June Favorite Finds

I cannot believe we are already a week away from the fourth of July!  June has been such a busy month for me both at home and at work.  It all really feels like a blur.  

The one thing I have noticed is that being so busy lately has made it hard to recall everything that I have accomplished over the past month.  I know it sounds ridiculous, but it if wasn't for my daily Instagram postings, I probably wouldn't have been able to recall all of my favorite finds and fun moments from this past month.  So I guess what I am trying to say is- thank goodness for Instagram! 

To give you a short recap, here are a few of my favorite moments over this past month:

• Attended a Nationals vs. Cubs baseball game with my husband (see photo above). 
• After 8 years of service, I finally achieved Sustainer Status with the Junior League of Washington.  The Junior League is a non profit organization with branches around the country.  It's a great way to get involved in community service work and meet new friends. 
• Learned how to install my own lighting fixtures in my home (blog post coming soon).
• I've been busier than ever with my day job and really excited with all of the work I have been doing lately.
• Discovered and became slightly obsessed with these fab finds detailed in today's blog post. 

CB2's Rona Wine Glasses

CB2's new Rona Wine Glasses are a current obsession of mine at the moment.  From their stately size to the modern silhouette, I am currently all about this updated look when it comes to my stemware.  The rona wine glass is offered in two sizes (22oz and 12oz), are dishwasher safe and cost $5.95/glass.  Love love love!!!  Definitely a chic and affordable way to update your stemware this season.  

Peonies 

If you have had a chance to take a look at my Instagram over the past month, I am guessing that you are not surprised to see this on my list.  June is their in-season period and I literally cannot get enough of this gorgeous flower!  They are voluminous, fragrant and come in the most most fabulous array of pinks, purples and whites.  So far, the best deal I can find on peonies is at Trader Joe's (about $7.89/5 stems), but oh how I wish that I had my own bit of land to grow these gorgeous blooms myself.  Seriously so envious of my friends and family who have their own peony plants growing in their backyard.  My big tips when purchasing and arranging peonies that I did want to share-- make sure to thoroughly inspect your blooms before buying.  The cut stems should be wet from sitting in water and there shouldn't be any signs of brown on the bulb petals.  When arranging, make sure to avoid over-crowding your peonies.  They need sufficient space to open and if they are crowded in a vase, you won't see maximum "bloomage."

Silicone Whisk

The silicone whisk is a kitchen essential for anyone who has ever made a recipe that involved whisking in a pot or pan.  Metal whisks will scratch the surface and can ultimately damage your cookware over time.  In order to keep your pots and pans looking their best, use a silicone whisk when stirring or mixing ingredients in your cookware.  

Cotton Shoulder Covers

Recently I have been spending a lot of time helping my little brother move into his new townhouse.  Not so much the manual labor but more with the decor and organization.  Last weekend we focused on organizing his closet using hangers I've featured in this post and getting rid of clothes he no longer wore.  While on one of my many trips to the container store, I came across these most fabulous cotton shoulder covers.  Dust on coats and pants is no longer an issue thanks to these most ingenious shoulder covers.  Each cover can fit a couple of bulky garments and all shoulder covers are machine washable!  Not only did I buy a few for my brother, but I also went ahead and bought covers for both my coats and my husband's suits.  This is a simple and inexpensive solution that will help protect your clothes from dust and keep your garments looking sharp.   

District Doughnut

While I do love a good cupcake, I have to say that gourmet doughnuts are on the rise and even quite possibly the new cupcake.  This past month, District Doughnut opened a pop-up shop in Georgetown and I have to say that after trying one of their delicious doughnuts I was immediately hooked!  Their store offers flavors like Baklava, Brown Butter, Sea Salted Dulce de Leche, Fluffernutter and Chocolate Creme Brûlée (which they will brûlée right in front of you!).  The store is a total experience and I have even taken to serving their gourmet doughnuts for dessert at my latest dinner parties along with a scoop of ice cream.  If you are visiting DC, I highly recommend trying District Doughnut and if you live in DC, great news- District Doughnut offers delivery!

Creating an All-in-One Hors D'oeuvre Platter

I'm constantly evolving and fine tuning my entertaining style.  Of course I love trying new recipes, hosting different groups of people and on occasion, even coming up with different themes for some of my get togethers.  While the party presentation is certainly important, it's equally (if not more) important that I create a sound, efficient and effortless (in appearance), operational process for every gathering. As a hostess the last thing you ever want to do is spend the party running around and looking frazzled.   Your guests have come over to spend time with you, so you need to make sure that you do just that.

