DIY Gift Tags

This upcoming holiday weekend has me not only preparing to host, but also to be a guest!  As I have mentioned in my post on Housewarming Gift Ideas for Spring, wine is an easy go-to gift idea.  It can also be a unique and thoughtful gift not only because of the wine label you select, but also the way you choose to present the bottle (ie. gift wrapping).  

When it comes to wrapping/adorning a bottle of wine or champagne for your hostess, wine gift bags are out and wine gift tags are in!  Why?  Wine bags can be cumbersome and I find the gift bag requires a lot of unnecessary paper.  Gift tags can be tied with a cute ribbon, include a nice note and it is honestly more than enough wrapping.  A few wine gift tags that I have been loving recently include this boxed set from Kate Spade and these gold pressed tags from Calliespondence (the name is a total coincidence).

In addition to using pre-made gift tags, I often opt to make my own gift tags (*great for wine bottles and other housewarming gifts).  This is not only a more economical option, but it also adds a special personalization to your gift.  My DIY gift tags do not take long to make and the supplies required for this craft can be used for more than just gift tag making.  Here is what you will need:

• Package of Placecards
• Stamp- I am using this pineapple stamp because it is the symbol of hospitality, but there are plenty of great stamp options that would work beautifully on these tags like this one.
• Ink Pad - I used this gold ink pad for my tags
• Coordinating Pen- since I used gold ink for my stamp, I opted for this gold pen to write the enclosure.
• Ribbon- As I have mentioned in previous posts, I am a fan of either reusing ribbon I have saved from previous gifts or this ribbon from World Market. 
• Hole Punch- I only have a three-hole punch and it works just as well as the single hole punch for this project.  

Whether you choose to buy tags or make your own, they are a great and versatile way to mix up/update your gift wrapping. 

3 Tasty Assemble & Serve Hors D'oeuvre Recipes

Today on the blog, I am redefining your classic cheese and cracker combo with three new creations.  There are so many great products and flavors on the market today, why not spice up this classic pairing?  

The three recipes I am sharing evolved from some of my staple cheesescape ingredients that were the biggest hit with my guests.  Having pre-assembled nibbles tends to be popular with guests during cocktail hour because the flavor profiles are intriguing and all of the work (ie. assembly) is already done.  In addition, these are great alternative nibble options when I am not wanting to put together a full cheesescape because they are easy to make, delicious to eat and most of the ingredients I already have in my pantry. If you are looking for something new and low fuss to serve, I highly recommend trying one of these concoctions at your next cocktail party. 

For the Pear Bites:

1. Simple & Crisp Pear Crisp
2. Gorgonzola Crumbles
3. Chopped Candied Walnuts
4. A few pieces of freshly julienned sage (you can cut clean and even pieces of sage with kitchen shears)
5. Light drizzle of lavender honey (regular honey works well too)

For the Cheddar Bites:

1. Apply a thin layer of Eat This Flamin' Raspberry Preserve to a 34 Degrees Poppyseed Crisp
2. Top with Freshly Shaved White Cheddar Cheese (*I use a vegetable peeler to shave the  cheddar cheese)

For the Spicy Brie Bites:

1. Place a 1/4-1/2 inch thick slice of brie on top of a 34 Degrees Natural Crisp
2. Top each brie slice with a dollop of Virginia Chutney Company Hot Peach Chutney
3. Sprinkle each bite with fresh thyme and red chili flakes

Easter Tablescape

Easter is right around the corner and my holiday preparations are in full swing.  As I mentioned in my post on Spring Cheesescaping, this is the first major holiday where I will be hosting my family for dinner.  In preparation for this hostessing first, I wanted to create a beautiful table setting that is both festive and elegant.  

In order to create an elegant yet festive look, this tablescape required a mix of both formal and informal tableware.  A few examples of how I achieved this balance include:

• Framing my formal china with my everyday dinner plates 
• Topping my simple white tablecloth with beautiful gold placemats
• Pairing my everyday green goblets with my formal crystal wine glasses.  

In addition to sharing my formal/informal pairings, here is a breakdown of everything I used to create this Easter tablescape:

• Placemats: Chilewich Gold Pressed Dahlia Placemats
• Dinner Plates: Pillivuyt Basketweave Dinner Plates
• Accent Plates: Bernardaud Constance Salad Plates
• Napkins: Kim Seybert Meander Embroidered Napkins
• Napkin Rings: Brass Napkin Rings
• Steak Knives: Laguiole Ivory Steak Knives
• Water Glasses: Villeroy & Boch Boston Goblets (Green)
• Wine Glasses: William Yeoward Fanny Wine Goblets
• Place Card Holders: Target Threshold Bunny Placecard Holders
• Nests: Touch of Nature Wild Grass Nest
• Glitter Eggs: Boston International Green Glitter Eggs
• Bud Vases: Libbey Adorn Hurricane Vases
• Votives: Tiffany & Co. Rock Cut Votives
• Brass Tray: Barreveld International Iron Round Tray

Flowers

Lilies and Easter go together like peanut butter and jelly!  Even though I am not using white Easter lilies on this table, it still seemed very fitting to opt for bright pink calla lilies to add a pop of Spring color.  To finish the look, I divided a dozen bright pink roses into four small glass bud vases and placed them around the table.  The addition of the roses created a substantial presence for the color pink so that it didn't seem completely random in the sea of green, white and gold.   

My Easter Dilemma

I would like to think that my Easter Tablescape has been finalized, but there is one small detail that has been preventing me from moving on to the next task on my Easter Prep Checklist.  

