I made some cute little gold animal figurines for my covered patio the other day and I'm sharing the (very simple but fun) tutorial on the Cambria Wines blog today! Go check it out and let me know what you think!

This post is brought to you in partnership with Cambria Winery.

Photos by Andi Perullo for Freckled Italian.

This post is sponsored by Hebrew National.

You guys, I am so incredibly excited to be moving into a house so soon! I haven't shared too many details about it so far, but the main thing I'm looking forward to right now is the awesome patio and backyard.

While I have absolutely loved living in an apartment all these years (and I'll definitely miss the amenities like the gym, pool, garage, and courtyard grills), I can't wait to have the extra space and a backyard to properly entertain! Growing up, we'd always have cookouts at our house and they were the best. My mom would make a ton of appetizers and people would gather around the kitchen counter or load up big plates and take them outside, and then we'd fire up the grill for dinner later.

I love spring so much because the weather is perfect, and I always want to spend my entire weekend outside. Once we get our stuff moved into the new place (by May 15th), it's going to be an all-out unpacking fest because I'm already planning our first weekend party.

I've worked with Hebrew National before and continue to do so because we're huge fans of not just their hot dogs, but the brand itself. I think it's so important to feed your guests and/or family quality food, and  believe that all-beef hot dogs are worth paying that little bit extra for. You can rely on Hebrew National All-Beef Franks every time.

They asked me to share some of my party tips and a menu for upcoming spring BBQ celebrations, so here we are!

• Invite everyone to bring something, but give them a little direction--that way you don't end up with four pasta salads and no dessert. I also always like to provide one appetizer and a big salad just in case someone forgets to bring their dish.
• As always, keep dietary restrictions in mind. This goes both ways--I'm mostly gluten-free but I know that people want buns, so I always provide them.
• Keep it easy and fun by doing toppings buffet-style. Grill all the hot dogs, let people take one or two, and then have a toppings bar set up so everyone can customize their own dog with chili, veggies, cheese, etc.
• Don't be afraid to invite a wide variety of people--sometimes I feel nervous to combine my different groups of friends, but every time I've done it it's always been so fun. They do all have you in common, after all!

Wishing you a fun-filled season of outdoor cooking and entertaining! 

What makes a Hebrew National kosher hot dog premium? It's all about what makes the cut (and what doesn't). We're choosy about what goes into our franks--we use only premium cuts of 100% kosher beef from the front half of the cow and then choose the best from that. No artificial flavors, colors, fillers, or by-products. When your hot dog is kosher, that's a hot dog you can trust! For more summer fun with Hebrew National, visit facebook.com/hebrewnational.

I've been home from Seattle for over a week and I can still barely believe it all happened. I didn't even know Kristan and Annie three months ago and suddenly there we were, planning the biggest event of our careers so far together. 

There were countless emails and phone calls and weekly video chats where we went over our never-ending to-do list, and somehow it never even felt like work. I grew up in a house where entertaining and feeding people was the norm, so something about planning a big lunch party just felt really natural. And it was even better to be teaming up with La Crema to make it happen--can you believe I've been working with them for two years? So wonderful.

The table was just dreamy. Annie did such an amazing job styling it and setting up all the place settings. We originally wanted to get a ton of flowers but ended up only needing a few little ones, so we picked them from Kristan's backyard. Like I said, dreamy.

Look at that space! We rented Cannelle et Vanille's new studio space as the venue and it was absolutely perfect.

I think this is the most beautiful charcuterie board I've ever put together. We had so much fun deciding which meats and cheeses and other snacks to include, and it ended up looking totally gorgeous on the table with La Crema's Russian River Valley Rosé. (Hi mom if you're reading this then you probably can assume that we had way more food than we needed on this table. Thanks for that.)

But the soup might have been my favorite course--I loved it so much that I actually just bought all the ingredients yesterday so I can make it again this week. I don't think I've ever made quinoa before but I loved toasting it up on a really hot griddle and using it as a garnish! Kristan got that idea from Dolly and Oatmeal and it went so well with our soup.

