Posts in "Summer"
4th of July Cookout Preparations (and a Playlist!)

This post is sponsored by Hebrew National.

The fourth of July is coming up and I'm back with another Hebrew National post to help you plan for an Independence Day party! Obviously there's probably no other food that screams "America" more than a chili cheese dog, but I also came up with a few other combinations for your next celebration.

  • BBQ sauce + Coleslaw
  • Thinly-sliced radishes + dill relish
  • Baked beans + chili
  • Some combination of all six!
  • Note: The combination of franks and these toppings may not be Kosher.

And here are some easy and straightforward party-throwing tips:

  • Make it festive! Depending on whether you plan to entertain inside or outside, pick up some little flag toothpicks or streamers or even balloons. If you like to keep it simple (kind of my life mantra lately), just stick to red and white napkins, or maybe even a fun tablecloth to tie everything together.
  • Have all your toppings and condiments set out and ready before your guests arrive, so when they show up all you have to do is throw the hot dogs on the grill and enjoy a beverage with them.
  • Speaking of beverages, keep a nice variety--I like to have sodas or fun, flavored waters handy in case someone doesn't want to drink alcohol. You could even make a few interesting simple syrups so people can make their own Italian sodas. As far as adult beverages go, you really can't go wrong with beer and wine on a hot day.
  • Make the food fun--I decided to include radishes because I love them and had never thought to put them on a hot dog. See who can come up with the most creative combination.
  • Have gluten-free buns or big pieces of lettuce for anyone who doesn't eat bread--I always appreciate that so much whenever I go to someone's house for dinner. (Just make sure you keep them separate from the regular bread--in these pictures I plated everything together because I'm not so sensitive to gluten that I can't eat anything that's been cross-contaminated, but some people are.)
  • Don't forget the music! I made a little playlist to get you started. These are all songs I'd love to listen to during a cookout--they all remind me of summers or college afternoons in some way:
  1. This Must Be The Place by Talking Heads
  2. The General by Dispatch
  3. I'm Yours by Jason Mraz
  4. Dust on the Bottle by David Lee Murphy
  5. I Will Wait by Mumford & Sons
  6. Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes
  7. Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show

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.

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The Season's Change Was a Conduit

Labor Day has always been a special time for me--when summer is winding down and fall hints at us in the early morning. My birthday is in a few days and I always feel as though I get to start over in some way, especially this year with boxes still waiting to be unpacked and so many new things from our wedding registry that were waiting patiently for this move before they could finally be opened and used.

This summer was a good one, and while I find myself already missing Minneapolis, I'm so looking forward to this autumn in Charlotte--our first fall as a married couple, sleeping in on chilly weekends and drinking hot coffee and joking incessantly about an upcoming winter that won't be nearly as cold and long as the last, even if I know I'm going to miss all of that snow.

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Wishing you a wonderful Labor Day, friends.

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Gather 'Round for a S'mores Party

Last week I visited my parents' house and had some friends over for a s'mores party! My brother built a campfire and I created a quick and fun menu of different s'mores for us to try. We made PB&J s'mores, bacon s'mores, salted caramel s'mores, and even a bananas foster s'more!

La Crema sent several bottles of their Pinot Noir and we had such a great time by the fire, drinking wine and eating way too much sugar. My friend Chad was even in town from Connecticut, so I got to see him for the first time since my wedding--and I hadn't seen my friends Matt or Tony since then, either. The whole thing felt like a big, awesome reunion (with roasted marshmallows). 

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This post was sponsored by La Crema. Thank you so much for your support as I continue to work with brands. Visit the La Crema blog to get the recipes for all of our s'mores creations!

And for La Crema, the end of summer also means wine grape harvest! Now you can participate in this exciting time of year in Wine Country by signing up for La Crema's Virtual Vintner program. Join the virtual winemaking community and set the course for a totally new crowd-sourced creation from La Crema.

Photos by Photo + Love for Freckled Italian.

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