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Entertaining

Visiting Friends & Tea Parties

By Jessica

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

 Recently I was lucky
enough to be selected by Plum Deluxe to be a part of their Tea Ambassador
program. I was given a few select teas and a set of question cards to throw a tea
party. This could not be a better fit for me and my tea obsessed friends, so I
decided to actually have the tea party while Amanda and I were visiting my friend Lindsey.
We had an entire girl’s weekend, full of chick flicks, awesome
snacks, shopping, and lots of good conversation. My favorite snack of the trip
was the goat cheese wontons that Lindsey made, the night that we arrived,
though Captain Scott’s chowder was a close second.
On the first morning over a hearty and delicious breakfast
we decided to break out the Ambassador kit.  I think one of the things that I enjoyed most
about the kit was the conversation cards. Some of the questions asked sparked
long talks and helped me learn some new things about my close friends.

The rest
of the day was spent in bookstores and shops around Mystic. Unfortunately I don’t
have many pictures because it was snowing or raining most of the day, and any
that we took simply did not work out. I’m proud to say that the harsh weather
wasn’t enough to keep these tough northeast chicks in the house and we had a
great time.

To spice things up a bit I decided to make a cocktail out of
the Pacific Northwest Evergreen Mint tea. It took a few different tries to come up with this sweet and minty
cocktail, but I really think it is a great addition to any tea party. You can
bet that I will be experimenting with other tea flavors to make similar
cocktails in the future.

Champagne & Mint Iced Tea (serves 4)
16 oz of water
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
2-3 teaspoons of mint tea
16 oz of good champagne

Heat the water to a boil. Place the sugar in a tea pot or
pan and pour the boiling water over the top. Add the tea in a tea ball or bag
and allow it to steep until it becomes golden and fragrant about 5-6 minutes
(when making iced tea you want the tea to be a bit stronger than a normal).
Remove the tea and set aside, stir the combination to be sure all of the sugar
has dissolved. Fill 4 glasses with ice cubes and pour about ¼ of the hot
mixture over the top. Pour about 4 ounces of champagne into each glass. Add
more ice if needed and serve immediately.

April 6, 2015 December 5, 2017 Filed Under: Entertaining Tagged With: Activities, Cocktails, Travel

Valentines Dinner for Two

By Jessica

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

So as it turns out Chuck and I may or may not have waited too
long to get reservations anywhere for valentines (read: I am super indecisive).
So we are probably going to just stay in. Don’t worry I will talk him into taking
me out another night, since I have an amazing new dress sitting unworn in my closet.

Over the years I have written about a number of our “date
night menus”, there is this in depth one from 2013, and this compilation of 5 recipes (Gluten free, chicken main course, beef main course, Seafood, and
Vegetarian) just from Valentines. This time around I went a little lighter. I just
chose recipes that we are loving/craving right now and went with those. Now all
that needs to be done is to find a nice bottle of wine and some candles.
Salad: Greens w/ Honey Mustard Dressing
Soup: Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Main: Scallop & Bacon Carbonara

Desert: Homemade Icecream & Brownies

February 9, 2015 October 8, 2023 Filed Under: Entertaining Tagged With: holidays, Menues, Romance

A Lighter Holiday Dinner Party Menu

By Jessica

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Lighter Holiday Dinner Party Menu

Today is a special treat since I’m participating in Amy & Annes, #WeDo: The holidays. For this post I’ve put together an awesome Dinner Party Menu that is lower in calories than traditional menu’s tend to be. Also don’t forget to scroll down for the giveaway!

The holidays are always a time for extra celebrations and get-togethers. It’s also a time that many of us pack on the extra pounds due to all of the festivities. There are a million tips and tricks out there to help us keep of those extra pounds, but why not just serve healthier lower calorie food at your next soirée? Not only will it save your waistline, but your guests won’t need a nap after dinner to be festive. Try this simple holiday menu that is designed to be full of flavor as well as low in calories.

Appetizers:
    Crudités with Lemon Parsley TahiniDip
    and/or
                Deviled Eggs with Smoked Salmon
Main Course:
                RoastChicken with Pomegranate Glaze & Chopped Brussels Sprout Salad
                Or
                QuickCoq au Vin with Egg Noodles, Rice or Couscous
                Or
                MapleMustard Glazed Ham  & Maple RoastedRoot Vegetables
Desert:
                ChocolateMouse
                Or
                WhiteChocolate Holiday Bark
a Rafflecopter giveaway

December 2, 2014 November 11, 2016 Filed Under: Entertaining Tagged With: holidays, Menues

