Passion, Pasta, and Plenty of Pizazz!

Losing family members and friends and the tragedies of world events can be overwhelming. At times like this, it's important to pull family and friends together and just bond together while you make memories to warm you for a lifetime. To accomplish this, my husband and I recently hosted a dinner mystery for some of our family and friends.

Using one of the vintage dinner mystery kits, I carefully assigned roles in my invitations. Apparently, this didn't scare anyone away. The guests showed up in fabulous costumes and ready for lights, cameras and action! For this particular mystery we had a priest, a barmaid, an Italian businessman, a soccer player, a clairvoyant, a French winemaker, a young woman willing to take over the FAMILY business, and a widowed "godmother". Lines were scripted but left consider room for adlibbing~and the guests got surprisingly into character. Those without speaking parts, the children, took photos, provided some sound effects, and enjoyed the show until, frankly, the little ones chose something more active to do.

For this dinner, the setting was an Italian bistro. I made a paper sign for the bistro, brought in some patio furniture, and displayed vines and homemade wines to depict a winery.

This kind of entertaining is DIY at its finest. The guests were invited based on their willingness to ham it up, and ham it up they did! Well-chosen costumes, one in particular handmade that very day, and props added to the event, making it free and enjoyable live action, complete with the occasional mis-read and do-overs. Lots of laughs and good clean fun!  For dinner, the tomatoes were last summer's canned harvest. Some of the wine I offered was homemade. Guests showed up with additional wine, appetizers, and desserts while I supplied an endless salad bar, lasagna, and some home-baked bread.

All of us do charity work. Sometimes you just have to do something for yourselves, a special reward for the sharing and caring you do. The satisfaction of participating in this kind of event is indescribable! With handmade and imaginative costuming, homegrown or homemade food and drink, cost is minimal and the memories are priceless!