Last night we were at a super casual dinner party—my favorite kind because it only requires a clean face and fresh breath. I was meeting some new people, which can be awkward, especially since I am the king of awkward moments. Either I say something highly inappropriate, spill something, trip, or whatever. I call them the “Bundt moments.”
See, my mother, being the very intelligent woman that she is, knew that that her son was, you know, not quite like all the other little boys. She thought that I should probably know how to take care of myself. I learned everything from changing a tire and sewing on a button and knowing how to cook (which I don’t do much of anymore) to how to properly press a shirt for those occasions when you forget to pick up the dry cleaning. My education also included baking lessons.
Now we fast forward to fall and the County Fair. Mom thinks that she has done a superb job of teaching me how to make a plum spice cake and that I should enter it in the Fair. Or maybe I decided? But let’s say she did. We couldn’t just get in the car and take the cake to the Fair though. Fifth-grader Jimmy had to get on the school bus—yes the bus—with the Bundt. I’m still nauseated just thinking about all the staring as I stepped on the school bus with that Bundt and my Partridge Family lunch box. I figure if I can survive that, I can pretty much deal with anything. I did win a blue ribbon for that darn Bundt cake with lemon drizzle. It was a small price to pay for my dignity.
Fortunately, I had no such Bundt moments last night as we gorged on mac and cheese (the stuff of legends) and grilled steaks. The conversation ranged from vintage synthesizers and revolvers to the thought-provoking question, “What is up with Chelsea and Whitney’s matching hair color on those promos?”
Which brings me to this image of this lovely dining room, appropriately but subtly dressed for the holidays in JAB’s Bordeaux Collection. It’s traditional but not too stuffy. I am not usually a red person, but I think this looks nice, plus red helps hide those unsightly spills. And you know you will spill. The setting also looks like a perfectly calm host or hostess is just around the corner, perhaps putting some lemon drizzly on their own cake.
I hope you have some great holiday meals with your friends and family—sans any Bundt moments. Happy Friday!
