The Woods at Whippoorhill: Basil Plant Hostess Gift

So it's been three weeks since my last blog post. Let's see... What have I done? Well, I threw Brack a birthday party, attended a cooking demo, hosted my Stampin' Club, hosted five other families for a day at the lake, finished homeschooling for the year, decorated tables for a luncheon for 30, built a craft closet, and organized an end of the year homeschool co-op party. And I somehow found time to keep up with laundry, housework (OK, some of it!) and fed my family throughout it all! Obviously, I've got a lot to catch you up on!

Today I want to show you a cute little hostess gift idea. My last post was about the prenuptial meat patties I made for our last Mixing Bowls Cookbook Club. You must read this post, but more importantly, you must MAKE these meatballs. They're awesome.

I throw a lot of parties, so I know what's involved. Whether it's an event for 75 or just the family next door, it takes a lot to prepare for company. I understand that. Maybe that's why people don't entertain much these days. I hate that. Having others into your home is a wonderful way to get to know people.

I always try to take a little something to the hostess to say "thank you" for having us. Since our theme was Italian, I took Jana a basil plant. I picked it up at Walmart while shopping for the ingredients for my dishes. It will do great either planted or you can just sit it in the kitchen window.

I had used two cans of these Cento San Marzano tomatoes. (If you haven't tried these, you must. They are amazing and way better than Hunt's.) I rinsed out one of the cans and dropped the plant inside. I didn't have any green ribbon, so I tore a strip of green cloth to tie around the top to hide the pot. Pretty cute, huh?

Money shot of the meatballs I made. Yes, they taste as good as they look!

My plate. No shame. I actually went back for seconds. We're supposed to be tasting and testing new recipes, right? See the casserole just right of middle? Gnocchi with sausage and spinach. One of the best things I've ever tried!

Creamy roasted bell pepper soup.

Dessert. I really don't need to say anything, do I? However, see the creamy stuff with chocolate chips in it and the broken ice cream waffle cones? Deconstructed cannoli. Oh.My.Word.