These days, I’ll take any excuse to great dressed up and out of my sweats! This year’s Valentine’s Day will be just that — normally not a holiday that I focus on or put a lot of energy towards, but this year it will have my dedicated February attention.

Valentine’s Day brunch is the perfect way to spend the day, while still getting to enjoy all the fun feelings that come with the holiday! To make the brunch feel special, I chose an area in the house that we typically don’t spend a lot of time in. This way, we can get to bring new energy to a space, all while giving the illusion that we ventured to a new space to celebrate the day!

Valentine’s Day is a holiday that is meant for indulging and brunch is something I’ve been craving…so selfishly that’s the direction I went and so should you! I started with the Catanga Riser to serve as my centerpiece — I went with a charcuterie style board so that the environment felt fun and casual!

I built out the charcuterie with a few of my favorite things with some Valentine’s Day classics as well! You can’t celebrate Valentine’s Day without candy!

To dress up the table, I added this pink and sparkly Sparkles Home runner! It added that pop of color I needed to the tablespace without feeling over the top — it’s a subtle and chic way to incorporate the color and texture!

Now, a table setting is never complete without some candles! Candles are a great way to create ambiance and ad dimension to your setting!

For dimension I started with these Jasper Taper Candle Holders in a few different sizes — they are such a classic piece that you can use for any table setting throughout the year or for your console table décor.

To add another pop of color, but not to compete with the pink runner, I added these herringbone short candleholders filled with votives.

By bringing life to a different space in our home, with a little color, candy and dimension, we are all set to celebrate! The holiday has never felt more special than it does now!

The post Celebrate Valentine’s Day with This Charcuterie-Style Brunch appeared first on The Inspired Home.

What makes these nights super special is really just some hot cocoa and good conversation. We have a famous hot cocoa recipe that you can find below.

I just make it on the stove and then pour it into a beverage server like this one from Frieling. It’s so perfect to keep it warm all night long.

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Destiny’s Hot Cocoa Recipe

This hot cocoa is our favorite hot cocoa recipe! We make it in a Dutch oven on the stove and then pour it into a beverage server or carafe to keep it warm.

Skill beginner

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 210kcal

Ingredients

• 0.5 cups sugar
• 0.25 cups unsweetened cocoa
• pinch of salt
• 2 cups heavy cream or milk (1 qt.)
• 0.75 tsp vanilla extract
• 0.5 tsp cinnamon
• 0.3 cups hot water

Instructions

• Mix sugar, cocoa and salt in medium saucepan; stir in water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly; boil and stir 2 minutes
• Add milk; stir and heat until hot. Do not boil.
• Remove from heat; add vanilla. Beat with whisk until foamy.
• *Adapted from Hershey’s Hot Cocoa Recipe

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 210kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 1.5g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9.5g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 16mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g

But we also might throw on a Christmas movie or two. We love all the new movies like Christmas Chronicles, but enjoy classics like Home Alone and Elf too!

These fantastic mugs are perfect for a night like this. tag’s Hand Warmer Mugs fit perfectly around your hands for a nice warm mug hug! It was our first time using them this year, but I see them being such a great hit. If you are a mug lover, add these to your collection!

This year, we also added this Gratitude Jar (one of Oprah’s Favorite Things!). It’s a super simple way to keep our gratitude and thankfulness up, not just around Christmas, but really year-round.

All you do is write a small note of gratitude or what you’re thankful for and once you’re done you toss it in the jar.

On nights like this, we like to read them together. It’s really special! They also have a Christmas Wishes Jar in case you want to make your own Christmas tradition.

If you are looking to have your own night around the Christmas tree, here are some other ideas that just might make it even more fun:

• Christmas Bingo
• Wrapping Gifts
• Decorating the Christmas tree
• Popcorn garlands
• Paper garlands crafts
• Name a Christmas Song game
• Sing Christmas carols together

The post Celebrate with a Night Around the Christmas Tree appeared first on The Inspired Home.

The question that I hear most often about how to incorporate the old with the new is: “what should I look for?” And while the answer is pretty hard for me to say, considering everyone’s homes and styles are different, I invite you to ask yourself what types of wares intrigue you the most. You see, there’s really no right or wrong answer. It’s about searching for what you like, and that’s the fun of it!

