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!

Arugula & Quinoa Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Happy Friday!

I hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Ours was super low key this year, as Bryce was traveling all day yesterday. We usually cook a fancy meal together, but instead opted for fancy takeout.

Today I'm excited to be sharing a recipe for my all time favorite salad: Arugula & Quinoa Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette. Whenever I ask about content y'all want on the blog, the #1 answer is recipes, so I hope you're excited, too!

This recipe originally came from a website called A Nutritionist Eats, which no longer is online.

It is light, healthy and delicious and also is great leftover (a true feat for salad). It is my go to when entertaining. In fact, I probably make it about 90% of the time when entertaining, so much so that my friends will expect it.

Ingredients
For the Salad
1 cup cooked quinoa (I usually measure 1/4 to 1/3 cup uncooked)
6-8 cups arugula (at least one container of arugula, sometimes a little more if for a crowd)
1/2 cup almonds, toasted and chopped (almonds are best, but pecans are tasty, too!)
For the Vinaigrette
1 tbsp lemon zest (about 1 lemon - I zest and then squeeze for juice below)
2 tbsp lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey
3 tbs minced shallots (about 1 shallot)
salt & pepper (I always prefer kosher salt on my salads)

Directions
1. Prepare quinoa as directed and let cool.

2. Whisk together all vinaigrette ingredients.

3. Toss quinoa, arugula, and dressing until combined.

4. Top with almonds (you can toss with the almonds, but I find for entertaining, pouring on top last makes for a prettier presentation).

5. Voila, easy peasy! Enjoy!

Do you have a favorite salad recipe?

What are your go-tos when entertaining or feeding a crowd?

Have a great weekend!

2019 Valentine Making Party

Happy Valentine's Day Eve, my friends!

I've always been a big fan of Valentine's Day, even when I was single. A day devoted to pink, red, hearts, and flowers is a win in my book single or taken!

Given my love of the holiday, I decided getting the chance to spread love with some of my best girls could be quite fun and hosted my first ever Valentine Making Party in 2014 (see here). It was an instant hit with my friends and since has become a bit of a tradition. I hosted a second in 2016 (here), third in 2018, and this year managed to host two years in a row for the first time with a 2019 edition. I gathered about 10 girlfriends last Thursday night and am excited to share with you today.

First things first: Supplies! After hosting this party so many times, I didn't even have to purchase supplies this year, though I did notice my stock is getting low on a few items. Here you can go as simple or complex as you'd like. Key elements are construction paper and/or card stock, markers, scissors, and glue. From there you can add to the mix with stickers, paper doilies, pom poms, scrapbook paper, feathers, balloons, and my personal favorite, googly eyes! Really just about any craft supplies can get added to the table, and I try to keep them all in a red, pink, and purple color theme for aesthetic purposes. I also am always sure to put the tablecloth (similar here) shown above on the table. It is vinyl which wipes clean easily and padded with flannel on the backside. This means people can craft away with no worries about damaging our dining room table! The "love" runner on top was a TJ Maxx find years ago. Finally, another crafting tip is to have trash cans at the ready. I put two on opposite corners for easy access, that you can see in a photo toward the bottom of the post.

To encourage creativity I also display an inspiration poster. It has a mix of sample valentines that are both cute and cheeky!

Next up, and equally important, is food and drink!

Every year I make champagne punch for the occasion! It is so perfectly pink and festive and a big hit. You top a container of raspberry sherbet with a bottle of champagne, a bottle of ginger ale, and a bag of frozen strawberries. Easy peasy! You can top it off with more champagne to refill as needed throughout the night.

 

I also had lemon water, La Croix, and red and white wine available for guests.

For menu, I replicated the menu from last year's party to a tee. It was easy, crowd pleasing, and quick to pull together on a weeknight. It also has options to satisfy both vegetarians and guests who are gluten free.

Pimiento cheese is a Southern staple and if you're in Richmond, Yellow Umbrella's is hands down the best. I always will make an extra trip there for it when entertaining. I serve it with Pecan Nut Thins which are gluten free, and complement the cheese well. A pre-made veggie tray is easy to kick up a notch with hummus for dipping and pretty presentation.

