Summertime Grilling With Martha Stewart

I’ve spent the past month working in our backyard and garden at our home in Washington and now that I’ve finished planting all the flowers, I thought it would be the perfect time to have an outdoor summer BBQ and enjoy this beautiful space surrounded by gorgeous evergreen trees, and Martha Stewart’s Grilling collection is the perfect addition.

Disclaimer: This post does include affiliate links for your convenience. This is at NO additional cost to you but earns me a small commission. To read more, check out our disclosure policy.

(Sources are linked at the bottom of the post)

I like to serve buffet style when I’m hosting a dinner and I convinced my husband to help me haul this antique table that I recently purchased outside. With it being close to the Fourth of July, I decided to do a patriotic theme using items from the Martha Stewart Grilling Collection from Macy’s to create this look. I absolutely loved setting it all up and kicking off the start of summer with a family dinner in our backyard.

 There are so many items in this collection that make summertime grilling and backyard BBQs easy to pull off. One of my favorite items I used were the red cocottes. As soon as I saw them, I knew they would be perfect to make Martha Stewart’s Sour Cherry Pistachio Crisp Recipe in. Not only are they decorative, but they are perfect for individual desserts.

I also grilled some veggies on this enameled cast iron grill pan and the stainless steel skewers worked perfectly for my chicken and steak skewers.

Planning the Menu

When planning a BBQ outdoor dinner, I like to use the grill and plan my menu around that. I kept this dinner quite simple and had lots of veggies, fruit, chicken, steak, and two desserts.

I wanted to do something different than burgers and hotdogs so I chose to make chicken and steak skewers with vegetables. I seasoned them with salt, pepper, and garlic seasoning salt and they came out perfect!

I grilled the skewers on the BBQ grill and the veggies on this cask iron enameled grill pan on my stove. I  brushed the veggies with olive oil and then seasoned them with salt, pepper, garlic salt, and Johnny’s seasoning salt. (do this on both sides)

The cast iron grill pan stays hot for a while which helps the food to stay warm. I put a dish towel underneath it to keep it from damaging my antique table.

I made a fruit salad with rainier cherries, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries and served it in a clear glass bowl. I garnished it with mint leaves that I picked from my garden.

It’s cherry season in Washington right now so I chose to make a sour cherry pistachio crisp in the individual coquettes. I also made a chocolate cake since not everyone in my family likes cherries.

Table Decor

I always like to dress my buffet or serving tables up and I kept this one quite simple. I picked flowers from my yard and garden and arranged them in a vase and then I used them in the center of the table as a focal point.

I used a large dish towel as a small table runner in the middle of the table too.

I also set out the plates, drinking glasses, flatware, and napkins on the serving table.

I used the flower pots and containers in my backyard to dress up the bottom of the table and the area surrounding the table.

I love this outdoor space in our backyard and it’s so much fun to set a pretty table to serve dinner on. I had a second table set up nearby that we ate on and I added some flowers in a vase to the end of the table.

We had perfect weather for our outdoor summer BBQ and I’m looking forward to doing it again soon!

Lilo, our eighteen-year-old kitty likes to hang out in the backyard with us.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope this post inspires you to host a little backyard barbecue as we head into summer. I would love it if you subscribed to my blog and followed along with me on Instagram and Pinterest. Wishing you all a great summer!

xoxo,

Sources are linked below:

* Similar sources linked for unavailable items.

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Outdoor Spring Table Decor

I am so excited to be joining some of my talented friends to share some Outdoor Spring Table Decor ideas and inspiration. Spring is in full swing and I’m looking forward to warmer days and dining outdoors. Scroll down to the bottom for the other inspiring posts!

Disclaimer: This post does include affiliate links for your convenience. This is at NO additional cost to you but earns me a small commission. To read more, check out our disclosure policy.

Dining Outdoors in the Pacific Northwest

One of my favorite places to set a table outdoors is in my backyard at my home in Washington. Our patio area is surrounded by evergreen trees and it’s always so beautiful, especially in the spring and summer.

The Place-Setting

I’m so in love with these beautiful Giulietta Blue Dishes from Arte Italica and the table runner and napkins from Crown Linen Designs. The napkins were specially designed to go with this dinnerware. (Sources are linked in the highlighted text and at the bottom of the post)

Giulietta Salad Plates

You can see the detail on these beautiful linen napkins.

Crown Linen Designs napkins are linked here:

I mixed and matched the Arte Italica dinnerware and I love how it’s versatile it is.

The Centerpiece

I cut blue and white hydrangeas and other greenery from my yard and picked up some other flowers at the local market. The blue hydrangeas in my yard were in full bloom and matched the dinnerware perfectly.

I added some poppy seed pods and greenery to the hydrangeas and arranged them in a matching blue and white  Giulietta pitcher to create this centerpiece. I layered a linen table runner underneath it and then tucked some more hydrangeas around the base of the pitcher.