Maybe brass candlestick holders catch your eye, or maybe it’s smoky wine glasses. Maybe you love mismatched silverware or old cracked ironstone serving-ware. No matter the answer, the trick to curating a lovely collection is to pick what you find the most interesting, fun, and different.

No matter what, a vintage item will add instant color, style, or texture to your home, simply because it was produced in a different era. Start with what catches your eye, only buy what you “triple love”, and begin to curate your collection and look. You’ll learn so much as you go.

Now I must say, you may make some mistakes along the way. Like, “Oh, I should have bought that when I saw it”. Or, “Shoot I paid too much for this, I don’t really love it.” And while those are of course bummers, it is totally okay! Those will be experiences that inform your buying decisions next time. Every time you browse antiques you have another opportunity to learn, so don’t fret.

Now, let’s get to what you’re really here for, my 5 tips for styling a holiday tablescape:

1. Start with new linens.

Yes, vintage linens are stunningly beautiful, and absolutely have a place in your kitchen and home. But, they can be hard to come by and are pretty devastating to ruin with red wine or candle wax. There are so many beautiful linen options these days that are easy to clean and make for one less thing to worry about.

For my table, I chose a vintage-style lace tablecloth placed over an easy ducking-type plain tablecloth. I like that it’s a total balance of texture and that the colors are slightly different.

I wanted to bring in a pop of red for holiday cheer, so I picked a casual frayed edge red napkin and popped on vintage napkin rings to elevate them a smidge.

2. Decide on your candle setup.

I almost always start here when it comes to the tabletop’s style. It’s like working from the center out, tallest/brightest first. At this point, you can choose to go entirely vintage or mix old and new through texture and shape.

Here, I picked a classic set of 3 old brass taper holders and mixed it with new glass and wood tea light holders. I love the way these modern tea light holders balance out the candles themselves with a sleek low profile and nice texture.

This set up doesn’t feel too formal and still gives a romantic glow on the table both up high by eye height, and down low by food height.

3. Pick your florals.

It may not be every day that you have some sort of floral arrangement or greenery on your table, but I definitely think a holiday table should have them. Pick a vessel for your arrangement that lands somewhere in the middle of your two candle heights. I like to see something live, abundant, and fresh between the flicker of candle flames.

Vintage Buying Tip: If you have a lot of plain glass vessels from floral arrangements that you’ve been gifted, I invite you to start the search for vintage vases to replace the “blah” ones that you may have accumulated.

For my table, I decided that I wanted to forage some holly from my yard to highlight the red of the napkins. But I don’t love holly in an arrangement, so I decided to make them part of my place settings down low. Plus, I have another design trick up my sleeve that, in my opinion, requires a minimal on-table centerpiece.

4. Decide on your place settings.

Here’s where I really love to mix and match old and new. I think so much balance can be achieved in combining the two in a setting. Try to set it up as evenly as possible. If you have vintage plates and silverware, try for modern glassware and side plates.

Here I picked all-new plates with plenty of texture and added vintage silverware, a silver salt cellar (plate), and vintage glassware. I went for a full-on formal setting to add flare and used components of each, old and new, to achieve something fun and interesting to sit down to.

5. Last but not least, style something off the table!

Last but certainly not least, style something off the table! This is my favorite tip for creating a really special table for the holidays. Especially because I wanted our table to feel really magical and fairytale-like. It’s been quite a year for everyone, and this holiday season feels like it needs to be a touch more special. Off table styling where modern buys are particularly helpful!

In order to achieve my look, I purchased ready-made paper snowflakes to hang from the chandelier and over the windows. They dance just above and around the flame (but not too close, of course!), making for a whimsical vibe.

Next, I wanted a little extra glow to draw the eye over into our living room where our Christmas tree and fireplace is. I decided on two oversized lanterns with a single pillar candle in each. It sets the mood by bringing candlelight off of the table in a minimal but impactful way.

I hope that you enjoyed my 5 tips for creating a holiday table using vintage and new wares! Tag us if you use any of these tips in your own home. Happy holidays!

The post Mix Vintage with New for a Simple Holiday Tablescape appeared first on The Inspired Home.

How to Make Candy Corn Cotton Candy

The first thing you’ll need is a cotton candy machine! Our friends at Nostalgia specialize in small appliances that give you that familiar comfort of favorite childhood foods with a retro spin!

