9.02.2019

Late Summer Supper Club

Hello friends, and happy Labor Day!

It's been quite some time since I've posted here on AlexandraBeeBlog.com, but my heart has been longing for more of a creative outlet, and the blog seems like the best place to flex my creative muscle at the moment.

If you'd like to read more on this, check out my "On Hospitality" highlight reel on Instagram. In short, though, I've been musing over this idea of Southern hospitality - or graciousness, warmth, welcome - in all aspects of life, not just entertaining. I'll be experimenting with some different ways to bring you content (with a good dose of my usual "lifestyle" content mixed in) in this area over the  next few months. As I find myself reading blogs less and less, I'm not sure where to strike the balance between here on the blog, and micro-blogging, a new term I learned which is essentially blogging via Instagram. (Any thoughts?) Stay tuned.

Being that Labor Day is the unofficial last day of Summer, I wanted to share a recent supper club dinner party before shifting gears to all things Fall. When it comes to entertaining, one detail is often the jumping off board for all others for me. For this particular evening, these beaded placemats "Millie" found at Home Goods and gifted me for Mother's Day were that one detail.


Because of their coral design, I knew a seafood meal was in order, and other coastal details like shells might have to play a part on the table. I also knew, I wanted pink to be the other main color on the table and toyed with the idea of pink candles, napkins, peonies, or glassware.


I really wanted pink peonies for the table, but wasn't able to track any down, so opted for my other go-to: white hydrangeas. They have such a simple elegance, require no floral arranging skills, and last forever (our party was 3 weeks ago, and they're still going strong on the table!). Pink glasses gave a dose of pink to the table, as did my tobacco leaf china. 


The Staffordshire dogs had been moved from our mantle to the table while we had painters in the living room earlier in the week, so ended up on this tablescape somewhat by accident. I loved the way they looked mixed in with the shells and other decor, though. 


With all the colors and other elements on the table, I decided to stick with classic white linen napkins. These from our wedding are a favorite to use at dinner parties. One napkin is embroidered with my monogram and another is embroidered with Bryce's. I put these at the heads of the table, and the remaining napkins are plain. I never bother to iron my napkins. I think the wrinkles have their own kind of understated elegance and put people at ease and keep things from getting too stuffy. 

For menu, we started with a simple cheese and charcuterie board, thanks to Trader Joe's. Their apricot stilton and marcona almonds are two of my musts for cheese boards!




For the entree, I knew grilled shrimp over twirly pasta would fit the coastal theme. One of our guests is dairy free, so we opted for this dairy free pesto over angel hair. We topped it with grilled shrimp, charred cherry tomatoes, and toasted pine nuts. We also served my go-to arugula salad and bread.


Finally, for dessert, we served this Molten Chocolate Cake with Coconut Whipped Cream and Pistachios. In addition to being dairy free, it was also gluten free, paleo, and oh so delicious!


A wonderful night was had by all, and the marvelous company and pretty table, made all the dishes the next day well worth it!


Are you in a Supper Club?

What are your favorite summer eats?

Have a great (short) week!