I had extra flowers and another beautiful pewter pitcher from Arte Italica so I made another flower arrangement. You can never have enough flowers!

More Details……

I then added some candles and placed them around the table. I love the romantic ambiance that candles add to an outdoor table.

I also added some of the blue Giulietta doves to the middle of the table. These are so beautiful and I placed them on either side of the flowers.

I added mini salt and pepper shakers to each place setting.

Add Dessert to the Table

Another thing that I like to do is add the dessert to the table. You can add the rest of the food if you like to serve it that way or you can always do buffet style too. Adding dessert to the table is decorative and adds extra beauty to the table. I bought this lemon blueberry cheesecake and set it on a little pedestal cake stand and it was delicious!

Don’t be afraid to mix and match dinnerware and wine glasses. I didn’t have enough of each item to create six identical place-settings so I mixed and matched what I had to create this tablescape.

Another view of the full tablescape.

Are you wondering what I served for dinner? I made my Roasted Beef Tenderloin, Scalloped Potatoes with Fontina Cheese, Rustic Bread, and a yummy salad.

I am looking forward to many dinners outside this spring and summer! I hope you found this tablescape inspirational and full of ideas on how to style an outdoor spring tablescape. Thanks so much for stopping by! Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a post! Sources for the items I can link are at the bottom of the post!

xoxo,

Check out the posts below from my talented friends! They’ve all shared their Outdoor Table Decor Ideas that are perfect for Spring and Mother’s Day!

Ella Claire & Co. | Handmade Farmhouse | Azure Farm | French Country Cottage

Shabbyfufu | Maison de Cinq | Home with Holly J | Designthusiasm

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Dove Birds linked here and here:

The outdoor table was hand made by a local guy in my town. He made two of them for me for my sons wedding a few years back. Sorry I don’t have a way to link it!

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Pink Peony Summertime Tablescape

Who doesn’t love farm fresh pink peonies? I was inspired to create this pink peony summertime tablescape after visiting my friend Amy Brown’s flower farm. She and her husband Steve, own Laughing Goat Flower Farm located in the beautiful town of Enumclaw, Washington. Enumclaw is a farming town located southeast of Seattle and sits just below the foothills of the Cascade Mountains and majestic Mount Rainier.

A Match Made In Heaven

Amy and I met last summer at a floral arranging workshop and it was a match made in heaven. We became fast friends and realized we lived near one another. We bonded over our love of flowers and gardening. I love going to visit Amy and Steve at their farm and seeing all the beautiful flowers, vegetables, and of course, the adorable goats, pigs, and the farm dog Sheila.

Laughing Goat also grows beyond organic vegetables and both Amy and I love growing and eating our own food. Amy is much better at gardening than I am and I thoroughly enjoy learning from her. She’s very knowledgeable and generously shares it with me. The farm is beyond organic and practice’s sustainable based growing practices.

Sourcing Locally

As I’ve learned more about the farming industry I’ve become more aware of how important it is to source flowers and produce locally. Amy practices beyond organic, pesticide free growing methods and is very conscious of the environment. I believe it’s important to support your local farmers when you can, especially those that are considerate of the environment. The flowers last so much longer because they are local and most of the time I can buy them the same day they are cut.

Amy’s farm has the most beautiful flowers and I’m so lucky to have Laughing Goat so close to me. It’s always a fun day when I can drive out to the farm, visit Amy and come home with gorgeous flowers and produce I know has been grown without the use of sprays and pesticides.

Pink Peony Summertime Tablescape Details

Mixing The Old With The New

I wanted to create a tablescape using my vintage dessert rose salad plates that I bought at a local antique store. Amy and ventured out one day to see what pretty dishes we could find and I was quite happy to have found these gems!

I paired them with dark green chargers that I found years ago at Homegoods and pink dinner plates that I found recently Walmart. They were $1.88 each if I remember correctly! I chose a solid green napkin and layered it under the salad plate to give some contrast. Mixing vintage dishes with newer dishes is something I really like to do. It adds charm and character to the place-setting. I picked a hyacinth placemat to add texture and warm tones to the color palette and silver flatware. The goblets are crystal and have a vintage look.

The Centerpiece

For the centerpiece, I arranged the pink peonies in a pink vase. The flowers were so beautiful on their own. I wanted the focus to be the flowers. Amy also had scoop scabiosa flowers so she cut a few of those for me too. I put them in two smaller vases on each side to fill up the empty space on the table.

Keep It Simple

Sometimes less is more. Let the dishes and the flowers do the work! I typically do a lot more to fill in the empty space on the table but this time I just wanted the flowers to be the center of attention.

I hope you all enjoyed this pretty pink peony summertime tablescape. I truly love creating a beautiful table and sharing a home cooked meal with friend and family that I love.

Some of my talented friends have also shared Summertime Tablescape Ideas and Inspiration!