You can get a cotton candy machine made for small home parties or something like this commercial-sized machine for larger families or get-togethers! Either way, the ingredients will be the same.

First, you’ll want to add color and flavor to regular sugar.

To make an intense yellow-colored cotton candy, you’ll want to add 5-7 drops of gel food coloring. Gel because it won’t make the sugar watery! Plus gel gives more intense color. I also added 2-3 drops of lemon extract flavoring to the yellow to give it some delicious flavor!

To make the orange cotton candy, I used red and yellow gel food coloring drops. 5-7 drops of yellow and 1-2 drops of red for the nice intense orange color. I also added vanilla extract to this mix!

For the white cotton candy, I used regular white sugar with no flavoring.

To mix each color I used a small chopper and gave it a few pulses until it was fully mixed. This is the best way to mix to get the flavor and color evenly mixed.

After that, I warmed up the machine for about 20 minutes so it was nice and hot! Then I added each color to the cotton candy machine and went to work! It comes together pretty fast once you get everything heated up! Just use the cotton candy stick it comes with and continues to swirl until it comes together.

Once we had all the colors mixed, we put them into bags and layered the orange, yellow, and white cotton candy and put them into bags!

These would so perfect for a small Halloween party you might throw this year with close friends and family!

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Candy Corn Cotton Candy

Channel your inner child and combine two favorites – cotton candy that looks just like candy corn!

Course Dessert

Skill intermediate

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 381kcal

Ingredients

• 3 cups White Sugar
• Red and Yellow Gel Food Coloring
• 1 tbsp Lemon Extract
• 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract

Instructions

• Place one cup of sugar into three different bowls.
• In the first bowl make the yellow color. 5-7 of yellow and 1 tablespoon of lemon extra. Mix in a small blender/chopper.
• In the second bowl make the orange color. Use 5-7 drops of yellow and 1-2 drops of red food coloring and 1 tablespoon of vanilla. Mix in a small blender/chopper.
• Leave the last bowl as is.
• Use each color in a warm cotton candy machine. Once finished layer each color in small bags to make a candy corn!

Nutrition

Serving: 6g | Calories: 381kcal | Carbohydrates: 100g | Sugar: 100g

The post This Homemade Candy Corn Cotton Candy Is Such a Cute Halloween Idea appeared first on The Inspired Home.

Walking in a winter wonderland! It’s no surprise that I love a good theme, and ‘winter wonderland’ is one of my favorite Christmas classics. The song also makes for a gorgeous neutral winter tablescape theme. Today we are decking the halls with a simple and timeless winter table aesthetic. If you love rustic mountain charm, this look is for you!

Natural Elements

To make this feel like a true winter wonderland theme we made sure we brought in natural elements.

Take a step back on traditional flowers and use fresh pine sprigs (you can use your Christmas tree trimmings!) and wood elements. When I found this Design Ideas natural wood branch table runner I knew it would make for a perfect centerpiece. This runner ties into the theme and adds the best touch of rustic charm.

The last natural element we had was fire! We decked the table and surrounding areas with lots of candles to give a warm, rustic feel to everything.

Gold Accents

When it comes to the holidays, I love tying in a metallic. Gold is my favorite but copper and silver can be beautiful too. Adding some gold touches will give this rustic winter wonderland a bit of holiday charm.

We did a blend of candlesticks, gold flatware and different glasses with gold bases. Sagaform makes the most beautiful, dainty gold glassware that is my favorite to pull out for holidays and occasions.

Winter White

It wouldn’t be a winter wonderland table setting without winter white! The table is anchored down with a bright white tablecloth to tie everything together.

We are keeping cozy and doing fondue to add to the theme. For each person’s setting, we went with a smaller white plate with subtle white accents for fondue dippers.

What About Fondue?!

One of my favorite winter dinner party ideas is fondue! Fondue instantly creates a cozy, winter ambiance and gets people in the mood for the season. I batched up two different flavors in my Trudeau Fondue Pot and served everything family style.

Happy holidays & stay cozy everyone!

More Holiday Ideas:

Incorporate Millennial Pink Into a Festive Table Setting This Holiday Season

We’re Mad for This Plaid Holiday Tablescape

Your Guide for Making Sure Your China Cabinet Is Stocked for the Holidays

The post Turn Your Holiday Table Into a Winter Wonderland appeared first on The Inspired Home.

