Category: Recipes

In Louisiana Spring Means Crawfish Boil Season Is Here

Spring in Louisiana means what it does to our neighbors to the north, east and west of the boot.

Beautiful blooms packing a powerful blast of in season colors.

Outdoor living at its finest.

Backyard cookouts and patio entertaining.

Know what else it means? Spring means crawfish boil season is here. Louisianians love to boil, peel and eat these freshwater crustaceans in quantity and quality.  We do love our seafood here in the boot, and from March to June we set the tables, plan the menus, and prepare the seafood dishes around crawfish boil season.

Boiled-Crawfish-on-plate

Crawfish taste almost like lobster, with the differences between the two basically amounting to cost, size and seasoning.  Crawfish are native to the swamps and marshes of south Louisiana and farmed crawfish ponds of the Gulf Coast region.  Louisiana produces approximately 150 million pounds of crawfish annually, and also ranks as the nations number one provider of shrimp, oysters, crabs and alligator.  Boiled to seasoned perfection, the crawfish boil is a weekend backyard gathering, festival or fais do-do in the making.

crawfish-stuff-app

Those in the best price for crawfish in your area know you need an app for that.  The Crawfish App is a free app available on iTunes.  The app uses your device’s location or an entered address to list crawfish vendors in the area. You have the ability to view by price, reviews, or distance.

crawfish boil supplies

It’s amazing how a crustacean can create culinary excitement throughout the cities and parishes.  We love to host a crawfish boil or two or ten during the season for friends, neighbors, coworkers and family.  Fire up the pot and bring on the onions, garlic, celery, potatoes, lemons, crab boil and culinary imagination.  I’ve been to crawfish boils where the host chef adds smoked or andouille sausage, okra, carrots, cabbage and fresh mushrooms to the seasoned boil.  The flavor and the taste can be summed up in three words.

C’est. Si. Bon!

Food is the language of Louisiana, and ours is a flavored speak.

Zatarains shrimp crab boil

Zatarain’s Shrimp & Crab Boil

Here’s a tip from the Places In The Home test kitchen~ add a drop of Zatarain’s liquid shrimp & crab boil to potato soup.

Delicious.

LouisianaCrawfishBoilrecipeImage

Zatarain’s® Crawfish Boil

Ingredients

3 pounds yellow onions

6 heads garlic

6 lemons, halved

1 package (73 ounces) ZATARAIN’S® Crawfish, Shrimp and Crab Boil – Complete

4 pounds small red potatoes

1 sack (35 to 40 pounds) live crawfish, cleaned

1 bunch celery, cut in bite-size pieces

¼ cup ZATARAIN’S® Concentrated Shrimp and Crab Boil

1 box ZATARAIN’S® Crawfish, Shrimp and Crab Boil – In a Bag

12 frozen half ears corn on the cob

Directions

Fill an 80-quart crawfish boiling pot with a basket 1/3 to ½ with water. Place pot on a jet-style propane burner on high heat. Add onions, garlic and lemon halves.  (You can use a small laundry bag for lemons and garlic. Or just leave the onions in the mesh bag they come in from the grocery with tags removed.)

Bring to full rolling boil. Stir in Crab Boil Complete.  Add potatoes (in their mesh bag from the grocery or a laundry bag).  Reduce heat to medium-low. Boil 20 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender. Remove potatoes.

Return water to full rolling boil on high heat.  Add crawfish, celery, liquid Crab Boil and Crab Boil bag.  Return water to full rolling boil on high heat. Start checking doneness just before water returns to full rolling boil.  As soon as small gaps start to appear between the head and the tail on the largest crawfish, they are done.  Turn off heat.  Add frozen corn and cooked potatoes.  Let stand 15 minutes.  Remove corn and potatoes. Let crawfish stand for a minimum of 30 minutes, but 45 minutes is better. Serves: 20

To clean crawfish: Pour live crawfish into a washtub or ice chest; cover with water.  Drain.  Repeat 3 to 4 times until crawfish are clean.  Drain. Discard any dead crawfish and debris.

