floral chintz, vintage Limoges, vibrant cabbage ware, and sweet treats! The Victorians believed in the language of flowers and their power to communicate love and friendship and sorrow. Therapists today talk about the five love languages: acts of service, giving gifts, words of…

Recipe for a Grandmillennial Thanksgiving Table

October 26, 2022

A refined Thanksgiving table inspiration in brown and blue with Schumacher fabric, Evesham dishes, and antique accents.

Bowl Full of Flowers – Arranging Tips

October 25, 2022

Ever struggle making one of those lush bowl full of flower arrangements? Here are my 5 best arranging tips to get the look!

Camellias for the Table

October 22, 2022

Franciscan’s Woodside china and pink camellias come together for a celebratory table perfect for festive occasions. …perfection unfurled  and symmetric as a baker’s cake-flower,  your center a sunrise. You speak of more  that waits in stillness, in want  of light and time to wake it  into beauty,  buds of potential  turned to glory— abundance that …

3 Fall Centerpiece Ideas – No Pumpkins!

September 9, 2022

Decorate a sophisticated autumn tablescape with one of these unique fall centerpiece ideas sans pumpkins! Some of you lovely peonies have confessed to the grave GRAVE crime of being Pumpkin haters! 🙀 Oh the shock and horror! LOL… I personally find pumpkin hating hard to fathom because I am simply enamored by the squat adorableness…

A Chinoiserie Fall Table

September 2, 2022

Welcome guests for autumn entertaining with a Chinoiserie fall table filled with elegant Royal Doulton china, sparkling metallics, lush fabrics, and colorful florals. The soft crooning of jazz is tinkling in the air… A pork roast is browning in the oven… The wine is chilled… The dessert’s been bought… And the table is set with…

Summer Al Fresco In The Garden

June 18, 2022

Summer al fresco in the garden dining idea — perfect for patriotic parties, relaxed dinners outdoors, and cooking for friends and family this July! As the summer sunset slides down and shadows play under the canopy, torches blaze and twilight starts to twinkle. The heat slowly breaks and the cicadas take over the chorus from…

A Regency Inspired Shower Tablescape

May 27, 2022

Hosting a baby or bridal shower this spring? Let me help you dream up ideas and a refined look with this Regency inspired shower tablescape! Showering a mother to be or a bride to be is one of the happiest occasions! With June on the horizon and wedding season almost here, I wanted to share…

A Plaid Pastel Easter Table

March 26, 2022

Inspiration for a plaid pastel Easter table filled with whimsical vintage and lily of the valley china plus 5 tips for using pastel colors! Easter is only a few weeks away, and it’s time to start planning your tables! I created this whimsical brightly hued plaid pastel Easter table the other day for the Easter…

Recipes

Shower Menu – Classic Southern Trio Salad Plate

May 29, 2022

Host an elegant but simple baby/bridal shower and serve a classic Southern trio salad plate! Classics are classic for a reason! I was reminded just how delightful classic Southern salads can be the other day when my mother and I enjoyed a delightful lunch at a little tea house. We both partook of the classic…

Autumn Cheese Board Round-Up

October 7, 2021

An autumn cheese board with mascarpone, figs, apples, rustic bread, blue cheese, and nuts + a round up of other themed boards to try this fall season! Charcuterie — because a generation raised on Lunchables is trying to be cool. ~ In the Curious Kitchen Hahahaha….I really couldn’t agree with In the Curious Kitchen more!…

A Fall Dinner Party Menu

October 1, 2021

Make planning your next autumn gathering easier with this fall dinner party menu that includes smoked chicken, creamed corn, lemon rosemary roast potatoes, and for dessert a fig tart! Sometimes selecting the menu for a dinner party can be the most challenging aspect of planning a get-together. I always enjoy searching through my cookbooks and…

Red, White & Plaid – A 4th of July BBQ Made Easy

June 26, 2021

Inspiration for your backyard Independence Day celebration with a red, white and plaid Americana tablescape and 4th of July BBQ made easy menu! Recipes and vintage sources included! With COVID restrictions lifted and July 4th just ahead, I know a lot of you are planning big summer gatherings for Independence Day celebrations. Keep it simple…

A Sunday Supper Menu Idea

February 17, 2021

Sunday suppers were one of those Southern traditions we adhered to with dependability when I was growing up. My whole family would amass at grandpa and grandma’s house for a feast she miraculously assembled somehow between shaking the preacher’s hand and a 20 minute drive. It was always a feast that made your mouth water,…

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

February 3, 2021

Feeling in the mood for a decadent dessert? Make these easy red velvet cupcakes with strawberry cream cheese frosting! If you like red velvet cake, you are going to adore these cupcakes with strawberry cream cheese frosting! It adds just the right amount of fruity sweetness to the tanginess of the cake. And I’m not…