First, remember why you are hosting this meal. It shouldn’t be to look impressive or to prove “you have it together” to your friends or family. On some level, you agreed or volunteered because you want to spend time with people you like (or tolerate…there’s always that one person) and make them feel happy and cared for. And that is not contingent upon whether or not you have place settings for twelve.

1. Pick a theme and inspiration and then dial it down 20 notches.

We all have those screenshots on our phone or photos we’ve always loved for gatherings. Pull lots of images and define the elements you love. Is it the unusual botanicals (dried grass over poinsettias perhaps)? Is it the color combination of bottle racing green and brass?

Or is it the fact that this dinner party in the photo is hosted in a Parisian apartment with parquet floors? Because now it’s time for an expectation reality check. Inspiration images should be used only for ideas and concepts, not to feel bad you do not have a multimillion dollar apartment in Europe.

2. Use simple décor that’s impactful.

In general, we all overestimate how fast we can accomplish something. Don’t count on having hours to make an arrangement or custom table runner. Use big impact items like branches or produce or greenery that last a long time and you can use again later. Create levels and layers with pedestals that catch the eye at multiple heights.

3. Delegate. Don’t do it all alone.

You are not Martha and you do not have her team of 100 people. When people ask if they can do anything, say “yes”! Some people truly feel guilty if they’re doing nothing, so accept assistance. Have people bring sides, drinks, desserts or salad. Get a group text going and don’t feel the slightest bit bad if you put out a “Hey can someone grab ice on the way?” text. You are having everyone use your space. They don’t mind a five minute detour.

4. Pull platters ahead of time and label them on the table.

My grandma taught me this trick and I can only assume it’s because she hosted massive parties overseas with my grandpa’s political job. On your buffet or table of any size, pull out the dishes you’re using for serving (and the utensils) and space them out. Use paper or sticky notes to label exactly what’s going where.

Remember to leave space for extra dishes if someone is bringing the salad. Sometimes when we’re stressed, our brain empties of all the ‘obvious’. Having this laid out ahead of time makes it an easy task list rather than a decision.

5. Set up a drink area.

We love to make cocktails at our house. But we’ve made the mistake before of serving custom cocktails instead of batch cocktails or pre-bottled items. You don’t have time for this, so stop it. Set up a drink area of your choice. Get an ice bucket so no one is coming into your cooking or prep space and they’re not taking up valuable fridge real estate.

6. Prep as much as you can ahead of time.

Make salad dressing, cut produce, make potatoes… do whatever you can in the days leading up to the gathering to space out your time.

7. Find a playlist

There are plenty of pre-curated stations and playlists on the streaming channel of your choice. You don’t have to build it from scratch because someone has truly already made a ‘yacht rock my parents are coming over’ playlist.

8. Breathe and remember no one cares as much as you do.

Stop being so hard on yourself. What do you remember about going over to someone else house? It’s probably not the fact you ran out of beer. Or that the casserole needed an extra twenty minutes in the oven. You likely remember the way you feel. So introduce people to each other. Assign a good friend or sibling to check in on everyone periodically to refill drinks or open a window.

No one is expecting a perfectly executed luxury event so stop acting like you need to produce one! Enjoy the season, enjoy the company, and most importantly remember that if it’s a disaster they’re leaving in a few hours anyway!

The post How to Host a Holiday Meal Without Freaking Out appeared first on The Inspired Home.

This year, my girlfriends, Abbie and Alex, are hosting a small Friendsgiving for our close group of girlfriends and tasked me with outfitting their extremely small breakfast nook. Challenge accepted!

The key to outfitting a small tablescape is to think small. Literally. Shrink everything down from your glassware, to your plates, and especially added items like flower vases and décor. We went with a mostly dried look for flowers and used these tiny primrose vases from Design Ideas.

I love a huge cheese board spread but I knew my large canvas board would overpower Abbie’s table, so I’m using a smaller guy for appetizers.