I also like to serve a few items that are a bit more hearty so people don't leave hungry. These chicken salad bites have become an entertaining staple since getting the idea from a friend. Just scoop chicken salad on top of granny smith apple slices and top with a pecan. Poppyseed ham biscuits are classic Virginia, and while they're very easy to make, they're even easier to buy premade for weeknight entertaining. These came from Yellow Umbrella, as well. Finally, this arugula salad is my go to for entertaining and a favorite amongst my family and friends (recipe coming Friday!).

I'm going to try and link up as much of my serveware as I can find online below, but will note that these rectangular platters the chicken salad and ham biscuits are displayed on are a favorite! I received one as a shower gift and have found myself wishing for a second again and again when entertaining. I decided it was time to bite the bullet and literally stopped at Fraiche on my way home from work the day of the party to purchase a second. I tried to keep all serveware to a Beatriz Ball/silver and clear glass theme.

Last, but certainly not least, no Valentine's Day celebration would be complete without sweet treats! These cookie dough rice krispies (recipe here) are a favorite and probably the dessert my friends request most! The rose heart wreath was a CVS find in college and I added the ribbon a couple years ago.

I upped the ante a little this year by using a cookie cutter to make them into hearts. It took a long time, but I think the cuteness factor was worth it! I make these the night ahead.

I can't resist showing you a couple snapshots of some additional decor. I didn't go all out this year, but the little Valentine's Day touches sure do bring a smile to my face.

The felt garland was a Michael's or Target find years ago and is so sweet.

There's nothing quite like pink tulips in the dead of winter! The pink and red blocks were a Target dollar section find in college and spell "XOXO," "KISS," "HUGS," and "LOVE."

Once the party started, I only managed to snap two pictures, which was a sign of a good party in my book!

What I love about this photo is that each of these 4 ladies is a friend from a different facet of my life - I really enjoy bringing different groups together!

And here's a sampling of our masterpieces! Those googly eyes! Mine is the love bug!

How do you celebrate Valentine's Day?

Do you like making handmade cards or prefer store bought?

Are there any parties you throw year after year?

Have a great Valentine's Day, love bugs!

Tips for Holiday Hosting

Happy Monday readers!

8 days...can you believe it? Christmas is nearly here!

Those who follow along on Insta know that we hosted my family for Thanksgiving this year.

While I've had a lot of practice hosting dinner parties, book clubs, and other gatherings, hosting your family for a large holiday meal is a little different. I picked up some tips and tricks this first go around and I thought I'd share today, given that you may be hosting your family in the coming week for a Christmas meal!

These aren't rocket science by any means, but I hope you'll find a tip you've never thought of before in today's post.

ONE

Choose your menu with preparation in mind. What I mean by that is to consider: What items can be prepared, or even fully cooked in advance? What are the various temperatures items need to be baked at? How much space is in the fridge for items you prepare in advance or need to be chilled? Are there dietary restrictions to be aware of?

For example, we chose to skip a turkey and the intimidation factor it brings. Instead we opted to get a honey baked ham (pre-sliced) that would just need to be warmed up and to roast a chicken. We also included baked brie as an app, homemade yeast rolls (recipe coming soon!), a brussel sprouts salad (recipe here), sweet potato casserole (recipe here), and French silk pie (recipe here).

The night before, we baked the pies, prepped the sweet potato casserole so all it needed was baking, and also shredded the brussel sprouts. The morning of, we baked the rolls so all they'd need was to be reheated at mealtime; the rest we were able to do in the afternoon before guests arrived at 5:00 pm (a time I chose so we'd have all day to prepare and not feel rushed).

We finalized this menu about 3 weeks in advance and shared it with my family, asking others to also bring a dish to share.

TWO

Staging is also key in advance of hosting. We live in a small cape cod, so figuring out seating, traffic flow, and food presentation took a little creativity. The day before we worked through a few different layouts and set the table. 