Click on the links below to see each post.

 

Maune Legacy | Sanctuary Home Decor | Home With Holly J

Southern Hospitality Blog | Happy Happy Nester | To Have To Host

Modern Glam Home | Summer Adams Designs | Home With Holliday

 

XOXO,

HollyJ

Click here for more information on Laughing Goat Flower Farm.

Check out this Outdoor Entertaining Farm To Table post with more flowers from Laughing Goat Flower Farm.

Sources and similar items:

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Create a Simple Lavender Inspired Centerpiece

I love entertaining and there is nothing better than a warm summer night in the Pacific Northwest and having my girlfriends over for an outdoor dinner party. I created this simple lavender inspired centerpiece for a dinner party I hosted in my backyard a few weeks back.

For this dinner party, we were celebrating my sweet friend Gina’s birthday. I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare so I kept this one simple and sweet. One way to keep it simple is to create a centerpiece out of potted plants that you can purchase at a grocery store.

Choose a Theme or Color Palette

I always choose a theme or pick a color palette based on something I see that inspires me. When I was planning this party, I had gone to Trader Joe’s to see what flowers they had and to shop for ingredients for the food I was planning to make. As soon as I saw these potted lavender plants and the smaller flowering plants in purple and lavender containers, I knew what my theme was going to be. Fresh, locally sourced lavender plants along with some smaller purple and white flowering plants in varying shades were the perfect pairing.

Faux lavender stem options: 14″ Lavender Garden Bush // 15.5″ Lavender Bundle // 18″ Lavender Bush //

I like to choose my color and then I vary the shades of that color, usually using 3 different shades. This also adds depth and character to any tablescape. Here I chose the color lavender for the centerpiece inspiration and then I’ve varied the shades of lavender and purple throughout.

Create Different Heights and Layers

When creating a centerpiece, you want something that is lower to the table so you can see your guests and converse during dinner. I chose two of the taller lavender plants to create some height and then I used the smaller containers of flowers to fill in-between the larger containers.

To add layers into the centerpiece, I added in some rustic candlesticks and some votive candles that were wrapped in burlap. This adds texture and variety to the centerpiece as well as fills in some of the gaps and holes. I also used a long, sheer, ivory colored table runner and I layered everything on top of.

Using a table runner is not required but it adds another layer of color and texture and helps fill up the middle of the table. I always use a corresponding color in the palette I’ve chosen for the table runner. The dinnerware has some cream or ivory shades and it ties in with the dinnerware.

The Place-settings – Lavender and Green

For the place-settings, I chose wicker placemats and wooden napkin rings that matched well with the brownish colors in the dinnerware. I used silver flatware and a solid green napkin that matched the salad plate. I like to stack different plates in different shades and match the napkin to the stack of dishes.

You can see in the dish stack that I also varied the shades of green I used. I did this in the centerpiece and in the dishes and tied them all together with some warmer rustic elements.

I picked the wine I was serving based on the color of the wine bottles. The wine bottles had purple labels so of course, those were the picks for the dinner party! I may be the only person that picks wine based on what the label looks like! My friends all liked the wine so I think it worked out!

I hope this simple lavender inspired centerpiece inspires you to host your own dinner party with your besties! One of the reasons I enjoy hosting these dinner parties is that it creates connections and memories. Life is too short to not connect with the people you care about and I enjoy taking the time to create something warm and inviting for my friends who lift and inspire me each day.

You don’t have to be a professional floral arranger or have any experience with flowers. This is something everyone can do. Just pick a theme or color palette and make a simple centerpiece out of store bought flower pots and be creative! Most importantly, take time to gather and cherish the moments with good friends and good food!

P.S. At the end of the evening, I sent each of the girls home with one of the smaller potted plants as as a little token of my appreciation for their friendship. Your centerpiece can also become a little gift!

I have teamed up with a few of my friends to give you even more summer centerpiece ideas! Click on the links below for more inspiration. I have some seriously talented friends! Go check them out!

More Summer Centerpiece Ideas

Rustic Summer Centerpiece with Dahlias at Modern Glam

Outdoor Summer Centerpiece at My 100 Year Old Home

5 Minute Summer Centerpiece at Happy Happy Nester

Summer Table Decorations at Lolly Jane

French Country Centerpiece at Sanctuary Home Decor

Easy Summer Centerpiece at The Handmade Home

Edible Summer Tablescape at Twelve on Main

Lavender Inspired Centerpiece at Home with Holly J

Simple Summer Centerpieces at The Happy Housie

Enjoy!

XOXO,

For more outdoor tablescape inspiration check out my Outdoor Farm to Table Entertaining post.

Sources: I’ve linked exact items where possible and other items that are similar to help you recreate this look.