I love bringing out a warm, funky color palette during Friendsgiving. Colors like:

• Mauve
• Rose
• Terracotta
• Mustards
• Golds
• Wood textures

These are my jam this season. This year we decided to go naked and skip the tablecloth to show off the warm texture of Abbie’s tabletop. Plus, this is less to set up/clean up and more time for dessert. I am absolutely loving the mauve and mustard trend this holiday season. The two colors together instantly feel like you’ve turned your kitchen into an Anthropologie table set up. I could not be more obsessed with Food52 x Staub collaboration on their Turmeric line. The color was perfect for the Friendsgiving table setting but I know I’ll be using this Dutch oven All. Year. Long.

If you Google “formal place setting” like most people do around this time of year, the results are ENDLESS and overwhelming. No, you don’t need 3 different glasses and 4 different kinds of plates for salad and bread. IF you do have the space, no stopping you sister!

But, if you’re scaling down, pick one nice glass (I love breaking out my Waterford glasses for special occasions) and a simple, sleek place setting. I’m using Hampton Forge Zephyr collection because it takes up hardly any space on the table and is beyond stylish for any dinner party. I wanted the plate to feel really warm and cozy (just like Friendsgiving should be!) so I went with this Fortessa terracotta colored plate to round out the table setting.

Small and cozy never has to mean simple. Feel free to make something a little more special for everyone’s setting. Things like a mini pie, an elaborate name card or a picture of you and your guests can feel beyond heartwarming on everyone’s plate.

For an extra momentous touch I wrote a little something about each guest and why I was grateful for them on a little note. I tucked it under everyone’s plate and we all read them at the end of dinner. Corny, I know, but it is the time to be extra grateful!

Happy Friendsgiving everyone!

The post Host a Cozy Friendsgiving with This Gorgeous Tablescape appeared first on The Inspired Home.

Pick a theme:

When it comes to Halloween decorating the options are limitless. You can set up a spooky Halloween buffet with anything from crazy Halloween color to ULTRA “spooky” decked out in skeletons and spiderwebs. These are some of my favorite themes for Halloween:

• Black and White – a timeless theme that always works (like this one!!). Think black and white linens, cobwebs, candles and dry ice.
• Herbology – like Harry Potter! Set up your buffet like an herbology classroom with lots of funky vegetables, plants and vessels and pots filled with dry ice.
• Colorful – staple Halloween colors are orange, black, purple, and green.
• “Dead” theme – think dead leaves and flowers, and lots of candles.

Nothing says Halloween like… Dry Ice:

I always get so giddy this time of year to break out the dry ice! Not only does it look insane in photos but it makes for SUCH a festive party touch. Who doesn’t love drinking out of a goblet just like Harry Potter?! If there is one thing you use to ‘spookify’ your Halloween set up, it’s dry ice. There are a few different ways to handle dry ice
when making drinks and cocktails…

How to use dry ice for spooky drinks:

Dry ice is actually so cold (-110 F!) that is frozen carbon dioxide. Which means it’s dangerous to touch it with your bare skin. Always use tongs when handling dry ice.

Most dry ice is sold in 1 lb blocks (I buy mine at Smart & Final) and you will need to break it up yourself. I’ve used everything from a hammer and screwdriver like a chisel or a sharp knife to shave off pieces. Either way, ALWAYS use gloves and keep your face away while chipping.

Once you have a piece or a cube ready to use, pop them into drinks and cocktails with tongs and serve right way. The ‘smoky’ effect will last for 5-10 minutes. You can also opt to use a large chunk in a punch bowl for a more lasting effect.

Do NOT store your dry ice in the refrigerator. It’s not even close to being cold enough to keep dry ice frozen. Place it in its own cooler with a seal tight lid. Ideally, use dry ice within a couple of hours of purchasing for maximum effect.

Get Moody with Candles:

Nothing says moody like candlelight. When it comes to spooky décor and decking out a Halloween buffet table, turn down the regular room lights and bring out the candles. It will make the entire vibe and aesthetic feel much spookier and moodier. Use a variety of candle sticks and tea lights. For Halloween, I always break out my Design Ideas candle sticks, but truly they are great for most décor.

Spooky Treats:

This is the time of year where your baked goods can be a little wonky, spooky and fun. This year, we went with two different kinds of “spooky” cupcakes, one spider-themed and one-bloody-eye-themed. Both are achievable with easy techniques and supplies from Wilton!