The first item we tackled was seating. The most we can fit at our dining table is 6, and that's a tight squeeze. We had 9 coming, so opted to flip our dining table lengthwise and add a card table at the end. I set both tables with white linens and a matching table runners to make the tables feel cohesive and put similar flower arrangements in blue and white on both tables. (Speaking of flowers, magnolia is your best friend for holiday arrangements. It is so easy and makes a beautiful statement!)

The next item to think about was bar and appetizer placement. I wanted to avoid too much traffic in the kitchen, as last minute cooking and prep would be happening, so set a bar up in the living room. This doesn't need to be fancy and really any old table will do. Bryce's nightstand is a drop leaf table, so I literally cleared that, brought it downstairs expanding the leaves, and threw a fall tablecloth on top (underneath the fall cloth, I first layered a padded water resistant cloth to protect the wood)! The bar was self serve with wine, lemon water, and some nuts. On the back patio, we had a Yeti cooler stocked with beer, soda, and LaCroix, again self serve.

Given our limited space, I opted to place appetizers on the card table. I staged the 3 place settings for that table in the sun room, as well as the folding chairs. A few minutes before it was time to eat, I simply cleared the apps to the kitchen and was able to quickly set the remaining three places and put the chairs out.

Finally, part of staging is also planning how you'll serve the meal. We opted for a simple buffet in the kitchen. Since we had prepped everything requiring our stand mixer the night before, we hid that in the pantry, and cleared the counter tops as much as possible putting serving platters out the night before. 

Another staging tip is to have a few versatile serving platters pulled out and handy in advance. I keep our serving platters in the corner cabinet of our dining room which was not the most accessible with the Thanksgiving table set up. Knowing that some of the "pot luck" items may need platters, I pulled a few out in advance and had them within reach in our pantry. One item I realized we were short on, in the moment, however was serving utensils! While people will sometimes come prepared with serving platters for the food they bring, many people don't bring serving utensils. We were able to improvise with wooden spoons and such, but I do plan to buy a couple more serving utensils between now and our next holiday hosting.

THREE

Have a clean up and leftovers plan. This may be a no brainer, but clean up as much as you can as you prepare the meal and also be sure to have an empty dishwasher in advance of your guests' arrival. One of my tips, that sounds silly, but I've gotten compliments on, is to have a pretty dish towel ready for whatever last minute non-dishwasher safe dishes you may throw in the sink. I didn't do this at Thanksgiving, but at other parties in the past, I've simply draped the dishtowel over the sink to hide the mess from guests. In terms of clean up, Bryce and I don't have a problem leaving dirty dishes in the sink overnight (I know some folks can't sleep if a dish is left in the sink...this is not us!). We typically will do whatever clean up is absolutely necessary at the end of the night (ie: putting food away, loading the dishwasher, soaking dishes, etc), but then will tackle the rest, and putting dishes away in the morning. One of my favorite moments after hosting an event is sitting down on the couch with a glass of wine after clean up!

For leftovers, be sure to buy extra tupperware in advance, or do what I did and send a BYOT (bring your own tupperware!) message to guests in advance of the event. Also make sure you're stocked with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, and ziplock bags. It's also good to have a few grocery or shopping bags at the ready in case people need to pack their leftovers.

FOUR

The final tip is to enjoy yourself! The holidays are all about time spent with family, so do as much prep work in advance, and choose a menu that allows you time outside the kitchen with your guests. And at the end of the day, if you do have a recipe flop or snafu, it makes for a great story!

Have you hosted your family for the holidays?

What are your go to hostessing tips and tricks?

Have a great day!

Dinner Party Recipes: Kale Caesar & Beef Tenderloin

Happy Tuesday friends!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Our first married Thanksgiving was nice, albeit tiring! I was glad we were able to fit in all the families, and it was so nice for Bryce and I to be together (we did Thanksgiving and Christmas apart when dating), but I went back to work exhausted yesterday, haha!

