Soiree: Entertaining with Style

In all honesty I have to insert the disclaimer that Danielle is my daughter and I am proud of her accomplishments. With that said, I have just received my copy of this beautiful book and must say the photography is stunning, the recipes look delicious, and the ideas for entertaining are excellent. While Danielle obviously has had the benefit of being able to hire assistance for big parties, she gives lots of ideas for those of us who want to entertain on a much smaller budget. As a single mother with three active children, it is impossible to believe Rollins pulled this book off as a project of a "bored housewife". She did have advice and assistance from many friends, some of whom are professionals, and they are credited in the book. In order to publish any coffee table book it is necessary to hire the best photographers available if you wish for the book to sell and, as to the claim of Danielle's not being a "professional", my question is, "From what "profession" did Martha Stewart or Ina Garten, or Oprah come?" Bringing beauty to others is a gift and I know that Danielle believes in marking special occasions & creating traditions so that memories can be made. Minus the Oscar party and the New Years party, Danielle did ALL of the food styling, flowers, and planning for every event in the book without assistance. I have already bought additional copies for Christmas gifts for my friends and family and highly recommend this book to any who love beautiful things and want to entertain with style (on a budget or not).

So excited to get my copy of Soiree hot off the press!! This is a gorgeous book full of great ideas and is just a joy to peruse. Beautiful photography and interesting recipes/ideas. Top of my list for the gift giving season approaching! To the negative personal slam/review below, maybe you should try "Pity Party for One". Right up your alley.

I waited some time before ordering this book. When it arrived I was delighted and have savoured it by reading it overt and over.The photography, the recipes, the table decor and ideas from Danielle Rollins own entertaining are inspired. I am looking forward to a book on interior decor too!

As beautiful as I imagined.

You won't find much new or exciting entertaining advice in this book. The advice is fairly standard: send an interesting invitation, spend time with your guests, have a nice bar and good food, etc. All of this has been said ad nauseam in countless other books. I also was not particularly impressed with the photography, but that's just because I'm not really a fan of picture books. Others who look through this book might actually like what they see. There are plenty of pictures of finished food dishes and also table settings. It could help some who are just learning how to put these kinds of things together. What I enjoyed very much about this book are the menus. They fit perfectly with the party themes, and some (but not all) of the recipes are provided. That was somewhat of a pet peeve for me as well. I feel like all of the recipes should have been provided if they're going to be listed in the menu. The menus have lots of flair, so guests can enjoy something beyond the ordinary. So far, I have tried two recipes from the book. First, I tried the Herb-crusted wild salmon, morel mushrooms, wild greens, and red wine fumet. I made a few adjustments. I used arugula and spinach instead of the suggested dandelions, beet greens, and purslane. I didn't feel like hunting down wild, exotic greens. It was a very good dish. Second, I tried the crab samosa with truffle mayonnaise. I did not make truffle mayonnaise; I made a more affordable herbed mayonnaise. It was very good. Yes, many of the recipes are expensive to make. But, I expected that from a socialite's book; there's even a recipe for very upscale s'mores! You can make modifications for more affordable recipes; I know I'll be doing that a lot. If you enjoy reading cookbooks or seeing how other people entertain, then you should give this book a try. If you're expecting practical party advice and average recipes, then this may not be a great book for you. I'm happy to have it in my collection.

Beautiful picture book, mine was autographed to someone other than i

Bought this book for my sister-in-law's 60th birthday. She is an event planner and says she can't put it down because it has so many ideas, helpful tips, recipes and beautiful pictures of table settings, decor, food and more. This book was $50 at Gumps and she put it back so when I received an email from Amazon with a picture of it, I knew it was meant to be a gift to her from me and she loves this "keeper".

Soiree Entertaining with Style is exactly that! What a gorgeous resource to have at your fingertips. Just seeing this beautiful book on my coffee table puts a smile on my face and gets me in the party spirit. This book is worth purchasing even just for the pictures, although her writing is so inviting as well! In this day and age, it is easy to rush through life and our time with our friends and family, and this book is a lovely reality check to "use the good stuff" more often while we still can! Rollins has a true gift in her vision & execution for a party, and as a reader you feel like one of her guests. I have read this book cover to cover, and unlike a novel, this is a book I will crack open several times throughout the year: when I am planning a party and need inspiration, when I am having an off-day and need a pick-me-up, and when I just want to relax and feel that all is right with the world! Thank you, Danielle Rollins, for sharing your passion for throwing great parties! You are right, everyday should be a Soiree!

Fabulous