Spring Entertaining Guide

your spring entertaining guide

table of contents

Page 1

Derby Watch Party

Page 5

Dinner Party

Page 9

Graduation Party

derby watch party

derby watch party

Playlist

Since the main event is quick (“the fastest two minutes in sports”) tunes before and after the Derby will be appreciated. We love this on-theme mix.

Drinks

There is only one choice when it comes to a specialty cocktail for this event - the mint julep We love bourbon over here so this is a logical drink and we love this recipe. Batch them in our Hourglass Pitcher and serve it in our clear Starry Rocks Glasses, so you can see the fresh mint.

Outfit

If I’m hosting a Derby party, I’m going all out and wearing this dress and finding a big hat to accompany it

Menu

To stick with the Southern theme, we’re serving deviled eggs, pimento cheese and crackers, and pigs in a blanket. Our go-to recipe for deviled eggs comes from Kelsey Barnard Clark (our favorite chef) and our pimento cheese recipe is below, and we’re making it easy on ourselves by using store-bought pigs in a blanket We’re serving our deviled eggs and pigs-ina-blanket on our Goldi Tray, the pimento cheese in our Revere Bowl and the accompanying crackers in our pewter Cracker Boat

Seasonal Flowers

We can’t pass up the opportunity to run with a theme, so we’re going to set out several of our (launching later this spring) Petite Lettuce Leaf Vases (filled with roses, of course) along the buffet and bar and then pepper in horse show ribbons. Don’t have your own? Find some here.

30 minute out checklist

Batch your mint juleps and pour into Hourglass Pitcher

Pull out your Starry Night Rocks Glasses and any other drinkware you need

Bake your pigs-in-a-blanket

Pull out serving pieces and put crackers in cracker boat

Spoon the pimento cheese into the Revere Bowl and keep in the fridge until 5 minutes before

Pull out cocktail napkins

Turn on your tunes

Pour yourself a mint julep!

derby watch party recipes

Pimento Cheese

Ingredients

1 large clove of garlic, crushed

2 oz diced pimientos

2 c coarsely grated sharp white cheddar cheese

2 c coarsely grated sharp yellow cheddar cheese

1/3 c good mayo

Sea salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper to taste

Instructions

1

Remove the leaves from one sprig of mint and place in a mint julep cup or rocks glass with the simple syrup. Using a wooden muddler, gently muddle to release the aroma and flavor of the mint leaves, about 20 seconds.

3.

Add the bourbon to the glass, then fill with crushed ice Stir well to combine, until the sides of the glass are icy, about 20 seconds.

2 Bundle the remaining three sprigs of mint together and slap them on the back of your hand Stick the mint into the ice to create a mint bouquet on the side of your glass. Drink immediately!

Instructions

1 Stir in mayo to taste and season with salt and peppers.

3

Combine garlic, pimientos with liquid, and cheeses

2. Goes well with apple slices, crudite, toasted bagette slices and crackers

spring dinner party

spring dinner party

Playlist

We’re stealing this playlist from our friend, Jennifer Shoop from @magpiebyjenshoop We love the variety and it’s perfect for any size dinner party!

Cocktail

While we are ardent tequila lovers, we’re switching things up and serving a Moscow Mule. We love the flavor this time of year! Per usual, we’re making a batch in our Hourglass Pitcher and are serving it in our Corazon Rocks Glasses We’re also serving both red and white wine and will decant the red in our new Swan Neck Decanter We’ll be serving the wine in our Tortoise Stemless Wine Glasses

Outfit

Spring evenings can still be chilly, so we’ll be wearing our new favorite white jeans from Just Black Denim and this adorable top.

MARDI 5

Menu

We love serving lamb chops with Barefoot Contessa’s yogurt mint sauce It’s the perfect spring dish We’ll serve it with this salad and Baked Wild Rice This rice dish is truly a staple in our homes (we got it from the co-author of our Hostess Handbook, so you know it’s a winner) and something we serve repeatedly throughout the year - filling, but not unhealthy.

Seasonal Flowers

We’re going back to the basics with our centerpiece formula: two hurricanes, four votives, and bud vases. We love candlelight at a dinner party and the simplicity of this formula makes it a no-brainer For florals, we’ll hit the grocery store when we’re shopping for our dinner ingredients and will grab 3-4 different flowers (or greens) in the same color The bud vase shapes make it easy to mix and match `

min out checklist 30

Ideally, your yogurt sauce was made the day before so the flavors can really gel. Go ahead and put it in a serving bowl

Make sure your rice is in the oven

Finish making your salad dressing (if it wasn’t made earlier in the day)

Batch your Moscow Mule and pour into pitcher

Pull out all your glassware

Finish any last minute flower arrangements and light your candles

Turn on your music and open your front door

Open your front door

Pour yourself a drink

spring dinner party recipes

Moscow Mule

Ingredients

2 oz vodka

½ oz fresh lime juice

4 oz ginger Lime wedge, for garnish

Instructions

2

1 Garnish with a lime wedge, and enjoy!

Fill a copper mug or similarly sized glass with ice Pour in the vodka and lime juice. Fill the glass with ginger beer and gently swirl it with a spoon once to mix

Greek Lamb with Yogurt Mint Sauce

Ingredients

4 large garlic cloves

3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 lemons)

1/2 cup good olive oil

1/2 cup dry red wine

2 racks of lamb, frenched and cut into 8 chops each

Yogurt Mint Sauce

6 scallions, white and green parts, chopped

1/2 c chopped fresh mint leaves

2 tbsp minced fresh dill Pinch crushed red pepper flakes

1 tbsp good olive oil

1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

7 oz Greek-style yogurt

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1.