Faux lavender stem options: 14″ Lavender Garden Bush // 15.5″ Lavender Bundle // 18″ Lavender Bush //

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Disclaimer: This post does include affiliate links for your convenience. This is at NO additional cost to you but earns me a small commission. To read more, check out our disclosure policy.

Hosting at Home for the Holidays #8 – Patriotic Tablescapes

It’s been a while since my friends Lory, To Have + To Host, and Holliday, Home With Holliday, and I have done a blog hop with our entertaining ideas and tablescapes. We met for the first time in Lory’s hometown of Phoneix, Arizona, last month and we had a wonderful time meeting in person and talking about our love of entertaining and hosting at home.

Together we created this stunning Anthropologie Inspired Outdoor Tablescape in Lory’s beautiful backyard. Lory then hosted us for a delicious dinner in her home with her lovely family.

We are so excited to share with you our eighth post in our blog hop series Holiday Hosting at Home!  Today we are sharing some inspirations for any patriotic parties you may be planning…specifically, July 4th, which is right around the corner.

To Have + To Host

Lory created this red, white, and blue chic tablescape and I love how subtle and versatile this is. It’s done in traditional patriotic colors but it’s less bold and muted colors makes it perfect for any patriotic celebration or a fun summer dinner party. Lory says in her post “Just because you want to celebrate the most patriotic day of the year doesn’t mean you have to decorate with stars and flags everywhere . . . and that’s what I’ve done with this 4th of July tablescape. More versatile than just a one-day event, this table uses red, white, and blue, but in a chic and subtle way, that can be used all summer long.” I love this idea and how simple yet subtle it is. Click here to see details from Lory’s Post.

Home With Holliday

Holliday created this adorable outdoor tablescape for Memorial Day. I love the denim tablecloth with it’s lighter shade of blue that doesn’t overpower the more traditional patriotic colors. The mix of the red and blue rimmed stemware and the white and blue plates is perfect! The red napkin is my favorite addition with that bright pop of color. The red geranium is a nice way to add a centerpiece and I’m guessing Holliday will be able to use this in her yard once she’s put the table decor away. The addition of the flags makes this perfect for Memorial Day, Flag Day, and Independence Day. I love a versatile tablescape that can be used over and over! Click here for all the details from the darling outdoor tablescape!

Home With HollyJ

I created this tablescape last year and we used it for all 3 patriotic holidays. I went back and updated the post because it was one of the first posts I published when I launched my blog and I made a few changes now that I’ve learned a thing or two.

I also share a little bit of my heart in this post towards the end as I have two sons who have joined the military since the writing of this original post. I also shared how I created this fun table and how simple it was to so with the help of my family members who were all here visiting. The addition of the flags is my favorite part!

You can read more about it here.  

I hope you enjoy this Holliday Hosting at Home Blog hop! Be sure to go to Lory and Holliday’s blogs and Instagram feeds and follow along. They are both some of the loveliest, most gracious, and talented women out there! I’m blessed to have them as friends and I’m am so blessed by the service of those in our our Armed Forces who sacrifice so much for my freedom. I have deep gratitude for you all. God Bless America!

XOXO,

Holliday “Holly” at Home with Holliday

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Holly at Home with Holly J

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Lory at To Have + To Host

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It’s hard to believe that Christmas is almost here! My talented friends and I have been busy decking out our homes for the holidays, sharing recipes, and creating beautiful tablescapes to host our friends and family. We all love entertaining and hosting parties so we’ve put together another blog post for our “Holiday Hosting at Home” series. Today we are sharing what we’ve been doing over the past few weeks including some creative ideas for Christmas decor and tables. I also share a lasagna recipe that is a family favorite and great any time of the year. 

Here is what my friends have been sharing of their Christmas Table Settings and Christmas home decor for entertaining in your home for the season.  If you would like to pin any of these images, please go to the original post linked below each image. You’ll want to see their entire posts anyway because there is so much inspiration in each of these posts. I’m so inspired by their beautiful creations. We all love to create beautiful table settings and these different tablescapes we’ve created will hopefully inspire you to create your own festive holiday table!

Home with Holliday

Holliday created this beautiful Winter White Snowflake Christmas Table Setting for her neighborhood progressive dinner. She created a beautiful centerpiece out of fresh greens and added in hurricanes, silver sprays, winter white ornaments, and glittered white trees. Click here to see all the details. There’s so much more to see in her post.  I really love this table Holliday created and I think you’ll love it too!

Next, Holliday created this second tablescape for another holiday party she was hosting and continued with the same snowflake-theme but mixed it up to coordinate with the mixed metallic color palette. This table setting is just as beautiful as the first one and I really like how she adds gold into the mix. Click here to see how Holliday created this festive holiday table. It’s truly stunning!

