Monthly Newsletter

Welcome to the third newsletter of Entertaining in Dallas, the ultimate source and to Dallas' best entertaining components, all in one easy to find location. If you are a first time reader, we encourage you to visit our Home Page to find our raison d'être and to read our first two newsletters for March and April, now found in our Archive.

Unquestionably, Dallas is at its best in April and May, and it is difficult not to think about flowers. Flowers seem to be everywhere. Our flowering plants are normally starved for serious winter rest, and, this year, they certainly had that rest and resulting rejuvenation. It seems colorful bursts of tulips and daffodils were more prolific, or perhaps it was just the sudden contrast from snow to spring.

In thinking of flowers as part of the entertaining scene, lucky are those who can plan outdoor parties in these precious few months of outdoor splendor. We have friends who schedule their annual parties to the timing of their azaleas and tulips in bloom. What a backdrop nature can provide!

For those less fortunate to enjoy nature's outdoor dining rooms, there are frequently enough blooms in one's garden to bring indoors and admire. When blooms are sparse, we personally hesitate to sacrifice them to a dining room centerpiece.

Flower purchases, as we all know, have changed radically with the advent of large floral departments in supermarkets. It is so easy to pick up an inexpensive bunch of tulips or lilies en route to the checkout counter. On the other hand, it makes us more accustomed to enjoying flowers at home on a regular basis and aware of the enhancement of flowers on the home and entertaining scene.

There is no doubt that flowers provide an added "wow" factor to the table settings of our April newsletter. A centerpiece is always a focal point, be it a lovely tureen, a set of impressive candlesticks or the lovely floral centerpiece. While the home arrangement of flowers may fit the casual dinner gathering, the expert hand of a floral designer is an added ingredient to the table setting that makes a statement. We hope you will refer often to our Source section on Flowers when making the decision to choose a floral designer for your next event. The selection of talented Dallas designers is really impressive.

We can refer you to some outstanding books that reflect the power of floral arrangements as part of the entertaining scene. One of the best is Fabulous Parties: Food and Flowers for Elegant Entertaining by Mark Held, Richard David and Peggy Dark or Sensational Bouquets by Christian Tortu: Arrangements by a Master Floral Designer. There are also the wonderful books by William Yeoward, Kimberly Schlegal Whitman and Carolyn Roehm, all listed as table (and floral) inspiration in our Source section on Kitchen & Tablewares and available for purchase by link though Amazon.com.

Speaking of flowers, Mother's Day is immediately upon us, and we hope that sons and daughters everywhere have put in the order for flowers at one our favorite shops, such as Apples to Zinnias in Preston Center.

Valentine's Day is supposedly the top flower day of the year, but a little research revealed that Mother's Day is a tie. Many of the flowers given to mothers are in the form of bedding plants and green plants, so the fresh flower statistics tilt toward Valentine's Day. Nonetheless, in the case of Mother's Day, flowers are powerful expressions of love and appreciation, and on any other day as well.

With a little further exploring, the first celebrations of Mother's Day can be traced back to the ancient Greeks, who worshiped mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele. During the 1600s in England a special day was set apart as Mothering Day, a day of taking small gifts to mothers.

Mother’s Day was not officially recognized in the United States until 1914 when one woman grieving over the loss of her mother decided to campaign for the holiday. Anna Jarvis began her campaign by handing out 500 carnations one Sunday to all the mothers in attendance at the church her own mother once taught Sunday school.

As part of the Mother's Day "package," we also hope the restaurant reservation has been made for Mom and your family. Please check out our Source section for Venues for a quick review of excellent restaurants for celebrating.

Before considering What's New, we have suggestions - from the splendid to thoughtful - for Mother's Day gifts that might fit your budget and our entertaining theme.

• for the Mom who is a collector, we might consider a tabletop item from Devonia Antiques, whose superb artifacts are from the "Gilded Age of Dining" or from Ruby Lane (rubylane.com). We recently viewed a Ruby Lane set of 12 Limoges plates with wide gold encrusted rims, circa 1900, for $575 and coveted an absolutely fabulous set of 12 Napoleon III sterling dinner knives engraved with the crown of a French Count for $1400.
• for the flower lover, a William Yeoward or Tiffany vase to accompany the flowers, perhaps a more readily obtainable special gift. Once again, we encourage you to view our Source section on Flowers, as well as our Source section on Kitchen and Tableware.
• for the home chef, cooking classes from Central Market, Milestone Culinary Center or one of the top chefs listed in our Source section on Cooking Classes & Cookbooks.
• for the cookbook collector, one of our selections of recent cookbooks, such as those recommended in our March and April newsletters. All are top new choices for the cookbook collector.

Happy Mother's Day - and enjoy the beauty of flowers and this season of their bounty!

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