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.

Being a blogger definitely has its weirdness here and there, so when Sudo asked me to try out their app and write a post about my online adventures, I couldn't help but think immediately of phone calls.

When I used to work in an office, I loved having a phone to quickly call my colleagues with a quick question or to give them an update on a project--you didn't have to write an email and wonder if they got it yet or not. What I really loved, though, was getting up and walking to their desk--it was a great way to not spend the whole day sitting, and then you got some face-to-face interaction, which I certainly don't get now working for myself and form home. 

When it comes to work now, I really only correspond with people through email, which is pretty nice, but there are times when I wish I could pick up the phone. It is super rare for me to ever hear a reader's voice, which is kind of strange if you think about it. Of course, I'll be in conference calls about collaborations and other sponsorships from time to time, but the truth is that even at its most professional, being a blogger means that a lot of the time you're talking to strangers--so I'm probably never going to have my cell phone number listed in my email signature. 

One of my favorite podcasts is Awesome Etiquette and they recently got a voicemail, which they were so excited about because listeners could call in and leave them messages. I've been thinking about that so much! I love hearing from all of you via email and sometimes I think it would be so awesome to hear some of your voices. It's so funny--we'll give out our email addresses but our phone numbers feel off limits, don't they?

Enter Sudo: a really cool mobile app that allows you to put a layer between yourself and the online world. It automatically generates safe, secure, and private personas, complete with email addresses, phone numbers, password managers, and a secure browser that doesn't track your online behaviors. Now you (and I!) can be empowered to take the web head-on.

I created an account and got to choose a phone number (with a North Carolina area code! I've never had one of those) that allows me to both make and receive calls without having to use my cell phone. I also have my own email address and can send texts as well. They're working to add functionality for single-use credit cards, which I think would be amazing because my credit card number has been stolen more times than I can count, and it's always such a hassle.

All in all, Sudo is a seriously innovative app that allows you to take control of your online identity. What do you think? Would you use Sudo? What would you do with it?

Sudo in 60 seconds! from Sudo App on Vimeo.

This post is brought to you in partnership with Sudo. As always, I can't thank you enough for your support as I continue to work with sponsors.

If you haven't caught on by now, my absolute favorite way to entertain is with small plates. It gives everyone a little bit of everything and makes it really easy to make sure you're providing for allergies/dietary restrictions, which is something that means a lot to me. Plus, it's delicious, and that's really reason enough.

Here's how I do it:

1. Start with olives, bread, cheese, and some other charcuterie stuff. I love salami and prosciutto but this time I went with chorizo and some Iberico ham.
2. Get fancy with it. Regular almonds would be just fine, but I seasoned some and roasted them instead, which made for a more thoughtful touch. Plus, who doesn't want a spicy roasted almond?
3. Pick a few "main" dishes--these are bigger than the snacks. I went with mussels and goat cheese dip with artichokes, which I served with crusty bread and tortilla chips.
4. Pour the wine! It's not a tapas dinner party without some delicious wine. I served La Crema's Willamette and Sonoma Coast Pinot Noirs as well as a few chilly glasses of their Monterey Pinot Gris. Mmm.

Head to the La Crema blog now and get all of my tapas dinner party recipes! And if you make the goat cheese artichoke dip, invite me over so I can eat it.

Photos by Rémy Thurston for Freckled Italian.

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