In an effort to minimize the time I spend clearing a cocktail/hors d'oeuvre spread before serving dinner, I have developed an all-in-one hors d'oeuvre platter.  This platter is made up of all of my favorite go-to cocktail party foods with the added benefit of only having to serve and clear one dish!  I am really kicking myself that it's taken me so long to figure this out.  Fab summer veggies, hummus, two different cheeses and even those tasty cocktail nuts can be served on one platter! Less time making trips to the kitchen to add and/or clear food means more time with your guests.  Cocktail parties made even easier!  What's not to love about that?!?

See below for full details on this All-in-One Hors D'oeuvre Platter.  

Food Details

• Trader Joe's Herb & Garlic Brie
• Trader Joe's Formaggio Lagorai (mild, semi-soft cow's milk)
• 34 Degree's Poppy Seed Crisps
• Watermelon Radishes
• Mini English Cucumbers
• Sugar Snap Peas
• Endive Leaves (Red & Green)
• Organic Red Grapes
• Purple and Orange Carrots
• Marcona Almonds
• Fresh Dill
• Lemon Hummus (garnished with fresh thyme)
• Red Pepper Hummus (garnished with chili flakes)

Wine Details

• Napa Cellars Syrah Rose (*A perfect pairing with this spread and time of year)

Entertaining Essentials

• CB2 Large Cuatro Platter
• CB2 Marta Tasting Glasses
• World Market Event White Wine Glasses
• Caspari Emerald Damask Cocktail Napkins
• Sur La Table Cheese Knives

Creating Floral Centerpieces on a Budget

Last week I co-hosted a surprise bridal shower at work for a colleague/good friend of mine.  We wanted to give her co-workers an opportunity to help her celebrate this wonderful milestone, so my fellow hostesses and I planned an afternoon travel-themed party complete with light refreshments and of course, a game! 

When it came to planning this party, we were all about dividing and conquering.  My assignments for the party prep included food, party paper products, planning the game and table centerpieces.  Our office provided a gorgeous tower of Georgetown Cupcakes, so I focused on savory dishes- an ultimate veggie platter and a chips/salsa/guac station (btw- this recipe for guacamole is an absolute must try!  So beyond delish!).

When trying to decide how I to go about creating arrangements for the party tables that were beautiful, unique and budget friendly, I knew that a bit of research would be required.  It was actually while perusing the dining section at my local CB2 store that floral inspiration struck and I had my "Ah ha moment."

CB2's Marta Midnight Blue Double Old Fashioned Glasses were on sale for $1.99 each, which was significantly cheaper than my original plan for vases (i.e. purchasing $8 stock vases from a flower supply store), and the perfect floral vessel solution for my centerpieces.  From there, I knew that my next step would be to visit Trader Joe's for flowers.  I mean the price and quality of flowers sold at Trader Joe's is superb and I have yet to find a comparable alternative.  

The arrangements ended up costing about $25 to make (insanely great price if you have ever made arrangements before).  Naturally this latest discovery in the world of budget florals was something that I felt compelled to share with you all on the blog.  So for today's post I am walking through how I went about creating these budget friendly floral beauties.  See below for more details.

What you will need- 

• Scissors or Floral Sheers
• Rubberbands (preferably green ones)
• Large kitchen bowl filled with water
• 3 CB2 Midnight Blue Double Old Fashioned Glasses ($1.99/each) 
• 2 3-Stem Bouquets of White Hydrangeas ($5.99)
• 1 Bouquet of Mums ($3.99)
• 1 Bouquet of Wax Flowers or Alstroemerias ($2.99-$3.99)

Instructions

1. Fill CB2 glasses with water (approximately 3/4 full)
2. Starting with hydrangeas, cut stems submerged under standing water in kitchen bowl until desired stem length is reached
3. Place two hydrangeas in each glass
4. Trim stems and remove leaves from Alstroemeria and divide bouquet evenly amongst the three glasses
5. Fill in remaining spaces with either mums or wax flowers
6. Once arranged in the vase, collect the bouquet out of the water and wrap a rubber band around the stems to give them a tighter look.
7. Trim the ends of the bouquet stems to create an even/flat base and re-submerge bouquet back into water.

