12 Thoughtful Summer Hostess Gifts

Other than the winter holidays, summer is one of the busiest times for entertaining.  It's a celebration of summer flavors or that new grill & patio, as well as a time to relax with friends.  Whatever the occasion, make sure you don't come empty handed.  Your hostess was gracious enough to invite you over, and it takes a lot of time, money, and planning to get it all right.  A gift is a must!

You have a lot of options when selecting hostess gifts.  If you don't know the hostess well enough, that's ok.  Generic gifts like candles and even hand soaps are great gifts that everyone will use/like.  You can also select gifts based on the event.  Say you've been invited over for a clam bake.  Purchase a few pairs of lobster crackers to ensure that everyone invited will get a pair.  Also, another more hands on option would be to make compound herb butter and display it in a pretty butter dish with a tag and ribbon tied around it.  This semi-homemade option shows that you went the extra mile, and after your hostess is done with the butter, they still have a wonderful gift to remind them of your thoughtfulness...Trust me, this will definitely get you an invite to their next get together!  Oh and if all else fails, you can always ask your hostess if they need you to bring anything.  Even if they say no,  an appetizer or dessert are always great additions to the party.  

The following are 12 Summer gift ideas that your hostess would be lucky to receive.  For each category there is one thoughtful purchases and another semi-homemade gift idea.  

New York Clam Bake : Your hostess will probably only have so many lobster crackers, so this is a great way to make sure everyone gets a pair.  The butter is also a wonderful addition to the lobster, as well as to other clam bake fare, such as corn on the cob. (It's also even great on meat and other vegetables too!)
     No. 1 ~ Lobster Crackers ~ Fox Run
     No. 2 ~ Tea And Toast Butter Dish ~ Anthropologie + Compound Herb Butter

Cocktail Hour : Some days all you need is a cold drink, good company, and beautiful outdoor surroundings to unwind.  The grapefruit margaritas will be a refreshing hit at your next get together, and the cocktail rimming sugar kit will be a pretty, colorful addition to your cocktail/mocktail beverages.
     No. 3 ~ Cocktail Rimming Sugar Kit ~ Delicove Spices
     No. 4 ~ Eye Winker Green Opal Pitcher ~ Fishs Eddy + Iced Tea Spoons ~ Anthropologie  + Grapefruit Margarita

After Dinner : As I said before, dessert is always an easy and great idea to bring with you.  With the days growing hotter by the minute, however, skip turning the oven on and pick up your favorite ice cream on your way over to the event.  Jeni's "Artisanal" Splendid Ice Creams is, without a doubt, my favorite kind of ice cream.  It has so many interesting "foodie" flavors, as well as the basics, so that everyone will enjoy it.  (You can purchase it online if there isn't a store near you btw.)  You can also make your own vanilla bean sugar and package it in a beautiful sugar bowl.  Each grain of sugar will be infused with the vanilla flavor and it's a great addition to grilled fruit, beverages, and other desserts.
     No. 5 ~ Ohio Love You Ice Cream Collection ~ Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams
     No. 6 ~ Mimi Sugar Bowl with Spoon ~ Kazuyo Komoda + Vanilla Bean Sugar

Grilling Party : It's pretty likely that everyone knows at least one master of the grill, and even more likely that you'll get invited to at least one BBQ this summer.  These gifts are for those people and events...A master of the grill probably has a ton of grilling gadgets, but not many have a pizza stone.  This set also conveniently comes with a large pizza paddle and pizza cutter.  The Giara glass bottle makes a lovely presentation for your homemade BBQ sauce that will be ready to be brushed on and enjoyed that day or weeks later.
     No. 7 ~ Round Pizza Baking/Grilling Stone Kit ~ via Target
     No. 8 ~ Giara Hermetic Glass Bottle - Red ~ Bormioli Rocco + All Purpose BBQ Sauce

Guys Only Night : Invite your friends over for a couple of drinks and brews for the game or a poker tournament.  Both of these gifts are extremely guy friendly and functional.  The whiskey stones will keep any drink cold without diluting it with water, and the chip & dip bowl will be great filled with some blue tortilla chips and the quick & easy salsa recipe below.  The shortcut is that it uses canned tomatoes.  All you need to do is blend all ingredients together, transfer it into the acacia bowl, and put it in front of your friends to munch on all night (though it has potential to be devoured in seconds).  Anyone can do it.
     No. 9 ~ Whiskey Stones (Set of 9) ~ Teroforma
     No. 10 ~ Acacia Chip and Dip ~ Crate & Barrel  + Quick & Easy Shortcut Salsa + tortilla chips