We visited Bryce's grandmothers Thursday-Friday and I think Millie had the most fun of us all, as she got lots of play time in the wide open outside at their houses in the country! We then came home to Richmond Saturday, and got visits in with both of my grandmothers and parents the rest of the weekend. In between all the family time, we squeezed in buying a Christmas tree (though it's still in a bucket of water outside) and I began to work on some of our other Christmas decorating. I also took advantage of some of the crazy Cyber Week deals and bought a few gifts. If you haven't checked out my gift guides yet, be sure to check them out: Here for ladies, and here for gents!

And now for today's post! When I jumped back into blogging a couple weeks ago, I got some requests for recipes! I always love posting tasty, and attainable, recipes on here. I thought as a follow-up to my recap of Bryce's birthday dinner party (here), I could share a couple of recipes we served that night!

I'm a bad blogger and don't have pictures for the beef tenderloin, and my salad pictures aren't the best, but I know you'll forgive me!

First up is the Kale Caesar with Toasted Breadcrumbs from the cookbook Host that I received as a bridal shower gift. This recipe was perfect for a dinner party, as it was easy to prep ahead. If you ask me, the toasted breadcrumbs were the best part! As always, my personal comments are italicized.

Kale Caesar with Toasted Breadcrumbs
serves 4 (this was not our main course and kale is hearty, so I actually served 8!)

Ingredients
for the breadcrumbs:
2 tbs olive oil
2 slices country bread, roughly torn into chunks
salt and freshly ground black pepper
for the dressing
1/2 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely grated pecorino romano cheese
6 tbs olive oil
2 tbs fresh lemon juice
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
for the salad
1 large gunch kale
1/4 cup finely grated pecorino romano cheese
toasted slivered almonds (this was not in original recipe, but I'm nuts about nuts in salads and decided to add them!)

Directions
Make the breadcrumbs
In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the bread pieces and toast until crispy and golden brown, about 2 minutes.

Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate an season with salt and pepper.

In a blender or food processor, pulse the toasted bread until pea-size crumbs form (about 15 seconds).

Set aside.

Make the dressing
In a bowl, whisk together the garlic, 1/2 cup pecorino cheese, olive oil, and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Make the sald
Toast the slivered almonds. I put mine on foil in the oven at 350F for 5-10 minutes, until slightly browned.

Remove the stems and ribs from the kale and slice the leaves crosswise into 1/4-inch ribbons. in a serving bowl, toss the greens with all of the dressing and using your hands, massage the kale for 30 seconds to help tenderize it. Let the kale rest for 5 minutes. Add the breadcrumbs and toss. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup of pecorino cheese and almonds and serve.

Next up might be the simplest recipe I've ever posted! It's actually one of Bryce's Nana's recipes. You might remember her Peach Cobbler recipe, here! I have no picture, as I was enjoying wine and company too much for photos by the time we got to the main course, but trust me that this is a crowd pleaser! Even better, prep is easy peasy and once you put it in the oven, you have pretty much 0 work to do until it's time to serve, meaning you get to visit with your guests!

Easy Beef Tenderloin
serves 4 (I obviously doubled the recipe, as we were serving 8)
Ingredients
1 lb raw beef tenderloin
butter, softened to room temperature
garlic salt (I also think truffle salt would be amazing here!)

Directions
Wash and trim tenderloin. Pat dry.

Let it come to room temperature, usually takes about an hour and a half if cold from refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 500F.

Place in foiled pan (2 layers of heavy duty foil).

Cover with soft butter and lots of garlic salt (I know this is not technical, use your judgment!).

Bake at 500F for 18-20 minutes and turn oven off. Do not open oven door!

Leave in oven for additional 45 minutes.

Remove from oven and top with foil. Let rest for approximately 10 minutes before slicing.

Voila! Yumminess abounds!

What are your go-to recipes for dinner parties?

Have a great day!

1987 Birthday Wine Dinner

TGIF!

I don't know about y'all, but for me this has felt like a long week!