A Halloween Themed Dinner Party, for Adults

By Jessica

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

A Halloween Themed Dinner Party, for Adults
Just because your over dressing up in a skimpy costume and don’t quite have kids yet to bring the magic back to Halloween doesn’t’ mean that you have to skip it altogether.  There are still plenty of ways you can celebrate the holiday in a grow up, some-what classy style, I mean just because we are adults doesn’t mean that we can’t have eyeballs in our salad.
Here is an easy Halloween themed dinner party menu for you.
The Great White Pumpkin Cheese Ball Recipe
WhiteCheese Ball. This delicious concoction makes a perfect appetizer and can be made into any themed shape, such as a ghost and it can be made a day ahead.
Halloween Eye of Newt Recipe  
Salad w/ Bloody deviled Eggs. Salad is always a safe bet for any dinner party, but the bloody deviled eggs add a certain hint of Halloween delight to this basic staple. For even more Halloween flare try a blood red salad dressing.
 Individually Stuffed Pumpkins. People love anything individual, and pumpkins couldn’t be more perfect for this theme. This recipe is great to use for stuffing peppers or squash as well.
ChocolateMolten Cakes. Molten anything is good for any occasion. I suggest serving it
with a spoonful of maraschino cherries, to keep the blood red theme going.

For more dinner party Ideas:

How to Host a Dinner Party without Losing your Mind

How to Host a Dinner Party without Losing your Mind

Diner-Party-Games

10 of the Best Around the Table Dinner Party Games

October 17, 2014 September 20, 2016 Filed Under: Entertaining Tagged With: holidays, Menues

My Yellow Table Gathering

By Jessica

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.


First off I want to start this by saying CONGRATULATIONS! to Anna of The Yellow Table. Before she had accomplished the monumental goal of raising
over $50,000 to publish her first book she asked her followers to help her
out by throwing dinner parties using her recipes to generate conversation.

I have been following Anna’s entire journey from day 1 and I
now feel like one of those creepy stalker people, because I am so completely
invested in this thing. From writing the book in about 100 days to completing
a cross country road trip, and preparing several dinner parties along the way
she has done so much, so very much that I cannot comprehend how one person
could possibly do it all and remain so humble and thankful.

She’s already reached her goal (and surpassed it by over $10,000), but that wasn’t going to stop me
from throwing my dinner party, besides Chuck might murder me if I didn’t make
those dates I told him about.

I decided to go with the easy dinner party menu that she had
listed, as we had planned to go group ziplining earlier in the day, and I
wasn’t sure how ambitious we all would be. I of course had made a few
alterations, because that’s just how things are done around here and added a
recipe or two.

The Menu
Bacon Wrapped Dates with Cider Mustard Glaze (Recipe Below)
Apricot Dijon Roasted Chicken & Broccoli 
Mimi’s Tomato Tart
Chocolate Chip Cookies

I decided to add the cider mustard glaze to the dates, because one
of our favorite restaurants has a similar appetizer with this kind of glaze,
and I’ve have been dying to figure it out. I also swapped the Roasted Carrots for the tomato tart because tomatoes are beginning to come in season here, and I
can’t resist them. Finally after all that, an adventurous day and the fact that
I don’t actually have any ramekins I decided to simply bake up some cast iron
cookies and serve them with vanilla ice cream instead of the Bittersweet Pudding Cakes, though some day I would really love to try out this recipe.
The night was I hope just what Anna had intended, light and fun
and full of casual chatter. 

I know our home isn’t ideal for dinner parties (I mean check our awesome table) but I
really want to make more of an effort to invite people over and share food and
conversation. It’s so necessary in today’s day and age.

Bacon Wrapped Dates with Cider Mustard Glaze
1/2 lb bacon, cut into thirds
30 dates

30 almonds

½ cup apple cider vinegar (plus a splash)
½ cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground mustard

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut a slit into the side of
the date and slip an almond into the center. Wrap each date in 1/3 a slice of
bacon, and arrange with the open side down on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for
15-20 minutes until the bacon is crisp. Once cooked remove from the oven and
place on a paper towel to drain. Meanwhile combine the vinegar, both sugars and mustard in a
small sauce pan, and bring it to a boil. Immediately reduce to a simmer and
cook for 10 – 12 minutes until syrupy. Remove from the heat and finish it with
a splash more of cider to keep the flavor bright. Move the cooked dates to a
serving tray and drizzle with the glaze. 
There is only one day left to pre-order The Yellow Table Cook Book. So if you are interested at all get to it!

July 14, 2014 February 12, 2018 Filed Under: Entertaining Tagged With: appetizer, Chicken, Chicken/Turkey, Entertaining, Menues, Vegetarian

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Hi, I'm Jessica. I'm an herbalist living in the great northeast with my husband Chuck, our two little boys, our dog Brody and a flock of chickens. I'm all about real, good food and good times with awesome people. I spend a lot of time outside, in my garden, and concocting potions and helping people feel their best. I also like tea, reading, and about a million other hobbies. I'm so happy your here on this adventure with me.

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