Weekend Guests : As a weekend (or overnight) guest, it is more important to bring a hostess gift than ever.  I usually like to bring things that will be great eats/drinks for the next morning aka less for your host to worry about the next day.  This blueberry batter bowl gift set has all you need to have fresh blueberry pancakes minus the griddle pan.  In addition, this flow carafe has a freezable coaster that will keep drinks cold for up to 4 hours!  Make a batch of mimosa (or bloody mary) mix in this carafe, bring a bottle of champagne, and you'll have mimosa's ready to go for the next morning.
     No. 11 ~ Blueberry Batter Bowl Gift Set ~ Stonewall Kitchen
     No. 12 ~ Flow Carafe w/ Freezable Coaster, 1-Quart  ~ Emsa + Mimosa Mix + Champagne

Gifts not only shows the personality of the receiver, but of the giver as well.  I love to cook and bake, so these "semi-homemade" gifts are perfect for me, but if you're not the homemade type, it's ok.  Do what you do best.  If you're crafty, embroider your hostess' monogram on some pretty cloth napkins.  If you're the music type, develop a rockin' playlist to set the mood for the event.  At the end of the day, it's really the thought that counts, and it doesn't have to empty your bank account.

Not Your Average Dog

It's seriously crazy how much I'm craving hot dogs now since my visit to Dan's Dogs this past weekend.  In the past I have never been a huge hot dog fan, so this is interesting to say the least...

I talked yesterday about no more boring ketchup and mustard.  Creativity is a must, and I want to get cracking in my kitchen soon with some great combinations.  Luckily, I found some awesome recipes on the Food Network website that are really inspiring me right now.  They have one hot dog for ever day of the month.  Very serious business.  Here are my top 6 that I'd like to draw inspiration from and/or recreate to a t:

No. 1 ~ Chicago Dog ~ dill pickle, cucumber spears, tomatoes, sweet pickle relish, pickled peppers, onion, yellow mustard, and celery salt with a boiled dog in a poppy-seed bun
No. 2 ~ Boston Terriers ~ baked beans with a hot dog on a toasted bun
No. 3 ~ Surf Dog ~ pineapple salsa with a teriyaki dog on a grilled bun
No. 4 ~ California Dog ~ avocado, cucumber, sprouts, carrot, and green goddess salad dressing with a tofu dog on a whole-wheat bun ~ vegetarians rejoice!
No. 5 ~ Hot Diggity Dog ~ jalapeno jack cheese and pickled jalapenos with a grilled dog on a grilled bun
No. 6 ~ Vidalia Dog ~ vidalia onion rings and barbecue sauce with a boiled hot dog on a soft bun

To view the entire month calendar of hot dogs, you can go here.

Ok, now no more hot dog posts for the rest of the week at least I promise!

Dan's Dogs

Nope, I'm not talking about puppies; this time, it's all about the hot dogs.

Right after boyfriend and I made a visit to the puppy store, we traveled for about an hour to Dan's Dogs in Medina, Ohio.  Let me tell you, it was well worth the travel time.

{Dan's Dogs - pictured in order from Bottom to Top: Nacho Dog, Underdog, basket of fries, Reuben Dog, and another Nacho Dog}

I only got to take one quick photo before my boyfriend begged me to stop so he could eat his already, thus it's not the best shot, sorry.  

