When it’s peak season, I like to hoard blood oranges. They’re like a burst of sunshine in the thick of the end-of-winter doldrums, don’t you think?! Today we’re talking blood orange cocktails. Also known as, “Here are eleven reasons to stock up on blood oranges at the grocery store this week.”
Parties
We’ve been eating copious amounts of pickled red onions lately. On tacos, on breakfast sandwiches, on salads piled high with watermelon and feta. The reason why is simple. I started playing around and realized just how insanely easy they are to make and how they make basically everything more delicious. They might not work on chocolate cake. But then again, maybe they would! I won’t tell you how to live your life or how to eat your pickled red onions, I just have to insist that you make a jar. Five ingredients, no cooking, no fancy processes. The result is a delightfully pink onion that even non-onion lovers will love – they don’t have any spice to them at all, but they have the best crunch!
When we’re entertaining, Bob and I start the same way every single time – by brainstorming the menu. We can have epically long discussions about what to serve for Thanksgiving dinner while sitting on a boat in the blazing hot sun in July. But right now, the earth is melting. It’s actually threatening to melt at any minute, at which point the floor will literally turn to lava and we’ll be undone. It is so hot this summer! While I’m loving it, I basically don’t want to cook. Ever. We’re living off sandwiches, salads, watermelon and big jars full of ice water in our house and I have no shame. Even standing over a grill sounds entirely unappealing. Short of ordering pizza delivery, which is an entirely valid option, this sandwich board is your answer for your next party! You don’t have to cook, you barely have to prep anything. It’s the very definition of life saving when you have a party coming up and the earth is melting.
Entertaining is definitely a passion of ours, but during the holidays we seriously ramp it up, even for us. Already on our hosting calendar for December is a Christmas brunch with Bob’s side of the family, a Christmas cocktail party with our neighbors, a potential gathering with Bob’s co-workers, and the usual Christmas Eve and Christmas Day festivities. Add in any number of the impromptu get togethers we’re known for and it’s safe to say that this time of year I go into hostess mode for a month or more straight. That’s why today I’ve teamed up with the folks at Tyson® to share my top ten tips for easy last minute holiday entertaining! It’s my goal to help you feel empowered to entertain during the holidays, even if maybe you don’t typically throw parties or even consider yourself a host or hostess. So here I’m sharing my favorite ways to streamline prep work, inspiration for really simple recipes, and a bunch of “do ahead” and “last minute” ideas so you can hop off to the grocery store the night before or last minute and bring things together without a lot of stress.
June is one of my favorite months of the year, probably due to associating it with the start of summer vacation as a kid. Even now as an adult, many years past even my college or grad school days, I still love the start of summer! There’s an energy and lightness that comes along with the summer solstice that begs to be celebrated, which is why today I’m joining up with my pals at Dr. Oetker Virtuoso to share this sangria recipe. Appropriately enough, I’ve dubbed it a sparkling summer solstice sangria, and loaded it up with mango and raspberries so it’s super fruity and delicious, but not overly sweet. Paired with your favorite Virtuoso pizza, it makes for the perfect casual summer cocktail hour on the back patio or front porch.
I’ve always been a fan of a really really great baby shower (you can find loads of baby shower ideas in the archives), but I’m especially into them at the moment since my sister is currently 20 weeks pregnant with her first baby. And with a seventeen month old toddler baby of my own, I feel like my own shower was just yesterday so, the long and short? Yes. Bring on all the baby shower stuff. When the ladies of Social Design & Events sent over this incredibly beautiful baby shower planned for one of their very own, Emily Sapp, I could not wait to share with you. Inspired by Taylor Swift’s Wildest Dreams video, their shared loved for plants, greenery and charcuterie (with photos by Leah Barry Photography), the ladies planned one of the loveliest baby showers I’ve seen in a long time.
Yesterday morning I started the day on the phone with my dad discussing Thanksgiving. Bob and I are hosting this year because, frankly, we couldn’t hear of any other options with it being our first holiday season in our new home. With my huge family and his family combined, we will be serving up dinner …