Hamptons Celebrity-Style Entertaining
Mark Addison has spotted celebrities all over the Hamptons this summer at the hottest restaurants enjoying East End favorites. Mark has the DL on what was touching the lips of some of the biggest celebrities and will share his “chic-rets” to Celebrity Entertaining in the Hamptons with a throw-down menu of summer cocktails, apps, salads and the famous Stuart’s Clam Bake.
https://vimeo.com/48101009
Celebrity Cocktails
Southside
from The Living Room c/o The Maidstone Inn; East Hampton, NY
Georgica Peach
from Georgica; Wainscott, NY
G6 Margarita
from Georgica; Wainscott, NY
Hot Sides
Zucchini Chips
from Nick & Toni’s Restaurant; East Hampton, NY
Manhattan and New England Clam Chowder
from Bostwick’s Chowder House; East Hampton, NY
Summer Salads
Chop Salad
from 75 Main; Southampton, NY
Endive Salad with Lobster
from 75 Main; Southampton, NY
The Main Event
Clam Bakes To Go
from Stuart’s Seafood; Amagansett, NY
Decorating the Table with Lands’ End
from KMart; Southampton, NY
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The Southside
Recipe from from The Living Room c/o The Mainstone Inn; East Hampton, NY
Ingredients:
- Fresh Mint
- Simple Syrup
- Fresh Lime Juice
- Soda Water
- 2 oz of Your choice of Tanqueray Gin, Ketel One Vodka, Don Julio Blanca Tequila or Rum
Method:
- Muddle mint in a cocktail shaker. Add in liquor (gin, vodka, tequila or rum), fresh lime juice, simple syrup, and shake with ice
- Strain over ice into a Collins Glass
- Top with soda water and garnish with mint
Celebrity Spotting: Alec Baldwin and his new wife Hilaria celebrated their post wedding reception at The Living Room c/o The Madistone Inn
The Living Room c/o The Maidstone Inn Website
For more of Mark’s “Chic-rets” to Hamptons Celebrity Entertaining, click here!
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Georgica Peach
Recipe from from the Georgica; Wainscott, NY
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Ketel One vodka
- Fresh peach puree
- Simple syrup
- Champagne
Method:
- In a cocktail shaker full of ice, add Ketel One vodka and peach puree
- Shake vigorously until chilled and strain into a champagne flute
- Top with champagne and enjoy
Celebrity Spotting: Sofia Viagra celebrated her engagement to Nick Lobe at Georgica
For more of Mark’s “Chic-rets” to Hamptons Celebrity Entertaining, click here!
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G6 Margarita
Recipe from the Georgica; Wainscott, NY
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Don Julio Blanca Tequila
- 1 oz St Germaine Elderflower Liqueur
- Pink Grapefuit Juice
- Lime Juice
Method:
- Combine Tequila Don Julio Blanco, elderflower liqueur, and fresh lime juice in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well.
- Strain over ice into a rocks glass and top with pink grapefruit juice.
Celebrity Spotting: Sofia Viagra celebrated her engagement to Nick Lobe at Georgica
For more of Mark’s “Chic-rets” to Hamptons Celebrity Entertaining, click here!
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Zucchini Chips
Recipe from Nick & Toni’s; East Hampton, NY
Ingredients:
- 2 medium-sized zucchini, finely sliced on a mandolin
- 1 tablespoons coarse salt
- 1/2 cup milk (or more if needed)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- enough canola oil to cover 2 inches of a deep skillet or griddle
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)
Method:
- Sprinkle the salt over the sliced zucchini and let them rest in a colander or a plate for about 15 minutes. This will remove some of the moisture from the zucchini. Then arrange in a single layer on some paper towels and pat dry.
- Heat the oil until very hot. I don’t even really know a temperature, but like Satan’s gym hot.
- Pour the milk into a shallow dish. Combine the flour, onion powder, garlic salt and cayenne in another shallow dish, tossing to incorporate.