I'm enjoying the creative energy that comes from writing again and hoping to find time to create my holiday gift guides this weekend! Last year I only managed to make ladies gift guides. This year, I may try to do gents, too, but reduce the amount. When I was doing 6 for the ladies, 6 for the gents, and 4 stocking stuffer guides it took a lot of time! Each guide takes at least an hour, so at a minimum, I was spending 16 hours on guides, outside of my normal "work" hours. Definitely no time for all of that these days!

I am trying to make time for the blog again, though. We hunker down more as the weather cools, so I'm hoping to get back into at least a semi-regular schedule again this winter. We'll see...

All that being said, I never got around to sharing Bryce's 30th birthday back in March!

A few months before Bryce's birthday, he began researching and ordering 1987 wines to try. We decided it would be fun to have a fancy dinner party to taste the wines surrounded by good friends. It was so fun!

Of course my mind, first and foremost, went to the table. I really enjoyed designing a tablescape that would reflect Bryce. I knew incorporating a decoy was key, and I selected the pintail below because it has special significance to the both of us. It is a Chris Martin decoy, and I actually picked it out! I love that Martin's work has more of an artistic and contemporary style, and I just couldn't resist that fabulous blue beak! His normal home is actually in my ultra girlie sunroom, but I brought him out for the occasion!

The next key elements were finding a tablecloth and fun napkins (funny story about the napkins, below!). The Kate Spade tablecloth was a Home Goods find, and the napkins are from one of my favorite sources for table linens, Pomegranate!

Once that all came together, it was simply a matter of zhushing things up a bit! I love how our new everyday dinnerware provided a nice, fresh look. It is the Emma Collection from Pottery Barn. I also knew that white hydrangeas were key, and drove all over town to find them in late March (Fresh Market for the win!). I was fortunate to be able to borrow the wooden stand and candleholders from my mother-in-law, as well as the gold chargers which were a last minute addition. I made the place cards myself with scrapbook paper!

The "Happy Birthday" banner was made from the same scrapbook paper and grosgrain ribbon!  made a similar one for the mantel and also got "30" balloons!

In the kitchen I set up this little bar area featuring none other than childhood Bryce! He was a cutie! I also ordered these napkins with his monogram, BECAUSE, when the blue napkins above arrived, "his birthday napkins," he was a bit disappointed. When I had told him I'd ordered napkins for his birthday he'd thought I meant monogrammed cocktail napkins, like our friend Frank has for his bar area. Not wanting to upset the birthday boy, I put in a rush order to have these babies at his dinner party!

So now for the courses! We started with Veuve, oysters, and baked brie. Katie's recipe is a go-to I've been using for years! It is so easy and fast, too! It takes 15-20 minutes in the oven, so I put it in right as guests were about to arrive!

Next up was a salad course! One of Bryce's groomsmen, Alec, and his wife, Allison, attended the dinner party, so I looked to this Host: A Modern Guide to Eating, Drinking, and Feeding your Friends (perfect for the occasion!) cookbook they had gifted us at a shower for dinner party inspiration. In it, I found a recipe for a kale caesar that was ahhh-mazing! I will have to share it with you soon!

For the main course, which I was having a little too much fun, and maybe a little too much wine tasting, to photograph, we had beef tenderloin (recipe coming soon!), roasted parmesan potatoes, and roasted asparagus. We selected this menu specifically because it contained items that could easily be prepped ahead. I wanted to ensure I was present in the celebration and not just stuck in the kitchen all night!

Finally, you can't have a birthday party without cake. I ordered a "dessert cake" from a local favorite, Sweet Fix, which was the perfect size for our party of 8. I selected dark chocolate with a salted caramel filling, Bryce's favorites!

Can you tell a lot of wine had been consumed at this point?

I snapped this picture amidst the cake consumption, and remember just feeling so happy in the moment! Surrounded by some of our closest friends, at a beautiful table, after a delicious meal...there's nothing quite like it!

And I also couldn't resist snapping an aftermath photo...that's a lot of wine!

And for the wine enthusiasts, here are the 1987s that we drank:

The Penfold's was the group favorite!

How do you celebrate milestone birthdays?

Have a great weekend!