Since it’s not quite picnic weather in NYC, I decided to bring my potential Central Park dinner idea into the walls of Casa Blanca this past weekend. Oh, yes. The place was filled with Nashville friends I’ve known since I was two years old, high school, college to friends I’ve recently met in between! And since I was working this weekend and pranced into my place just 20 minutes before the guests started twerking in, I decided to create a simple menu I could whip up quick + easy…with a Baker touch, of course. Hola!
less is more with casa blanca table settings
kendall-jackson vintner’s reserve chardonnay
Placed on the table and in the hands of guests was my new favorite wine called Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay from Kendall-Jackson. It’s flavorful white filled with all things citrus + a hint of honey vanilla and a long lingering finish…such a hit with every guest! Plus, the bottles went perfectly with all the flavors served + colors on the table.
Bernard Maisner, a paper + calligraphy + custom stationary legend, had kindly drawn my friend’s names for a B+H post titled Hairline Strokes of Perfection a few years ago, and they were just too gorgeous not to feature yet again + place on the table settings. They were the perfect Spring touch with a hint of glam + colorful detail!
Since my office is next to the beloved + dangerously delicious Eataly, it was an easy trip for me to run right in before heading home that night for the dinner. Their assorted cheeses made for an irresistible cheese plate and was balanced with my favorite truffle honey from SLC. It kicked our evening off the right way and kept the señors + señoritas preoccupied while I was cookin’ up the appetizers!
Next up? That would be ricotta bruschetta swirled with truffle honey on top {not pictured}. It’s such an easy appetizer to create in a flash, sans stress!
One of the easiest salads to kick off any meal is Caprese. And with having a larger group, it worked perfectly to serve these bad boys on a simple white platter to balance the vibrant color scheme + flavors.
Main delight on the CB menu? That would be fresh tagliatelle from Eataly topped with a homemade sauce invented by yours truly! Want to create the same concoction at home? Mix Mario Batali’s Arabiatta + Vodka sauces and add in chopped Rotisserie Chicken + half cup of heavy cream. Sprinkled with the parmesan amount of your choice! More the merrier, hunny.
All in all, getting old + new friends together for an indoor picnic was the best way to kick off this fabulous Spring week of sunshine. And although it’s not quite picnic weather yet, the hilarious laughs, carbo load and delicious KJ wines at hand brought the warm sunshine into Casa Blanca at last. B+H
This evening was sponsored by Kendall-Jackson, but the opinions and views expressed in this post are completely my own.
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