Place the garlic, rosemary, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until the herbs are finely minced. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, and red wine and combine Place the chops in a glass or ceramic dish just large enough to hold them in a single layer Pour the marinade over the chops, turning to coat both sides. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours but preferably overnight

2.

When ready to cook, prepare a grill with one layer of hot coals or turn a gas grill to medium-high heat Remove the lamb from the marinade, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, and grill for 4 to 5 minutes on each side Remove to a platter, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and set aside to rest for 10 minutes. Serve hot with the cold Yogurt Mint Sauce

Yogurt Mint Sauce Instructions

1

Place the scallions, mint, dill, red pepper flakes, olive oil, and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and puree until it's a coarse paste Add the yogurt, salt, and pepper and pulse until combined. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to develop

spring dinner party recipes

Simple Green Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette

Ingredients

1 (5 oz) box lettuce (spring mix, super green mix or butter lettuce mix)

2 Tbsp minced chives

15-20 Green olives, pitted, halved about 3/4 cup

1/4 cups honey roasted Pistachios, chopped

Shallot Vinegarette

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp Honey

2 Tbsp minced, shallots

1 tsp lemon zest

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp sea salt

freshly cracked pepper to taste

Instructions

2

Ingredients

3 T olive oil

1/2 c chopped onion

1 lb fresh chopped mushrooms

2 c long grain rice

3/4 c melted butter

2 1/2 c full fat stock (beef, chicken or vegetable)

1/4 c fresh chopped parsley, plus extra for garnish

In a large bowl whisk together the olive oil, mustard, honey, shallots, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper until the oil and lemon juice are fully emulsified

1 Add the lettuce to the bowl and toss to coat fully with the dressing. Sprinkle with chives, green olives and pistachios

Baked Rice with Mushrooms

Instructions

1. Add rice & saute for 2 minutes

Saute onions & mushrooms in olive oil for 10 minutes

2 Layer all ingredients in a casserole dish, in the order listed, stir to mix

3. Bake at 350 for 1 hour

5.

4 Sprinkle the top with fresh parsley.

graduation party

graduation party

Playlist

The playlist we’ve used for our Fall tailgate is perfect for this multi-generational bash

Cocktail

We love a mimosa bar (that’s why we made it a bundle). Arrange with two (or more) of our Hourglass Pitchers and fill with any kind of juices (we love orange, mango, cranberry, pineapple). Pop some champagne and chill in our Starry Night Ice Bucket. The colors will look gorgeous in our clear glasses and a self-serve bar is always an efficient trick when hosting Serve in our Starry Night Champagne Glasses We’d also have beer and white wine available as well.

Outfit

If you’re the graduate, we love this look If you’re the mother of the graduate, we love this look.

Menu

When thinking through a brunch menu, we love to offer both typical breakfast and lunch options. We would serve this green salad, ham biscuits and a quiche. To end the meal, we would serve this strawberry cake (seasonal and beautiful)

Seasonal Flowers

For such a special event, we’d use our Lettuce Leaf Vase to really make a statement Whether it’s on the center of your dining room table, in your entryway or on the buffet, we love the idea of this as a real show stopper. With regards to May flowers, you can’t go wrong with peonies

graduation party recipes

Ham Biscuits

Ingredients

All-purpose flour

Baking soda and baking powder

Kosher salt

Sugar

Butter

Shortening or lard

Buttermilk

Country ham

Quiche Lorraine

Ingredients

Salted Butter

Onion

Brown sugar

Garlic Eggs

Heavy cream

Cheese

Bacon or ham

Nutmeg

Instructions

1 Split a biscuit in half, spread both sides with butter or another condiment of choice, and add a couple of thin slices of Virginia country ham

Prepare the biscuit dough, cut out the small biscuits, and bake in a 450 degree F oven for 10-12 minutes. Brush with melted butter and let them cool slightly

2 Replace the top of the biscuit and serve!

3.

Instructions

1 Whisk together the eggs, cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir in the cheese, onion mixture, and ham or bacon

Sauté the onions in butter with a sprinkling of brown sugar to pull out their sweetness. Add the garlic and, after a minute or so, turn off the heat

2 Carefully pour the eggs into your crustlined pie plate or tart pan. Depending on the size of your pan, you may have a bit of extra filling and that's OK

4.

3 Stop! Here’s our best quiche tip: place your pie plate or tart pan on the oven rack (slightly pulled out) and fill it carefully right there on the oven rack You'll still have to carefully slide the rack into the oven, but it's easier than walking across the whole room with a pie plate full of sloshing eggs and cream.

5

Bake! 35-45 minutes at 375º F should do the trick! Watch it closely and try not to overcook it you want a lovely custardy texture