Whether you’re hosting a dinner party, or planning a special at home dinner, a delicious salad can leave a lasting impression. To truly wow your dinner companions, think beyond the traditional “house salad” of lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes and carrots and seek inspiration from vibrant fruit, crunchy vegetables, flavorful cheese and tangy dressing. Here are three colorful and delicious salad ideas to get you started!
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Editor’s Note: It must be wedding season, because this useful blog entry I wrote two years ago is getting a lot of hits lately. In the spirit of sharing, I’m re-publishing for new blog readers. Enjoy!
The prospect of throwing an at-home bridal shower can seem daunting – and rightfully so, as it is a lot of work. The sooner you accept that it’s far more significant and detail-oriented than your average dinner party, the better. It’s (hopefully) a once-in-a-lifetime event for the bride and it should come off as flawless. No pressure, right?
English Tea Themed Bridal Shower Treats
Reality check aside, if you love to entertain, hosting an at-home bridal shower is also very rewarding. It’s incredibly fun to pick a theme, design a menu, decorate and celebrate your friend or family member’s upcoming wedding.
Here are 7 tips on hosting an elegant event to remember:
I like it when my food can multitask. I’m so busy these days, that I make one vat of a salad-y item on the weekends and combine it with different ingredients throughout the week. Especially if you’re cooking for one, it’s a great way to avoid that inevitable food boredom.
For this dish, I’m starting with three of my pantry staples, carrots, chickpeas and toasted almonds, and I’m jazzing them up with a flavorful dressing. Made with a tangy, yet delicious blend of lemon juice, fresh cilantro, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne and ground black pepper, the end result makes pantry staples suddenly seem more gourmet.
Love Is Sweet Cookie Mix
As someone who has hosted a bridal shower, I understand how easy it is to overlook the shower favor. With so many details to stay on top of, who can blame the poor host?
If you’re looking for bridal shower favor inspiration, here’s a sweet idea. While a lot of people may not have time to embark upon a DIY bridal shower favor, I was super impressed with the “Love is Sweet” Cookie Mix my friends cleverly made for a recent shower. You see, the bride-to-be is known for her baked goods, so this was both sentimental and cute. Apparently, the ladies hosting the shower got together one evening and made the favors assembly line style, so it wasn’t too taxing. Once done, they added a cute label on the front, baking instructions on the back and a cute piece of fabric with a ribbon on top.
Here are a few recipes I found that look good for replicating this DIY Bridal Shower favor. As you’ll see, clever bloggers have adapted them for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter, and more!
A Christmas take from Celebrating Sweets, but you could easily swap for one or multi-colored M&Ms: https://celebratingsweets.com/mm-cookie-mix-in-a-jar/
Crafting Chicks have an oatmeal M&M cookie mix, with printable labels too! https://thecraftingchicks.com/oatmeal-mm-cookie-mix-jar-neighbor-gift/
The Real Coake Family have an Easter cookie jar version with M&Ms and sprinkles that would be so cute for a Bridal shower: https://www.realcoake.com/easter-mason-jar-cookie-recipe/
The Happier Homemaker has a Valentine’s Day version with M&Ms and a printable label: https://www.thehappierhomemaker.com/valentine-cookie-mix-in-a-jar-with-prin/
Simple and sweet, you could easily use this idea for a holiday, baby shower, bridal shower or hostess gift. Enjoy!
Now that we’re having consistently cooler weather, I am craving homemade soup. I’ve never been a fan of brothy, chunky soups, but thick pureed soups are right up my alley. Featuring creamy butternut squash, broth, a mix of comforting spices and a hint of tart granny smith apple, this soup is incredibly easy to make. In addition to being delicious and flavorful, did I mention that it’s also healthy?