Once you walk into Dan's Dogs, you're instantly time ported back to the 1950's when diner food reigned king.  There are formica tabletops, pink booths, 50's mint colored chairs, and other midcentury decor, but the focus at Dan's are its dogs.  All of the regular hot dogs at Dan's are priced at about $2 a piece, and they come piled high with the good stuff.  They have classic combos like chili and cheese and more outlandish combos like peanut butter and jelly.  I ordered the Nacho Dog and the Underdog (a BLT hot dog basically), and my boyfriend also go a Nacho Dog, as well as a Rueben Dog.  Boyfriend said the reuben dog was amazing, and we both agreed that the Nacho Dog was pretty darn tasty too. This isn't to say that the BLT dog wasn't good, but it was not my fav of the two.  I really enjoyed the crunch of the corn chips on the Nacho Dog, and I thought the flavors complemented the dog really well.  The basket of fries that we ordered was way bigger than we imagined too.  For the $2.50 price tag, we thought it would have been smaller.  The priciest thing we ordered was an ice cold pitcher of root beer that really hit the spot on such a hot day.  All in all, it was way too much food for our hungry tummies and a fun place to stop.  If hot dogs aren't your thing btw, Dan's also has fresh salads, sandwiches, hamburgers, and shakes on the menu.  Whatever your order, you won't go hungry and your bank account will take a small hit.  Just know that since Dan's Dogs, I've become spoiled with fancy hot dog combinations.  No more ketchup and mustard for this girl.  I don't think I can go back to that combo after this experience.

Pins of Interest

So I've had a Pinterest account for some time now, but I just finally started to use it.  Do you have an account?  If you're thinking about getting one, I would apply for it today (I heard there is a huge line to become apart of the Pinterest group), and if you already have an account, what do you think of it? Here are some of the positives and negatives that I see:

+'s - it keeps all of my past and current inspiration organized & it's great for finding new inspiration as well, plus it keeps down my number of bookmarks (I don't think I want to admit to how many I have, but it's truly out of control)

–'s - I don't find the interface very user friendly for the iPad (my main device for inspiration hunting and blog reading); new pins take forever to load and every time I click to repin a photo, it'll make me scroll to the top of the homepage to do so, and then I'll have to scroll back down to the bottom where I was etc...basically, it's pretty time consuming when I could just copy the photo and save the link real quick (though refer back to why this is a bad idea in the +'s section)
As I've also stated previously on here, products I feel tend to sell out more quickly now that everyone and their brother know about them...makes me not so happy when I finally have the money to buy that pretty little necklace and it's gone, out of my life forever :( OK enough of being so dramatic sorry...


Being as that I'm finally using this website, I decided that I would share some of my fav pins of interest (from past and present) with you.  Perhaps inspire you to get an account as well, that will further inspire me :)  Here they are:

 No. 1 ~ Paint Chip Gift Tags ~ What a cute way to add a burst of color to your gift, and they can be acquired for the lovely cost of $0! I especially love this idea because even at a small age, the painting section was also my favorite part of home improvement stores.  I have never been able to resist picking up a few (or more) to take home with me, and now they all will have a purpose. Perfect!

 No. 2 ~ Outdoor Dining - If you have a backyard like this, expect a visit from me real soon! This would be really great inspiration for a wedding reception setup too.

 No. 3 ~ Colored Spoons ~ If you've seen this flatware set and were crushed when you saw the price-tag, no need to fear! All you need is some spray paint (preferably food safe just to be, well, safe) and some utensils. Great DIY

 No. 4 ~ Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco ~ A beautiful photograph of the City By the Bay. I love the colors, and it's even worthy of a frame in my opinion.

 No. 5 ~ Ginger Wipe Out & Key Lime Cowabunga Ice Cream Sandwiches ~ Oh Joy! (which is a great blog read btw & one of my absolute favorites) featured these ice cream sandwiches on her blog not too long ago.  You can order them online, but I think I'm going to have my go at making my own, and my wallet agrees.  The Key Lime is made with coconut oatmeal cookies, so I'm going to start with this recipe.  These sound and look AMAZING don't they!

Well, I'm off to go spend time with my boyfriend for the weekend, and let's pray the rain can stay away!
Happy Weekend,

Refreshing Flavor Combos for Your Next Picnic

My favorite thing about the warmer months isn't the nicer weather or the fact that there are many more active light hours in the day.  My favorite thing about Spring and Summer, without a doubt, would be that these seasons bring a multitude of fresh foods with them that mean endless and amazing flavor combinations in the kitchen.  There is a bounty of fresh fruits and veggies and herbs to bring out their flavors, including my favorite, mint.  What more could you ask for?

Below are some mouthwatering recipes that can easily be packed up and transported on your next picnic.  These recipes merge flavors together to create combinations you're probably familiar with (lemon and blueberry), and ones you're probably not so familiar (watermelon and feta).   You're definitely going to want to try these!

