Apparently country music superstar Martina McBride is well-known for throwing great parties in her home. (Although my invitation must have gotten lost in the mail ... ) In fact, she says, "If I weren't a performer, I think I would love to be a party planner."
Rather than waiting forlornly by your mailbox for your invite, you can at least share in McBride's favorite recipes and party tips by picking up a copy of her new cookbook, Around the Table from William Morrow. In the book, she offers tips on how to be the perfect host or hostess with everything you need for a great party: music playlists, planning timelines, delicious recipes and fun little tips, including what she calls "sanity savers."
The book also contains personal anecdotes in addition to lots of photographs of McBride, who is obviously quite comfortable in front of a camera. If she can really plan and cook for big parties and still look this great, McBride has got it going on!
The chapters are organized around themed events like "Bountiful Tuscan Feast" and "Mistletoe and Martinis." (But she really missed out on the chance to call that one "Mistletoe, Martinis and Martina.") Although music purists might object to breaking LPs in half to use as invitations for her "Red Wine and Vinyl" party, the concept of asking each guest to bring along a meaningful record to share with friends while they enjoy wine and food does sound like a fun party.
Her sanity saver for this particular fete suggests allowing guests to DJ the party as sort of an open-mic night. Each attendee is expected to take the floor to introduce their song or album choice and what makes that particular bit of music meaningful to them. I'd choose "Thick as a Brick" by Jethro Tull, since that one takes up two sides of an LP and a full 44 minutes. More time/less effort.
The recipes in the book are fairly simple and straightforward, and come from multiple sources ranging from some that McBride discovered in magazines to others that were favorites of hers while growing up in Kansas. Very few require anything in the way of exotic ingredients, so Around the Table might make a nice holiday gift for any cook who's not overly adventurous but loves to entertain. Maybe one of them will invite me to their "Red, White and Blue Backyard Cookout" next summer.
