"PartyHosting" news and stories

Bottles of vinegar. Photo: junmon603, Flickr.

• Sometimes seasoning to taste shouldn't be a spray of salt, but rather a splash of vinegar.
• Critics say that California chardonnay is becoming the bland "indecision beige of the wine world."
• Entertaining at home doesn't need to be an expensive affair or scattered potluck. Some hosts are having fun with team cooking.
• Three pros share party-hosting tips like pasta experimentation and budget cuts of meat.
• Michael Pollan is becoming a phenomenon?
• The Tribune's Cookie Contest will land one lucky baker $200 at Williams-Sonoma.
• Chicago food and drink events.
• Recipes: Mini Currant Scones, Orzo and Brown Rice Pilaf, Cherry Tomato-Walnut Pizza.

My husband and I are enthusiastic party hosts, and when our house is in good shape (i.e., when we don't have an infant child in the house...), we often have people over for dinner or drinks more than once a week. We throw dinner parties and informal bashes because it's a great way to socialize without having to deal with babysitters or the specter of bringing our boys into public adult spaces. And, because we just love to host.

Bob Morris, writing for the New York Times, doesn't just throw parties for the warm-and-fuzzies; he hosts, in part, for the reciprocation. When it isn't forthcoming? He says, one year, he was "livid." He explores the quid pro quo, or not, party hosting culture in his article and discovers that most hosts don't expect invitations in return.

If you're a frequent host, what do you expect in return? Or if you're a habitual guest, do you ever feel guilty? Or do you just say "thank you" and bring a bottle of wine?

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