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

Memorial Day Treats: S'mores!

For many, Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start to summer, and if you’re old-school like me, the beginning of white shoe season. 

Along with the Memorial Day picnics, BBQs and family gatherings, it's also a time of remembrance and reflection of what our armed forces do for our great country. I would like to express my sincere appreciation and respect to the men and women in uniform and their families for their sacrifice and dedication.

Rosanna's USA American Flag Tray, Roll Play Dice

One of my favorite Memorial Day activities is making s'mores! Gooey, chocolatey, and crunchy all at the same time-yum! Why not try to sophisticate the tradition a bit by hosting you very own DIY s'mores party to kick off the summer festivities? 

Even without a bonfire present, you can still enjoy the summer-is-almost-here excitement with a s'mores party!

Top: Rosanna's State Token USA Tray Large, State Token USA Small, USA Pennant Tray, USA American Flag Tray, USA Map Tray, Voyage Cookies Tray, Roll Play Dice, Moonglass White Votive

While I love the traditional graham cracker s'mores, everyone goes crazy for s'mores with a twist like the ones we made with Pepperidge Farm Brussels cookies, Reese's Peanut Butter cups and marshmallows.

Rosanna's USA Canvas Bunting

Here's what we put on our S'mores Bar (but you can purchase your favorite cookies and candy):

• Marshmallows

• Graham Crackers

• Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bars

• Hershey's white Chocolate Bars

• Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

• Pepperidge Farm Brussels Cookies

• Fudge Stripe Cookies

Are you excited about Memorial Day? Seeing all of these awesome dessert ideas is really revving me up. I can’t believe the summer kick-off is already here! Hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day!

Warmly,

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

Tabletop Props: Happy Hour at Home

Happy hour at home can be just as much fun as going out with festive, cocktail-inspired serving pieces and barware. Just add some easy snacks and stiff cocktails and the fun will take care of itself. Check out our Pinterest page for appetizer and beverage ideas.

CHEERS SIGN | CALYPSO TRAYS | CALYPSO GLASSWARE | COASTERS | GHIONE TRAY | PITCHER | COCKTAIL PLATES

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

Girls' Night In!

Sometimes, the perfect way to have fun and feel connected with your girlfriends is to have a girls’ night in.

Instead of putting on your favorite outfit, settle in together to watch your favorite chick flick (or TV show…my girlfriends and I adore Downtown Abbey).

Instead of gourmet cocktails, set out an array gourmet food women love—great quality red, white, or sparkling wine accompanied by delicious crackers and rich cheeses and a big, fresh salad followed by very special chocolate and fruit at the peak of the season.

Rather than wine, you could also pick one fun cocktail to prepare for the group. In the summer, I love bellinis—fresh peach puree mixed with champagne—and in the winter I savor expertly made hot toddies—with good cognac, cloves, cinnamon, and a lemon rind.

I love the way an intimate home setting and small number of friends gives rise to higher quality conversation and deeper connections. Next time you’re planning a get together with your nearest and dearest, instead of going out, consider staying in.

Rosanna products featured in this post: Savour Collection

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

Mix 'n Match Tablesettings

Mixing and matching plates and patterns is a fun way to change up the dinner table and surprise your guests with an imaginative tabletop. Here we've combined our Rue du Bac dinner plates, Arabesque salad plates, Luxe Moderne appetizer plates, and Portico tidbit dishes along with our pearlized champagne Napoleon flatware. 

You can stick with a color story like we did above with blue-greens, greys and gold, or go with a theme like tropical or floral. Mixing in solid colored pieces and a few neutrals really helps to balance things out as well.

If you like this idea, be sure to take a photo and send it our way! Find more tabletop inspiration on our Pinterest page.

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

Planned Spontaneity

Photo: BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER / THE SEATTLE TIMES

I was delighted to be interviewed recently by Rebecca Teagarden for The Seattle Times' Pacific NW Magazine. My interview, Planned Spontaneity, includes tips on how to make parties fun, modern and easy!

My big thing is spontaneous entertaining. As a working mom, I don’t always have time to plan lavish dinner parties.  Sometimes, I prefer to invite friends over for drinks, charcuterie and cheeses or for a potluck dinner.  These kind of parties don’t take much planning.  The real goal is to bring the people we love together, break bread and share some good times. We crave that so much—especially around our winter holidays!

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

Pasta Bowls & Healthy Foods Make Easy Entertaining

With fall comes cooler temperatures and a desire to prepare our nest for the cold winter months.  We have a natural tendency to want to stay inside more as the days get shorter. Being inside doesn't mean we need to feel isolated or away from the world.  In fact, now is the perfect time to have friends and family over for an informal gathering.

Rosanna Canvas Totes

As the summer growing season comes to an end, we must take advantage of our last opportunities to find local fresh fruits and vegetables.   Fall is a great time to head to the farmers market.  Recently I made a trip to my local farmers' market and filled my Rosanna Canvas Tote with delicious fresh tomatoes.  I like to prepare fresh tomato sauce for my pasta when local tomatoes are at their peak, then freeze it in individual containers for use during the winter months.  It makes a quick go-to meal for my family, and gives me the assurance that it is healthy too.

Pasta sauce is easy to make.  (In a previous blog entry I shared my basic tomato sauce recipe.)  Italians make their pasta sauce with whatever they have in the kitchen.  My basic tomato sauce allows me to add in meats, vegetables, or turn it into a vodka sauce, depending on what I currently have in my kitchen.  It makes an easy start to the tradition of a Family Pasta Night.   If you don't have a Family Pasta Night yet, starting one will give your family a ritual to look forward to, a way to create memories, and a chance to sit together around the table and connect.

Pasta Italiana Collection

You might decide to have friends over for Pasta Night.  This is one of the easiest ways to entertain.  You can make dinner at the last minute, allowing you to spend less time in the kitchen and more time with your guests.  It was this idea that inspired my Pasta Italiana Collection.  Each of the 4 pasta bowls features one of my pasta recipes you can use for an upcoming Pasta Night.  The Pasta Italiana serving bowl makes it easy to serve family style meals and allows guests to serve themselves a second helping of the delicious pasta.

Farmer's Market Collection

Pasta bowls are fun, unique, and great for casual entertaining.  They can bring a splash of color to  your table.  I've also made my pasta bowls instructional. The Farmer's Market Collection is a set of 4 pasta bowls that are also ideal for soups, salads, and vegetables.  Each of the four bowls features one of the four seasons--spring, summer, fall, and winter--and is adorned with colorful seasonal vegetables that can be found at their peak in the specific season, making them not only beautiful and utilitarian, but also instructional.  I use the large serving bowl nearly every day in my house.

An important part of living healthy is knowing what to eat.  Studies show that the Mediterranean diet is one of the healthiest diets to follow.  (See previous post for details.)  Fill your table with healthy whole grain pastas, fresh salads, ripe tomato sauce, and don't forget the olive oil.  The Farmers' Market dipping dishes are perfect for dipping your bread in healthy olive oil.

Start a weekly tradition of Family Pasta Night or invite friends over this week for a Pasta Night.  The warmth you feel from the food will be matched only by the warmth you feel from connecting with others.

For more tips on Pasta Night, the collections in this post, and my tomato sauce recipe, watch Episode 2 of Rosanna TV, available on my YouTube Channel.

www.rosannainc.com