At least once every summer and fall, my brother and Rob and I try get together at the lake for a fire. Summer is always fun, but I'm totally into fall campfires. A few weeks ago, we made some turkey chili, grabbed a couple of blankets, and headed outside for a cozy dinner by the fire.

I don't know if there's anything more comforting on a chilly night than a bowl of, well, chili! There's just something about the way it takes all day to simmer away on the stove that makes it feel so special. My brother and I came up with our own recipe and I'm going to be making it all fall and winter long.

Sean usually builds the campfire while I finish up the food inside, but since the chili is pretty low-maintenance, I decided to help him outside and see if I could learn a thing or two about building a fire. Here's what I learned, in case you are ever in need of a campfire but without the help of an Eagle scout:

• Keep buckets of water or, ideally, a hose nearby. Spray down the edges of your campfire circle and any trees or bushes that are within close proximity to the fire pit.
• Start small. Begin with thin, dry branches no larger than the size of your pinky finger. Use newspaper or dry leaves to get it started.
• Move on to larger pieces of wood, this time the size of your thumb, twice that size, and then to the size of your wrist. Make sure you let the fire catch up before moving on to larger pieces of wood.
• Once you get the fire going, don't be afraid to let it die down so you have a good bed of coals to work with--this is especially important if you're going to be heating up food in a pot, like our chili. If you're doing hot dogs or s'mores, though, you'll want to keep some flames going.
• When you've decided that you're done, spread the fire around with a large stick and spray it down with water until there's no more smoke. Don't ever leave the fire unattended until it's totally out and you don't see any more embers or smoke.

Don't forget to visit the La Crema blog for my turkey chili recipe! 

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of La Crema. The opinions and text are all mine.

Photos by Sarah Gatrell for Freckled Italian.

It's that time of year again! I know, I know, Halloween isn't even here yet and I've already ordered this year's holiday cards, but sometimes I just can't help myself. My friend Sarah took some photos of me, Rob, and Ender the other day so I was super excited to design and order them. 

As usual, there are lots of unique designs on Minted right now, but a lot of them are less traditional (think bright colors, bold fonts, and less red and green). I had a really hard time choosing between this one, this one, and this one, but finally landed on the Painted Prism design (I can never resist the gold foil).

It's been such a pleasure working with Minted for the past few years, and I hope you've enjoyed our partnership as well. They've been generous enough to offer one lucky Freckled Italian reader $150 to spend at Minted! They have so much more than just holiday cards--from wedding invitations to party decorations to home decor and art. Enter below, and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This post is brought to you in partnership with Minted.

I'm back today with the last of our La Crema Farm-to-Table at Home series! I hope you've enjoyed it these past few months. I know I won't be forgetting our incredible trip to California any time soon.

We stayed at an amazing loft in downtown Healdsburg, and while we did go out quite a bit, we also did a ton of cooking--and we started with a gorgeous but simple one-pot chicken and mushroom risotto that I'm still thinking about to this day. We set a beautiful table that took no time at all and enjoyed such a great meal together. Today I'll be sharing some tips with you for setting an elegant table perfect for everyday life and dining.

So without further ado, here are some tips for setting an elegant table everyday--no matter the occasion (or not!):

• Go for white dishes, but add texture.
• Layer plates and bowls on top of each other at each setting to add depth and contrast. (Feel free to add color or patterns if that's more your style!)
• Include some gold accents, like a charger. 
• Don't be afraid to mix metals--gold flatware is super pretty but sometimes can be hard to find. Feel free to combine your everyday silverware with gold chargers and details, like the fun stemless wine glasses we used all week.
• Don't forget the flowers! We love silk ones because they last forever and you can do so much with them. We also incorporated some fresh herb centerpieces that work extra hard as decoration on the table and flavor in the kitchen.
• Have fun with it--experiment with your own personal style and remember that you don't need a special occasion to set a beautiful table. Weeknights with family and/or friends are special enough.

And no meal (or table) is complete without a few glasses of La Crema wines! We paired our risotto with both red and white--the Sonoma Coast Chardonnay is a favorite, but you also can't beat the richness of their Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. The Monterey Chardonnay is another classic--you might as well include all three, just to be safe! So many dishes pair well with either red or white, so it's always fun to do a little of both.

For more information on this elegant weeknight dinner, make sure to visit all of our Farm-to-Table at Home posts in this series:

Farm-to-Table at Home: Weeknight Dinners

Elegant Everyday Table Setting and Decor

Easy Herb Centerpieces

One Pot Risotto

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of La Crema. The opinions and text are all mine.