Many of us love the thought of having friends over for dinner but don’t have the time to cook.  Others don’t enjoy cooking and never entertain because of it.  

Regardless of which category you are in, most likely your lives are busy and you may not even have the time to entertain.  It’s easier to go out to dinner.  Have the best of both worlds and do both in the same evening! 

Invite your friends to your home for some wine and cheese before heading over to dinner at a nearby restaurant.  It’s a great way to unwind, catch up and mingle in a more intimate setting.  Depending on how many are in your party, you may not have the opportunity to visit with everyone once at the restaurant and may be limited to those sitting closest to you for conversation.  

No Cooking Required

via Pop Sugar

Wine and cheese sounds so basic but you can put together a chic cheese tray in minutes that your guests will enjoy.

Nothing pairs nicer with wine than cheese and to this day, I haven’t found a cheese that I don’t like!  Whole Foods and other upscale stores have forced even your local grocer to take their cheese department to the next level.

Selecting Your Cheeses

via She Knows

Your cheese department can help you pull together cheeses that compliment each other.  Once you have settled on your selection, add some crackers, olives, nuts such as Marcona almonds and pistachios, dried apricots, fresh grapes or figs, etc.    If you would like to make it heartier, you can add some meat such as prosciutto or salami.

Choosing Your Wine

You may already have your favorite wines to serve but if you don’t, you can stop at a local wine shop or if your grocer has a nice wine department, they may have someone on staff that can help you with your selection.

This chart is a great tool for pairing wines with specific cheeses.

via Wine Inquirer

Beautiful Serveware & Artful Plating

via My Domain

Collect some pretty serving pieces such as slate, wood and glass cheese trays.  Artfully display the cheese and accompaniments. Add some cheese knives and cocktail napkins and you’ll be in good shape.

Turn on some lamps and music and you will have an inviting setting to get the party started before heading over to your restaurant of choice.  Allow an hour to mingle and then travel time to the restaurant for the best of both worlds. 

If you are in need of cheese trays, cheese knives, markers and other serveware, visit  Tabletop Trends.  You can enjoy a 20% savings by using Coupon Code OMG20 at the checkout.  They have an exclusive line of beautiful handmade wood cheese boards from a local artisan in cherry, walnut and maple.

  

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