~Zatarain’s

Turn up the heat, the music and the good times with a crawfish boil.

cest-si-bon

Superstitions and Traditions: The New Year’s Day Menu

A symbol of fortune, hope and luck for the upcoming year, black-eyed peas and cabbage are what’s on the New Year’s Day menu.  As tradition dictates, the eating of black-eyed peas is the culinary insurance policy one must take out for good luck in the upcoming year.  I’m sharing three pea something for everyone’s traditional and new-traditional taste recipes with you.

Traditional

New-Traditional

Smoky Black-Eyed Peas with Fried Green Tomatoes

Y’all!

Smoky Black-eyed Peas with Fried Green Tomatoes

Ingredients

1 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 garlic clove, minced
3 cups fresh black-eyed peas
2 Smoked Ham Hocks or purchased smoked ham hocks
1 (12-oz.) bottle amber beer
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 (7-oz.) can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup plain white cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 large firm green tomatoes, each cut into 4 slices
Canola oil
3 large ripe red tomatoes, each cut into 4 slices
1/2 cup crumbled feta or Cotija cheese
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Hot sauce

Directions

Sauté onions in 3 Tbsp. hot oil in a 3-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat 4 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute.  Stir in peas, next 4 ingredients, 3 1/2 cups water, and 2 Tbsp. adobo sauce from canned chipotle peppers. (Reserve peppers for another use.)  Bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer, stirring occasionally, 1 1/2 hours. Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, 20 to 30 minutes or until peas are tender.  Discard bay leaf. Remove hocks.  Remove ham from bones; discard bones.  Chop ham; stir into peas.  Add salt to taste; cover and keep warm over low heat.

Stir together 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper in a shallow dish. Whisk together cornmeal, ground chipotle chile, and remaining 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper in a second shallow dish. Whisk together eggs and buttermilk in a third shallow dish.

Dredge green tomatoes, 1 slice at a time, in flour mixture, shaking off excess.  Dip in egg mixture, and dredge in cornmeal mixture.

Pour oil to depth of 1 inch in a cast-iron skillet.  Heat over medium-high heat to 375°.  Fry green tomato slices, in batches, in hot oil 3 minutes on each side or until crisp.  Drain on a wire rack over paper towels. (Let oil temperature return to 375° between batches.)

Divide peas among 6 plates.  Top each with 1 red tomato slice and 1 fried green tomato slice.  Repeat tomato layers once. Sprinkle cheese and cilantro over tomatoes.  Serve with hot sauce.

~Southern Living

black-eye-pea-snack

For the binge watchers, couch trenders and let’s say we prepared a traditional New Year’s Day culinary extravaganza but actually do nothing but snack crowd, this recipe will cover all the bases, luck included.

Chili-Roasted Black Eyed Peas

Ingredients

2 (15.8-oz.) cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.  Transfer mixture to a lightly greased 17- x 12-inch jelly-roll pan.  Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until crispy and dry, stirring every 10 minutes.  Let cool 20 minutes.

~Southern Living

cabbage-fall2

Cabbage enters into the picture of prosperity as the money dish, as it is believed the leafy greens symbolize folding money.  One would be hard-pressed not to find black-eyed peas, cabbage and buttermilk cornbread cooking in the New Year’s Day kitchen.  As a Southerner, I do not question the New Year’s Day menu or the Southern superstition(s) nor will I buck this time honored tradition.

aunt-pitty-pat

In the words of Aunt Pittypat Hamilton, “It simply isn’t done!”

buttermilk-coleslaw

Classic Buttermilk Coleslaw

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce bag) coleslaw mix
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons good quality mayonnaise
½ cup buttermilk
¼ cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients until mixed thoroughly. Adjust seasoning, if desired. Chill until ready to serve. This can be made about two hours in advance, but any longer and it will lose its crunch and may become tinted from the purple cabbage.

