4th of July Favorites | Decorations, Cupcakes, Recipes

  

We are getting ready for a big weekend around here.  My sister and her family are coming in to stay with us this weekend for our annual neighborhood 4th of July parade followed by a carnival lunch then fireworks and swimming at my parents.  I love planning holiday weekends - sitting here at my desk thumbing through old photos for inspiration, thinking up menu plans, activities and decorations for the house.  These little things might not seem monumental (and they really aren't), but they do all add up to creating beautiful memories for our family.  I love for special holiday weekends to seem just that - special.  The kids can feel the excitement when they see that they house is festively decorated, there are plenty of cookies in the cookie jar and ice cream sandwiches in the freezer.  

We plan activities for the kids that are also fun for the parents (my definition of quality time).  I attempt to plan and prepare ahead so that the weekend is easy for the adults, too.  I want our friends and family that come over to feel relaxed and enjoy the abundance.  For me, that's what great entertaining is: enjoying great friends while relaxing and experiencing those easy simple moments of life.  Great food, casual gatherings.  I want the weekend to be easy - easy for them and easy for me.  So, over the next couple of days, I'm going to be getting the house ready, stocking the fridge and making plans to make some magic for our family.  My favorite way to spend a week.  

Later this week I will be sharing a house tour (this time, I promise!) and our menus, and decorations as I get everything ready.

Here are some of my favorite photos and recipes  from the last couple of years that are inspiring me this morning.

All of the girls at our parade last year.

Star Spangled Sangria


Festive Cupcakes with Red Candles and sprinkles.

Sliders are so great for groups.

Our very nutritious donut buffet last year.

Emma and me, last year.

Berry Ice Cream Cake
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This is from 2 years ago - our first annual Donuts and Decorating party... was only a small group.  These very same two girls were running around in our backyard through the hose last night for some impromptu water play after s'mores : )

I LOVE this - my two favorites : )

I hope everyone is enjoying planning their holiday weekend.  Keep it simple and fun!

Black Cherry, Blueberry & Vanilla Ice Cream Float

*I'm re-posting this from last year because this has been my go-to even this summer.  It is such an easy and festive (and easy...) dessert.  Try it with crumbled graham crackers on top if you want to have some fun : )

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Don't you love that just when you think you've tried everything new, you find something that is immediately your new all-time favorite?  Mike and I recently had dinner at his favorite new restaurant, Rye (for those that are local).  It is a sort of upscale southern comfort food type place with an emphasis on fresh and local.

We usually opt for a slice of banana cream and lemon meringue pie for dessert.  As the server was describing couple next to us was ooh-iing and ahhing over their float so much, that I was swayed to give it a try.  Their version was vanilla ice cream, lemon-blueberry sorbet, house-made cherry soda, and topped with soft swiss meringue and a salted crumble. 


I made a very simplified version that has been my new after dinner obsession.  At some point I will go to all of the trouble of making the swiss meringue and creating a salted cookie crumble topping, but for now, this is my favorite super easy and so delicious dessert for the summer.

Black Cherry, Blueberry & Vanilla Ice Cream Float

Vanilla Ice Cream
Blueberries
Black Cherry Soda 

The key is to make sure the ice cream, the glass and the soda are all very, very cold.  This creates the magical slushy vanilla, cherry mixture of the float.

You can see my helping hands finishing the blueberry garnish.  Wouldn't this be so festive for the 4th, too!? 

Summer Sale | 20% Off entire Order

Summer Sale

My Summer Sale starts today! I'm offering 20% off your entire order for orders over $50. It is a great time to stock up on summer essentials. Be sure to place your orders by this Friday to ensure delivery for the 4th of July. Shop all products >

Nautical Sugar Cookies now on sale for $12.50. I love them for 4th of July celebrations! Shop Cookie Cutters >

Code : SUMMER-20

Cheesy Bread | an Oldie but a Goodie

I was shocked to hear that so many of you do not have this recipe - good old fashioned (it must be from the 80's) Cheesy Bread... made with mayo.  This was a staple at our family gatherings growing up.  In our family, it went with everything from Lasagna to Brisket - and it still does.  Mike is obsessed with it.   My Mom made it for a family dinner a couple of years ago and he went crazy.   In fact, if I'm making something that is more to my taste than his (shrimp pasta, chicken pasta, grilled chicken...), I will make a batch of this to go along so he has something to be excited about.   We made it last Sunday to go along with our pre-Father's Day dinner with Mike's family.  See the entire menu, here.

