Sometimes fancy meals and extensive dinners are fun, but other times you crave simplicity. This past Sunday we had so much fun sitting on the floor, eating in our newly designed living room (thank you, Havertys!!!), and laughing with dear friends. My husband enjoyed choosing the foods for this meal, and my big requests were pesto, a fresh baguette, and a variety of cheeses. Guess what, Y'all? He did NOT disappoint!!
I've had so many compliments on this cocktail table from Havertys, so go ahead and click here to see more details. It definitely served us well this warm autumn afternoon. We had refreshing cranberry mock-tails mixed with Asa's homemade simple syrup--keep reading for the recipe!
We did a mix of charcuterie boards and antipasto. Fresh baguettes, peppered salami, roasted red peppers, Swiss cheese, gruyere, prosciutto, grapes, sun-dried tomatoes, (I may have begged for a cheese ball) fresh mozzarella (aka HEAVEN), and, you betcha--pesto! Ha ha!
Oh, you see that NAVY BLUE SOFA up there behind all that delectable food? Don't worry--you can have one too! Click here to check it out, and remember, you can design your dreams away with H Designers through Havertys, and ALL the employees are super helpful. And the insanely plush and comfy rug that my sweet senior dog is on? Check that here!
We try to have special Sunday meals regularly throughout the month, and to make them a really memorable event. It's one of my favorite days of the week because all of this, right here, is unforgettable. What you can't hear through the photos is our son Pierson writing letters to Santa and asking us how to spell certain words. And our daughter Reese laughing and walking around with her backpack on, getting ready for 'work.'
It's always a good day when the kids enjoy the food too--and as you can see, ours did. There was one dilemma... all of the animals felt that the table was perfectly at THEIR level? So keeping them away was quite the struggle. Don't judge me on this photo below ;)
The rest of the afternoon was spent pretty much outdoors, or else running up and down the stairs and playing all sorts of silly games. One of Pierson's favorites is to dangle his legs out of the banister to get Asa to jump up and grab them. The living room has been our spot, where we sit and mingle and talk and catch up. It's also where we ended the night to start The Grinch; truth be told the weekend had me exhausted and my KIDS had me exhausted--and just sitting in quiet to watch a Christmas movie was really divine. (#momlife)
Okay, and now for the sweet twist to this blog post: Asa's Cranberry Simple Syrup Recipe:
-Combine 1 cup of sugar, and 1/2 a cup of water.
-Bring to a boil. Add in 6oz of fresh cranberries, and the juice from two oranges.
-Toss in the whole oranges (rind and all). Add 1 tbsp cinnamon, and 1 tsp each clove and allspice. Simmer until thickened.
-Pour everything in a blender and let her rip. Strain the pulp reserving the syrup for your mocktail.
-For the mocktail fill your shaker with ice. Its very important you shake this drink. Add in 1oz of the cranberry simple syrup, and 4 oz of sprite or club soda. (I suppose you could always add a little rum or bourbon it that's your thing.) Shake well.
-Serve with a little twist of orange.
Now I'd love to hear from YOU! What is your favorite FOOD memory; it can entail something that you cooked, your mom cooked, or that you would die to know HOW to cook. And you know that I adore Shauna Niequist, so I'm leaving you with one of her endearing quotes:
"Gather the people you love around your table and feed them with love and honesty and creativity. Feed them with your hands and the flavors and smells that remind you of home and beauty and the best stories you’ve ever heard, the best stories you’ve ever lived."