No. 1 ~ Prosciutto and Brie Sandwich with Fig Jam and Spicy Greens

No. 2 ~ Dill Potato Salad 

No. 3 ~ Mint Cucumber Water

No. 4 ~ Arugula, Watermelon, and Feta Salad

No. 5 ~ Watermelon Lemonade

No. 6 ~ Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

I made the blueberry lemon cheesecake bars for a gathering with my boyfriend's family, and they were gone in seconds!
Oh, and No. 1 may not be made with ingredients tied to the warmer months, but it's still a flavor combination you're going to want to try, and it's a great alternative to your ordinary picnic sandwich.  Trust me!

Enjoy,

Tea Time

{Butterfly Photography, Kimberly Chorney}

The picture above is more my cup of tea than an actual one sadly.  For as long as I can remember, I have never quite enjoyed tea.  In fact, I have never really enjoyed drinking any hot liquid; i.e., coffee, hot chocolate, soup, etc.  I know it all sounds weird, but I would rather drink a smoothie in the dead of winter than drink something hot.  In recent years though, I have tried my best to get over this habit and broaden my taste palette.  I enjoy coffee (if you count the foo-foo kind that's loaded with sugar, syrup, milk, and of course, calories), hot chocolate, and some teas now, but they have to be at room temperature almost.  To me, that's when you can really taste the flavors and not just scolding hot water.  Either way, I still long to be a member of the tea party...

Five reasons I would like to pick up the habit of drinking tea :

1.  I love scones and tea sandwiches ~ definitely would justify making them more 

2.  Health benefits ~ sickness would be so much easier to combat

3.  I would have an excuse to buy pretty teacups and other fancy tea gadgets and accessories 

4.  I always feel left out when people want to go to The Tea Room or other tea only establishments 

5.  I think it would be quite fun ~ perhaps I never got out of my dress up tea party stage as a child, plus a piece of me has always longed to be British...

I'm really not kidding about that #3 by the way, and here is a lust list to prove it.

Proper Decor-um :
    No. 1 ~ Buttermilk Scones Dress ~ ModCloth
    No. 2 ~ Knot2much2ask Spot of Tea Pendant Necklace ~ via Max & Chloe
    No. 3 ~ One-Lump-Or-Two Lamp ~ Anthropologie
    No. 4 ~ L by Lenox "Floral Waltz" Tea Saucer & Tea Cup ~ via Bloomingdale's
    No. 5 ~ Vintage Three Tier Cake Stand ~ I Love Retro via BOUF

Tea for Two : 
    No. 6 ~ Blueberry Sour Cream Scone Mix ~ Stonewall Kitchen or make from scratch using this Tyler Florence Recipe
    No. 7 ~ Caramel Sundae Escape Tea ~ Talbott Teas
    No. 8 ~ Lemon Curd ~ Stonewall Kitchen
    No. 9 ~ McVities Rich Tea Biscuits ~ Amazon ~ can't get much more British than this, thus it is completely necessary to at least try them

Perhaps if I start acting the part, a love of tea will just come naturally.  I'll work on my decor-um and one day have the perfect little tea for two.  Does anyone else out there share my sentiments?

Fake Bake

Continuing the food posts a bit, I wanted to tell you about this amazing dessert I made this past weekend.  I always love to cook for my boyfriend when I see him, and this time I made what turned out to be an amazing mock no-bake key lime pie.  It was super easy, very light, and full of flavor.  I'd post a picture, but we devoured the entire pie way quicker than we should admit to.

The recipe is pretty much all over the internet, but here we go...

Your 4! Ingredients:
     1 (10 inch) prepared graham cracker pie crust
     1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
     1/2 cup key lime juice + optional zest from the limes
     1 (16 oz) package frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions:
     In a large bowl, mix together condensed milk and lime juice (plus optional zest if you choose).  Gently fold in the whipped topping until combined.  Pour mixture into graham cracker crust.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

{this recipe comes out looking vary similar to the pie shown in this photo via Fuzzy Gerdes on Flickr}

Easy right? The best part is that it only calls for 4 ingredients, and it tastes like the real thing.  I like to add the zest for added flavor, plus I love seeing it in the filling.  I think it gives it that extra homemade touch as though you've been slaving in the kitchen for hours.