Cocktail & Create Dinner Party Guide

May 4, 2017 Caroline Shields

Here is the official dinner party entertaining guide!

I know you've have been wanting to that throw a dinner party and catch up over some delicious food & drinks with your good friends but ... kids ... games ... work. How would you pull it off?! I’ve got ya covered!

This dinner party blueprint will make sure you don’t miss out on the weekend and actually have fun at your party.

The key is to focus your energy on two clutch homemade dishes and order the rest. No one will know the difference and you’ll be happy to have that extra time to actually dry your hair.

MENU (for 6 people)

to start
rosé spritzers
prosciutto wrapped asparagus (order from blackberry market)
ratatouille crostini (order from blackberry market)

main
farm salad with seasonal vegetables (order from blackberry market)
pork ragu over wide noodles, fresh basil
(make a double batch if you have a hungry crowd!)
baguette

to finish
(almost flourless) chocolate cake with berries and ice cream

You will make the CHOCOLATE CAKE on Thursday night. And Saturday, you’ll find a spare 30 minutes to prep the PORK RAGU and let it cook low and slow for 3 hours. Then you'll run over to Blackberry Market and pick up the final touches and get ready for your friends to arrive!

Keep your tablescape elegant yet casual. I love the look of white and green flowers (hydrangeas, roses, ranunculus and eucalyptus in mason jars) with lots of candles--a combination of votives and candlesticks. Use a mix of your nice cloth napkins and white plates if you have them. For the table, pick up the chalkboard paper table runner at Target (found in the wrapping paper section). Use your favorite placemat to add texture and contrast. Move the flowers to the bar area when it's time serve the food, family-style.
(...flowers from Standard Market and the candles and craft paper are from Target)

DRINKS

Cocktail: Rosé with St. Germain and lemon slices
Beer: Domaine DuPage and Fist City
Wine: Pioneer Chardonnay & Cabernet Sauvignon
(...you can pick all of these items up at Standard Market)

PLAYLIST

Don’t think I forgot about the music...you know your crowd, but, here’s what I’d roll with...

Remember ... perfection is not the goal, fun is! Bon Appétit!

**photos are a combination of my own and Doreen Corrigan's!

Summer Ready

April 5, 2017 Caroline Shields

We just got back from California (more on that soon!) and I was reminded how amazing these pool coverups are for the kids. They are from Mini Boden. I might even get one in my size. The reason I love these so much is that unless it's scorchingly hot, it's usually a little cold getting out of the pool (cue the wearable towel!). So in the summer, after the kids hop out of the pool, we do a quick towel dry and then throw these on while they eat lunch or run around during adult swim. The towel throw-on is also perfect for vacation--think days that turn into nights on the beach, building fires and roasting roasting marshmallows. Can it be summer already???

Home Tour: Danielle and Doug's Kitchen Remodel

March 22, 2017 Caroline Shields

CKT Home Tour: Danielle and Doug's Kitchen

Today for the home tour, I'm featuring my friend Danielle's gorgeous new kitchen! Danielle and I are neighbors and enjoy a lot of the same things in life: food, wine, good conversation--and we've never met a dance floor we didn't like. She is one of those people who hosts Thanksgiving, but will still invite friends over for an impromptu taco bar the next day. I love her for that! She and her husband, Doug, recently remodeled their kitchen and she has been killin' it with the family meal planning. I'm totally inspired.

Tell us about the inspiration to update your kitchen.
The inspo to update the kitchen came from a conversation about a porch. The front elevation of the house is just asking for a front porch and we priced it out with local contractors. The costs were sky high due to certain local village requirements! We realized that a better investment for our family was an updated, more user-friendly kitchen. Design inspiration came from none other than the beautiful Joanna Gaines. I love HGTV's Fixer Upper and Jojo's modern, yet rustic farmhouse-y style. Since our house is an 1884 farmhouse, we really wanted a timeless kitchen that would carry with the rest of the house. I really think we captured that!
before pictures...

How do you use the space differently and what do you enjoy the most, now that the space has been remodeled?
The layout changed a bit, with the fridge and sink staying in place and the rest getting moved around. Before the renovation, we had a standard double-oven on the wall and a separate island cooktop. Double ovens now come in a traditional style oven/range appliance, with a smaller top oven and a large bottom oven. My oven space is more usable and wider now than the two separate wall ovens I had before. (Ask me sometime about my Thanksgiving mishap a couple of years back when my turkey wouldn't fit in the wall oven!) By far, my favorite update is the butcher block island. Six full feet of prep space is an unexpected bright spot in the new kitchen. I love the warmth that the mahogany brings to our space and the organization that the island drawers provide us. I also really enjoy the flow of the kitchen now. Movement and flow are key to a functional space and our kitchen now works so well for parties (and we love parties!).

Why do you meal plan and what are some tips?
Meal planning for our family began when we demolished the old kitchen and remained living in the house with no kitchen. As two parents that work full-time outside of the house, we had to dedicate time each Sunday to plan our meals for the week so that we could efficiently get healthy food on the table in a matter of minutes with only a microwave, grill, crockpot, and bathroom sink. Taking the time and effort to plan really made our lives so much easier during the week that we have kept at it ever since. It helps keep my sanity during the week to know that I have all ready made meals in the fridge, just waiting to be reheated. We generally make 2-3 meals for our M-Th dinners. Our freezer is also stocked with easy to thaw/bake/eat meals for Fridays.

My best tip: take some help from the store. It's worth the extra few bucks! Already cooked frozen rice is awesome and a discovery during our kitchen reno! What helps my meal planning/cooking on Sundays is that I purchase items like pre-shredded carrots, triple-washed ready to eat kale and spinach, sliced fresh mushrooms, steam in bag broccoli/cauliflour/green beans. Take the shortcuts, because when you are dedicating 1-2 hours to cooking, these items are time savers. It seems like a lot of time to take out of your Sunday, but it is worth the time so that your weeknight evenings are a breeze.

My favorite recipe - it changes all of the time, but lately I'm really loving these carnitas. Simple & classic!

Thank you Danielle and Doug for sharing your place with us! Can't wait for the next taco party! :)
Adorable family photo by Sue Quinlan