My Mama’s Chicken Salad with Grapes & Pecans

August 17, 2020

A favorite summer dish perfect for picnics and dining al fresco — chicken salad with grapes and pecans! We all have a favorite dish from our mama’s kitchen….you know that dish that no one can make better than her! It’s one you get a craving for and can never make as tasty as she does.…

Carolina BBQ: We Like Pig Butts & We Cannot Lie

July 3, 2020

7 Tips for smoking delicious Carolina BBQ from our family grill master, including grilling tools, dry rub secrets, and techniques! Around our family circle, my husband Seth is the grill master. He can roast a steak to medium rare perfection, sear a scallop without it sticking, and smoke pork to barbequed goodness. Yeah, he is…

2 Easy Recipes for Tostadas

June 2, 2020

Tostadas: an easy summer meal with endless possibilities. With all the extra meals I’ve been preparing at home lately, I am looking for recipes that are simple but versatile — easy to make but special. I’ve discovered that tostadas match those wishes perfectly! Tostados are a Mexican deep-fried tortilla topped with a seasoned mixture of…

Pretty Spring Sugar Cookies with Pastel Icing

April 5, 2020

Bake some pretty spring sugar cookies and decorate them with pastel icing and sprinkles for a sweet treat perfect for kiddos and adults alike! Admittedly, I am no baker! Don’t get me wrong, I love to cook, but baking has just never been my thing…too many measurements and too many possible snags. In all honesty, I’m…

Cocktails

Summer Cocktail: An Aperol Pop

June 23, 2022

Looking for a delightful summer cocktail that’s easy to make and oh so refreshing? Try my Aperol pops with prosecco, Aperol, and tangerine popsicles! If you love an Aperol spritz in the summer months, you are going to adore this twist on a classic summer cocktail! This one is so easy to make, but feels…

The Easiest “Tastes like Fall in a Glass” Mimosa

October 2, 2021

An easy peasy apple cider mimosa that you’ll be making all autumn long! Happy October Friends! Do you like mimosas? Do you like apples? Do you like easy? YES! YES! & YES! Then do yourself a favor pop in to your local grocery and grab 3 ingredients: Fresh Apples Apple Cider & A Sweet Bubbly…

Cherry Mint Lemonade – Pitcher Cocktail

June 26, 2021

Mix up a big batch of my cherry mint lemonade for gatherings this summer. It is an easy pitcher cocktail that will delight your guests with its refreshing sweet tang! My cherry mint lemonade is a super easy and super tasty big batch cocktail! It is sweet from the cherries but tangy with the refreshing…

Mojitos Anyone? Put the Lime in the Coconut…

July 17, 2020

Let’s stir up the most refreshing summer cocktail for these hot sultry afternoons…coconut mojitos! ?? You put the lime in the coconut, you drink ’em bot’up Put the lime in the coconut, you drink ’em bot’ up Put the lime in the coconut, you drink ’em bot’ up… There is nothing more refreshing for sultry…

An Effortless French 75 Cocktail with Champagne Sugar Cube

March 26, 2020

Pour up this effortless French 75 cocktail recipe with champagne, lemon, gin, and Teaspressa LUXE sugar cubes for a delightful spring drink! Bartender! One bubbly spring cocktail please! Something fruity but light… Refreshing and bright… & mixed with minimal might! A quick pour of this and plop of that then before you appears this quick…

A Pomegranate Gin Holiday Cocktail

December 22, 2019

Mix up a delightfully fizzy pomegranate gin holiday cocktail for your guests this Christmas season! Who is ready for a fab holiday cocktail sure to please everyone of age? Ok, well maybe not the Grinch, but what does please him? After all the holiday prep and blogging, I am more than ready to kick up…

Bourbon & Bitters

November 21, 2019

Looking for a sophisticated cocktail idea that is sure to please all your dapper Southern gents and sassy belles? Try a bourbon and bitters bar station at your next cocktail party or dinner. Bourbon and bitters go together like fried chicken and Sundays, Dolly Parton and big hair, sweet tea and porches, like the South…

A Bubbly Apple

October 23, 2019

Celebrate autumn with a bubbly apple cocktail – sure to tickle the tastebuds and delight your guests with this mix of apple cider, caramel, and cava! Happy autumn y’all! I have been on an apple kick this past month, loving anything with this delicious fall fruit, so I had to concoct a yummy apple cocktail…

Blueberry Lemon Mint Fizz

May 24, 2019

Take a blanket out to the lawn and enjoy a blueberry lemon mint fizz on a sultry summer evening amidst the fireflies. Looking for a refreshing summer cocktail with fruity flavors to enjoy at your next porch party or picnic? This blueberry lemon mint fizz is the perfecto choice! It is sweet with a hint…

Build Your Own Southern Bloody Mary Bar + Recipe

February 23, 2019

Learn the art of building your own Bloody Mary Bar and how to make it quintessentially Southern! My mother and I love to drink Bloody Marys! Whether out and about for brunch or breakfasting at home a Bloody Mary is a delicious start to the day with its piquant spice and yummy garnishes. When we…