To Have to Host

Lory created two different holiday tables. The first was for her husbands office party. She shares how there is something appealing about the way people in Scandinavia decorate for the holidays. Her Nordic Christmas Table is elegantly minimalist, yet still festive. I am part Danish and Swedish so this table really speaks to me. She used fresh greenery, twigs, branches, and antler candlesticks for the centerpiece. She finishes it off with some silver mercury glass votive candles. This modern Scandinavian tablescape creates a nordic Christmas to remember. Click here for all the details.

Next, Lory shares her White Winter Wonderland Bruch table that she created for a family gathering. She kept the decor neutral with lots of white and green making this a great tablescape of all season long. I am a big fan of creating something that can be used for an entire season. Lory is fortunate to live in Arizona where she can entertain outdoors all winter long. I love how she uses fresh greens, giant sugar pinecones, and white dinnerware. It’s perfect mix of colors and textures. Click here to see the details of how Lory created this beautiful, elegant table.

Home with Holly J

This past week I shared my Christmas Home Tour and how I decked out my Highland, Utah home for the holidays. I hosted a few parties including a progressive dinner and my first annual cookie exchange. See the details of both my indoor and outdoor decorations and my winter tablescape.  My favorite addition this year was the outdoor obelisks that I placed inside my flower pots and filled them with pines cones and fresh greenery and attached a fresh wreath and ribbon to the top. Click here for all the details!

Next I shared one of my families favorite recipes. My homemade Lasagna made with an authentic italian bolognese sauce. This recipe is great anytime of year! Click here for this amazing recipe that will please any crowd. This recipe is great for entertaining a large group because it makes a large amount. Add in my simple tomato and cucumber salad and some french bread and you’ll have an easy meal for any gathering. Click here for the recipe and details.  (Tomato and Cucumber Salad recipe)

Thank you so much for stopping by our sixth blog hop; Holiday Hosting at Home with creative ideas for your Christmas tables, recipes, decor and so much more!  

It’s been a joy to share our entertaining and hosting ideas with you all this holiday season. Thank you for following along and giving us a place to share our passion of hosting and entertaining at home. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.  P.S. Have a Holly Jolley Christmas!

XOXO

Holliday “Holly” at Home with Holliday

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Holly at Home with Holly J

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Lory at To Have + To Host

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Creative ideas for Christmas decor

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Sage Green and White Fall Transitional Tablescape

As we start heading towards fall, I thought it would be nice to create a neutral tablescape that still works for summer but also works as a fall transitional tablescape.   I had invited three different families over for “Lasagna Night” and wanted to try out a new recipe I had for peaches since they were in season.  I planned on having about twenty guests.  I decided to use the outdoor table for the kids’ table, and the indoor table for the adults.  I also utilized the bar for four more place settings for some of the bigger kids.  (Holly’s Homemade Lasagna Recipe) (Fresh Peach Dessert)

I pulled out my sage green dishes, white dishes, all my tan and white napkins, and wicker napkin rings. I also pulled out some woven placemats that mixed nicely with both sets of dishes and linens.  I played around with the different plates and linens to see what looked nice together. I knew I didn’t have enough of each of the dinner and salad plates to do twenty place-settings so I decided to use the white dinner plates and sage green salad plates for the inside table with the white and tan checked gingham napkins and reverse it for the outside table.

The Place-Settings

 Mixing up the two sets of dishes allowed me to use the same dishes and colors and still be able to create enough place settings for a large crowd.  When I entertain adults and kids, I tend to take a more casual approach and this idea helped keep things simple for me.  

This is the outdoor version above.

This is the indoor version.

On the outdoor table I reversed the plates using the sage green dinner plate on the bottom and the white salad plate on the top, a white antiqued charger and a white washed wicker place mat.  I used solid tan linen napkins with a lace edge to bring in some some softer elements. The napkin rings were were white antiqued wicker.

Both tables I used simple stemware and silver flatware. 

Details of the Indoor Table

For the indoor table, I used a tan linen table runner to build the table swag on.  I always start with a base faux garland and build on top of that. I then added in faux greenery that had similar leaves and color and some small white flowers.  Then I added in some lighter green leafed picks to add height and width to the swag. The last thing I added was a mix of white stem flowers.

I used a variety of faux peonies, roses, and other white floral flowers.  I added silver candlesticks at varying heights, and nestled some small silver mercury glass votive candle holders into the swag. I also used my antique salt and pepper shakers that were from each of my husbands grandmas. They both had the exact same salt and pepper shakers and somehow I was lucky enough to get them both!

https://evolutionhomedecor.com/products/31-peony-spray-white?_pos=22&_sid=f082a33da&_ss=r

https://evolutionhomedecor.com/products/43-inch-white-hollyhock-stem?_pos=84&_sid=f082a33da&_ss=r&variant=48241459036449

https://evolutionhomedecor.com/products/copy-of-12-hand-dipped-taper-candles-blush-1?_pos=2&_sid=264f13809&_ss=r

I like to use corresponding pillows in my end chairs. 

