• Summer hospitality

    ByKristin hospitality, summer

    I grew up in a house in a neighborhood that was a gathering place for my friends. Mom made grape Kool-Aid with extra sugar and let us all come and go from games of flashlight tag. 

    I’ve always wanted my home to be where the teenagers hung out. And now that I have two teenagers, I’m thankful they do. When we moved to the country a decade ago, I wondered if this would impact our social life, but it hasn’t. So far this summer, we’ve planned parties, welcomed friends on a whim, and hosted my Bible study girls. I’ve fed college students, hosted our golf team families, and caught up with friends. 

    These are the days I’ve longed for in so many ways.

    Of course, there is grief I didn’t expect and valleys I didn’t see coming. 

    But life is best on the porch with our people, especially with our new string lights. 

    Recently, another mom who was at our house said she is friendly to her neighbors but doesn’t necessarily want to be friends with them. I appreciated that she knows that about herself. Meanwhile, fill my pool up with the kids and let me make some macaroni and cheese to feed them. 

    Now, I don’t say this because it’s the only way to do life. I just wanted to share how we do summer hospitality. And, truthfully, know every summer doesn’t look the same. 

    Serving ware

    I used to almost exclusively use paper plates when we had multiple extra people over, but, honestly, I just got tired of spending money on something that would be thrown away. I got a whole stack of these cheap, plastic plates and expanded my Fiestaware collection, thanks to the Peddler’s Mall. And that’s what we’ve been using. In fact, I had to buy more forks because I think sometimes even the “real” forks end up in the trash! 

    But, please hear me, if paper plates work for you, use them. If you have a cabinet full of plasticware leftover from take-out meals, use it! I’m definitely NOT a fancy host. My house looks lived in because, well, we live here. 

    Meals 

    I love to cook for people. I don’t bake much, but I love to make dinner. I don’t cook complicated meals, and I have some go-to recipes for serving a crowd. 

    • Joanna Gaines’ Chicken Spaghetti – It’s from one of my favorite cookbooks! I don’t think I’m a better chef than Joanna, but I do tweak this recipe a bit. I leave out the mushrooms and green pepper, add zucchini, and don’t measure the sweet peppers or onion (the more the merrier)! I also don’t usually use white cheddar. 
    • The Best Chicken Marinade – I found this recipe during the social-distancing days of COVID-19 because we were craving meal inspiration. This is our go-to marinade for grilled chicken, and we make it often. I buy chicken breasts, cut them into smaller portions, like often into sixths, and then Greg grills them. We’ve perfected this and usually make more than we need because it’s great leftover in salads, quesadillas, or however else you want to use it. 
    • Mac & Cheese – Remember when recipe exchanges were email chain letters? Well, a friend sent me her family’s Baked Mac & Cheese recipe, and it’s become our family recipe. It’s so good and makes a ton!
    • Chicken Salad – I like to loosely follow this Chicken Salad Chick copycat recipe!
    • Taco Bar – This way, everyone can pile on whatever they prefer – chicken or beef, rice or sweet potatoes, salsa or guacamole, shredded cheese or queso. My favorite additions to the taco bar are Chuy’s copycat Jalapeno Ranch and Pioneer Woman’s restaurant-style salsa. 

    Of course, cooking for a crowd isn’t always an option, so carry-out and potluck are good options too! We do a lot of parties where we provide the main course (think burgers & hot dogs!) and drinks, and others bring sides and desserts. 

    Soda Bar

    Dirty sodas are popular right now – and I like the concept! Give me a Dr Pepper Zero with sugar-free coconut syrup and coconut creamer, and I’m happy gal. Throw a lime in for good measure too! Or choose whatever other flavors you love! We had a Dirty Soda Bar for my daughter’s 19th birthday party and it was a hit. Sometimes we make them just because. Here are some of the ingredients we love to have on hand for these fun drinks! 

    Game Nights

    We have a Nertz-playing group of friends. We have other friends who will play any game that’s in front of them. My favorite kind of Game Nights are when the adults have a game going at one table while the kids have another game going. We have lots of favorites and go through seasons with them, but here is some inspiration. 

    Pool Party

    We have a pool, so that’s the summer attraction for sure. But my youngest is enjoying the simple fun of a hose and some soap on the trampoline. On Memorial Day, she and her friends used all the soap in my house. Literally. Every foaming hand pump and all the bottles of dish soap. So now I stock up on cheap dish soap for her. 

    Another summer day, my college girl and her friends made themselves into a slip-and-slide by wearing trash bags doused with soap! A tarp is always fun on the hill in front of our house. 

    Inviting others in doesn’t have to be complicated or fancy, and, in fact, I’ve learned people like ordinary hospitality. We all like to be seen and known. We like to be fed. We like to be invited. 

    *****

    Here are more ways to open your home & your hearts in any season as inspired by my book, Bringing Home More Than Groceries: Stories About Gathering & Nourishing People.

    God authors the stories on our porches – in every season, wherever we are. If you haven’t already, please subscribe to  #PorchStories emails to receive them about every other week.

  • On gathering together & saying yes

    ByKristin community, faith, hospitality

    Recently I was sitting in a meeting with some dear ladies who lead Bible study groups throughout the week for the women in our church when someone mentioned needing some editing assistance for a cookbook project. Apparently eyes focused on me from across the room because writing, editing, and hospitality are all things I dearly love. I don’t know what I was thinking about, but I nodded yes right as an older friend whispered, “Say no.” 

    In 2025, I’m working on my yeses and nos. Honestly, I’m wanting to lay down some of my yeses because they’ve expanded to responsibilities beyond what I initially said yes to, but I don’t have the clarity I’m craving about how and when. Regardless, I’ve said yes to some new (small) things. 

