{outdoor moroccan dinner party recap}

I am so excited to share all the details of how our outdoor moroccan dinner party came together with the help of Pier 1 today!  You've already seen the initial inspiration board here as well as the shopping/party prep here.   After spotting all the moroccan inspired lantern options at Pier 1, I knew that filling the table with a few different styles would be the perfect centerpiece rather than flowers.  Since this was going to be an outdoor party, the candles would add an extra romantic touch after the sun went down.  Instead of a traditional tablecloth, I picked up 2 and half yards of this bright pink fabric to really give the table a vibrant pop of color.  To top everything off I accented the awesome trellis pattern melamine plate set with touches of gold with the glassware and flatware.

Chris helped me develop the perfect Moroccan inspired menu based on some of our favorite dishes on our trip to Morocco.  The biggest factor when planning this menu was making sure the dishes were simple to make with most of the prep being done the day before the party so that we could enjoy alongside our guests.  To take even more work off our plate, we picked up a selection of desserts from our local middle eastern grocery store and served them alongside classic moroccan mint tea to end the meal.  Links to all the menu items are the bottom of this post!

 {charger plate  |  melamine dish set  |  crochet edge napkins}

 {large lanterns  |  orange lanterns  |  small colorful lanterns}

 {floor lanterns}

 {mini appetizer trio set + recipes from this post}

 {prepping veggies for the grill}

 {melamine serving bowl}

 {our guests happened to be the two other couples that had joined us on our trip to Morocco!}

 {lanterns at night}

{ending the evening with classic moroccan mint tea in these glasses}

MENU:

Mini Appetizer Trio

Simple mediterranean salad

Preserved Lemon Chicken

Fresh Grilled Veggies

Pita + Hummus

Garlic Dipping Sauce

Find what speaks to you.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Pier 1 via Mode Media. The opinions expressed 

herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Pier 1.

{thanksgiving menu}

We will be hosting 13 of our family and friends here in Chicago for Thanksgiving dinner next week which gave me a mild panic attack when it came to starting to devise a delicious menu!  This past weekend, armed with the latest issues of our favorite food magazines and pinterest, we worked out our entire menu and the subsequent shopping list of over a 100 items!  So to save you a little time with your menu planning or selecting the dish to bring for your Thanksgiving pot luck, I gathered our entire menu and links to the recipes (with some modifications) right here:

Charcuterie & Cheese Tray: after enjoying a morning with this decadent french toast and a dozen mimosas we will put a big spread of charcuterie and cheese for guests to graze on during the cooking.

Batch Cocktails:  I'll whip up a batch each of The Bee's Pajamas & The Brown Derby for our guests to sip on along with the appetizers.

Kale Caesar Salad:  This is a classic salad in our house.

Shaved Brussels Sprouts: This will serve almost as another "salad" option and we will be adding a few cups of brown rice and pancetta to this recipe.

Simple Green Beans: because not everything can be drowning in cream or butter.

Braised Short Ribs on a bed of sweet potatoes:  I love turkey, but I love red meat more and so does most of my family so we will be braising a big batch of short ribs and serving them over sweet potatoes.

Classic Stuffing: most of our guests are coming from out of town, but the one couple coming locally will be bringing their favorite stuffing recipe.

Pioneer Woman Mashed Potatoes:  We have made this recipe a few times in the past and the best part of it besides the fact that its super tasty is that you can make them the day before!

Gulliver's Corn:  This dish is definitely more cream and cheese than corn which seems perectly appropriate for Thanksgiving- plus it's a recipe we have made for the past 20 years of Thanksgivings in my family.

Alton Browns Turkey: because Chris is obsessed with anything Alton Brown does.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Sour Cream Marshmallow topping:  this sounds like the fancier more decadent version of pumpkin pie. I'm in!

{easy dinner party menu}

You're busy, I'm busy....everyone is busy right now, but that doesn't mean you can't still have friends over for dinner and cook them an amazing meal in a short amount of prep time! We whipped up this simple menu last night for a group of 4 in almost no time at all by using fresh available ingredients and straightforward unfussy recipes.  A platter of charcuterie accompanied by fresh bread and a quick ricotta spread to start the meal followed by an easy watermelon feta salad and a marinated flank steak on a bed of arugula with sliced heirloom tomatoes.  Rather than make a dessert from scratch, I opted to pick up a selection of mochi ice cream flavors from our local Trader Joe's and skewer them for easy serving.  Scroll down to the bottom of the post for links to all the recipes and a download for the menu printable!

Honey Lemon Thyme Ricotta Spread served with fresh bread & selection of charcuterie

Watermelon Feta Salad

Pan Seared Rib Eye Steak served on bed of fresh arugula with Lemon Vinaigrette and heirloom tomatoes

Mochi Ice Cream in Mango, Strawberry & Chocolate

MENU PRINTABLE

{grilled summer dinner menu}

Is there anything better than getting outside and cooking a seasonally fresh meal almost entirely on the grill?!?  This past weekend while still in Huntington Beach after celebrating the 4th, we decided to make this entire Sunday Supper meal from Serious Eats (one of my go-to websites for recipes!).  The only change we made was to serve the meat on a bed of lightly dressed fresh arugula and we added in a side of simple grilled bread. 

