Easy Summer Entertaining & A Recipe

As much as I would love to entertain outdoors during the summer, al fresco style, sometimes our weather makes it impossible. Too much rain, or it's just too hot to sit outside. But we don't let that stop us from having people over. We ended up celebrating the hubby's birthday a couple of days early and it was the perfect excuse to have some of our favorite people over.

While entertaining can feel stressful, I always try to keep it low key and prepare as much as I can in advance. I find that dessert is (almost) always good to make in advance. You can also set your table before your guests arrive, or assign someone to help you. And if it's less formal, having a pretty vase full of flowers is just as nice. Either way, try to make your guests feel special.

For a special touch, I used the silverware that were gifted on our wedding, and a vase full of pretty flowers.

When our guests arrive, the hubby is in charge of drinks (and refilling glasses). I'm usually either prepping, cooking, or finalizing the appetizers or food. Speaking of appetizers, I usually try to have something for guests to nibble on just in case they're a little hungry. A charcuterie board or just a simple plate with olives and nuts will do.

Usually, I'll set our appetizers on our kitchen counter, that way our guests can talk to us as we finish prepping the food. And that way they will feel part of the action.

I also try to serve something we've made before. That way there aren't any surprises. We served this shrimp with garlic and fennel over a bed of homemade pasta. Since we're big foodies, last year we splurged on this pasta maker and it's been great. We make the pasta about an hour or so before guests arrive, and set it to dry. We cook it when we're ready to serve as it only takes about 2 - 3 minutes to get al dente pasta.

Shown above: Spanish Olives (stuffed with anchovies), Truffled Marcona Almonds, and Roasted Almonds

If I'm serving a salad along with dinner, it's either a simple arugula salad with burrata, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, or an heirloom tomato burrata salad (as seen below).

Shrimp with Fennel and Garlic6 tablespoons good olive oil1 cup chopped fennel bulb, fronds reserved3 tablespoons minced garlic (9 cloves)1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes1 pound (16- to 20-count) shrimp, peeled with tails on1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley1 tablespoon Pernod (optional)1 teaspoon fleur de sel1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepperServe with pasta or French bread1. Heat the olive oil in a large (12-inch) saute pan over medium heat. Add the fennel and saute for 5 minutes, until tender but not browned. Turn the heat to medium-low, add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook at a very low sizzle for 2 to 3 minutes, until the garlic just begins to color.2. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels, add them to the pan, and toss together with the fennel and olive oil. Spread the shrimp in one layer and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes on one side. Turn the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes on the other side, until they're pink and just cooked through.3. Off the heat, sprinkle with the parsley, 1 tablespoon of chopped fennel fronds, the Pernod (if using), the fleur de sel, and black pepper and serve it with pasta or bread to soak up all the pan juices.recipe via Ina Garten

For dessert, I made homemade vanilla ice cream days in advance, which was brave of me because there was always the possibility that the kids would start digging in. I served it with peaches poached in a rosé syrup. You can grab the recipe here.

And because it was his birthday, we ended with his favorite chocolate cake, and singing happy birthday of course!

Hope you enjoyed this post!

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