The indoor table is from Restoration Hardware and I’ve linked some similar ones  a handful of of other items I used at the bottom of the post.  I buy my faux flowers from wherever I can find them.  Hobby Lobby, Michaels, HomeGoods, Pier 1, Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, and a local store in Utah called GatehouseNo1.  I keep a stash of flowers in a closet and I reuse them over and over again to make my tablescapes and arrangements.  

Details of the Outdoor Table

For the outdoor table centerpiece, I used two premade boxes of white and green flowers that I found at HomeGoods.  I kept this tablescape more simple for the kids.

Creating a tablescape is a fun way to create a welcoming and warm feeling in your home. I enjoy the process of creating something that is beautiful. The best part is when I can use things I already have.  Look around your home and see what pretty things you have that can be used to create a beautiful tablescape. Sometimes mine are more elaborate and sometimes they are more simple. I love being able to use fresh flowers, but I also like being able to mix it up with faux flowers and greenery! I hope this helps inspire you to create something that fits with your style and taste. 

Here’s a few more photos of both tables.

[holly_healthful_tips]  

Holly’s Helpful Tips

I reuse the same flowers, greenery and flowers for my tablescapes.  I keep floral containers in a closet and store all of them in like colors.  When I want to do a tablescape or create a faux arrangement, I pull from the things I already have. It’s an investment up front for nice faux flowers but if you take care of them and store them in floral containers, they can be used time and time again.

Mix up your dishes or mix and match different sized plates if you have more people than you have one full set of dishes.

[/holly_healthful_tips]

I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing both the indoor and outdoor versions of  this Sage Green and White Fall Transitional Tablescape.

Sources linked here:

*if items are out of stock, similar options linked to recreate the look.

https://evolutionhomedecor.com/products/31-peony-spray-white?_pos=22&_sid=f082a33da&_ss=r

https://evolutionhomedecor.com/products/43-inch-white-hollyhock-stem?_pos=84&_sid=f082a33da&_ss=r&variant=48241459036449

Similar Stoneware Plate w/ Scalloped Edge

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FALL TRANSITIONAL TABLESCAPE

The post Sage Green and White Fall Transitional Tablescape appeared first on Home With Holly J.

Disclaimer: This post does include affiliate links for your convenience. This is at NO additional cost to you but earns me a small commission. To read more, check out our disclosure policy.

Fresh Peach Dessert Recipe

Whether I am in Utah or Washington, at the end of the summer it is peach season!  Both states have a lot of peach trees! I love peaches and the yummy desserts you can make with them. Peaches remind me of summertime and this fresh peach dessert recipe makes me wish it was summertime all year long!

A few weeks back I was at a family gathering at my brother’s home in Cache Valley in Northern Utah. They had invited some friends and family over to celebrate my nephew’s return from a two-year mission for our church.  

After the church service, we went back to their home, and my brother and his wife hosted a luncheon. We were all so hungry after a long morning driving up there and attending church, so when I saw this amazing peach dessert, I knew I was going to have to try it! Everyone there was salivating over it. I shouldn’t admit it, but I dished that up first and ate that before I had anything else! Who needs to eat a sandwich first when there’s a yummy fruit-filled dessert on the table? It was so good! Fresh peaches and whipped cream, how can you go wrong?!

I tracked down the lady that made it, and she graciously shared her recipe with me. I made some tweaks to her recipe that included the addition of almond extract (at my husband’s request, he LOVES almond extract) and using real whipped cream instead of Cool Whip and this is the result.  Either way, it’s amazing and so good!

Ingredients

• Graham Crackers – used for the crust
• Butter
• Sugar
• Cream Cheese
• Milk
• Almond Extract
• Peaches – Use fresh peaches! I love to wait until they are in season and are generally cheaper.
• Lemon Juice
• Whipping Cream
• Powdered Sugar

Directions

Crush the Graham Crackers and add in the butter and sugar to create the crust. Set aside about ¼ of a cup to use to sprinkle on top of the whipped cream at the end. (Optional: 2 tsp almond extract)

Press into the bottom of a 9 x 13 dish. Bake for 10 minutes on 350 degrees then let cool for 15-20 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

In a mixing bowl or stand mixer, combine the cream cheese, milk, almond extract and sugar until blended well.

Peel and slice the peaches and drizzle with lemon juice to prevent the peaches from browning

Put the cream cheese mixture on top of the graham cracker crust and then top with the freshly peeled peaches.

In a separate mixing bowl or stand mixer, whip the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and almond extract. 

Cover the top of the peaches with whipping cream. Garnish with leftover graham cracker crumbs and a few berries or peaches.  

Chill until ready to serve.