Roasted Leek and Cauliflower Soup (adapted from Love and Lemons)

Ingredients:

• 4-5 large leeks, washed and sliced thinly (only the white a light green parts)
• 2 heads cauliflower, chopped into florets
• 4-5 small waxy potatoes, quartered
• 4-5 cloves garlic, peeled
• About 1/3 cup olive oil (plus some for drizzling)
• 3-4 cups vegetable broth
• 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
• The juice of one large lemon
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Crispy toasted quinoa, for garnish (recipe included below)
• Sliced green onions, for garnish

For the crispy quinoa garnish:

• 1 cup cooked quinoa (we used tricolor)
• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Heat a skillet with olive oil over medium high heat.
2. Pour in the quinoa and stir until crispy, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.

Instructions: 

1. Season leeks, cauliflower, and potatoes with salt, pepper, and olive oil and then divide between two baking sheets and roast at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until slightly browned. Rotate pans halfway through cooking time.
2. Remove from oven and transfer to a blender (allow to cool slightly). Add half of the vegetable broth and blend until smooth. Add more broth if necessary.
3. Transfer to a pot and simmer on low. Drop fresh thyme and lemon juice in and stir well. Add more vegetable broth if it gets too thick. Season again, remove the thyme sprigs, and serve hot; topped with crispy quinoa, green onions, and a drizzle of olive oil. 

The salad was lovely too. The day before the party, Kristan and I went out for breakfast and I asked for some greens on the side of my baked eggs instead of bread, and they gave me this lovely lettuce that wasn't chopped at all, and it was simply dressed with really beautiful olive oil, so we were kind of inspired by that and didn't cut up our lettuce before dressing it with nice oil, a spritz of fresh lemon juice, and a pinch of coarse sea salt. Delicious. And how pretty are watermelon radishes?

Mixed Greens Salad with Shaved Fennel and Radishes

Ingredients:

• 5-6 cups washed and dried mixed greens--we used a combination of frisee and butter lettuce
• 1 large bulb of fennel, washed and thinly sliced (it's easier to slice first and then wash since the bulbs can collect dirt)
• 2-3 watermelon radishes, sliced thinly
• Juice of 2 lemons
• About 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Coarse sea salt, to taste

Instructions: 

1. Assemble salad plates with mixed greens, then top with a small pinch of sliced fennel and three or four radish slices.
2. Lightly drizzle olive oil over the salad and squeeze lemon over each plate. Season with salt and serve immediately.

The main course was delicious and we were lucky enough to get salmon courtesy of Drifters Fish, a small business local to Seattle. We marinated the fish in a homemade honey mustard glaze and baked it. Visit Annie's blog for the recipe! You'll love it. I never make fish at home but this was really easy and it ends up looking quite impressive so I may need to make it the next time I have some friends over for dinner.

Kristan made the most delicious dessert I've ever had--it was a strawberry rhubarb galette topped with pistachios and served with homemade vanilla bean + orange blossom ice cream. Hello. We paired it with La Crema's Late Harvest Gewurztraminer, which might be my favorite of their wines--it just feels so special. 

What a day! It felt like a dream. We were so exhausted the next morning but couldn't believe how smoothly everything went and how lovely our guests were. Brunch on Sunday felt like the night after a wedding--recapping our favorite moments and how beautiful everything looked. Everyone had such a great time and I left Seattle feeling pretty lucky, and with the biggest smile on my face.

This event (and blog post) was sponsored by La Crema.

Invitations, Menus, and Place Cards c/o Minted | Plates c/o Hayneedle | Salmon c/o Drifters Fish | Glasses and Flatware c/o Vintage Ambiance | Additional sponsors who donated supplies for our kitchen and goodie bags: Le Creuset, Wolf Gourmet, Kristas Baking Co., Mustard and Co.

Photos by Oguz Uygur.