Let me entertain you...

Our dining nook. Fresh flowers and an aloe plant add a little something to the room

There's almost nothing I love more than hanging our with our friends and family especially at our new condo.  We moved in about 4 months ago and have had the busiest Summer ever!!! Working/teaching tons, some insanely fun weddings plus trying to catch some relaxation time in the sun left us little time to get our place "party ready".  

My hubs really wanted to have people over so we picked a date and stuck to it.  We worked our a$$es off to put the finishing touches on our new home that we love so much.  Matt & I threw a super laid back "Happy Hour Housewarming" at 5pm on Saturday.  I wanted people to feel that they could come and go as they pleased, whatever fit with their Saturday night plans and not feel obligated to stay all night.  Some friends DID in fact stay all night which I looooved. 

Part of the bar.  In love with the ice bucket and tray. 

I am far from Martha Stewart when it comes to entertaining but I managed to whip up some snacks to match our fully stocked bar.  

The signature drink was "The Minty Fitz" (named onsite since I had almost zero time to be creative) and it was made up of:

• Vodka
• St. Germaine
• Soda water
• Lemon
• Cucumber 
• Mint! 

My girl Lauren- 1st to the drinks per usual!!!  Gallery wall was completed about 3 hours before people arrived! 

Since I love making easy food that is also nutritious and delicious I tried to make a variety of apps and sever a little something for everyone.  

"Un-deviled Eggs" - served with hummus where the yolk would normally be!  I added chopped tomatoes and cucumber for texture, color and flavor.  

These were SO super easy and everyone loved them....at least they said they did. 

Garlic shrimp was another very easy dish.  I sauteed shrimp with tons of lemon, garlic, s&p and olive oil. So easy.  Inspired by a tapas dish at our favorite spot. 

Should have made more of these. So not Martha...oops. 

Tomato & Basil Salad - My co-worker told me about this dish the day before the party. It was awesome.  I chopped up 6 large tomatoes added 1 tsp of organic sugar,  s&p, TONS of basil, 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar and mixed all together.  I covered the bowl and let it sit over night, stirring occasionally.  This was served with crusty bread and fresh mozz on the side (I don't eat either of those things but I know I'm in the minority!).  Added some spinach right before serving. I will 100% make this again.  Also a great dish to bring to a dinner party or holiday event. 

My friend Lauren (pictured above) made this fab dip called "The Boyfriend Dip"...make it for a guy and he'll fall for you...seems to be true in her case ;).  Beans, corn, avocado, cilantro ...SO GOOD.  Served with organic corn chips.  There was also hummus and veggies served but that's not very interesting. OH one of my fab friends made chicken fingers which was great.  She knew I wouldn't have those on hand haha.

We finished this off as dinner at about 12:30am.  NOT what I would normally advise. 

Word of advice - if you want to be hostess extraordinaire make a variety of foods and make it easy to refill so there's always fresh food out. Tough to do when you are chatting, dancing, drinking but it will keep the guests happy!  In hindsight I wish I had more food prepared. I guess I didn't expect people to stay late but oh well...we had plenty of cocktails! 

Serve healthy food, good drinks and make a good playlist. Voila - PARTY TIME! 

Thanks to our friends for filling our house with love and laughs!! xo