DINNER AL FRESCO — STUDIO BLOG

Hi guys, it’s me, that girl katie I love traditions and Dinner Al Fresco has become a favorite of mine.

This year we hosted Dinner Al Fresco with our amazing friends Hunter and Molly who own the restaurant, E.Leaven.

Summers tend to fly by everywhere but even more so here in Jackson because of the short summer season due to mountain living. So we are making it an annual tradition to end the summer season enjoying good friends, great food, yummy drinks and of course the beautiful Tetons.

Having 4 of us to divide up the work was perfect because we were all able to really enjoy the evening. Hunter, Molly & Matt took care of the menu while I took care of all the décor elements + my homemade ice cream.

It was a perfect night and we definitely KICKED UP our HEELS.

What dinner party traditions do you have?

Hi y'all, it's me that girl katie, Earlier this month my husband and I hosted a "Dinner al Fresco" along the Snake River in our hometown of Jackson, Wy. I attended one last year and couldn't wait to host one myself. Lucky me, my husband enjoys to cook which allowed me the time to create plenty of small details and homemade ice cream in order for the night to really glow along side his awesome menu. After all, there were a few celebrations that took place, a birthday, an anniversary and an anniversary eve. It was a perfect night to spend with great friends we have known for a long time.

I hope this inspires you to do something similar in your hometown.

Menu:

Apps: Herb and lemon goat cheese spread with baguette Prosciutto wrapped shrimp with red pepper aioli

Dinner: Salad with honey lemon vinaigrette Quinoa salad with corn and fresh herbs Grilled lemon-oregano chicken drumsticks Santa maria tri-tip roast

Dessert: Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream Push Pops (kept frozen with dry ice which you can get at your local grocery store)

Embelishments:

- Dinner al Fresco chalkboard sign - A painted black and white stripe table runner - Mason jar vases wrapped with black burlap and brown twine - Flowers- I bought from our grocery store and assembled them into the mason jars - Mason jars with candles - Battery operated lights strung over the table - Speciality Drink with a decorative label - A green plastic table cloth I purchased at our local fabric store

Details:

- BYOC - We asked all of our guest to bring their own chair - We choose a location that was public property so we didn't have to reserve it. I did take a few chairs out earlier in the day to silently reserve a spot. - We used bamboo plates that I bought at our local organic grocery store. My husband can't stand paper plates so for me to get him to agree on these instead of ceramic plates was huge but it lightened our load. - We made sure to tell our guests that there wouldn't be a bathroom on site. Hello nature toilet. - Headlamps were also very handy during clean up when it was really dark - Bought ice on way to site

What we learned for next summer:

- Bring large bins to throw everything in when its too dark to organize and deal with the next day at home - Consider hosting it with another couple.