The Fete Blog

image via theiapolis media

Oh, come on– you know we had to! As obsessed as we are with the book (and film) The Great Gatsby, we thought it only right to theme a May dinner party after this great American novel (minus the car crashes, affairs, and crushed dreams, of course).

[ tablescape | string lights | flapper dress
roast chicken | cake pop | mint julep ]

While we can’t all throw parties as grand as Gatsby, we can throw a fabulous soiree of our own this summer– taking cues from Gatsby’s “roaring twenties” style. First things first– you need to have an inner and outer party space. If you can, snag some cheap, but beautiful, sheer curtains to drape your interior space with (a la Daisy Buchanan’s house); place cozy and comfy furniture (all the couches and armchairs you have) to allow your guests to lounge luxuriously. Dinner should be at a long table filled with candles and your glitziest tablewear– spray paint cheap silverwear gold for some extra flair!

Outside, hang white or colored string lights around your yard– EVERYWHERE. We don’t all have a pool, but if you do, make use of it! Play jazz standards (or Jay-Z, if you want to emulate the Baz Luhrmann Gatsby), dress in your best modern-day-flapper dress (something embellished and knee-length– and don’t forget a fabulous headpiece!) and ask your man to don a linen suit (or just something swanky). Grab a bunch of sparklers for the end of the night– a low-key version of Gatsby’s firework sendoffs.

Pass “tea cakes” (elaborately sprinkled or decorated cake pops could be a fun, modern version!) and dainty nibbles; delicious roast chicken must be your main course (yes, I’m grabbing at any reference to food I can find in the book). Oh– and mint juleps. Always!

Menu:
Cocktail | Mint Julep

Canape | Deviled eggs

Canape | Goat cheese crostini with blood orange and black pepper marmalade (ps. see more passed canape recipes here!)

Main | Buttermilk roast chicken

Side | Waldorf salad

Side | Peas and carrots

Dessert | Cake pops

{crepe paper pom garland | chopped salad | inside-out cake
cocktail sign | wooden floral centerpiece | vintage handkerchiefs}

Spring is finally, finally within our grasp– and it’s time to celebrate! There are so many specific things we could focus on this month– St. Patrick’s Day, the first official day of Spring, Easter– so why not throw one party to celebrate them all? With the snow (hopefully) all behind us, take advantage of your porch, lawn, backyard patio, or local park, pick a sunny weekend, and invite all your favorite people and their children over for a little afternoon soiree.

The look: casual, feminine garden party. DIY or pick up some crepe paper garlands to hang in the budding trees; pull out the wooden planters or your early springtime box garden to decorate the tables with vintage handkerchiefs (here are a few Etsy shops selling them in bundles; if real vintage/consignment isn’t quite your style, we love this Anthropologie version). With so much color and pattern in the decor, use your plain white serving-and-dinnerware to keep your tables looking crisp, yet whimsical. Set out art projects for the kids (paints, chalk, stamps, whatever messy project you’ve got) and kick back and enjoy the warm(er) weather with the adults.

For the menu: bring in a bit of St. Patrick’s with “green” (but not cheesy) flavors. We love mint and avocado; fresh and springy, but not over-the-top cliche. Include a nod to Easter with an egg dish– egg salad anyone?

Menu:

Cocktail | Mint Cucumber Vodka

Appetizer | Roasted Red Bell Pepper Pimento Cheese

Salad | Chopped Salad with Feta, Lime, and Mint

Main | Egg Salad With Pickled Celery and Coarse Dijon

Dessert No.1 | Avocado Chocolate Mousse

Dessert No.2 | Inside Out Tomboy Cake

Happy Spring! 

to go containers | mugs | soup
recipe cards | grilled cheese bar

I’ve been on a soup kick lately. Serving it at home for dinner with a friend. Hitting the soup bar at Whole Foods for a quick lunch. Taking it to a friend who just had a baby. And to yet another friend who was sick. It’s just so easy, so warm, so cozy and comforting– especially when paired with melty grilled cheese and a simple mixed green salad.