Print

Fresh Peach Dessert

Course Dessert

Keyword dessert, peach, whipped cream

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Ingredients

• 3 cups graham crackers crushed
• 4 TBSP butter melted
• 4 TBSP sugar
• 16 oz cream cheese
• 5 TBSP milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 tsp almond extract
• 8 fresh peaches peeled and sliced
• 2 TBSP lemon juice
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

• Crush 3 cups graham crackers and add in 4 TBSP butter melted, and 4 TBSP sugar. Set aside about ¼ of a cup to use to sprinkle on top of the whipped cream at the end. (Optional: 2 tsp almond extract)
• Mix and press into bottom of 9 x 13 dish. 
• Bake for 10 minutes on 350 degrees then let cool for 15-20 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
• In a mixing bowl or stand mixer, combine 16 oz cream cheese (2 packages), softened, 5 TBSP milk, 2 teaspoons of almond extract, and 1/2 cup sugar. Beat until all the ingredients are blended well.
• Peel and slice the 8 fresh peaches, drizzle with 2 TBSP lemon juice, and toss gently to coat all the peaches. This keeps the peaches from turning brown.
• Put the cream cheese mixture on top of the graham cracker crust and then top with the freshly peeled peaches.
• In a separate mixing bowl or stand mixer, whip 2 cups heavy whipping cream and add 1/2 cup powdered sugar and the remaining 2 teaspoons of almond extract.
• Cover the top of the peaches with whipping cream. Garnish with leftover graham cracker crumbs and a few berries or peaches.  
• Chill until ready to serve.

[holly_healthful_tips]  

Holly’s Helpful tips:

*Blanch the peaches first.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil and drop peaches in for 2 minutes.  Take them out and immediately immerse them into ice water to stop the cooking process.  This makes it so the skin peels off without destroying the shape of the peach and also allows you to make nice uniform slices.  This is not a requirement but I’ve found that it helps keep the peaches intact and you don’t lose as much of the peach when you peel them as you do when you don’t blanch them first.

*Lemon juice helps prevent the peaches from turning brown.  I drizzle 1-2 TBSP and toss to coat the peaches.

*When I am pressing graham cracker crumbs into the bottom of the pan, I use the bottom of a glass or measuring cup to help flatten out and press the crumbs into the bottom of the dish. 

*I sometimes add 2 tsps of almond extract to the graham cracker crust. If you’re not a huge almond extract fan, you can leave this out.

*I use a wider, taller serving dish that has higher sides on it.  See photos for reference.

*You can use cool whip instead of whipped cream if you prefer.

[/holly_healthful_tips]

We love peaches over here, so this dessert has been a real hit! If you love peach season, run and try this and let me know what you think!

Enjoy!

If you like this recipe, you’ll also like my Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie.

Or my Fresh Fruit Cobbler.

For more on details of this tablescape and recipes, click here to see my Outdoor Farm to Table Collaboration. 

Photography by: Missy Palacol

For info on Laughing Goat Flower Farm 

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The post Fresh Peach Dessert Recipe appeared first on Home With Holly J.

A few months back I had the opportunity to attend a floral arranging workshop at a beautiful rose farm in Washington. It was a wonderful day and I met some very lovely and talented ladies.  After the workshop, we stayed in touch and soon we were talking about doing a collaboration. We brainstormed our ideas and thought it would be so much fun to utilize all our different skills to create a farm to table meal and outdoor tablescape.  We wanted to create the perfect outdoor entertaining environment where friends could gather and enjoy the last bit of summer and transition into fall.  Part of what was so amazing about this collaboration was that one of the ladies owns a farm where she grows fresh flowers and produce.  This was a dream come true!  Creating a beautiful tablescape with locally grown flowers and cooking farm-fresh food from a local farm was something I’ve always dreamed about doing. A gorgeous farm to fable entertainment. I plant a garden each year as well, but my garden has become the local buffet for the deer that have discovered I grow everything they like to eat! They didn’t leave much for us to eat.

I really enjoy cooking and creating a beautiful table.  I was excited to create some recipes after finding out what was available from the farm. I went out to Enumclaw, a town not far from my home in Ravensdale, Washington, and met up with Amy Brown at her beautiful farm. The farm is fittingly called Laughing Goat Flower Farm and rightfully named because she has the cutest goats ever. The views from the farm are incredible and there is a perfect view of Mount Rainier. Amy grows many varieties of flowers for the Seattle flower market and for local floral designers. She is also a great gardener and I loved walking through her garden.  She sells her produce to local restaurants where I’ve had the pleasure of eating.  Amy is so knowledgable about growing flowers and food.  She is planting 1200 peony plants this fall and has begun adding roses and hydrangeas.  I could get lost in her acres of flowers!  Amy and I have become friends since meeting and I have visited her frequently at her farm.  The farm is a work in process and Amy and her husband Steve, are planning to have floral arranging workshops, weddings, and other events at the farm in the near future.  I can’t wait to see the farms progression and gorgeous farm to table entertainment!

