To my surprise and delight, my family's plans changed mid day on the 4th, and they were able to spend the evening at my house. The only problem...my house was a complete construction zone. With only 5 hours until everyone arrived, we had to jump into action...no time to think. To avoid the shabby state of our home (drywall debris and exposed wiring), we quickly set up our summer living room rug and dining room table on our back patio. I created a centerpiece using flowers from our garden, paired with a few items from my "chachkie" collection. The table was set using my heirloom blue English china and stemware that we'd received as wedding gifts.
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Yes, I know that the 4th is all about the red, white and blue, but this was last minute...we had to improvise. I have a lot of pink in my life, so we had a pink white and blue 4th : )
My Quickie 4th of July Dinner Party Menu
~Appetizer~
Chips with a chili cream cheese dip. It wasn't chic in any way, but it's "comfort food" quality sure made everyone happy from the very beginning of the evening.
~Salad~
Field green and herb mixture topped with blackberries, caramelized onions and goat cheese (dressed with my homemade Dijon shallot vinaigrette).
~Main~
Simple spicy burgers (2lbs lean grass fed ground beef, 1 can organic tomato paste, 1 medium white onion minced, 2 teaspoons of fresh ground pepper, salt and red chili flakes to taste).
~Dessert~
Angel food cake topped with fresh halved strawberries, fresh chunks of pineapple and my dad's honey strawberry puree.
No one in my family drinks, so no wine or specialty cocktails to mention. For those who do, a nice glass of chilled prosecco would have worked perfectly.
The meal was simple, the company was great and the firework show that we watched from my rose garden at the end of the night was spectacular.How was your 4th of July?
Beautiful table settings! We love Princeton! Sasha would love to run through the fields with him!
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