Cheesy Bread
with mayo

1 loaf of French Bread (something soft, not baguette)
1/2 stick of butter, softened
1/2 cup of mayo
4 cups of cheese (I used Monterey jack)
1 teaspoon of garlic salt

Slice the french loaf in half, lengthwise.  In a large bowl, mix together butter, mayo, cheese and garlic salt.  Spread generously on bread.  Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes until cheese is bubbly and heated through.

Summer Collection : Restocked | Seagrass Carafes, Batter Bowls, Tumblers, Linens & Enamelware

I completely under estimated the demand for a couple of the items from my Summer Entertaining Collection.   They are now in the store, back in stock ready to go.  I've been enjoying many of them myself in our home and I've included a few pictures of how I'm using them in "real life" : )

I have some new throws that I ordered for my own house (so of course I have to share them in the store, too).  They are all the way at the end - with some more glimpses of our house.  At some point I'll get around to a full blown tour.  I'm hoping next week will be the week.

Our pre-Father's Day table set simply for a family dinner.  I used the Fleur de Lys Tumblers as vases for single hydrangea blooms.  I also used them for water and wine glasses that night.

Fleur de Lys Tumblers
These glasses are no stranger to my blog.  First introduced to me by my friend Katie, they've been a staple in my cupboard since Mike and I got married.  I love how heavy they are.  And simple.  I love that I can set them out with a bottle of wine or a pitcher of water, or carafe of juice.  I also love them outside - something about the heaviness of them seem more suitable for outdoor entertaining than delicate glasses.  They are also one of my favorites for flowers - so very simple and always beautiful with one or two big blooms.

 

The Seagrass Carafe has a permanent spot on my baking counter filled with hydrangea.  It is just the right texture to add that casual summer feeling to my kitchen.

 Seagrass Carafe

Each season I look for a new favorite vessel to hold flowers.  As I'm always a fan of natural materials, this Seagrass Carafe instantly made me think of summer.  Instead of a cold ceramic or only glass pitcher, the softness of the seagrass seems easy.  Summer.  Bunches of hydrangea, dahlias... or sangria.  

Seagrass Carafe, $18.50

This is not the worlds greatest photo, but Saturday morning waffles with the new batter bowl was a big hit at our house.  The pouring was super easy (and not messy!) with handle and the shape of the bowl.

Creamware Batter Bowl

Lazy Saturday morning pancakes (with real maple syrup!) were one of the things we dreamed about while planning our new home.  A big kitchen with a cozy hearth area to enjoy lazy mornings.  This creamware batter bowl will be taking center stage while we mix up waffles and pancakes.  Sometimes it is just the little traditions that provide so much comfort in our lives.

It seems like everyone is looking for easy and inexpensive napkins for everyday use that look great for entertaining.  These Unbleached Blue Napkins have also be restocked!

Unbleached Blue Linens >

Oh So Soft Herringbone Throws

These Herringbone Throws are absolutely luscious.  The softest thing you've ever felt.  They are so so so soft, heavy and cozy - a blanket that you'll love curling up with in your favorite chair.  The colors are beautifully perfect - pale blue, heather grey, navy & cream.  We are using the navy in our hearth room, the grey in our master bedroom and the sky blue in the guest room.  

Creamy Cilantro Sweet Corn Recipe

I'm not sure what it is about the combination of sweet corn and cilantro, but I love it.  In classic Summer spirit this recipe is refreshingly simple and takes minutes to make.  It goes great with burgers or barbecue or steaks.  Of course, because of the addition of cilantro it would be great with fajitas or tacos, too.   Basically, I plan to make this all summer long - with everything.

Creamy CilantroSweet Corn

6 ears of corn
2 tablespoons of butter
1/3 cup of heavy cream
2-3 ounces of cream cheese
2 teaspoons of sea salt (or more to taste)
1 big handful of cilantro, chopped

Cut kernels off ears of corn.  In a large saute pan, melt butter and cook corn for just 1 minute.  Add cream and cream cheese.  Stir on low heat until cream cheese melts smooth.  Add chopped cilantro and stir.  Serve warm.  Reheat on stovetop or in oven if making in advance.

I should've put the butter in first, but this worked fine too - I just kept the heat low until the butter melted.

Cream and cream cheese.  You can add more or less cream cheese depending on how rich you want it.



