by Kate Jonuska
improve your celebrations by moving them outdoors
FORGET PASSED CANAPES, dress codes, forks for multiple courses and other trappings of formal entertaining. In fact, in “Alpenglow: Outdoor Celebrations for Every Season,” Hillary Munro urges you to forget the walls altogether in favor of hosting more causal, natural gatherings in the great outdoors. Based in Jackson, Wyoming, Munro’s entertaining style leans away from white linens toward Pendleton and Navajo blankets, away from formal attire and toward cowboy boots.
Actually, boots might be required for some of the more adventurous of the parties she suggests, which include grilled oysters for fishing by the lake and picnics paired with shed antler hunting—each party designed to be appropriate to the seasonal weather and often paired with seasonally foraged table decor.
She certainly gives a great taste of Jackson culture in Alpenglow—check out the local favorite Sloshy, a boozy adult slushy— and, in general, celebrates the casual but hospitable spirit of the American West. And since all of Munro’s party ideas include recipes, you, too, could make cowboy coffee and classic scones for trips to the hot springs in spring or throw an Argentinian summer supper in a field serving pollo al disco with chimichurri.
As Munro writes, “I share authentic ways for setting an outdoor table in unexpected places, making things with your hands, and living an inspired life through stories, newfound traditions, family, and a little magic.”
That magic may be referring, at least in part, to the intentional and special handcrafted gift ideas presented in Alpenglow such as Spiritual Kindling— instructions for making bundles of firekindling and aromatic plants tied with twine that you throw on the fire “to send intentions to the universe, celebrate a special occasion, manifest dreams, or just connect with the outdoors.”
Granted, some ideas are ambitious, like making your own horse treats or serving warm chestnut soup for a snowy forest picnic. Nonetheless, all of Alpenglow’s pages exude a warmth and beauty similar to alpenglow itself, which means the glow on the mountains near sunset or sunrise.