Spider Web Cupcakes: For spider web cupcakes, simply bake and frost chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting. For the webbing, melt a bowl or marshmallows on the stove top until gooey and just melted. Grab a small chunk at a time and stretch between your fingers and strategically place the ‘webbing’ onto the cupcake. Top with a Wilton Spider Cupcake Topper to complete.

Bloody Eye Cupcakes: Bloody eye cupcakes start with a red velvet cupcake base and can be frosted with cream cheese or vanilla frosting. Using Wilton’s Red Sparkle Gel squiggle red lines from the center of the cupcake to the base for the ‘blood shot’ effect. Finish off with red sanding sugar and 1-2 Eyeball decorations.

Have a very Happy Halloween everyone!

Related:

Throw a Slightly Spooky (But Still Classy) Halloween Party

This Elegant Halloween Table Will Make You Want to Host a Spooky Dinner Party

The post The Best, Spooky Halloween Buffet Set Up appeared first on The Inspired Home.

Why? The delicious, epically time saving innovation of built in sides. I don’t have to worry about what I’m serving alongside my hotdogs or steaks, because a seafood boil includes veggies (corn and onion), a starch (potatoes), a meat (sausage), and as much shellfish as your party can eat. All cooked at once, in less than 30 minutes.

It’s so easy, I find myself wishing I could get away with seafood boils in the dead of winter. But perhaps the magic of a big, messy feast of tender shellfish and sweet summer corn is that it’s best enjoyed outdoors, in the lingering sunshine of a long, lazy day.

The Food

The only rule to seafood boils is that there aren’t any rules, but here are some of my best tips. When you’re picking shellfish, go for one main event and one supporting player. Lobster is an obvious choice for the hero (I often use lobster tails, as pictured, because they’re generally cheaper and truthfully I hate killing the live ones), but crab can be a showstopper too. Mussels or clams are great for support — the shells are pretty, they’re inexpensive and feed a ton of people.

Oh, and get a big loaf of crusty bread to dip in the extra broth and butter. You’ll thank me later.

RELATED: 5 Steps to a Simple Seafood Boil

I like to use a massive steaming pot, like this (very inexpensive) option from Granite Ware, because getting a small amount of liquid to steam up is much less time consuming than getting a full pot to boil, and I prefer the taste of steamed seafood over boiled. If you must boil, make sure your pot is big enough for everything, or else use more than one small pot — overcrowding will make it hard for everything to cook through.

Invest in a couple of butter warmers so everyone at the table has some of the good stuff nearby, and lemon wraps so you’re not squeezing bitter pith and seeds onto your bounty.

A set of seafood tools (mallets, picks, crackers, scissors) makes everything easier — a lobster tail is a thing of beauty when you’ve cut off the shell with seafood scissors rather than tearing the thing apart.

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Seafood Boil

There’s really only one way to entertain big groups in the summer: steam up a massive one-pot-meal of seasonal seafood. Why? The delicious, epically time-saving innovation of built-in sides. You don’t have to worry about what to serve alongside because a seafood boil includes veggies (corn and onion), a starch (potatoes), a meat (sausage), and as much shellfish as your party can eat. All cooked at once, in less than 30 minutes.

Course Lunch & Dinner Recipes

Keyword Recipes, Seafood, Summer

Skill intermediate

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Calories 665kcal

Ingredients

• 1 lobster, lobster tail or large crab per person
• 8 clams or mussels per person
• 1 ear of corn per person cut into thirds
• 6 small, two bite potatoes per person (or one large, cubed)
• 1 small-medium shallot per person, quartered
• 1 tbsp butter, plus additional butter for dipping
• 1 lemon, plus additional lemon for serving
• 6 cloves of garlic, smashed
• 1 pack of sausage of choice (about 12 ounces), such as kielbasa, chorizo, or spicy Italian
• 4 sprigs fresh tarragon

Instructions

• In the bottom of a large steaming pot, melt the butter over medium high heat and add the garlic, sausage, and shallots. Simmer until fragrant, about two minutes.
• Add two cups water to the pot and squeeze in the lemon (alternate — you can use a bottle of beer instead of the water and lemon if preferred). Bring to a boil, add the potatoes, and cook for 5 minutes.
• Put the corn, lobster (or crab), mussels (or clams), and tarragon into the steamer portion of the pot and place over the boiling base of potatoes, shallots, garlic, and sausage. Cover and let steam for 10-15 minutes, until the mussels/clams have opened and the lobster is bright red.
• Remove from heat and serve dumped onto a large platter or newspaper covered table. Reserve some of the cooking liquid for dipping seafood and bread. Serve with melted butter (optional: add some of the cooking tarragon to the butter dishes) and lemon halves or wedges.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 665kcal | Carbohydrates: 68.8g | Protein: 45.7g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 12.1g | Cholesterol: 270mg | Sodium: 1178mg | Fiber: 9.8g | Sugar: 7.8g