- Then it’s just an assembly line. You’ll dip the zucchini into the milk, then into the flour mixture, shaking off any excess. And then into the hot oil they go. Fry for about 2 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat until all slices are good and fried. (don’t overcrowd) I didn’t photograph the frying because I’m a total sissy.
- Serve chips with another good sprinkle of coarse salt and garnished with chopped fresh parsley.
Celebrity Spotting: favorites of Steve Spielberg among many…
Nick & Toni’s Restaurant Website
For more of Mark’s “Chic-rets” to Hamptons Celebrity Entertaining, click here!
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Manhattan and New England Clam Chowder
Recipes from Bostwick’s Chowder House; East Hampton, NY
Manhattan Clam Chowder
Ingredients:
- 2 slices bacon (can sub with 2 more Tbsp olive oil)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
- 2 bay leaves
- 12 ounces of tomato juice, strained tomatoes or crushed tomatoes
- 1 14-ounce can of clam broth or juice*
- 2 10-ounce cans of baby clams, juice reserved*
- 1 pound waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
- A dozen or so live small clams, such as littlenecks or Manila clams
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Tabasco or other hot sauce
*If using fresh quahogs, scrub clean a dozen or more quahogs. Place clams in a small pot and add two cups of water. Bring water to a boil. Cover the pot and steam the clams until they completely open, about 10 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove clams from pot and set aside. Strain the clam steaming liquid through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth to catch any grit, reserving the liquid. Remove the clams from the shells, chop. Use chopped clams in place of canned. Use steaming liquid in place of clam broth.
Method:
- Render the bacon fat. Slowly cook the bacon with the olive oil until the bacon is crispy. Remove, chop and set aside. Turn the heat to medium-high and sauté the carrots, celery and onion until soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Do not brown the vegetables. Return chopped bacon to the pot.
- Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the herbs, tomato juice, clam broth and the juice from the canned clams, mix well, then add the potatoes. Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer gently until the potatoes are done, about 30-40 minutes.
- When the potatoes are tender, add the canned clams and the live clams, cover the pot and simmer until the live clams open up, about 5-10 minutes. Add Tabasco, salt and black pepper to taste.
New England Clam Chowder
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 2 celery stalks (reserve tender leaves) trimmed, quartered lengthwise, then sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 (10-ounce) cans chopped clams in juice
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 pound Idaho potatoes, cut into 1/2- inch cubes
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method:
- Heat the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery and saute until softened, mixing often. Stir in the flour to distribute evenly.
- Add the stock, juice from 2 cans of chopped clams (reserve clams), cream, bay leaves, and potatoes and stir to combine.
- Bring to a simmer, stirring consistently (the mixture will thicken), then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook 20 minutes, stirring often, until the potatoes are nice and tender.
- Then add clams and season to taste with salt and pepper, cook until clams are just firm, another 2 minutes.
Celebrity Spotting: Local haunt for Alec Baldwin and his new wife, Cameron Diaz, Molly Sims, and Jack Nicholson.
Bostwick’s Chowder House Website
For more of Mark’s “Chic-rets” to Hamptons Celebrity Entertaining, click here!
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Chop Salad
Recipe from 75 Main; Southampton, NY
Ingredients:
- Red Leaf Lettuce
- Candied Walnuts
- Roasted Red Pepper
- Dried Cranberries
- Gorgonzola Cheese
Celebrity Spotting: Favorite dish of Joe Biden, Lindsey Lohan and Kim Kardashian
75 Main Restaurant and Lounge Website
For more of Mark’s “Chic-rets” to Hamptons Celebrity Entertaining, click here!
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Endive Salad with Lobster
Recipe from 75 Main; Southampton, NY
Ingredients:
- Endive
- Grape Tomatoes
- Avocado
- Basil
- Steamed Lobster
- Shaved Fennel (an addition by Mark Addison)
Celebrity Spotting: Kevin Bacon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ryan Seacrest, and Howard Stern frequent the restaurant with friends and family.
