Tips for An Easy Pre-Trick or Treating Party!

It’s Halloween time! With roots in trickery and getting a good scare, Halloween offers the best opportunities for playful celebration all year long. Not to mention all the fantastic design possibilities that come with the holiday’s color palette and all the to DIE FOR seasonal treats!

Halloween is a great time to throw a party that brings the neighborhood together; all the witches and ghosties are already roving the streets in search of sugary treats. And good news: this year Halloween falls on a Saturday—no school the next morning!

If you have little ones who can barely wait to fill their bags with candy, throw a pre-trick or treating party for your children’s friends and their parents. If you don’t have any goblins at home, plan a party during prime time trick or treating hours. Guests can mingle and enjoy the fashion show as trick or treaters appear at the door.

Of course, nibbles must include Roasted Pumpkin Seeds (recipe below). Mix up a fun, blood red cocktail—Sangria, maybe?—and serve in the elegant and luxurious Soiree Glass Large Coupe. Scatter bowls of your favorite candy around the house, using new Chez Elle bowls, in mint green, pale coral, and ghostly white.

Soiree Glass Large Coupe
(Coaters by Laura Hooper Calligraphy. Photo by Abby Jiu. Styled by Lauryn Prattes.)

Chez Elle Bowls in White

Cook a quick pot of delicious and hearty Lentil Soup (recipe below) and ladle in to our Comfort Food bowls, and accompanied by simple green salad dressed in extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Garnish the salad with persimmon bits, pomegranate seeds, and chopped hazelnuts. Serve the greens on elegant black and gold Soiree Noire appetizer plates, or channel your inner Beetlejuice and serve on boldly black and white Soiree Noire dessert plates.

Comfort Food Bowls

Soiree Noire Dessert Plates

For dessert, bake up a batch of darling Owl Cookies (recipe below).

Rococo Noir Pedestal & Dauphine Candlesticks

Mix and match these recipes and patterns, and we guarantee your guests will have a frightfully good time! Happy Halloween!

Warmly,

R O S A N N A I N C . C O M

Last Minute (No-Carve) Pumpkins!

It’s not too late to carve your pumpkins!

Or, not, if carving’s too time-intensive or messy or dangerous (those knives!).

For all you 11^th hour pumpkin decorators out there, consider some no-carve ideas.

Here’s a potential supply list…

Toothpicks

Glitter

Spray paint

Nuts or seeds

Candy corn

Take a look below for some of the best ideas we’ve seen lately around the Internet for inspiration:

There’s only one problem we see with the no-carve designs: no roasted pumpkin seeds! (Let us know which is your favorite design.)

Warmly,

R O S A N N A I N C . C O M

A Note From A Rosanna Fan!

I love hearing from customers about how they first starting collecting our products and seeing pictures of their favorite products.  I just received this nice note and picture from Rosanna Fernelius, last week's Freebie Friday giveaway winner, holding the first Rosanna piece given to her by her mother years ago.

Hello Rosanna,

I’m so excited to be the Freebie Friday winner of the Leave Green dishes!! I received my first Rosanna piece from my mom as a graduation gift from high school.  She thought it was cool that my name is also Rosanna and is spelled the same, which is very unique.

As the years went by others noticed this same similarity and got them for me as gifts. One day on the way to a Seattle Mariners baseball game my husband and I drove by a warehouse in Seattle that said “Rosanna” on the building.  So later I looked it up on the Internet, and sure enough it was your company.  How amazing is that? Not only do we have the same name, it's spelled the same, and the warehouse is located near my hometown. Now that's pretty cool!

I love Rosanna dishes and use them a lot for special occasions. 

Just had to share and say thanks,

Rosanna Fernelius

From Arlington WA

We'd love to hear from more of our fans. Please send your pictures and stories to lindas@rosannainc.com so we can share them too.  Looking forward to hearing from you!

Warmly,

R O S A N N A I N C . C O M

Don't Just Eat Local--Drink It As Well!

I recently posted about how I'm obsessed with sweet, juicy peaches right now. They are a guiltless splurge when you want something sweet and succulent. I like to buy them at my local farmers market. (When looking for peaches at the peak of perfection, give them a sniff, not a squeeze.)