Be sure to add plenty of sea salt.  The very sweet corn needs the salt.  The more cilantro the better - because it is a warm dish, it looses some of its potency.  Add more right before serving if you want to up the cilantro factor.

It is so good.  It reminds me of a ravioli we had in Vermont last fall that had a creamy corn sauce with ricotta ravioli.  Ok, now I have an idea for lunch with my leftovers : )

Our First Family Party | Pre-Father's Day Dinner, Ribs, Creamy Cilantro Corn, Tomatoes, Wilted Lettuce & Cheesy Bread

Are you ready for this?  An actual entertaining post - with recipes, from a real party at our home.  It has been ages since I've done a post like this, unfortunately, which is odd since this is what this blog is all about ; ) 

Mike's parents will be out of town next weekend so we hosted his family for a pre-Father's Day dinner last night.  It was our first time hosting dinner for a big group and gave us the chance to really see how the new kitchen entertaining space functioned.  

Here's a little mini tour of the kitchen.  I didn't style anything for the photos - just set up, ready for a family party.  I'm making an effort going forward to focus on less styled photos and more real life posts.  This slice-of-life style feels better for me these days and more natural for me to share.  I hope you feel the same about reading them.   All of these photos were taken before everyone arrived, except for a couple of the dads at the end.  Taking photos of food when the guests are here always feels a little strange to me.  It makes me feel like I'm at work instead of a party, so I really try to avoid it.  Sorry for no complete photos of all of the food ready to go, but hopefully you'll get the idea.

I like to set up a serve yourself drink station in a central location.  Here I have a pitcher of ice water waiting for glasses (that were in the dishwasher...), and some white wine.  I set out the small tumblers  (these Fleur de Lys Tumblers in my store) that I use everyday to be used for either the water or wine.  Beer for the guys was in the fridge since this was casual family party.   For a bigger gathering, I would have put out a big bowl of beers on ice.

I laid out all of the food along the baking counter, which worked perfectly as buffet.  

Since everyone naturally gathers around the island before dinner, I really like having an out of the way area to set out the platters ahead of time.

As you can see left to right :  I set out plates, a Blue Enamelware Platter for Ribs, Cheesy Bread on a baking sheet ready to go in the oven (and then on a Wooden Bread Board for serving after oven), big salad ready for dressing, then skillet with creamy cilantro corn.  I put all of this out before everyone arrived to make it easy on myself.  I used an assortment of Natural and Blue and Navy linens under each platter to protect the counter.  

Here is Emma helping me mix and spread/taste the cheese mixture for the bread.

Here's the first glimpse of our hearth room - we're waiting on rugs for this room.  Everything is so neutral right now, I'm getting anxious to add color with rug, throws and pillows.  Hopefully I'll be able to make some decisions by end of summer ready for Fall.  

The dining area set up and ready.  Again, still waiting on water glasses that were in the dishwasher : )

This rug will be replaced with a sisal rug in a couple of weeks.  I ordered one from Ballard, but it was backordered and should ship next week.  I'm anxious to get this heavy wool one out. 

Centerpiece is simple - three tumblers with Annabelle hydrangeas from our garden.  I'm obsessed with how large they have already grown in their first year.  We should have blooms all summer.

I mixed and matched various linen and unbleached blue napkins and I mixed our new Ivory Flatware with my old Pewter Flatware.   Emma set the table : )

Father's Day Menu :

BBQ Ribs

Cheesy Bread

Wilted Lettuce with Warm Bacon Dressing

Creamy Cilantro Sweet Corn
*recipe coming tomorrow!

Sliced Tomatoes

S'mores
*here is my link to oven s'mores if you don't have a fire pit!

I'll share the creamy cilantro corn recipe tomorrow - really good and really simple!  I made it early in the day and reheated on the stove just before dinner.  It could also reheat in the oven to make it even easier.

I figured a salad with bacon would be a good salad for dads, right?

Mike's favorite - cheese bread made the old fashioned way with Mayo, Cheddar, Butter and Garlic Salt.  I've never shared the recipe, but I assume everyone knows this one, right?  If not, let me know and I'll share.

I slow braised the ribs in the oven all day (followed this recipe) and then we slathered sauce on them and finished them on the grill for just a couple of minutes.

They looked great on the Blue Enamelware tray.

Very tender!

And here's Papi with his girls!

Happy Father's Day : )