75 Main Restaurant and Lounge Website
For more of Mark’s “Chic-rets” to Hamptons Celebrity Entertaining, click here!
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Clambakes To Go
Recipe from Stuart’s Seafood; Amagansett, NY
Ingredients (per person):
- 1 – 1 ¼ lb Lobster
- ½ pound of Steamers or 6 Little Neck Clams
- ½ pound Mussels
- 1 ear of Corn on the Cob
- ½ dozen Red Potatoes
Method:
- The clam bake comes layered in a disposable kettle that is ready for the stovetop, grill or beach fire cooking.
Celebrity Spotting: Stuart’s is a favorite of Gwyneth Paltrow and her mother, Blythe Danner. Jerry Seinfeld also has a house account at Stuart’s and comes in quite often.
How to make your own Clam Bake
Ingredients:
- 2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
- ½ cup finely chopped mixed herbs, suck as parsley, chives, and thyme
- Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 pounds creamer potatoes
- 8 ears corn
- 4 pounds kielbasa, cut into pieces, 8 dozen hard-shell clams, such as cherrystone or littleneck
Method:
- Dig a shallow pit in the sand and line it with large stones. Pile wood on top of the coals. Burn the wood for 1 to 2 hours until the rocks are red hot; rake off the ashes. Set 1 cinder block on each corner of the pit to form the base; lay a barbecue grate on top to make a table.
- While the stones are heating prepare the herb butter: Mix the butter with the cheese and herbs; season it with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Place a thick layer of seaweed on the grate. Place a layer of potatoes on the rack and cover them with a thin layer of seaweed. Put the corn on next and then another thin layer of seaweed. Now put on the kielbasa and top it with a thin layer of seaweed. Next mound the clams on top and cover with a thick layer of seaweed. Cover the entire bake with burlap or a tarp soaked in sea water. Keep the tarp wet by pouring sea water over the top if needed. Cook until the clams open and the potatoes are tender, about 1 hour.
- Pull the husks back from the corn and remove the silk. Brush generously with the herb butter and garnish with grated Parmesan.
For more of Mark’s “Chic-rets” to Hamptons Celebrity Entertaining, click here!
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Decorating the Table, Hamptons Style
Decorating the Table is as easy as visiting KMart!
Lands’ End Striped Tablecloths, Placemats, Table Runners, Linen Napkins, and Place Card holders are the perfect accessories for your Hamptons Celebrity Style Party. Lands’ End is sold at KMart and celebrities love the convenience that KMart in South Hampton offers!
Celebrity Spotting: Matt Lauer, Adam Sandler and Keith Hernandez love to visit KMart to gather items for their backyeard BBQ’s, toys for their children, and some last minute sunscreen before heading to the beach!
For more of Mark’s “Chic-rets” to Hamptons Celebrity Entertaining, click here!
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Curry Carrot Salad
Ingredients:
- 2 medium carrots, medium grated and dried
- 1 cup golden raisins, finely chopped
- ¼ cup chopped green onion
- 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon of tallow curry powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 to 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 8 oz soft mild goat cheese at room temperature
Method:
- Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl except goat cheese until thoroughly mixed.
- Fold in goat cheese until the mixture is evenly distributed in the cheese.
- Place in presentation bowl, cover and store in refrigerator until use.
For more information on Mark’s Easy Breezy Summer Entertaining, click here!
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Gazpacho Push Pops
Layer 1: Gazpacho
Layer 2: Guacamole
Layer 3: Crème Fraiche
Gazpacho
Ingredients:
- 6 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
- 1 purple onion, finely chopped
- 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
- 1 sweet red bell pepper (or green) seeded and chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1-2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tsp. sugar
- 6 or more drops of Tabasco sauce to taste
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 4 cups tomato juice
- White bread
Method:
- Combine all ingredients.
- Blend slightly to desired consistency.
