I love to bake. Love, love, love to bake. Cooking, notso much. You see I am much more into the presentation than I am into the recipe for, say, something like stuffed pork chops or chicken cordon bleu.
With this being said, I love to entertain. Whether it’s one friend over for lunch, or a dinner party for 12, I love making people feel special, and going that extra mile.

Time is a precious commodity for me these days as well, so I am always looking for fast and easy ideas and I’m going to share a couple of them with you.
First of all, I like to set a fabulous table, even if it’s just me. See the darling petite soup tureen in the photo there?

Yup, it’s the same little tureen I shared in my last Openhouse post. I’ve placed it on a charming mesh tray (another fabulous find at you-know-where) and added a fall themed cloth napkin. Why use paper napkins when you can find cloth ones so inexpensively at places like TJ Maxx and HomeGoods?

I always keep Trader Joe’s soups on hand. (The tomato and the squash are my personal favorites!)They are so yummy, and it’s the all time best autumn comfort food. Heat it in the microwave and while that’s happening, take a couple of pieces of bread (I like sourdough, but use whatever is handy) and cut out fall leaves and acorns with these sweet little cutters (Mmm hmmm, I got them when I got the soup tureens….and the cool pastry brush) Melt margarine and add some Italian seasoning and grated Parmesan and place the little leaves on a cookie sheet. Bake for about 6 minutes on 400 till they turn a yummy brown and the kitchen smells like heaven. Pour the piping hot soup into the tureen, plop a few freshly baked crouton leaves in the warm soup and voila! A meal that only looks like you slaved all day and tastes divine.