Eating al fresco is my favourite thing to do during the summer time and one of the funnest ways to accomplish that is by creating a picnic in the park. I love having a picnic lunch and although this is not quite the same as picnicking in Paris in front of the Eiffel Tower (take me back please!) you can still recreate the same fun vibe in your own back yard or nearby park.
““Hey Boo Boo, let’s go get us a pic-a-nic basket” – Yogi Bear
I’m in! Gather up some key items mentioned below and head off to an afternoon of fun!
Lavender is one of my favourite herbs/plants and I absolutely cannot stop myself from smelling it each time I walk by a some. Not only does it smell heavenly and comes in a beautiful purple colour, it also offers the body many health benefits. Did you know that lavender essential oil is great for reducing stress and anxiety as well as improving sleep? I love putting on my oil diffuser as I go to bed or smelling a lavender plant when I feel stressed. Lavender is also amazing for headaches, healing cuts & burns, and other body pain. If you have not had a chance to use lavender in your life I would greatly suggest it!
Along with its amazing health benefits, lavender is a great addition to recipes – have you ever tried lavender shortbread cookies!? Soooo delicious! As it is summer time and I am trying to stay away from my oven as much as possible, I wanted to create a refreshing summer drink to enjoy. After going to our local lavender farm (more on that below) I was inspired by the beautiful lavender fields and the hot blazing sun! What better solution than to create a crisp, cold lavender lemonade drink! I absolutely love anything with lemon in it and the refreshing taste pairs great with the unique lavender flavour.
Whenever I throw a dinner party I always try to look around the house to see if there are items I can use to incorporate into the decor. You’d be surprised how many things you have around the house that look great if you just style them a little differently. Specifically speaking – have you looked at your fruit bowl lately? You know that lovely pineapple that is about to go bad (am I the only one that has SO much trouble cutting these damm things up before their time expires?) or that delicious watermelon = those are your future flower vases! Fruits can be used in so many different fun ways and today I will show you just that!
I enjoy decorating with fruit as well as using it in my party menus – hello fruit water tower! Sidenote – is there anything better than fruit flavoured water? (I mean not counting sangria of course). I could do a whole post of my favourite flavoured water combinations for entertaining but I’ll save that for another day. When it comes to decorating with fruits I love to use citrus kinds as the bright colours provide an amazing pop of life on a sometimes plain looking table. I dream that one day I will own that villa in Tuscany which will be surrounded by beautiful lemon trees which I can venture to anytime I need fresh juicy lemons. As of right now – I get my butt down to the local farmers market and indulge in some freshly picked fruits.
As you may have already guessed – one of my favourite summer activities is to barbecue anything and everything! I love the flavours and the whole process is fun and easy. Summer never truly feels like summer to me until we bust out that bbq and start grilling. My husband usually does all the grilling in the family which I am thankful for because it allows me to finish up a few additional items when company is coming over! Also he just makes it taste better! A few years back I discovered grilling fruits and we were hooked! Have you ever tried grilled pineapple? A MUST try!
This week I wanted to venture down the avenue of grilled peaches – my favourite fruit to grill. The warming of the peach just makes everything extra delicious- think of peach cobbler or peach pie without the crust! Grilled peaches are an easy dessert to whip up and can be served in many different ways. I’ve compiled a few of my favourites below – I hope you get to try them out at your next bbq!
Summer is in full force and I am loving it! As the weekends go by, I am checking things off my summer entertaining bucket list and enjoying the ease of summer entertaining (if you missed the post make sure you check it out!).
One of the main things everyone looks forward to when summer arrives is hosting an epic barbecue meal with your friends and family. I absolutely adore being outside, sipping on cocktails, prepping food and watching while my husband works the grill. I find bbq’s are the easiest thing to put together AND to cleanup – hurray for simple entertaining!
I personally find entertaining fun because I enjoy the prep work that keeps me organized when guests are here. I know that not everyone finds it as easy going and most people get stressed out when cooking for a crowd. I wanted to put together an easy checklist for you to use when hosting bbq’s this summer – anything that makes your life easier is my mission! This checklists goes over various categories of the bbq and provides ideas of items you can serve to your guests. It is not intended to be used as an all or nothing list (that would be nearly impossible!) but more of a guide reminder so you do not miss the tomatoes or buns that are needed.
I hope you enjoy the list and benefit from the organization!