- Place in non-metal, non-reactive storage container, cover tightly and refrigerate overnight, allowing flavors to blend.
- Using a circular cookie cutter, cut white bread into small circles a bit smaller than the mouth of the push pop container. Place the piece of white bread as the bottom layer of the push pop.
Guacamole
Ingredients:
- 2 ripe avocados
- ½ red onion, minced (about ½ cup)
- 1-2 serrano chiles, stems and seeds removed, minced
- 2 tbsp. cilantro leaves, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp. of fresh lime or lemon juice
- ½ tsp. coarse salt
- a dash of freshly grated black pepper
- ½ ripe tomato, seeds and pulp removed, chopped
Method:
- Cut avocados in half. Remove pit. Scoop out avocado from the peel, put in a mixing bowl.
- Using a fork, mash the avocado. Add the chopped onion, cilantro, lime or lemon, salt and pepper and mash some more. Chili peppers vary individually in their hotness, add the amount of your choice.
- Keep tomatoes separate until ready to serve.
- Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole to prevent oxidations from the air reaching it.
- Refrigerate until ready.
- Just before serving, add the chopped tomato to the guacamole and mix.
For more information on Mark’s Easy Breezy Summer Entertaining, click here!
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Summer Eco-taining Essentials
Memorial Day is THE party kick-off event of the summer entertaining season. Get the party started right with my Summer Entertaining Essentials for Summer entertaining on-the-go or on demand.
I will share my picks for this summer’s entertaining must-haves that will take you through every summer holiday and every day summer entertaining whenever they pop up. Also, I will ensure that you’ll be entertaining in style as he brings the latest fashions to your tabletop with his “colors of the season” entertaining décor tips… And throw away those paper plates, for good, because I have great tips on environmentally friendly, sustainable entertaining for your summer eco-taining arsenal.
https://vimeo.com/42851366
Setting the table for the perfect summer entertaining on-the-go or on demand is as simple as 1-2-3!
First, start with the perfect bag of party tricks! I believe that keeping all your Summer entertaining essentials in one convenient and easy accessible place is key. My go-to Summer tote is make of Land’s End canvas and is the perfect eco-friendly Summer carrying bag made by Lands’ End. It is water resistant with plenty of storage for all your essentials.
Beach towels do double duty as picnic blankets or tablecloths. Fun vintage inspired pattern help set the festive tone. This beach towel, provided by Lands’ End is the perfect Vintage pattern tying in the color palette from the entire table.
Second, throw away those paper plates, for good! and opt for Bamboo plates, silverware, and serving pieces. These items, made by Core Bamboo, are made from 100% organically grown bamboo. They are finished with natural oils to make them food safe and the lacquer comes from natural cashew trees. If and when you do throw them away, they are 100% biodegradable and compostable, leaving you guilt free!
Thirdly, bring the hottest fashion colors to your Summer party with re-usable and disposable napkins. MY DRAP tear-off napkins are the only 100% cotton napkins on a roll that come in a variety of colors and sizes that can be mixed and matched for a mega dose of fashion colors. Guests get the feel of cloth napkins in a disposable that are good for the environment, making you “look marvelous” (and feel marvelous too)! The best part about these napkins is they can be washed and reused up to six times!
The perfect compliment to the MY DRAP napkins is the Table Chameleon Napkin Rings, which I designed and produced and are the perfect summer entertaining essential! The Table Chameleon Napkin Rings are designed to bring a bit of character to your table in whatever way you please with a variety of colors and styles. Easy to use, the 3/4″ thick hand-cut acrylic rings are held together with magnets and feature inserts in four different designs – London, Ada, Saturn and Miami – in the colors, red blue, orange, and green. To switch out the inserts, there are four simple steps: slide, slip, snap and create! All you have to do is slide the pieces apart, slip in the insert, snap the two pieces together and create the look you want for your table! For more information or to purchase The Table Chameleon, go to my website!
