Who doesn’t crave outdoor patios, dimly lit candles (to set the mood), smoky grills and glasses of crisp rosé? The Wall Street Journal Wine Bloggers offer some terrific suggestions for under $25. Good friends, delicious food – easy, breezy entertaining.
Yeah right, sounds awesome, but who in the world has the time? I’ll tell you who; after spending yesterday in our client’s — Fire & Flavor Grilling Co.’s warehouse and kitchen, I was inspired and realized that I CAN DO THIS (and trust me if I can, so can you). Rule #1: Put down your Blackberry and take a second to enjoy.
Gena Knox, CEO and co-founder of Fire & Flavor is a young, elegant woman who is trying to change the way people perceive southern cooking. She’s bringing back the dinner party! Her mantra: sophisticated, yet simple, elegant without fuss… this isn’t your grandmother’s greasy kitchen; it’s the new sexy South!
She prepared – my mouth is watering talking about this – smoked strawberry mozzarella crostinis on cedar grilling planks. Sounds fancy, huh? Well, it looks pretty, tastes amazing AND it’s healthy! The 10 minute recipe can be found in her cookbook, Gourmet Made Simple, fully loaded with some breathtaking photography. This cookbook screams: “I want to play hostess and show-off my culinary (kind of lacking) skills!” These recipes will fool anyone into thinking you’re a pure genius in the kitchen and you spent hours preparing.
Want more ideas for less work, more play? Check out Garden & Gun’s Belle Décor blog from yesterday. I love the idea of handwritten invitations – if only my handwriting didn’t look like scribble.
I can’t write about “entertaining” and not include this little caveat: For stunning serving pieces to go with your oh-so-simple yet remarkable meal, you must visit Scout for the Home . Dying to get my hands on these glasses that can double as water or wine (arguably the same thing) glasses. And for unique, irreplaceable platters, R. Wood should be your number one stop! Love.
I’m in the business of communications and if I’ve ever communicated anything successfully, let this be it: Food and wine bring people together… and the added bonus: usually makes for good conversation and lots and lots of laughing. So call your friends, fill up their glasses and resurrect the art of entertaining.
As senior vice president at Cookerly, Mike Rieman specializes in building and maintaining relationships with the media and has an excellent track record of landing significant placements in print and broadcast media including USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and Money Magazine.
As design director at Cookerly, Tim serves as the creative lead in the development of branding campaigns, print collateral and digital media for clients across a broad range of industries, including consumer, professional services, healthcare and technology.
As vice president of Cookerly, Sheryl Sellaway uses her extensive corporate communications background to lead consumer PR efforts, deliver strategy for marketing programs and share expertise about community initiatives.