Need dinner party/hostess gift ideas?

[brendat4]

Hi all! We've been invited to a dinner party tomorrow night (finally someone else who likes to entertain!) and I'm wondering what kind of hostess gift I can bring? I know wine is the usual thing, but I'm not sure what we're having, plus I'd like to do something a little different. Our friends are English, so don't know if that helps or not. They do comment frequently how friendly Texans are though (they say compared to the English), so maybe something Texas-ish? Does anyone have any ideas? TIA!

[Leanne]

I think you can't go wrong with wine (unless of course, they don't drink!).
I had a friend bring me a small bundt cake (6" diameter). It was carrot cake or spice cake - anway, we really enjoyed it for breakfast. After w night of cooking/entertaining, it was nice not to have to do anything for breakfast. (Not a very Texan idea though.)

[Peggy C.]

hmmmm an interesting collection of hot sauces? Or chili seasonings....

[Mbart]

I don't think this is very Texas-y either, but my MIL recently gave her daughter a nice housewarming gift when they were invited for dinner. It was a really cool bottle of olive oil with this pour spout attached to the top, kinda like the kind of pour spouts you see on liquor bottles in a bar. The bottle was real pretty, and she also gave them this long narrow dish that you serve olives in. Thought it was a nice idea.

Or how about a jar of pesto (homemade maybe?) and baguettes in a little basket? Or some fresh flowers in a water or margarita pitcher instead of a vase? I always love getting candles.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide, and how they react!

[aggie94]

But along the wine theme, but not actually wine, what about those cute little charms that loop around the stem of a wine glass, so that dinner party guests can tell their glass apart from others? They come in little sets of 6, and I've seen them in different themes. To go along with it, maybe a bottle of wine from a Texas vineyard?

[funnybone]

I love candles, and enjoy receiving them as well. There are so many scents and decorative candle sticks/holders out there too now.

[SusanPC]

How about a potted flower in a decorative pot? I am from Texas originally and am not too sure what you could get that is "Texasy" per se....but I know some specialty stores have gourmet baskests made up and some have Texas shaped pasta...that may be cute w/o getting tacky!

[brendat4]

I like the idea of a candle or potted plant--don't know why I didn't think of that myself. Duh!? Anyway, it is also kind of a housewarming party (they just moved--were our neighbors now in a new house in another part of town) so either of those items would be great. Thanks for all the ideas!

[gertdog]

If you decide to do a potted plant, consider choosing a cooking herb like thyme, oregano, etc. in pretty pot for a kitchen window or patio. Someone once brought me a set of three pots with herb plants, and I still have and use them!