To be the ULTIMATE Eco-tainer, make sure you party like a Local-vore!
A local-vore is a person dedicated to eating food grown and produced locally. There are a lot of reasons to eat locally grown and produced foods.
- Less resources (primarily fossil fuels) are expended packaging and easy transporting from Farm to Table.
- It supports the local economy – more money remains in our local community.
- It is healthier – processing and preservatives are less important since the food doesn’t have to travel so far.
- It is safer and thus local-vores are less susceptible to foodborn illnesses.
- It is more honest – honesty in terms of the food source and the growing/producing process.
- And last but not least – it tastes better!
Here are a few examples for shopping for like a local-vore that I incorporated into this segment by shopping right here in NYC:
Asparagus – NJ Native
Beef – PA Native
Mushrooms – NJ Native
Cheese – NY Native
Crab Cakes – NJ Native
Tomatoes – NJ Native
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In Case You Missed Mark on Access Hollywood yesterday…
you can find the video here! Mark gave some great tips to liven up your summer party or get-together.
Learn how to make a one-minute margarita and how to turn your dinnerware into a “cirque du plate” display!
Mark on “Better” TV for Summer ’11 Entertaining Essentials
Mark’s segment from “Better” TV aired and is now up on his YouTube channel. Click here to check it out!
Savvy Summer Host
We still have two months left of summer, which means you still have time to be a savvy summer host! A great host needs great food for your guests to enjoy and I’ve got a couple of recipes that will help keep not only your costs down, but your blood pressure as well.
Mrs. Dash Salt-Free Seasonings are salt and MSG-free, yet still flavorful and come in a variety of flavors that are good for grilling meats and seasoning fruit in the summer. You can find the recipe for a salad that includes Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb blend here.
Reddi-wip is an easy ingredient to add in order to transform fruit into a guilt-free summer dessert. You can find the recipe for a strawberry chocolate shortcake here and an upside-down fruit nacho here.
Savory Summer Salad
This recipe will serve 4 and can be prepared in 25-35 minutes!
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 Tbsp. Mrs. Dash® Garlic & Herb Blend
- 1 beef top sirloin steak, cut ¾ inch thick (about 1 lb)
- 1 medium onion, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
- 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 medium tomato, sliced
- 4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and sliced
- New York Style® Sea Salt Bagel Crisps®
Dressing
- 2 Tsp. Mrs. Dash® Garlic & Herb Blend
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
Directions
- Whisk dressing ingredients in small bowl. Reserve ¼ cup dressing for salad. Brush remaining dressing on onion slices.
- Heat grill or cast iron grill plate.
- Rub beef with 1 Tbsp. Mrs. Dash® Garlic & Herb Blend. Grill steak 7 to 13 minutes to desired doneness, turning occasionally. Slice steak.
- Grill onion 10-12 minutes, turning occasionally, until tender.
- Arrange lettuce on serving platter and top with sliced steak, tomatoes, onion and eggs. Drizzle with reserved 1/3 cup dressing. Serve Bagel Crisps® on the side.
Summer Must-Haves from Crate & Barrel
If you’re going to be entertaining all summer long, here are some essentials from Crate & Barrel that can be “re-used, re-interpreted, and created” in order to maximize use and minimize spending. 
The Bianca Melamine Dinner Plate, Salad Plate, and Individual Bowl come in summer colors as well as white, which make them great for layering.
The dinnerware also comes in a citrus Melon Ball pattern, adding lots of color to your table.
These lolli candleholders can complement your melamine dinnerware and if you want, can serve more than one purpose. Whether you choose to put votives in them or some kind of dipping sauce, they will be a fabulous addition to the table.
The same thing goes for the Ona Vase in that it can be used in several ways for various occasions–a centerpiece with flowers or even as a salad dressing holder.
As for this acrylic pitcher with infuser, it’s wonderful for adding a little bit of a lemon or lime twist to your water.