As part of my process for creating a tablescape, I switch in and out a bunch of different table accessories before finding the perfect look.  Typically this is a fairly effective process, but this time it backfired.  One of my biggest challenges with this tablescape has been trying to determine whether or not I should include my rattan chargers.   They tie in beautifully to this scape because of the dried grass birds nests, but for the life of me I cannot make a decision because I like both looks.  If you have any thoughts on whether or not I should use the chargers for dinner this weekend, please leave a comment.  I would greatly appreciate any/all suggestions as I am totally stumped!

Even if you can't decide whether or not I should incorporate the rattan chargers, I hope you have a wonderful Easter holiday filled with family, memorable moments and maybe even a little tablescaping of your own. 

Spring Cheesescaping

This Easter will be the first official holiday dinner that I host for my family (*Ahhh!!….kidding).  Naturally I have taken this entertaining opportunity to refine my spring season cheesescaping and tablescaping skills.  The big focus of this spread was to incorporate lighter and fruitier flavors that would be reminiscent of the spring season.   In addition, now that spring is officially here I can FINALLY start incorporating pops of color into my designs. Even though this scape was only a practice run, the flavors and design of this entire cocktail setting have made me excited to recreate this same spread for my family on Easter.  

Table Decor and Serveware

I wanted to create a cocktail table aesthetic that was in line with the Easter dinner table decor (post coming soon), but didn't look like a total carbon copy.  Starting with the foundation, I came across this fabulous chevron paper runner (yes paper!) and couldn't resist trying it out.  It created a great backdrop for my serving pieces and since it's paper, clean-up couldn't  be easier!  From the foundation, I knew I wanted to create a tablescape with geometric edges and a color scheme that consisted of gold, white, pink and mint/aqua.  Here is a breakdown of this table's decor:

• Cheeseboard: CB2 Hex Marble Board
• Cheese Knives: West Elm Gold Cheese Knives Set
• Cocktail Plates: CB2 Intermix Aqua Plate
• Votives: CB2 Gami Rose Candle Holder
• Hurricane: Simon Pearce Revere Hurricane
• Bowls: Glass and Gold
• Cocktail Napkins: Eddie Cocktail Napkins
• Decanter: Riedel O Decanter
• Wine Coaster:  William Yeoward Georgia Bottle Stand

Food and Beverage

This cocktail spread needed to be simple since I would be serving a full Easter dinner, so I kept the focus on the cheesescape and cheesescape pairings.  These nibbles were selected with spring in mind, meaning lots of fruits, herbs and lighter flavors.   Here is a breakdown of the cocktail party menu:

• Cheeses: Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog, Wensleydale with Cranberries and Goat Cheese Rolled in Chili Flakes and garnished with a drizzle of honey and edible flowers.
• Crackers & Crisps: 34 Degrees Toasted Onion, Simple & Crisp Dried Orange, Rosemary Crostini
• Chutney: Virginia Chutney Co. Balsamic Fig
• Additional Cheese Board Accompaniments: Dried Mixed Berries, Sweet and Spicy Pecans, Edible Flowers and Lime Leaves. 
• Fruit: Fresh Strawberries
• Wine: Napa Cellars Pinot Noir and Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc
• Water:  Infused with Fresh Kumquats and Meyer Lemon Slices

Stay tuned for part 2 of my Easter entertaining extravaganza. Easter tablescaping is coming to the blog on Monday!

Easy Homemade Marinara Sauce

Learning how to make a good quality marinara sauce has been something that I have wanted to do for some time now.  Why?  Aside from my culinary curiosity, my husband has grown up in a family where sauce was always made from scratch, so having a homemade marinara recipe of my own is something I knew he would appreciate.  At the very least I would appreciate telling his authentic Italian family that my sauce doesn't always come from a jar (not that there is anything wrong with sauce from a jar..see my Weeknight Meatsauce Recipe). 

After much research and taste testing, the biggest takeaways from my marinara sauce journey are: 1) Use high quality ingredients (*San Marzano tomato products are a perfect example and definitely make a huge difference in the flavor). 2)  Add a little sugar. Why?  There is a ton of acidity in the tomato products used to make marinara sauce.  The addition of a little sugar helps to balance the flavor profile by muting the acidity.  

Making your own marinara (as opposed to buying the marinara in a jar) is slightly more time consuming, but I like the fact that I know every ingredient used to make the sauce and the difference in flavor is definitely worth the additional effort.  

Ingredients

• 1/3 c Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 7 Cloves of Fresh Garlic, Minced (*If using minced  garlic from a jar, cut the amount by half)
• 1/2 Yellow Onion, Diced
• 1 tsp Dried Basil
• 1 tsp Dried Oregano
• 2 28oz Cans of Crushed Tomatoes (recommend San Marzano)
• 1 Tbs Tomato Paste (recommend San Marzano)
• 1 Tbs Granulated Sugar
• 1/2 c Grated Parmesan
• 2 Dried Bay Leaves
• 10 Fresh Large Basil Leaves, Julienned
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, heat 1/3c Olive oil on Medium heat
2. Once oil is hot, add minced garlic and let simmer for 2-4 minutes stirring frequently
3. Add diced onion, Dried Basil and Dried Oregano
4. Sweat down onion (about 5 minutes) while stirring occasionally
5. Once onion starts to appear slightly translucent, add both cans of crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, parmesan cheese, sugar and bay leaves
6. Stir, cover and let simmer for 10-15minutes on a medium to medium-low heat
7. Once simmered, remove bay leaves and then blend contents with immersion blender until consistency is smooth throughout
8. After sauce is thoroughly blended, stir in salt
9. Fold in fresh julienned basil 
10. Add fresh cracked pepper to taste