a grown-up dinner

Most of the dinner parties that Ed and I throw are for friends or family--people our age or people who have known us since we were itsy-bitsy (like our nephew, Carl--did I mention that he's wonderful and adorable?). Tomorrow night, though, we're hosting eight colleagues from the French section of the department, most of whom are our parents' age. I'm not nervous, per se--but I am realizing that I'm trying harder with this dinner than I might for another group. We're even going to break out the wedding china for the very first time! The more I think about it, though, the more tempted I am to chuck the classical music I had planned and elegant table settings and just treat it like any other potluck. (All the guests have offered to bring food to share, and since that's what we've done at past dinners at their homes, I gratefully accepted.)

Here's the Provence-inspired menu: spinach balls and tarragon-marinated mushrooms for appetizers; peach kir as an aperitif; low-fat butternut squash bisque (okay, that's not French, but it's really good and we have a group of extremely healthy vegetarians coming); Nicois pasta with shallots, red wine, goat cheese, olives, and green beans; plus a donated salad and desserts and red wine.

I'll let you know how it turns out and whether or not we decided to break out the paper plates for appetizers and the "Happy Schapps Combo" or the "Yodeling the Classics" albums (we tend to share those whimsies the first time people come to our house) or if we stick with Vivaldi and china after all.