Last weekend I had some of my DC girlfriends over to drink wine, hang out, and eat some yummy food! I've known all of these girls since college so whenever we get together it's a hoot - I never stop laughing!! Babe Rose sent me a bunch of their canned wine (so convenient and no worry about breaking glass!!) along with some amazing pink sweatshirts, shirts, hats, coozies, plates, cups, etc. so it was a no brainer that a party needed to happen! I'll take any excuse to host my friends and have them come over to finish off a great weekend! It was so hilarious to dress up in our swag and style all the pink. I think one of my favorite parts is seeing how differently each girl styled their clothes... Kaitlyn is super cool in her backwards hat and patchwork jeans and Alison looks like a celebrity with her felt hat and moto leggings!
We hung out on my roof, told stories from the weekend, and just goofed off!! Once it started getting dark (and too cold) we brought all the food inside and polished everything off ;) don't let these photos fool you... we love our cheese boards! It was so easy to pick everything up because the wine was in cans and we could just tuck the 4-pack under our arms.
So what was on the menu with our tasty canned wine? Mini caprese bites, pigs in a blanket, gluten free chips and salsa + guacamole, fig and olive crisps, gluten free pretzels, and a cheese board to make any babe drool! The best part is assembling everything, baking the pigs in a blanket, and plating it all took around 30 minutes tops. I'm all about convenience here!! I bought all my groceries the day before and made sure I had a mix of finger foods for everyone. I also made a point to purchase vegetarian and gluten free options for my friends with allergies too!
The key to a good cheese board is layering your foods - start with placing the cheeses (I like to mix hard and soft cheese plus one sweet and one peppery), then add in fruit like grapes, lay out charcuterie, disperse nuts, and add any toppings like honey, pepper jelly, or jam in the holes next to the cheese it compliments!
This is probably more photos than I should have posted but I laugh every time I see them!! Having so many of my close friends live nearby is the best thing ever :) There's nothing better than making memories (how cheesy does that sound hehe) so it's special to have photographs of us just being ourselves!
Love Always,
Any guesses as to what my favorite cocktail is? I know I've never mentioned it before… never instagrammed a picture before… never snapchatted about it before ;) When you find something that just hits the spot - you don't stray from it. I know the Moscow Mule has become incredibly trendy recently. Maybe it's because you serve it in adorable copper mugs? I'm a fan because I love anything with mint and citrus in it. The ginger beer gives it the perfect kick and the vodka makes it a little bit stronger. So, since I haven't done a recipe in forever (literally months) I figured I would help y'all get your weekend kick started by providing you responsible adults with the easiest cocktail recipe ever (it's fool proof - you could change these proportions and it'll still be great)!
Now on to this week's #recipeswithmyiphone blog post:
MOSCOW MULE:
Ginger Beer (I prefer Crabbie's)
Vodka (Tito's is gluten free)
Fresh Mint
Crushed Ice
Lime Wedges (I had juice already made)
Simple Syrup (optional)
Moscow Mule Mug
RECIPE:
1. Gather all your ingredients and fill your cup about half way with crushed ice (bonus points if you keep your mugs in the freezer already).
2. Fill the mug 3/4 of the way with ginger beer.
3. Add in two shots of vodka (you can obviously add more or less if you prefer - I like the spiciness of the ginger beer).
4. Chop up the fresh mint and add that to your mug.
5. Squeeze a fresh lime wedge or add in lime juice (fresh is better - I had some from margaritas the weekend before)
6. Add a tablespoon of simple syrup - depending on how sweet you like your moscow mule. [simple syrup is one part boiling water to one part sugar]
7. Mix it all together! I like to put a sprig of mint in the mug to use as a cute stirrer :)
8. ENJOY on a hot summer day! [or lay in your bed and watch snap chats like I prefer to do at night…]
Do you have a favorite cocktail? I love trying new drinks that I can make at home! Please share if you do :) I hope everyone has a fun weekend ahead of them. I'm off to Roanoke for the weekend to see the boy and go to our last wedding of 2015 (we already have 3 on the books for next year)! Phew - we've been to a ton. I'm ready for all of the traveling to slow down a bit so I can enjoy some lazy weekends at home!
Love Always,
