Recipe: Basil Gin Fizz

Remember my little herb garden? Well, last evening, boy had the brilliant idea to snip off a few leaves for a cocktail. I usually reserve basil for pastas and stews, but using a simple recipe, the Basil Gin Fizz was the perfect concoction- sweet with a bite. Resembling a mojito, this drink will surely become a summer favorite. 

                                     

Recipe: Jello Shots

(source)

So to be honest, the Cinco de Mayo food presentation was certainly a last minute show. So much so, that after realizing my avocados were too hard for guacamole, I rushed out to Giant for pre- made guacamole just minutes before the guests arrived. Gasp.

Entertaining: Housewarming Party

(our bar, sans Tucker, the bartender)

Well, I do believe the party was a hit. Our wee 800 sq foot apartment held almost 30 people and a bartender. That's right, we hired a bartender. I was a bit hesitant at first, and I couldn't decide if it was ridiculous or just plain clever. It turned out to be the latter. He was a budding graduate and new to the city with empty pockets so slipping him a few dollar bills didn't feel so bad, and well, it was nice to not spend the entire evening mixing drinks.

I am not a baker, but luckily some of my girlfriends are expert bakers so they happily supplied the party with sweet treats. I focused on the salty and savory . . .

Cocktails: Belvoir Fruit Farms

(Elderflower Mojito) 

Oh dear, it’s been quiet around here. As you can tell, I took advantage of the three day weekend and closed things down for a few days. Boy ended up being sick with a nasty cold all weekend, so I followed his lead and rested up as well.  

Entertaining: A Dinner Party

“What else is a dinner party besides a comic operetta without a score?

But they also orchestrated every element of the evening, arrival to departure, most crucially directing the conversation, which they either allowed to follow a traditional serve-and-volley pattern (20 minutes right, 20 minutes left), or else commandeered for so-called “general discussion” as provocateur hosts like the television journalist Barbara Walters still do.”

(quoted from the NYT article, Guess Who Isn’t’ Coming to Dinner?)

So . . . we've decided to host dinner parties every Sunday evening, or at least try to host a few times a month if we can. Ambitious, I know.  But with new restaurants popping up everywhere and the burgeoning foodie culture, it seems that dinner parties are a dying art. Wouldn't you agree?

New Years Eve

Just some quick snapshots of our New Years Eve party . . .

A Round Up of New Years Ideas

(New Years party 1956, by Alfred Eisenstaedt)

If I had the time, the money, and let's be honest, the DIY know-how, I would love to create all these ideas for our New Years party. But, my predictable cheese platter and boy's tasty cocktails will just have to do. Simple is better, right?

This banner from Confetti Design Shop on Etsy.

On Entertaining

(photo via High Terrain, Brookyn Slate Co. product)

I've talked about what to get the host or hostess when you stay the weekend or simply join for dinner,  but as the host, what's your go-to dish to serve? My tried and true is a well thought-out cheese platter. I like to include a variety of cheeses, some light crackers or baguette, grapes or apple slices, and if I'm feeling saucy, I'll find some devilish fig chutney to add. To complete the platter and upon boy's constant request, I break off a few pieces of dark chocolate.