Everyday Celebrations from Scratch

Provenzano’s visually attractive guide to entertaining is filled with party ideas for all ages—craft projects, party ideas, food menus, and recipes (from the author’s Italian and Midwestern American roots). She writes that the book should reflect an ethos of present mindfulness, celebrating the small moments of everyday life. Each chapter follows the same format: an introductory essay, a small craft project, recipes for the celebration, and useful tips interspersed throughout. The book emphasizes DIY as opposed to buying pre-made items, but the lists of tools and supplies for each celebration are lengthy, and some items are expensive and may be hard to locate; it would have greatly benefited from adding a list of sources to find tricky items or suggestions for substitutions that may be more readily available. Another weakness is a lack of safety and sanitation procedures, critical in this COVID-conscious era. The section on beverages has cocktail recipes but no mocktails, and the book doesn’t suggest vegan- or allergy-friendly substitutions.