You can see how I’ve used some of these pieces above–the layering and stacking of the melamine dinnerware in order to add height to the table, the pop of color coming from the candleholders as they are being used for dip as well as candles, the acrylic pitcher with lemon and cucumber slices and dill, and the ona vase for salad dressing.
Backwards Barbeque
Summer’s here, and it’s time to bring on the heat! The grill, that is. The charm of a barbeque is people coming together to enjoy delicious food. This time around, I’m turning barbeque on its ear! I will show you some fun and non-traditional ways to entertain with this summer. Change the face of BBQ by mixing up the staples and serving something more creative. Don’t worry – it will still feel like a barbeque, and you’ll still need the grill!
Grills always come to mind when thinking of a barbeque, but for your summer party, think outside the bun! In fact, loose the bun altogether… introducing the grilled meat cupcake with mashed potato frosting. Use your favorite garnishes like bacon and green onions for sprinkles!
And grilled greenery! Mix it up without the mixed greens. Throw a romaine heart on the grill and dress it up with your favorite veggies (also grilled) and some Parmesan cheese.
I made gazpacho, sweet onion soup, and carrot ginger soup, but for a delicious twist, I grilled all the veggies first. It adds a unique smoky flavor to these summer soup favorites.
For dessert, top off lightly grilled slices of pound cake with roasted blueberry compote á la mode.
Or, for something even more decadent, try my grilled bananas foster! This will have guests amazed at just how far a grill can go. Top a grilled doughnut with grilled banana halves, and drizzle this delectable combo in the sweet banana juice and caramel sauce. You’re allowed – after all, it’s a barbeque.
TODAY Show Labor Day: Campfire S’Mores!
(food styling: Deb Winson)
For those who like to rough it on vacation, but don’t want to pack up all of that gear The Campfire Grill complete with a fire pit for preparing everyone’s favorite campfire treat S’mores. These are easy to make and even easier to eat.
Here is another example of using everyday, common items that most of us have or have around and pairing them with some unexpected pieces to create the scene you want – a campfire. Simply made from river stones (i hand picked from vt last weekend) lined with gravel (left over from a house project) with a grill grate over top. it’s as simple as that.
We whipped up a batch of melted chocolate and marshmallow cream kept warm by our make-shift double boiler and sterno pots to keep them warm.
I have a selection of my favorite dippers down here – classic graham crackers, donut holes and an assortment of cookies to dredge in the chocolate and/or the marshmallow. Classic campfire S’mores you can enjoy inside or out!
What goes better with S’mores than a hot cup of coco…? But in the summer, not so refreshing. To wash down the chocolaty gooey goodness, I whipped up a batch of Iced “Hot” Coco. Just like the original – delicious chocolate melted in warm cream, but tossed in a blender with ice and low fat milk, whipped to a froth pour into a chilled glass with a dust with coco powder for a frothy delicious summer chocolate beverage!
Be sure to explore my alternate ideas for an exciting Labor Day stay-cation: try a Picnic in the Park or soak up the sun with friends at a Beach Party!
Check out a shopping list and full recipes after the “jump”.
TODAY Show Labor Day: Picnic in the Park!
(food styling: Deb Winson)
At my Park Picnic at home… to create the picnic feel, I covered the table in living wheat grass with little flowering plants. In this lovely lush green grass we have deconstructed picnic sandwiches that then guest reconstruct. Sound complicated? It’s really not. Tumbling out of our picnic basket we have a selection of bread triangles and below we have traditional sandwiches reconstructed into spreads… gone is the messy cold cut platter!
The chicken club – chicken, bacon, tomatoes, onions, lettuce creamed together with mayo in one delicious spread.
Layered BLT – layers of bacon spread, sun dried tomato spread & baby green pesto.
Veggie and Cheese – a blend of shredded carrots, green olives, walnuts with goat cheese and a touch of Moroccan seasoning.
