Diary - Trudie

Setting the Table | No. 9 - Anniversary Dinner

The anniversary dinner is a progressive meal. One spent cooking and eating in stages, moving through courses at whatever pace the evening calls for...

Setting the Table | No. 8 - Greek-Inspired Night

The Opening This Greek-inspired menu is the dinner that feels like a warm evening somewhere in the Mediterranean even when you are at your own kitc...

Setting the Table | No. 7 Weeknight Elevated

Wednesday deserves the good tablecloth. This is the argument at the center of the Setting the Table series and the weeknight elevated table is wher...

Setting the Table | No. 6 Garden Party Lunch

A garden party lunch is one of the more optimistic tables in the whole Setting the Table series. It requires good weather and a willingness to carr...

Setting the Table | No. 5 Fajita Night

It is a Tuesday and we are having fajitas. The table is set. The Constance placemats are down, the Abigail napkins folded alongside them, the Seren...

Setting the Table | No. 4 - Breakfast at Home

The breakfast table is the one that surprises people most in this series. Not because it is the most elaborate or the most styled but because it is...

Setting the Table | No. 3 - Girls Dinner

A girls dinner is its own category of occasion. It is not a dinner party exactly, though it deserves everything a dinner party gets. It is not a ca...

Setting the Table | No. 2 - Pasta Night

Sunday pasta night is its own category of dinner. It is not a special occasion exactly, but it is not a regular Tuesday either. It is the dinner th...

Summer Entertaining Ideas: How to Set a Beautiful Outdoor Table

Summer entertaining has one rule: it should feel easier than it looks. The table that makes guests feel welcome in July is not a complicated table ...

Reusable Wine Gift Bags: A Better Way to Bring a Bottle

The tissue paper wine bag is a single-use item that costs two dollars, looks like it cost two dollars, and ends up in the recycling bin before the ...

Spring Tablescape Ideas That Are Simple, Unfussy, and Actually Beautiful

Spring tablescapes have a tendency to go excessively cute — too many pastels, too much fussiness, too much effort. The version worth coming back to...

How to Mix and Match Table Linens (Without Overthinking It)

The question we get more than any other is some version of: can these go together? A floral napkin with a placemat in a different print. A patterne...