How to Create the Ultimate Vegetable Platter

Crudités platters have become a staple in my menu repertoire when hosting a cocktail party during the spring and summer months.  Not only are they healthy, colorful and accommodate a variety of dietary restrictions, but they are also an assembly-only hors d'oeuvres option!  If you have ever purchased a crudites platter from the store, it most likely included baby carrots, broccoli, chunky celery sticks and grape tomatoes.  While that is certainly a fine and dandy nibble option when pressed for time, I have personally grown tired of the typical crudites offerings.  Knowing that there are so many fabulous options when it comes to creating a veggie platter, has really turned me off from ever wanting to serve baby carrots to my guests again.  With a little extra effort, you can make a stunning tray of veggies that will have your guests coming back for seconds.   Here is how I went about creating my ultimate vegetable platter:

Veggie Platter Details

To create this most delicious platter, I started with the foundations - a large rectangular serving platter from CB2 and two Marta Tasting Glasses to hold the dips for the board.  Really, its all about the types of veggies used and the way in which you opt to present the produce that can transform you average platter into a true showstopper.  For this platter, I included the following veggies sliced in unique formats using either a peeler, mini mandoline slicer or paring knife.

• Mini English Cucumbers, sliced on the diagonal
• Mini Heirloom Tomatoes
• Peeled Carrots, stems removed and placed below carrots for garnish
• Red and Yellow Peppers, sliced thin
• Tri-colored Carrots (purple, white and orange), sliced on the diagonal
• Sugar Snap Peas
• Radishes, served both whole and sliced thin
• Celery, sliced on the diagonal
• Asparagus, top half only

Veggie Dips

I opted to serve both a lemon hummus and roasted red pepper hummus along side this platter.  Both hummuses were store bought, so I decided to elevate their respective presentations by topping each with a unique/no-fuss garnish.  For the red pepper hummus, I added a sprinkling of crushed red pepper flakes to kick up the heat a notch.   As for the lemon hummus, I opted to include a few fresh thyme leaves and long thin strips of fresh lemon zest to highlight the current flavors and add some additional flavor complexity.  

This platter was so much fun to assemble and it made for a great addition to yesterday's party menu.  I hope this post has inspired you to look beyond the baby carrots the next time you have to create your own veggie platter and include more unique and seasonal items.  Assembling an ultimate veggie platter is a great/refreshing way to keep a healthy option in the mix at your next party.  

St. Patrick's Day Breakfast Bar Cart, Part 2

In continuing my preparations for St. Patrick's Day, today I am unveiling the second half of my St. Patrick's Day Breakfast Bar Cart.  As you probably recall from yesterday's post, the top tier of my bar cart was outfitted with a lovely and very delicious Irish coffee service.  While Irish coffee is a great way to kick of St. Paddy's Day, it may not be a practical option for those of you who might be wishing to have a productive day.  The second tier of my Irish Bar Cart contains food and beverage options for St. Patrick's Day that are absolutely delicious and really easy to assemble.  Here is how I went about rounding out my breakfast bar cart:

In an effort to come up with a morning beverage that was delicious, refreshing and festive, I have opted to serve a delicious pitcher of Lime, Kiwi Berry and Mint Infused water.  We are now entering the start of the spring season, so these flavors couldn't be more appropriate for this time of year.  Not only are all three components green, but they all pair beautifully together.  Here is what I used to create this fabulously festive beverage:

• Simon Pearce Addison Pitcher
• 1/2 Pint Kiwi Berries (Rinsed and sliced in half)
• 2 Limes (Rinsed and sliced paper thin)
• 1 Bunch Fresh Mint (Garnish each glass with a sprig)
• Gold Foil Paper Straws
• CB2 Marta Olive Green Double Old Fashioned Glass
• CB2 Marta Tasting Glass (to hold extra lime slices for garnish)

Instructions

1. Fill a pitcher with cold filtered water
2. Add 1 lime thinly sliced and 1/2 pint of sliced kiwi berries
3. Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes before serving
4. Serve water over ice with a fresh sprig of mint and slice of lime to garnish

When it came to assembling this breakfast bar cart, I knew I couldn't just have beverages.  I decided to serve a freshly baked loaf of Irish Soda Bread alongside my Irish coffee and infused water.  This bread is an Irish classic and makes for a fabulous addition to any meal (especially breakfast!). 

In an effort to save time, I have to admit that I bought the bread from a bakery.  However, if you are looking to try your hand at making Irish soda bread from scratch, here is a great recipe.  To serve this bread, I used the following:

• World Market's Jade Colored Glass Pedestal Stand
• Gold Serving Paper
• CB2 Small Cuatro Platters
• Laguiole Pearl Handle Knife Set

I am so thrilled with the way this bar cart came together and cannot wait to share these breakfast treats with my friends tomorrow.  I hope every has a wonderful and spirited St. Patrick's Day tomorrow!