Simply choose your bread – white, rye or pumpernickel, spread or spreads (mix them up) adding layer by layer – finish with a skewer of
We are keeping it cute and simple with drinks to go. We have a tin bucket of ready to drink fruit juice, coconut water or artisanal water, grab a straw and go play Frisbee.
Be sure to explore my alternate ideas for an exciting Labor Day stay-cation: try a sunny Party on the Beach or get cozy with family around the Campfire Grill!
Check out a shopping list and full recipes after the “jump”.
TODAY Show Labor Day: Beach Party!
(food styling: Deb Winson)
For the beach party, I’ve sculpted beachscape out of dunes of couscous sand (uncooked couscous). It makes a great interactive tactical table covering that is food friendly – Everyone likes sand under their feet, but not in their food!
I also used Simon Pearce glass serving pieces that look like they were forged from the sand and sea and “sun-bleach” Simon Pearce bowls and platters. The table is boarded with think a nautical rope to complete the look and feel of the beach.
What’s great about statement pieces like the Simon Pearce glass is that they create drama… Art with a purpose, you use it! I’ve turned the Vela bowl on it’s end with potato chips cascading out (DIRTY potato chips – plain potato chips dusted them with crab boil seasoning) making them look all the more extraordinary. Paired it with the Providence bowl for a classic onion dip, a little dirty too!
The Lobster Roll is a classic, but not on this “stay-cation” budget. Here I have replaced the price lobster with shrimp and crab salads, which are far less expensive and much more accessible w/o compromising on taste. A dramatic flare with the garnishes of parsley for the shrimp roll and chopped chive for the crab these mini rolls purty for the party!
We’re at the beach… how about a little fishing?
This is a great example of using everyday items – a run of the mill fish as a punch bowl for my tropical fish punch. It’s like playing “go fish”! It’s just a clear fruit punch with frozen fruit juice fish. Kids love this! Each guest can pick the flavor of their drink by choosing which fish flavor to scoop up – We have cranberry, orange and grape juice flavors – lots of fun for all!
Since I wanted a cup that would contribute purposeful design to my tropical fruit punch spread, I looked no further than Simon Pearce. Again, his knack for hand-blow glass beauties came to the rescue. The commemorative cup was the perfect choice – sleek, rounded glass lip and a handle that resembled the delicate twist of a fish’s fin.
Be sure to explore my alternate ideas for an exciting Labor Day stay-cation: try a Picnic in the Park or get cozy with family around the Campfire Grill.
Check out a shopping list and full recipes after the “jump”.
TODAY Show Labor Day
I went on the TODAY Show yesterday to show viewers how to successfully orchestrate a Labor Day vacation without having to leave their home… essentially what I like to call a “stay-cation” of sorts. I wanted to create areas that appealed to a variety of ages and tastes, so I took input from some friends and family.
From my trusted team of experts, I gathered that the most popular Labor Day vacations were: luau on the beach, picnic in the park and S’mores around the campfire.
Find a shopping list and full recipes for your upcoming Labor Day party here: Beach Party, Park Picnic, Campfire Grill!
One Minute Margarita
If you don’t have the time and don’t have the traditional ingredients for a Frozen Margarita… this is a quick fix to a frosty cold beverage in a flash Made with only two ingredients plus ice with optional garnishes. On your mark (pun intended) get set go!
OM Frozen Margarita –
Two lime whole fruit bars (whole fruit)
2 Oz. Quality Tequila
6 ice cubes
salt and lime wedge for garnish (0ptional)
Using the must-have immersion blender (Must-Have hand blender) and accompanying mixing cup, remove the “meat” from the popsicle stick of the fruit bars and place into the mixing cup, place the ice cubes on the top of the lime pop, then pour the tequila on top.
Using the hand mixer on high (don’t start the mixer until the blade has made contact with the ice) press firmly up and down on the mixer increasing the pressure as the ice breaks up and ultimately blends thoroughly. Pour into pre-salted rimmed glass and garnish with a lime wedge.