~Kitchn

buttermilk-cornbread2

Buttermilk Cornbread

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons oil

2 cups buttermilk self -rising white corn meal mix

1 cup self-rising flour

½ Tablespoon baking powder

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup milk

Directions

Set oven to 425 degrees. Preheat oven while preparing cornbread mix. Mix corn meal and flour into mixing bowl. Stir in milk and eggs and mix well. Batter should be a medium thick consistency. Thin by adding additional milk until desired consistency is reached.  Grease baking pan or oven safe skillet(preferably a black cast iron skillet) with 3 Tablespoons cooking oil. Bottom of pan or skillet should be coated well but not swimming in oil. Place pan in oven to heat oil.  Once oil is heated, remove pan from oven. Pour batter into greased pan. Return pan or skillet to oven. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

~Places In The Home

new-year-quotes-10

I want to thank you the readers, visitors and subscribers of Places In The Home.   Every heartfelt comment, Facebook like, tweet, instagram follow and kind word means so much to me.  The New Year brings more anticipation, excitement and decor inspiration to Places In The Home.  I want to invite you to visit often, chime in, and let me know what you think.  We will design with beauty and style in mind, make pretty on a penny, source, create and suggest.  I raise a gorgeous goblet to toast happiness, health, family, love, peace, prosperity and friendship to all throughout the New Year!

Coconut Poke Cake

Temperatures in Louisiana hit the 90° degrees in the shade mark today. Summer is in sight and the first holiday weekend of the season is coming up.  I guess now is about as good a time as any to shine the spotlight on an entertaining summer read and a delicious summer recipe.  Two things our dinner gang does not shy away from- discussion and dessert.  The Coincidence of Coconut Cake  and a request for coconut poke cake served up a delicious course of both.

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The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

My mother requested I make a coconut poke cake for our Mother’s Day brunch dessert.  She specifically wanted me to make a coconut poke cake from a recipe she eavesdropped on overheard two ladies discussing at the beauty shop. Trying to follow her not so committed to memory bits and pieces of recipe recall about drove me coconuts.  “They said something about poking holes and coconut.”  Gee thanks, Mother.

cake-on-a-plateGoogle supplied the general outline, but a couple of ingredients adjustments and culinary interpretation fined tuned the overall taste.  My mother was so pleased with how my coconut poke cake turned out she asked me to make another one for the next meeting of our dinner gang. My idea for choosing The Coincidence of Coconut Cake by Amy E. Reichert as our required read was no coincidence at all.

coconut-poke-cake

Coconut Poke Cake

Ingredients

1 box white cake mix

1 cup coconut milk

3 large eggs

¼ cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons good vanilla

1 can (15 oz) Coco Lopez cream of coconut

2  8 oz frozen Cool Whip Extra Creamy whipped topping, thawed

1 8 oz package shredded coconut

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F.  Grease and flour the pan(s).  I like to use about 2 heaping tablespoons of the dry cake mix to flour my pan. You can use a rectangular pan, two round cake pans or a bundt pan.

Prepare cake mix substituting the coconut milk for the water and adding vanilla. Beat for 2-3 minutes on medium speed until all ingredients are well blended.

Pour cake batter into prepared cake pan(s). Bake according to package instructions. Remove cake from oven and while cake is still hot poke holes all over the top of the cake using a the handle of a wooden spoon.
Slowly pour the entire can of cream of coconut over the top of the cake. making sure the cream of coconut soaks into the holes.  Allow cake to cool completely. Generously frost top (and sides) with the extra creamy whipped topping and finish by topping the cake with the flaked coconut. Cover and keep refrigerated.

enjoy-hydrangea

A Most Fetching Friday: Grilled to Perfection Delicious Inspiration

Today’s Fetching Friday features grilled to perfection delicious inspiration for your outdoor living entertaining ideas pleasure.

fetch·ing

/ˈfeCHiNG/

adjective

adjective: fetching

attractive.

synonyms: attractive, appealing, sweet, pretty, good-looking, lovely, delightful, charming, prepossessing, captivating, enchanting, irresistible

salmon with creamed peas

Grilled Salmon with Dijon and Dill Creamed Pea Sauce

201208-HD-grilled-flatbreads-with-mushrooms-ricotta-and-herbs-201208-r-grilled-flatbreads-with-mushrooms-ricotta-and-herbs

Grilled Flatbreads with Mushrooms, Ricotta and Herbs

bfe84a51d3586fd0a5ed3a10ca805116

Grilled Portofino Vegetable Antipasto

grilled-tandoori-chicken

Grilled Tandoori Chicken

grilled-shrimp-with-cranberry-salsa

 Grilled Shrimp with Fresh Cranberry Salsa

grilled-stone-fruit-almond-mascarpone-dip Grilled Stone Fruit with Almond Mascarpone Dip

enjoy-hydrangea

Spring Gardening

Spring gardening days are here, my friends- can you dig it?