But don't just eat local -- drink it as well with this Peach Breeze cocktail from KeyIngredient.com. It's a refreshing and hydrating drink, ideal for the dog days of summer.  Make it with alcohol or without, so anyone can sip and enjoy. 

Lattice Glass

INGREDIENTS

SERVINGS 8

COOK TIME IS CHILL TIME

• 4 large ripe fresh peaches
• 1⁄4 cup granulated sugar
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1⁄3 cup water
• 1⁄4 cup lemon juice
• 1 (750 ml) bottle cold dry white wine (or 3-4 cups lemonade)
• 15 ml orange liqueur (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Peel, pit and coarsely chop peaches; place in blender
2. Add sugar and ginger; puree until as smooth as possible.
3. Whirl in water, then lemon juice; puree until mixed.
4. In 2 freezer containers, stir together peach puree, wine and orange liqueur, if using.
5. Cover surface with plastic wrap.
6. Freeze for about 30 minutes or until very cold, stirring once or twice.
7. For a non-alcoholic drink, stir in lemonade immediately after pureeing, then serve over ice.Garnish with grapefruit slices, peach wedges, or fresh mint.

Come Fly With Me California Tray

Peaches are in season through late summer so enjoy today -- and in the weeks to come!

Warmly,

R O S A N N A I N C . C O M

Announcing Our 2016 Tablescape Contest!

Be sure to take pictures of your holiday entertaining (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year's)! We can't wait to see your submissions in January!

Warmly,

R O S A N N A I N C . C O M

Refreshing Peach Pie Smoothie!

Peaches are in season and nothing would be more refreshing than a Peach Pie Smoothie on a hot summer day!

Kashmir Glass Highballs; Sausalito Small Bowl Ocean; Sausalito Saucer Ocean

Smoothies are my favorite drinks in the summer as they are cold, refreshing, and made with loads of fresh fruit. I love all kinds of fresh fruit during the summer months but one of my favorite fruit is the peach. I especially love ripe peaches that are juicy and sweet.

The other day I was craving a cold, refreshing smoothie and was inspired by Better Homes & Gardens' Peach Pie Shake recipe. This delicious, refreshing smoothie can be whipped up in minutes. 

Add caption

In my version, I omit the pie topping, and top it with whipped cream and a cherry instead. I prefer to eat my pie on the side! Enjoy!

Sausalito Saucer Ocean; Kashmir Appetizer Plate

Warmly,

R O S A N N A I N C . C O M

A Fresh, Fast Summer Salad

In the hot, hot summer weather after a long day of work, all we really want to do when we get home is snap our fingers and have a delicious, healthy meal appear magically before us.

This salad requires a little bit more than the snap of one finger…but not too much.

The vibrant colors of summer produce look fabulous against the clean white background of the Savour collection, and the deep blue of the turquoise Saturn Votive mirrors a clear summer sky.

Savour Salad Bowl

Saturn Votive

Ingredients for Summer Salmon Salad:

Mixed greens

Tomatoes

Cucumbers

Salmon—smoked or lox

Lemon Wedges 

Instructions

1. Cut the tomatoes and cucumbers the way you like best, and toss with the greens in the Savour Salad Bowl.

2. Dress the salad with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

3. Dot the salad with chunks of smoked salmon or slices of lox.

4. Serve in Savour Pasta Bowls.

Savour Pasta Bowls and Napoleon Flatware

Enjoy!

Warmly,

R O S A N N A I N C . C O M

Celebrate National Sisters' Day!

As one of three sisters, and as the mother of two sisters, I know that sisterhood is as powerful a bond as any. This Sunday, August 2^nd is National Sisters’ Day and an ideal opportunity to honor the special bond sisters share.

Here I am with my mother and my two sisters. I'm the baby!

My beautiful daughters, Francesca and Alessandra!

You don’t have to have a biological sister to celebrate Sisters’ Day; we often consider our sisters the women with whom we share the deepest connections and most extensive histories. Sisters’ Day is an opportunity to celebrate your relationships with those women too.  

Here I am at 18 with my sorority sisters! 