This dinner menu is full of color and flavor while needing little to no preparation which is really the main goal of summer cooking right?  My favorite part of the menu was a toss up between the nectarines which would make for a wonderful summer appetizer on their own and the basil butter on the corn which was also amazing smeared on the grilled bread.

{cali-persian dinner party menu}

{dress from here}

Remember a few weeks back when I said I really wanted to recreate the entire "Cali-Persian" menu in Bon Appetit?  Well this past Sunday night we had some friends over for a little dinner party and we did just that!  The dishes in the article are not only super colorful and photogenic, but also bursting with flavor.  The best part of these recipes is while some of the preparation uses some foreign cooking methods (especially the rice), there are no hard to find or odd ingredients that will have you running all over town.

We opted to switch out the main lamb entree for a pork loin in the favor of mass appeal for our guests and you can see the recipe for the pork at the bottom of this post.  Overall this menu came out perfect for a warm summer evening- the food was refreshing yet satisfying and filled with interesting herbal flavor combinations.

Our menu for the evening was as follows:

Appetizers:

• simple cheese plate and snacks
• lavender & lemon champagne cocktail (recipe coming on Friday!)

Dinner:

• shirazi salad
• shallot yogurt
• jeweled rice
• old grain toasted bread & herbed butter
• herb marinated pork loin- recipe at bottom of post

Dessert:

• rose water cookies served with vanilla ice cream**

**our dinner guests insisted on bringing dessert, but had they not offered this was the dessert I would have made to accompany the meal. 

Herb Marinated Pork Tenderloin

what you need:

• 1 pork tenderloin
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 3 tablespoons of salt
• 2 teaspoon of chopped rosemary 
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley

1. For Brine: Combine orange juice, salt, chopped rosemary and 1/2 cup of water in bowl and stir to dissolve salt.  
2. Place the tenderloin in a ziplock bag and add brine.  Brine for 6-12 hours
3. Remove pork from brine and pat dry.  Brush with olive oil.
4. Sear pork loin on high heat in a grill pan or cast iron skillet until nicely browned.
5. Finish in a 400 degree oven until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees. (approximately 10-15 minutes)
6. Rest for 10 minutes and then slice on the bias into 12 pieces.  Top with chopped parsley.  

{jeff+katie's wedding paper goods}

As you might have seen on instagram last month, we travelled back to Southern California to celebrate the wedding of two of our very good friends, Jeff and Katie.  The event was absolutely beautiful and one of the most fun weekends I have ever had.  The couple was married at one of the most lush southern california venues called Rancho Las Lomas in Silverado Canyon.  Besides being a massive estate with a gorgeous area for the ceremony/reception, there is also a menagerie of zoo animals on the property including tigers and zebras!!

Katie asked myself and fellow bridesmaid, Kay, to help out with creating the menus and programs for the event which we were more than happy to do (and by happy I mean ecstatic- we all know how much I obsess over paper goods!).  We drew inspiration from the color of the bridesmaid's dresses and went with a simple design that showcased white text against the saturated blush/coral backdrop.  And then we of course had them printed at the best kept secret in downtown LA.

Here are a few snapshots of the menus and programs in action on the big day (you can see even more of the lovely photos from this day on their wedding photographer Cean One's blog right here):

 {programs on the ceremony chairs and amazing florals by Chelsea of Hello Gem- the same talented lady who did my own wedding flowers}

{custom beer escort cards/favors plus a little sign you might recognize from here and the 

menus at each dinner place setting}

Congrats Jeff & Katie!

{event images via Cean One Photography, all the rest taken by Mint Love Social Club}

{DIY round menu cards}

Ever since Chris and I moved in together, our tradition for Valentine's day has always been that Chris cooks an amazing meal for us at home and I make the table look cute.   Lately I have been really obsessing over the round menu cards I have seen popping up all over pinterest like this one or this one.  I can design and print a menu card in a matter of minutes usually, but I knew these round cards would take a little bit extra effort so I figured they would be perfect for our Valentine's dinner.  

I absolutely love how these turned out! At first I was only planning on printing the one side with the menu and circular border, but then I thought I would present you guys an option for a double sided menu.  I especially love the double sided version for weddings or bridal showers so that the menu is immediately given away when people sit down.  While printing on both sides of the paper is do-able, it is also something that would drive me crazy so instead I have printed one side and used an embossed stamp on the other side.  Scroll to the bottom of the post for instructions and free downloadable template!

 {I also mocked up a pink version to see what I preferred.  I like the clean look of the white, but the pink would be adorable for a bridal shower!}

what you need:

• cardstock in your desired color- the thicker the better. at least 90lb
• printer 
• circle cutter- I use this one, but quite honestly I don't love it and would welcome some recommendations on a new one
• menu stamp- similar one here
• gold embossing powder
• gold stamp pad
• embossing heat gun
• download the circle template by clicking here!

1. download the circle template right here and type in your menu selections. 

2. print using the rear tray of your printer if possible

3. using the circle cutter, cut out your menu

4. stamp back side of menu with desired stamp, immediately cover in embossing powder.  Tap off excess powder and then seal with embossing heat gun. 

5. enjoy your dinner!