This month's challenge

Ahhh, Fall.  The chill in the air, the leaves are changing colors, the fireplaces are burning...it makes me want to slow down, bundle up and sip on a cup of hot cocoa.  However, we all know with kids back in school and the holidays just around the corner, slowing down becomes less of an option.  However, I challenge you to do just that.  Make a commitment to take time every month and enjoy a meal with friends.  This month's challenge: create your very own dinner club. 

After college, a lot of my friends moved away to different states.  I found myself not only having a smaller circle of friends, but also being really busy and not dedicating enough time to my friends (let alone making new ones).  So, I started a dinner club.  I chose eight women that I wanted to get to know better and devised a plan where two women would host a dinner each month.  The hostesses were in charge of everything (food, drinks, etc.) and the hosting pair would rotate, enabling us to all get to know each other better.  Now, four years later, we still meet monthly even with the addition of babies and the demands of school and work.  This has widened my circle of friends and has also made me take the time and have a girls night at least once a month. 

As a side note, my husband was a little jealous of the girl's night (and the fun that we had) so we started a couples dinner club.  A little over two years old, this dinner club is a hoot, hollering great time.   

Getting started (as the following suggestions may help the process):

• 8 is a perfect number, not only for preparing and purchasing food, but also for space.  Many of my dinner club friends can only fit 8 people around their dinner tables, so consider that when choosing your group. 
• Think carefully of who you want to include in your group.  Think of who you would like to get to know better, who is a great conversationist, who is new to town, etc.  This may leave some people out, so be careful when choosing your dinner mates and be clear that the group is small for reason: so that you all get to know each other better and that you don't break the bank when you get together.  Call and invite people to the group one by one and ask them to use discretion around friends you may not have included.
• Buy a stack of recipe cards.  If someone loves a dish, have recipe cards on hand where they can write down what was made for dinner.
• Schedule the dinner the same time every month (i.e. the second Tuesday every month) so that you all know to block that night out.  Also, it is best to avoid weekends.
• Create a rotating schedule where group members aren't paired with the same partner throughout the year.  Mix it up!
• Host the first dinner with someone that you would like to start the club with.  It is at this first dinner that you can coordinate schedules and set the dinners and hostess schedule for the rest of the year.

Don't let Fall turn to Winter and Winter turn to Spring without connecting with your friends. Let the dinner party celebration begin!

Comments

[Kendra]

We totally do this! It is just the ladies and we usually go all out. In fact, I just had my turn on Saturday, and I am getting ready to post about the luncheon I hosted on my blog. It can be a lot of work, but we love to share our creativity and yummy recipes!