Party

Last week I wanted to kick off entertaining season with an impromptu dinner party with our neighbors… so I spent a couple hours prepping in the morning before work and was able to put dinner on the table within a half hour!  Greek food is not only super tasty and light, but maintains pretty well at room temperature, so it’s great for nibbling on over a couple glasses bottles of wine.

This month’s Martha Stewart magazine had the most impressive “pita party” menu, so I bypassed the whole menu planning portion and stuck with their ideas (with a few of my added flairs of course!).  I loved that basically everything could be made ahead and required minimal clean up… I can’t wait to recreate this menu this summer when produce is at its peak and even more impressive.

Greek Menu

• Grilled Kofta Kebabs
• Cucumber Tomato & Red Onion Salad with Red Wine Vinegar & Maldon Salt
• Red Bean Tahini Spread
• Watermelon with Grilled Haloumi
• Beet Hummus served with Cucumber Slices & Pita Wedges
• Yogurt-Cucumber Dressing
• Pickled Beets & Radishes
• Sumac Mint Fizz

I adorned the table with some cut lemons, fig leaves, a handful to tiny votives and my favorite blue ikat napkins.  This colorful menu barely required any additional decor… but when in Greece Rome!

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend… my family and I certainly did!

Our tablescape was inspired by a rustic garden… so we combined organic elements of deer antlers, moss covered eggs and jewel toned flowers to create an inviting atmosphere.

My sisters were in charge of a delicious brunch, but I put together a fun Easter dinner menu that tried to incorporate some of our favorite classics as well as some fun new additions.

Easter Menu

Fennel & Grapefruit Cocktail 

Beet Pickled Quail Eggs

Prosciutto, Cambozola and Melon

Pear, Walnut & Ricotta Crostini with Drizzled Honey

Kale Brussel Sprout Salad

Burrata, Mango, Blackberry & Arugula Salad with Sesame Candy 

Ham with Meyer Lemon Glaze 

Mom’s Famous Mashed Potatoes 

Roasted Citrus Thyme Ombre Carrots c

Raw Triple Berry Tart

Saturdays are always great… but when a holiday falls on one? Oh boy.   With Valentine’s Day falling on (what I hope for you is) a leisurely day off, what better way to celebrate, than with brunch?  This easy (and delicious) brunch is a fun one to whip up with your loved one and get the day started on the right foot.

Our menu for the morning:

• Blood Orange Mimosas
• Strawberry Poppyseed Pancakes
• Prather Ranch Maple Bacon
• Mixed Berry Fruit Salad with Blood Orange and Mint
• Scrambled Eggs with Creme Fraiche and Chives

Strawberry Poppy Seed Pancakes 

Recipe via Creme de la Crumb

• 1¼ cups all purpose flour
• 1½ tablespoons poppyseeds
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup sugar
• juice of 2 medium lemons
• 1 cup buttermilk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 cup strawberries, diced

1. Preheat large pan over medium low heat.
2. Mix dry ingredients (flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt) in a large bowl.
3. Whisk lemon juice and sugar in a separate medium bowl.
4. Add buttermilk, vanilla and egg, and mix until smooth.
5. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour dry ingredients into the well, whisking ingredients until just incorporated (the batter will still be lumpy).
6. Gently fold in diced strawberries.
7. Pour 1/4 cup of batter into preheated skillet (I melted a bit of butter first).
8. Wait for the edges to look “dry” and bubbles start to form in the batter, then flip pancake and cook about 2 minutes longer (until golden brown).
9. Repeat with remaining batter.
10. Top with diced strawberries and lemon zest.

 Check out last year’s Valentine’s breakfast post for another easy brunch menu!

I hope everyone is having a magical and Merry Christmas!

My mom is queen of table setting, so I figured I’d rack her brain and share her top 10 tips with you all! Here is a step by step game plan to your perfect holiday table:

1. First start with your base… my mom starts with candles (we are a big lighting family).  We like to go with an asymmetrical, tapered approach, but you could also start with a large candlestick in the center and have 1-2 smaller candlesticks on each side (in descending height order).
2. It’s all about layers. Once you’ve established your base, you will want to build your second layer.  In this case we used beaded branches.
3. Continue layering.  From this point on my mom adds in different layers, faux garland, magnolia tree branches, etc.  The key here is a complementing color scheme and matching elements.
4. Don’t forget the details.  My favorite part of my mom’s centerpieces are the little details – bejeweled ornaments,  rustic antlers,  beautiful crystal votives.  They are perfect conversation starters and easy on the eyes 🙂 Just make sure to nestle them in there, so they look like they are apart of the scene, not added after the fact.
5. Add movement.  An easy way to do that is to add a ribbon/bow.  You want to make sure the material isn’t too heavy (ie velvet), because being able to see the candle light through it is really beautiful.

• Remember dinner! Whether you are setting your table for seasonal decor, or especially for dinner, you will need to remember people will be eating at some point.  Therefore be aware of  height, and width of the arrangement.  My biggest issue is doing an elaborate centerpiece and then going to set the table to realize I have 6 inches to fit a 12 inch dinner plate.
• Are they real? We prefer embracing a lot of natural elements in our centerpieces.  That doesn’t necessarily mean flowers, but you definitely will see my mom sneaking away from our neighbors’ yards with her pruning sheers.  Tree branches (especially magnolia or lemon trees) have great sturdy leaves that make for a great base for any arrangement.
• Fill in the gaps. At the end of her arranging, my mom goes in with colored individual leaves and tucks them underneath larger branches, or any gaps to add contrast.
• Light it up.  My number one rule for anything home related is lighting, and setting your table is no different.  Whether it is large wax candles, or small reusable votives, lighting (of all shapes and sizes) is key.  Also don’t forget the actually votive container and how it’s material can create different shadows, cast different glows etc (colored glass, verses etched crystal, etc.).
• Odd numbers.  When it comes to the eye catching elements – ie candles, ornaments, etc. you want to make sure you are working with 3, 5, 7, etc.   There is something about even numbers that is too contrived, and makes the whole look less interesting.
• Don’t forget the other side! Unless you are having everyone sit on one side of the table facing a wall (which well… you won’t be.), don’t forget to create your table while getting a 360 degree view of it.  Try sitting down in every chair to make sure you like what you are looking at (no major gaps, exposed branch ends, etc).  Also make sure to incorporate details on all sides as well (ie. ornaments).

Here is my step by step of our 2014 Holiday Table:

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