The Drinks

Now, what to drink? Crisp beer and champagne always have a place at my table, but adding a simple cocktail to the mix is truly the icing on the cake. I always cook up my seafood boils with tarragon, because tarragon and shellfish may be my all time favorite flavor pairing, and tarragon almost looks like it comes from the sea.

It also happens to go very well with gin, and so a Tarragon Tonic has become my drink of choice for this particular feast. The secret is to use lots of the herb, so you can be gentle with it, instead of smashing a tiny piece all over your glass and oxidizing the poor thing to smithereens.

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Tarragon Tonic

This simple cocktail is perfect to serve alongside seafood at your next seafood boil. The tarragon and shellfish pair perfectly together!

Course Drinks & Cocktails

Keyword Cocktails and spirits, Summer

Skill intermediate

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Ingredients

• 2 oz Ice cold gin (stored in freezer)
• 5 oz Ice cold tonic water (stored in the coldest part of the refrigerator)
• 3 Sprigs of fresh tarragon
• 1 Squeeze of lime

Instructions

• Rub the tarragon sprigs gently around the inside and rim of a chilled glass, reserving one for garnish.
• Add the ice cold gin to the glass, then gently pour the tonic water into the gin by titling the glass and pouring it down the side.
• Gently add ice (slide it slowly down the side of the glass) and lime (adding them last keeps the carbonation high and mixes the ingredients best).
• Garnish with tarragon and (optional) peppercorns or juniper berries.

The post The Perfect Cocktail Pairing for Your Next Seafood Boil appeared first on The Inspired Home.

If your dad is anything like mine, he probably says, “Oh, don’t make a big deal about it, I have everything I need.” So, I always have the HARDEST time trying to figure out what to get my dad for Father’s Day, which means a small gathering will fit the bill. My dad loves it when we gather on the weekend for an easy BBQ, which is just what he will get!

How do you throw a Father’s Day BBQ party?

First, set the scene.

I love setting up a ‘themed’ tablescape for any party. Whether it be super fun and formal dinner or something laid back and easy like today’s party. Keep your color palette neutral with blues, whites, and blacks.

I loved using these blue and white napkins for a classic BBQ feel.

I love serving up BBQ on lightweight enamel plates. These black and white ones are great for the outdoors because if they accidentally drop they will never break on you!

Is your dad a beer guy like mine?! If he is, reuse some old beer bottles as your flower vases for that “Father’s Day BBQ party flair”. It will instantly give your whole table a masculine touch.

What do I serve for Father’s Day?

If you’re going the BBQ route your options are endless! Depending on your guest list (6-8 people?!)

• 2-3 side dishes: keep your dad’s favorite in mind! I love this black bean mango salad for afternoon parties!
• 2-3 meats: think BBQ chicken, grilled steak, ribs, etc.
• 1-2 drinks: I love using a large beverage dispenser for serving up a twisted vodka mango lemonade (my dad’s favorite!).
• 1-2 desserts: For BBQ parties, easy desserts like blueberry cobbler sundaes and strawberry shortcake sliders are my go-tos.

Don’t forget a great playlist or entertainment!

My dad is a total music buff and loves rocking out to some 80’s jams. I know a solid playlist will instantly get him in a great mood on Father’s Day even if he doesn’t want the attention on him. Take a minute and remember back to the “car jams” when you were a kid. My dad’s got more than I can count!

Music is first and foremost, but if we’ve got a sports lover on our hands, be sure to play the game on the radio or maybe bring out a projector to play ESPN during the party.

Something corny!

To round out your fun Father’s Day BBQ party, include a little something corny. Have everyone write down their favorite memory (or two) of Dad and have him read all of them around the table. This is a great ice breaker and makes Dad feel a little special.

The post This Is How to Throw the Best Father’s Day BBQ appeared first on The Inspired Home.