Make your January dinner party a soup swap! Have friends bring their own favorite soup or, if you really like to cook, make a few top choices of your own (I listed a few of recipes I really like below in the menu!). Either way, I do love the idea of sending guests home with one or two single serving containers so they can have a bonus round of their favorite soup for lunch later in the week. Be sure to round up some crock pots to keep the soups hot if you have more soup than stove space– nothing is worse than cold soup. Consider serving in smaller dishes, such as coffee mugs or tea cups, than the traditional soup bowl since guests will want to save room to try all the flavors. And be sure to provide recipe cards so your friends can recreate their favorite at home!

For another fun touch, check out this perfectly timed post on A Beautiful Mess with tips for creating an awesome, creative grilled cheese bar. I’d modify slightly and cut the bread slices in half. And my topping bar would definitely include bacon, avocado, and prosciutto. To keep the cooking easy, I’d have everyone make their sandwiches and then bake them in the oven instead of trying to do them individually in a skillet.

Menu
Salad | Arugula with red wine vinaigrette
Soup #1 | Coconut curry butternut squash soup
Soup #2 | Beef and Lentil stew
Soup #3 | Buttermilk potato soup with bacon and roasted jalapeno
Soup #4 | Roasted tomato soup
Side | Grilled cheese
Dessert | homemade chocolate chip cookies

-kim speer

Throw | Cider | Bacon Banana Cookies
Thumbprint Cookies | Linzer Cookies | Vintage plates

It’s the holidays! And there’s really no better time of the year to indulge. I know, I know– we all are trying to be healthy, cut back, make sure we’re not gaining unnecessary weight during the winter. BUT you can make one exception, can’t you?

December is hectic, with parties every other evening and family in and out of town. No need to add a massive dinner party to your plate– gather your top five favorite cookie recipes and throw a cozy evening soiree! Ideally, you’ll have a large fireplace, comfy couches and arm chairs to snuggle in, the chicest mugs and serving platters (I love these from Anthropologie), and all your closest girlfriends in attendance.

But real life isn’t picture perfect. Don’t have time to whip up five dozen cookies? Divvy up the offerings among your attendees and ask everyone to bring a favorite cookie (The cutest DIY you can do for this kind of party? Mail (or email) a recipe card to attendees and ask them to share the recipe of the cookies they bring. An easy hostess gift for them, a lovely keepsake for you). Throw blankets and pillows on the floor, light candles, and listen to crooners. Wear comfy clothing (no one wants to devour cookies in a corset). Keep warm drinks on hand– both alcoholic and non. Use the evening as a break from the pressures of hosting, decorating, DIY-ing, and gifting!

Menu
Drink (for the drivers) | Spiced Apple Cider
Drink (for the daring) | Hot Peppermint Chocolate
The Creamy Cookie | Brown Butter Ginger with Mascarpone Cream
The Classic Cookie | Linzer Cookies
The Adventurous Cookie | Bacon Banana Cookies
The Sophisticated Cookie | Nutmeg Maple Butter Cookies
The Wild Cookie | Lemon Thumbprint Cookies with Blood Orange Marmalade

apple sangria | sparkling cranberries | ikat napkins
blue rugs | sweet potoatoes | blue tablescape

Thanksgiving festivities are on everyone’s mind this week– but do you plan for all the leftovers you wake up to the morning after? Once the extended family is on their way back home and you’re sprawled out on your couch with a pot belly and messy kitchen, hosting another dinner party is probably not the first thing on your mind. But think of it as a win-win– you get to celebrate the season again PLUS you and your guests can rid your homes of excess vittals quickly. Send out an SOS email to all your neighbors and girlfriends you won’t see on Turkey Day, throw on some classy, but casual attire, and put those leftovers to use!

Because Thanksgiving is generally a brown-and-green holiday (if you go colorful with your decor, good for you! Most tablescapes I see for Thanksgiving are all neutrals), brighten up the scene with bright blues, teals, and creams. Pull out an assortment of bottles and jars for your tabletop, zigzag soft rugs around the floor, and use your funkiest linens for the occasion. Leave the holiday tunes for another party; this time around, plug Hall and Oates, Earth Wind and Fire, or Al Green into your iTunes and get the party atmosphere flowing. Dance party after a weekend-long bingefest is a must!