Comfort Non-Slip Grip Hand Garden Trowel

Comfort Non-Slip Grip Hand Garden Trowel

Visual and vocal denial of last week’s light frost brought forth the words of Sergeant Schultz of Hogan’s Heroes fame.

I-see-nothing

I see nothing as I only have eyes for spring!

spring-gardening-quote-PulitzerCountry Living Magazine

When the calendar says spring, my mind says spring, my heart says spring and the blooms and buds throughout the neighborhood say spring.

May-flowers-pink-orange-purple (1)

On my fresh from home farmers market radar is a kitchen vegetable garden flush with vegetables, herbs, and color rich flowers.

Our favorite local radio personality gives a daily update on the produce progress of her vegetable and flower garden, and I must admit I look forward to and am inspired by her down on the farm reports.

Readers-Digest-gardening-secrets

Better Homes and Gardens has a free kitchen garden plan to download which includes planting instructions and plants list for the kitchen veggie garden shown in the illustration below.

Click on this link:  An Eye-Catching Kitchen Garden Plan.

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In regards to the spring and summer salad season my question to you is this: Is there anything better than a fresh garden salad made with home grown tomatoes?

Pass the black pepper and the buttermilk dressing.

fresh-tomatoes-market

Commons

Don’t forget the fresh herbs, too!

fresh-herbs-garden

Markus Spiske

Speaking of fresh, colorful and tasty edible accouterments…

Edible flowers add a burst of seasonal color to any garden and the dishes and drinks they adorn.

spring-salad-edible-flowers

Victoria Magazine

floral compound butter

Common edible flowers to consider planting in your spring garden areas and containers:

Marigolds.

Chrysanthemums

Nasturtiums

Pansies

Sunflowers

Tulips

tulips

Spring plants a sweet treat seed.

orange-chiffon-cake-recipe

Country Living Magazine – Photography by John Kernick

Doesn’t this orange chiffon cake with buttermilk ice cream look fabulous?

Fabulous and fattening, but gardening is an excellent source of exercise so take that calories.

Dig in.

Orange Chiffon Cake with Buttermilk Ice Cream

7 large eggs

1 egg white

½ cup canola oil

zest of 2 medium oranges (about 1 ½ tablespoons)

1½ tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1½ cup granulated sugar

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. cream of tartar

1⅓ cup confectioners’ sugar

1 tbsp. melted butter

Buttermilk Ice Cream:

3 cups low-fat buttermilk

1½ cup heavy cream

½ cup sugar

½ tsp. Sea Salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Meanwhile, fit the bottom of a 10-inch tube pan with parchment paper and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix orange-juice concentrate with ½ cup water and set aside.  In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, oil, half the orange zest, vanilla, and ¾ cup reserved orange-juice mixture. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Whisk in the reserved egg-yolk mixture until batter is very smooth.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whip egg whites and cream of tartar to stiff peaks.  Add about 1/3 of the egg whites to batter and whisk gently to combine.  Using a rubber spatula, fold in remaining egg whites.

Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake on center rack of oven (do not open oven until end of baking time) until top is golden brown and springs back when touched, 50 to 60 minutes. Invert pan over neck of a bottle or heatproof funnel to cool completely. Remove when cool.

Run a knife between the pan and outer edges of cooled cake, all the way around, and invert cake to remove from pan.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine confectioners’ sugar, butter, and remaining orange-juice mixture and orange zest.  Place plastic wrap directly onto the surface of glaze and set aside until ready to use.

Place cake on a serving plate and drizzle with glaze. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.  Serve with Buttermilk Ice Cream.

To make Buttermilk Ice Cream:

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and refrigerate until very cold, at least 1 hour.  Pour mixture into an ice-cream maker; process according to manufacturer’s instructions.  Pack ice cream into a 1 ½-quart lidded container and press plastic wrap directly onto the surface before sealing.