Tammy Myers is the owner of First and Bloom, a floral design company in Fall City, Washington.  She is a talented floral designer and finds creative ways to use native plants and greenery in her floral designs. At the workshop, I watched Tammy make her arrangement and she is a true professional.  She used items that could be cut right from her yard along with all the beautiful flowers from the rose farm. Tammy uses locally grown flowers whenever possible as it helps support the local farming communities.  Her floral designs are so unique and beautiful.  When I told what I envisioned for the tablescape and the color palette, she brought it to life in the most beautiful way.  I wanted white flowers mixed with greenery.  It was absolutely perfect. 

Through Tammy, I later met Missy Palacol.  She is a talented photographer in the greater Seattle area. She has worked with other bloggers and is so good at capturing the details of what you’re photographing. I had seen her work on other instagram accounts and was excited to work on this project with her.  I do a lot of the photography myself so it was nice to be able to focus on cooking the food and decorating the table and let Missy do her magic. Her beautiful photos brought to life this amazing collaboration.  

I asked Missy if she had any tips on photographing a party or entertaining event so you can remember what you did. I always take photos so I can remember what I did in case I want to recreate it and it’s also nice to take some photos when your guests arrive.  I’m a big fan of making memories and documenting it.  Here are some tips Missy shared with me.

*Don’t think you have to take just one photo and be done with it.

*Always shoot from multiple angles and play around with the light at each angle. Not only does this allow you to find the perfect shot, but you will get multiple pics of the same subject.

*Get up high

*Get down low

*Straight on

*To the left

*To the right

*Shoot through something so you have a foreground which can really add another level to the depth of field to your image.

For the tablescape, I had this vision of an outdoor french country theme. I had these beautiful blue and white dishes that I hadn’t used before that gave me the inspiration for the color palette.  I didn’t want to do traditional fall colors as the colors hadn’t changed yet in my yard. I also had this beautiful custom farm table that I keep outdoors and some french bistro chairs that completed to french vibe.

We all met at Amy’s flower farm the night before to pick out what we wanted for the flowers and greenery.  Amy and Tammy loved the color palette I had chosen and what I was envisioning.  We then set about to find the perfect flowers to go with the dishes and linens I had selected and then cut the flowers we had selected.  Amy and I then went to her garden and picked the vegetables for the recipes. We picked san marzano tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, shallots, garlic, basil, carrots!  I was in heaven and couldn’t wait to start cooking with these perfect vegetables that were so fresh! We love this gorgeous farm to table entertainment.

The next morning, Amy and Tammy brought all the flowers we cut the night before and brought them to my home. When they arrived, they wandered around my eleven acres of wooded property and found many more items to use in the floral arrangements we planned to make. One plant we are lucky to have in the Pacific Northwest is salal.  It’s a native plant that grows wild. I had a lot of it in my yard so Tammy snipped a bunch of it to make the simple garland. I really enjoyed having Tammy show me how she made the garland. It is so simple and creates a lovely effect on any table. It also holds up well outside of water for awhile.

For the centerpiece, I envisioned a garland running down the middle on top of a blue table runner with a centerpiece in the middle.  I wanted a mix of white flowers and greenery and I wanted to keep it simple and elegant at the same time. Tammy created a centerpiece that had a rustic feel to it and used the beautiful dahlias and other white and cream colored flowers from Amy’s farm.  

We then set the table with the beautiful blue and white dishes, blue napkins, silver flatware, and stemware.  I then added in some rustic candlesticks, votive candleholders, and some velvet pumpkins.

In between all this, I cooked the food with Amy’s help and we had such a great time talking about all the fresh vegetables from her farm. I shared some cooking tips with Missy and Amy while we gathered in the kitchen.  

I chose to make my Homemade Lasagna when I discovered that Amy had san marzano tomatoes in her garden. They are the best tomato for a red pasta sauce.  She had an abundance of small cherry tomatoes which inspired the Simple Tomato and Cucumber Salad.  Yakima peaches were also in season and local so I decided to make my Fresh Peach Dessert.

When it was finally time to sit down and eat and enjoy the beautiful table, we all reflected on how much fun we had getting to know each other through this entire experience.  We all share a love of flowers and farm to table cooking. I truly enjoyed creating this inspirational tablescape and having the abundance of Amy’s fresh produce to make our meal with.

I think it’s safe to say they LOVED the food and I think that it was the best lasagna I’ve ever made.  I credit that to Amy’s San Marzano tomatoes. What a treat to get to cook straight from her garden and to have the beautiful flowers surrounding us.  Tammy made my vision come to life and Missy captured this whole experience perfectly. An amazing and gorgeous farm to table entertainment vision came to life!

I hope you will find inspiration in what we created and that you can see the true joy we had doing this. I seriously adore and admire these darling friends I’ve made.  I truly hope you find as much joy reading this as we did creating it.

Sources linked here:

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GORGEOUS FARM TO TABLE ENTERTAINMENT

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