Forget the heavy turkey and ham dishes– use your underrated Thanksgiving leftovers in new, creative ways. No pies, tarts, or stuffing allowed! Make it a vegetarian feast– or pay homage to your turkey with classy sandwiches.

The Menu:

Cocktails | Sparkling Apple Sangria

Apps | Sweet Potatoes with Pecans and Goat Cheese

Side | Winter Greens and Butternut Squash Gratin

Main | Pumpkin Fettuccine

Dessert | Sparkling Cranberries

[salad | thermos | flowers |
squash | car | girl |
dinner | apple bobbing | cider]

Autumn has arrived, bringing with it good things like fall festivals, crisp, sunny, blue sky days, colder nights, changing leaves, college football tailgates, Halloween and Thanksgiving, textures like wool and corduroy and tweed, and nostalgic smells like wood fires and baking apples. I want to rake it all up like a pile of red and gold leaves and frolic in it until I fall down with a giant grin on my face.

There is so much inspiration for a fall dinner party. It was hard to narrow it down. But here are a few ideas– first and foremost, I am madly in love with vintage thermoses lately. Can’t get enough of them. Adorable picnic accessory, of course. But when you’re not cruising scenic Skyline Drive with your favorite beau, put together a collection of them for an eye catching display at home. Next up, fall foliage. Check out Design*Sponge’s amazing DIY to turn those bright, beautiful leaves into clever roses. And lastly, I’ve got bobbing for apples on the brain. I’d love to see a little childlike fun brought to a gathering with a lovely silver bin and some shiny, red Honeycrisps floating about. As for the tunes, I’m definitely thinking songs with a bluegrass feel– The Infamous Stringdusters, The Avett Brothers, Laura Marling.

Menu

Cocktails | Cider. My favorite is Potter’s Craft, made in Free Union, VA.

Starter | Apple Manchego Salad

Entrée | Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin with Bourbon Glaze

Side | Roasted Butternut Squash & Goat Cheese Puree

Dessert | Pumpkin Cheesecake

–kim speer

table | soup | dessert | chicken | lanterns
drinks | basket | flowers

This dinner party inspiration board is a celebration of my childhood summers. We’re going low key and laid back. But that doesn’t mean the food or fun will be lacking. Gather up some old school mismatched folding lawn chairs. Use whatever you’ve got handy for the table and linens, be it a sheet or a real table cloth. If you really want to spark some fond memories, buy a stack of paper plates and find some of those vintage wicker plate holders. Throw in a fun, inexpensive surprise for guests like water guns or sidewalk chalk or take-home baskets of locally picked peaches. And for the tunes, let’s continue with a fete of yesteryear — what did your parents play back in the day? My summer soiree would give a nod to my youthful memories of my folks playing Beach Boys, Otis Redding and classic country records.

Menu
Drink | Peach beverage
Soup | Chilled Corn Soup
Entrée | Fried Chicken
Side | Mixed greens and tomato salad
Side | Biscuits
Dessert | Ice cream sandwiches

–kim speer

top: guy | lights | girl
middle: cherry clafoutis | garland | frites
bottom: props | cheese plate | table setting

When July 5th rolls around, don’t be so quick to pack up all of that red, white and blue. There’s still Bastille Day to celebrate on July 14th! Even better, it’s a Saturday this year!! Vive la France!!

The first time I remember celebrating Bastille Day was when I lived in Washington D.C. One of my best friends was moving away later that summer to start grad school in Paris. So to properly send her off, we made July 14th dinner reservations at Bistrot du Coin. Most of the year, it is just a restaurant – one of my favorites in the city. But on Bastille Day, late in the evening, they clear out the tables and chairs and break out the disco ball. House music fills the already crowded space. After a perfect meal of steak frites and wine, you can shimmy and shake like that summer when you were nineteen years old and studying abroad in Europe. [sigh] Good times.