Freeze until completely set, from 2 ½ to 4 ½ hours, depending on freezer. (Ice cream can be made up to 3 days ahead.)

Country Living Magazine

garden shedBetter Homes and Gardens

Early spring into Easter gets the spring gardening ball rolling.

It’s all nursery festivals, spring forward garden centers and Mary, Mary how does your garden grow everywhere you look.

Louisiana Nursery Festival

Louisiana Nursery Festival

Here’s a spring gardening video from Garden Answer blooming with inspiration and how-to steps for longer lasting spring blooms.

Oh, happy day- spring gardening days have arrived.

Darleen-signature-love

A Delicious Mocktail For New Year’s Eve 2015

The Places In The Home New Year’s Eve celebration pales in comparison to the rowdy and lively parties in Times Square or on the Vegas Strip, and that’s just the way we like it.  Give me a few appetizers,

cheese-strawsEmeril’s Easy Cheese Straws

everything-twistsEverything Twists

creamed-spinach-dipCreamed Spinach Dip

Brown-Sugar-Poppyseed-Hot-Ham-Cheese-Party-Rolls-Buns-Roll-Ups-01Hot Ham & Cheese Party Rolls

chocolate-dipped-mandarinsSalted, Chocolate-Dipped Mandarin Slices

a fabulous New Year’s Eve celebration themed tunes playlist,

and a delicious mocktail such as the Peach Sunrise Fizz.  Throw in the bangs, pops and sparkles of the neighborhood fireworks show and I’m good.  Party animals we are not, but we do give New Year’s Eve a run for its money 50+ style.

mocktail

Jumex peach nectar is a staple in the Places In The Home pantry.  I use this stuff in everything from cakes to marinades to my New Year’s Eve 2015 mocktail.  A quick survey of ingredients on hand brings forth this delicious mocktail with a zippy zing for proper party measure.

sugar-in-the-raw

Sugar in the Raw is another must have on hand holiday helper.  Did you happen to see my Facebook post featuring my Christmas Fresh Apple Nut cake iced to perfection and topped with Louisiana pecans and a generous sprinkling of Sugar in the Raw?  Take a look here.  Open a couple of packets of these chunky brown sugar crystals and pour into a saucer.

sugar-rim-glass

To zing the taste and the pretty factor up a notch or two, add the zest of one lemon to the sugar.  Squeeze the juice of the lemon into a small bowl.

fresh-lemon-juice

Dip the rim of the glass into the lemon juice.

cocktail-glasses

Fill the glass with ice.  Pour the glass ¾ full with the peach nectar.  Add a generous splash of lemon-lime soda and a generous pour of grenadine (pomegranate juice, sugar and water) or cherry juice.

grenadine

Give the Peach Sunrise Fizz mocktail a quick stir and garnish with fresh lemon twist.

peach-sunrise-fizz

Dave the Builder and I will be raising a glass to you as we toast the arrival of 2016. Here’s to New Year 2016- a fabulous year for us all abounding with peace, joy, love, health and great style!  Thank you for your support and loyal readership. Cheers!

Love your style!

Louisiana Distinctive Style and Taste Odyssey

Unique best describes our boot shaped state as Louisiana excels in taking the senses on a distinctive style and taste odyssey.

alligator print fabric

Telltale (or should I say telltail) signs of the Louisiana influence is evident  upon tables, walls, and plates, and vice versa.

Tray Top Figurine End Table

Tray Top Figurine End Table

tortoise-pattern-decor-accents

Antique Gold Crocodile Sculpture

Antique Gold Crocodile Sculpture

Good taste through decor and plate is native to our Louisiana lagniappe appeal.

fried-alligator-CochonCochon’s Fried Alligator with Chili Garlic Mayonnaise

pink-entrywayDomino

Gallery walls adorned in details and turtle shells inspire the palette of color and the palate of taste.

