Dinner

I love a theme party. I’m pretty sure it goes back to my days as social chair in my sorority, when I used to plan parties with themes like “Bikers and Babes” or “Heaven and Hell.” (Luckily for my guests, my tastes have graduated.) When it’s dinner-party time, I choose a theme, such as Italian or Moroccan, and base my menu and table around it—I even choose music to go along. I find that it makes planning easier for me because it narrows down my choices.

One of my most memorable parties was a Jamaican night. It was late summer and I cranked up the reggae, grilled Jerk chicken, and had plenty of Red Stripe to go around. We had so much fun … so much fun that the neighbors thought we were too loud and the police showed up. Maybe not as much has changed since those sorority parties as I thought …