Not in metro stop range of Bistrot du Coin? You can still have your own perfect backyard fête at home. String up some café lights and fabric bunting. Encourage guests to wear red, white & blue– berets, striped shirts, even neck scarves. Be sure to have some fun accessories on hand to help them play their part– even something as simple as a black sharpie marker to draw finger moustaches. Steak frites with haricot verts are easy to prepare. Serve with French wines, of course. And have your local cheese monger help you pick out an assortment of French cheeses– don’t forget the cheese course comes after the main course. Finish off the meal with a lovely, simple cherry clafoutis. All the while, keep the French pop songs playing in the background.

Bon appétit!

Menu

Cocktail | Kir (or upgrade with champagne instead of white wine for a Kir Royale)

Entrée | Steak Frites

Side | Hericot Verts

Cheese Course | I love the trend I’ve been seeing for individual cheese plates. It encourages guests to try a variety instead of just sticking with familiar favorites. Click here for a helpful post from Cup of Jo on creating the perfect cheese plate. Be sure to include samples of crackers, bread, fruit, and a few fun toppings like honey or chutney.

Dessert | Cherry Clafoutis

-kim speer

Dear June,

Meet me for a picnic?

love, Fête

cocktail | flowers | wraps |picnic
seersucker | movie night | popsicles

Summer is just around the corner this month. It’s time to relax a bit. Keep it easy and casual. And most important, keep it outdoors and enjoy the longer hours of light, blue skies, fireflies, the milder temperatures before sweltering July hits.

I’m obsessing over picnics. Nothing fancy. Just fresh, cool cocktails while stretched out on a comfy cotton blanket. My favorite pre-dinner drink this time of year is a blueberry vodka and lemonade mix. Healthy wraps are easy to prep in advance and serve with a scrap of seersucker for a napkin. Finish it all off with simple but delicious homemade fruit and yogurt popsicles. I can almost feel the sun on my shoulders and that perfect breeze right now.

Bonus: Don’t move inside just because the sun went down. When I lived in Atlanta and DC, there were large scale outdoor movie events in public parks and such. (Hello! Anyone in C’ville reading?? I’ve lived here 7 years and wish so much we had something like those events. Anyone feeling inspired to get it going?…. ) Anyway, one summer here in C’ville, a couple of friends and I co-hosted monthly backyard movie nights and had the best time. We bought blackout fabric (it’s white but doesn’t let light through) to make the screen and borrowed a projector and sound system. Everyone brought their own picnics and adult beverages. We provided ice, soda, and popcorn. We watched classics like Goonies, Jaws, and Point Break. Hmmmm… I might have to dig up that old screen again soon.

Menu

Cocktail | Blueberry Vodka Lemonade
Appetizer | Prosciutto & Melon
Entrée | Chicken Asparagus Wrap
Dessert | Mango Yogurt Ice Pops

–kim speer

clockwise: invitation | party dress | glitter banner |
lantern | cake | flowers | salad | fabric | glasses

Oh, lovely darling May! Inspired by a certain blog editor’s May birthday (psssst! It’s this Thursday. Be sure to send her happy wishes!), a recent trip to pick sweet strawberries with girlfriends, and the buds ready to bloom on my peony bushes– I was drawn to pretty, feminine images this month. Soft textures in pretty shades of pink and white! Shimmering hints of silvery sparkle!

Get your favorite girlfriends together for a simple but elegant soiree. Mix a fun modern invite with vintage glassware and linens. Re-purpose a pink chenille bedspread from your local secondhand store for your tablecloth. I love the shiny thread stitched into the one in the photo. Pick something delicate and ruffled for your florals… peonies, hydrangea, ranunculus.

DIY some inexpensive vases from around your house or the dollar store using instructions here. For more DIY fun, you can look here to make your own glittery paper lanterns or here for a glitter text garland.

–kim speer

Menu
Cocktail | Rosemary Rhubarb Grapefruit Cocktail
Appetizer | Asparagus Tart
Salad | Strawberry Spinach Salad
Entrée | Baked Chicken with Dijon and Lime
Side | Roasted New Potatoes
Dessert | Strawberry Shortcake with homemade whipped cream