5 Cheap Ways to Spruce Up Your Gathering & The Kitchn Cookbook giveaway
The brand new cookbook from the creators of the beloved The Kitchn blog was waiting for me when I returned home earlier this week. Oh joy!
I had met Sara Kate at Big Summer Potluck two years ago and I had the pleasure of hosting Faith here on the homestead last fall. These two kitchen geniuses teamed up to author The Kitchn Cookbook: Recipes, Kitchens & Tips to Inspire Your Cooking, a warm, inspiring cookbook that offers much more than just recipes (although the recipes are great, too).
If you like peeking into other peoples kitchens, you’ll love how this cookbook opens, with snapshots and stories of real kitchens around the country. Tucked in and around the features are solid, practical tips for setting up and caring for your kitchen. There is so much to learn here, whether your kitchen is tiny or too-large (is that really a thing?).
The next section is close to my heart: Stocking the Pantry and Planning Meals. This is the backbone of really cooking well. The authors guide you through the best set up so you can be prepared for my favourite part of the book: The Kitchn’s Cooking School! These 50 essential skills are so darn practical and well-written, I wanted to reach out and give both Faith and Sara Kate a virtual high-five.
The 150 or so recipes in this book strike a good balance between simple and sensational. I’m a fan of the basics, but a cookbook must hold new inspiration for me also; The Kitchn Cookbook has space for both.
The food styling is playful and the images are downright beautiful; I did wish for more full colour photos of the recipes, though!
5 Cheap Ways to Spruce Up Your Gathering
As we head into the holidays, entertaining is forefront on our minds. I am just about to hit send on a save-the-date email to friends and family for a December party! Now playing hostess is an task I adore, but I am always looking for new ways to simplify, save and set a beautiful table.
The final chapter in The Kitchn Cookbook focuses on Gatherings and is such fun!! I’m itching to start planning a couple events. Faith kindly gave her blessing for me to republish these frugal entertaining tips below. I love them all.
5 Cheap Ways to Spruce Up Your Gathering:
1. Two bouquets of flowers–one for the table and one to be split up around the house.
2. DIY cloth napkins. A yard of cotton fabric and a pair of pinking shears will get you about nine cloth napkins. No sewing required!
3. A few old jars to hold cutlery on the table and tea lights throughout your home.
4. Sparkling water in glass bottles and lemon or mint sprigs in water glasses.
5. A really good loaf of warmed bread, with butter and sea salt.
All images by Leela Cyd.
Giveaway!
Thanks to the publishers at Clarkson Potter, I have an extra copy of The Kitchn Cookbook: Recipes, Kitchens & Tips to Inspire Your Cooking to give away to a Simple Bites reader.
To Enter:
Just simply leave a comment below and describe YOUR kitchen in three words. That’s it!
Reminder: If you are reading this post via email, please note that you must enter on the blog post, NOT by replying to the email.
Giveaway ends Sunday, October 26, 2014. Good luck to all!
Inviting, Aromatic, Purple
warm, calming, creative
Messy, central, respite
green, seldom quiet
welcoming, colorful, infused
warm, chaotic, comfort
Cozy, eclectic, inspired
It’s Too Small
Messy but Comforting
happy, bright, busy
My kitchen is a cataclysm consisting of: passion, chaos, and creativity. 🙂
Kids, chaos, delicious.
Hmmm. Three words to I’d use to describe my kitchen would have to be small, random, and calming.
warm,, clean, fragrant
bright, cluttered, loud
Thrifty, busy, inspired
Yellow, messy, mine
fun, white, classy
Cluttered, loved, warm
In constant motion!
people magnet always
Outdated, comfortable, cozy.
Warm, bright, mine
Inventive, Inspirational, Stargate
Open. Busy. Full 🙂
full, warm, welcoming!
cramped, warm, busy
Needs a remodel!
Red, aromatic, warm.
Very, Very Tiny 🙁
Functional, family, bright
Culinary creation station!
Essential, productive and fun!
Inviting, loud, happy.
the gathering place
Circa 1960, original, love!
Cozy, sticky, yum
Busy, needs organizing
Heart of home!
Needs a renovation.
Open, full, dance-able.
Onions, garlic, wine 🙂
Creative, Organized Clutter, Delicious
Ah, smells tasty:)
Loved joyful crowded
Where I live.
Warm, welcoming, colourful
Blue and white
Flying Food Combo
Warm, spacious, busy!