And here I am now with my life-long girlfriends, whom I consider my "sisters!"

Ladies Choice, one of Rosanna's newest collections, pays homage to the power of women and the strength of that sister bond, as does our Cross My Heart Sisters dish.

 Ladies Choice Collection

Cross My Heart Sisters Sister dish

Make this Sunday sister-themed. Spend the day with the women you consider your sisters, celebrating your relationship over a meal, maybe continuing to a ladies’ night out on the town, or some other activity you love to do together.

If a friend is a second self, as Cicero says, a sister is many things: a mirror, an advocate, a reality check, a guardian angel, a witness to your entire life. The list goes on…but you probably already know what I’m talking about.

This weekend, reach out to your sisters and celebrate sisterhood. It is a force to be reckoned with.

Warmly,

R O S A N N A I N C . C O M

4 Quick & Easy Fourth of July Entertaining Tips!

Whether you are just having a few friends over or you have your doors open to the neighborhood, aim to have a stress-less Fourth of July this year with a few of my quick and easy entertaining tips!

1) See what you already have on hand and keep the decorations to a minimum.  A burlap runner, a tray, small florals from the yard, a candle and a few small trinkets keep this coffee table fresh, yet festive.

State Tokens Large USA Tray, Trinket Tray Star

2) Forage your yard first for flowers.  Hydrangeas are in full bloom, here in the Pacific Northwest, and the beautiful blue hues in these flowers make for a beautiful, simple centerpiece.  

3)  Dress up your mantel/fireplace with a simple garland or banner like our USA Canvas Bunting. A banner is quick to hang and can make any room holiday-ready in seconds.

USA Canvas Bunting

4) Raid your grocery store bakery section for freshly made desserts & add to them.  You'd be surprised at the selection!  You may need to order a cake in advance but for less than $15,  its worth it.  This simple white cake is dressed up with in-season berries. For a different look, try topping the dessert with fresh flowers in red, white, or blues.
 

Dore Nesting Scallop Bowls, Les Desserts Round Beaded Pedestal

One thing I've learned in my many years of entertaining is to zero in on your strengths. Are you a great cook?  Put your effort and focus on that.  Love baking?  Bake your grandmothers blueberry pie from scratch.  For all the rest, simplify it.  Find ways that make the other tasks easy (like in the above suggestions). Or delegate tasks to others that emphasize their own strengths.  

I hope that you have a wonderful weekend full of new memories, delicious food, great company, sparkling fireworks, and warm campfires.  Here's to a very Happy Fourth of July! 

Warmly, 

R O S A N N A I N C . C O M

Summer is Here: Cool Off & Connect...with Gelato!

Summer is finally here!  What a perfect reason to reconnect with others outside in the sunshine after being cooped up indoors for so long!  (Which happens to feel like a very long time, here in Seattle!)

A favorite summer treat of mine is gelato (especially while in Italy, of course!)  In my opinion, it tastes creamier and more robust in flavor compared to ice-cream.  Pistachio has to be one of my favorite flavors...just the right amount of sweetness mixed with a light nutty flavor.  This is the perfect indulgence on a hot day! Fortunately, I've noticed that the gelato selections at our local grocery stores have been rapidly growing, making it so convenient to enjoy it throughout the year. (Just try an affogato in the winter ~ its divine!)

Buon Gustaio Gelato Bowl & Spoon

Thankfully, the days are longer in summer, making it easy for people to have a light dinner early on and afterward, still have time to enjoy being outside for a few hours.  Why not invite a few neighbors or friends over for an impromptu gelato night?  No prep work involved ~ just scoop, serve, and enjoy!  The simple act of enjoying a special treat with others ~ while enjoying the fresh summer air, can connect friends and family alike.

Buon Gustaio Gelato Bowl & Spoon

If you decide that you need a little more than dessert for your summer night gathering...check out the rest of our Buon Gustaio collection.  Its simple, textural pieces are perfect for effortless, summer entertaining!

Buon Gustaio Collection

What is your favorite way to cool off and connect with others during the summertime?  I would love to hear in the comments below!

Warmly,

R O S A N N A I N C . C O M