    I’m a quick decision maker, typically. I think that’s why the lack of clarity on what yeses need to become nos is hard for me. I know there are seasons for everything. I know other people can do what I do. I just don’t know if I lay down this or that. I don’t know whether I delegate or discard. 

    But I’m going to keep living while I wait for clarity. And that means I said yes to a couple of friends recently – and I don’t regret it. 

    I joke that my spiritual gifts are spreadsheets, group texts, and calendars. But, let’s be honest, it’s not a joke. We can call them gifts of administration or hospitality or communication or logistics. Whatever, give me some time and my MacBook and I can serve my people. 

    So, one of those recent yeses. I have younger friends preparing to be missionaries in Southeast Asia. They assembled a prayer team, of which I’m apparently leading. I said yes because I love my friends, am gifted with the skills to organize a prayer team, and believe I’m called to serve in ways like this. 

    I volunteered to make a taco bar at our house for our team’s first meeting. I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect when five couples and a single woman all from our big church gathered together, some meeting each other for the first time. But conversations are always better over Mexican rice and jalapeno ranch dip. 

    I came away tasked with making a schedule for the prayer team and with a full heart. Having people gathered around my table that just barely didn’t fit us all, having conversations with new people who share my convictions and friends, and having this be how God called us to love our friends who are bravely following God’s lead is the deepest beauty of Christian commuity. 

    With our people is the only way I know how to live in the tension of yes and no and maybe and not yet. 

    Here in the new year as I anticipation some natural changes, I keep thinking about Ephesians 3:20-21: “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (ESV).

    I recently heard someone reference The Message version of that verse: “God can do anything, you know — far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. Glory to God in the church! Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus! Glory down all the generations! Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!”

    Working deeply and gently. Sometimes, eh, most of the time, I want a quick decision, a clear guide, and certainty that I’m doing exactly the right thing. But the right thing is believing God can – and will – do anything, far more than we can even imagine. He will give us abundant life, even when that doesn’t fit into our human desires. 

    Glory to God for group texts and spreadsheets. Glory to God for real community with Christ as the foundation. Glory to God for the younger friends, the older friends, the friends that know me best, and the friends I don’t know yet.

    *****

    I believe we are better together, and, in fact, wrote a whole book about how God designed us that way. If this essay resonates with you, I’d encourage you check out Created for Communion: Discovering God’s Design for Biblical Friendship. There are some book-related, fun, free resources here. 

  • How to host a party

    ByKristin hospitality
    Hospitality makes others feel at home when it happens in the midst of real life. - Kristin Hill Taylor, Bringing Home More Than Groceries #morethangroceries

    Ah, sweet summertime, aka, my favorite time to host get-togethers! Yes, it’s a little humid in Kentucky, but I love gathering on my covered porch next to the pool with friends anyway. We started out the summer hosting a family reunion at our vacation rentals at Kentucky Lake. Then we dove into hosting some middle school boys, some high school girls, and some of my friends. I’ve always wanted our house to be where people of all ages gather, so mission accomplished. 

    I think about hosting the best get-together as helping others make memories. There are many elements that come into play when hosting a party, regardless of whether it is a casual gathering or something more formal – and, if you’re like me, casual parties are the way to go!

    And now the summer is rolling around, more people will be hosting soirees and getting their nearest and dearest together for some good old-fashioned fun. Here’s how to make your new party go with a bang and ensure everyone has the best time. 

    Relax

    You can drive yourself crazy, running around in circles trying to please everyone. Even the date you choose won’t work for everyone, and that’s okay! Plus I’ve learned nobody really cares if your house is completely spotless. Yes, I tidy up, but I don’t aim for perfection with the floors, windows, and countertops anymore. Like anything in life, there are bound to be interruptions and unexpected moments, regardless of how well everything is planned. 

    Food & drinks

    A good party needs food and drinks. Of course, you can provide everything or plan a potluck where others contribute to the menu. I do both kinds of parties regularly and appreciate both ways. I do keep our extra fridge in the laundry room stocked with drinks, and regulars at my house know they can help themselves to a Coca-Cola, Dr Pepper Zero, Capri Sun, or bottled water. 

    Whether you’re hosting a BBQ or taco bar, try this taco dip recipe that everyone will love as a side dish. I’ve become known for “cowboy caviar,” French toast bake, chicken spaghetti, and jalapeno ranch dip – all of which come from recipes I’ve gathered from other places! 

    Seating 

    Because I usually have informal parties, kids have been known to eat their dinner on the trampoline or beside the pool. I did recently buy some additional chairs from Lowe’s to accommodate more people on our porch. Inside, we have a big dining room table, another table for six in the kitchen, and four bar stools to go at our kitchen counter. Options! Of course, there are some lounge chairs by the pool as well as two tables and lots of chairs on our porch. 

    Pest repellant

    One of the most frustrating things about hosting outdoor parties is that they attract all manner of pests. You don’t want pests, from ants to flies, mosquitoes, and more, on your guest list. We brought out some bug spray the other night because a couple of our guests were getting bitten by mosquitoes. Nobody wants that. I need to break out the citronella candles next time too. Of course, we depend on our cats to deter other pests! 

    Conclusion

    Parties are supposed to be fun for the host and all the guests, and focusing on bringing joy to your gathering can serve you better than concentrating on the small details and overthinking what is going on. Ensure everyone has something to eat, drink, and somewhere to be comfortable – and everything will work out.

    *****

    I write more about hospitality in my book, “Bringing Home More Than Groceries: Stories About Gathering & Nourishing People.” (Learn more about that here.)