Turtle Shell Decoration

Turtle Shell Decoration

Straight from page 71 in the 1967 edition of the Talk About Good cookbook by members of the Lafayette Junior League, their relatives and friends is Mrs. Helen M. Hayes Turtle Soup II recipe.

talk about good cookbook

Talk about good!

talk-about-good-cook-book-turtle-soup-recipeTurtle Soup II  Monteleone

sea-creature-casserole (1)

Louisiana-paint-colors

Paint colors names spices a Louisiana flavored color palette takes the eye on a distinctive style and taste odyssey.

seafood-paint-colors1Cajun Shrimp ~ Lemon Twist ~ Sea Salt

Salted Roasted Shrimp

Ingredients
3  cups kosher salt
2  pounds head-on unpeeled large shrimp
Lemon wedges

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°.  On a large rimmed baking sheet, add salt in an even layer.  Bake 10 minutes.  Remove ½ cup salt and reserve.  Arrange shrimp evenly over hot salt; sprinkle with ½ cup reserved hot salt.

Cover tightly with foil.  Bake just until shrimp turn pink, 6 to 8 minutes. Discard excess salt.  Place shrimp on a serving platter; squeeze lemon over shrimp.

Louisiana Cookin’

C’est si bon!

Darleen-signature-love

Summer Entertaining Season Tips

Memorial Day ushers in the summer entertaining season.

That’s ninety some odd summer days and nights brimming with opportunity to gather together with family and friends.

Here’s five summer entertaining season tips to help you master the art of summer entertaining.

summer entertaining season

Regardless of the numbers involved, the ultimate party favor you can give  your guests is an enjoyable and relaxing time.

The Summer Entertaining SeasonPinterest

Endless hours of planning and preparing does not a successful party guarantee, however, what does come very close to guaranteeing a successful party is setting an at ease example.

Guests usually take the party lead from the attitude of the host and/or hostess which sets the tone for a comfortable let the good times roll atmosphere.

summer entertaining tips

Popular points of culinary and entertaining interest set an inviting place at the summer table.

dining-outdoors-summer-tablescape

Photo by Luis Monse on Unsplash

Taking a tablescape in a casually elegant direction requires putting a bit of considerable thought into the process.

summer-tablescape-pink-roses-Southern-Lady-Magazine

Southern Lady Magazine

Achieving an anything but uptight, stuffy finished result reflected in the right accents, lighting, selected place settings, serveware, and flowers reads effortless chic.

red-white-blue-table-setting

Southern Lady Magazine

Visually impressive table settings need not be an expensive or exhausting endeavor.

summer-entertaining-season-tip

watermelon slices

Kick off the summer sippin’ season with the unofficial official fruit of summer, the watermelon.

watermelon lemonade slushies

Watermelon Lemonade Slushies anyone?  Click on the link for the recipe from Life in the Lofthouse.

Watermelon Punch looks summer yummy too!

Click on the video for instructions.

Dazzle the thirsty through sight and taste.

Nothing says welcome to our summer soiree quite like a cool summer appropriate beverage.

summer entertaining season tip

Summer just isn’t summer until something is basted, rubbed, marinated or smothered in a stellar Southern BBQ sauce or rub.

Kamado Joe Classic III 18-Inch Ceramic Kamado Grill

In Louisiana we don’t need an excuse to jazz it up, fire it up, and kick it up, but if we did, summer would be all the excuse needed.

Good barbecue is what we call summer stock.

bbq-sauces-rubs-spices

We’re not  afraid to turn up the heat, spice or seasoning, but when entertaining we dial back the kick to a respectable c’est si bon level to accommodate the taste bud timid.

Good cooks and even better hosts know a little goes a long way in the flavor department and account for all tastes considered.

summer entertaining season tip

Entertaining mirrors interior design and decorating in regards to balance.

he-beach-boys-greatest-hits

When selecting the music for the party playlist aim to keep the types, styles, genres, and decades balanced somewhere between current hits, grooving to the oldies, what movie is this from, smooth and easy jazz, lounge lizard standards, and the soundtrack to high school and college days gone by.

nautical-style-bar-cart-photo-Matt-Albiani

House Beautiful – Photography by Matt Albiani

Balance the bar to the standard rule of party planning with help from the handy calculator from Total Wine & More.

Balance summer fun with summer safety, and as always, drink and host responsibly.

Darleen-signature-love