Occasions

Kate Spade

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Year: 2008
• ISBN:
  9781439103524
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Self Improvement

Every occasion calls out for something extra, whether it's flowers you set on the table, foods to honor a special gathering, or the selection of music. For both hostess and guest, consideration of those around you is among the most important qualities for any enjoyable occasion. A smile and sense of humor are also essential, and before the canapés and night lighting a good hostess is ultimately defined by a welcoming and gracious demeanor.
In Occasions, designer Kate Spade invites you into her world of easy, festive entertaining, where the emphasis is not on "the perfect meal" but on having "the perfect time." It's a world where laughter and conversation at dinner parties are encouraged and where spilled red wine on the couch is no reason to stop the music. As Kate says, "Making your guests feel at home is truly an art and it's one worth cultivating."
Any occasion begins with preparation, and at the outset Kate describes such basic components as lighting (votive candles are a must); table linens, flatware, and glassware; flowers (trimmed short and tightly massed); even bedding for overnight or weekend guests. Party shopping lists, hors d'oeuvres and cocktail favorites, and dinner party menus are all included. An "Alphabet of Special Events, " from baby showers to tailgate picnics, is both anecdotal and useful for would-be hostesses everywhere.
Whether you entertain a lot or a little, and whether your style is casual or formal, Occasions, with more than 230 charming watercolor illustrations, is a handy and fresh approach to the subject, a book to be treasured today and over the years. Above all, at any gathering "hospitality makes for infectious fun."

 

LOST HORS D’OEUVRES

Petals ’n Pickles,

Hawaiian Meatballs,

Kleiner Liptauer,

Hot Grab Dunk,

Cheese Pennies,

Swedish Meatballs,

Rumaki,

Nippy Carrot Nibbles,

Gouda Burst,

Cossack’s Delight,

Oyster in the Patty Shell,

Rye Ribbon Round,

Sunburst Deviled Eggs,

Harlequin Dip,

Sausage Frills,

Cheese Dainties,

Fish Quickies,

Six-in-One Cocktail Hash,

Confetti Chicken Spread,

Redheaded Pãté,

Dipsidoodle Crab Dip.

SKRUMPIES

Rinse and core 1 pint cherry tomatoes. Combine a 7½-ounce can crab meat, ½ cup mayonnaise, 2 teaspoons scallions, and a dash of Worcestershire. Stuff the tomatoes with the crab mixture. Serves 8

Editors:   Ruth A. Peltason, for Bespoke Books Julia Leach, for kate spade

Art Director: Alberta Testanero

Designer:   Ana Rogers

The author and publisher gratefully acknowledge those writers whose works contributed to this book.

SIMON & SCHUSTER
Rockefeller Center
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com

Copyright © 2004 by kate spade llc

All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

SIMON & SCHUSTER and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

For information regarding special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-800-456-6798 or [email protected]

Manufactured in Italy

10 9 8  7

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Spade, Kate.

Occasions : always gracious, sometimes irreverent / by Kate Spade ; edited by Ruth Peltason and Julia Leach ; illustrations by Virginia Johnson.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

1. Entertaining. 2. Cookery. I. Peltason, Ruth A. II. Leach, Julia (Julia E.) III. Title.

TX731.S675 2004

642′.4—dc22

2003062971

ISBN 0-7432-5065-6
eISBN: 978-1-439-10352-4
ISBN-13: 978-0-743-25065-8

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Have You Ever Wondered …?
• Contents
• The Good Hostess And Other Brave Souls
• Section One
• Section Two
• Section Three
• Thank You
• Select Bibliography
• Back Matter 1
• Copyright Page