A Taste of Florence

Summer has finally arrived at it is time for picnics and al fresco dining! This season we are particularly enthralled with the look of Italian ceramics. While we love the look, dinner service for 12 can be a hefty investment. However, we have found the most amazing line by Le Cadeaux - the collection has the rich look of Italian ceramics but it is made of durable melamine, perfect for outdoor entertaining and elegant picnics. We promise that your guests will be shocked when they realize they are dining on scratch-resistant plastic. Also available at The Lark in Denver, 1219 E 4th Ave Denver, CO. Phone: 303-744-7464

Ode to Monograms

We can't quite put our finger on it, but there is just something special about receiving a monogrammed gift- whether it's a gorgeous bathrobe or monogrammed book of matches, initialed gifts are something to cherish. Here are our favorite monogrammed gifts to give, and to receive!

Girlie Dopp Kits from Mrs. Monogram- $44

Custom Lucite Trays at Iomoi - $100

Your host can relax in style with one of Pottery Barn's Cozy Robes - $59

Ornate Initial Gift Tags from Horchow will delight your hostess - $40

Wrap your gifts with Mongrammed Wrapping Paper, also from Horchow - $90

Surprise your weekend hosts with this triple-milled Square Soap from Pottery Barn - $39

Winter Wonderland Open House

This New Year's Day we are having an open house for our neighbors and we are going ridiculously simple and taking a party idea from one of our favorite industry publications, BizBash. In this month's recap of the most memorable parties, the pub featured and event hosted by Metropolitan Home that featured an all white dessert bar.

On the bar: snowflake-shaped sugar cookies alternating with white candy (we'll buy it in bulk with white-chocolate covered pretzels at Sunflower Market), elevated trays of brownies covered in white chocolate, and buttercream topped cupcakes. We'll serve this all with Gruet and White Chocolate Martinis.

Add one white linen tablecloth, anchor each end of the table with a simple blown glass candelabra, and serve on all white serving dishes with visually interesting square appetizer plates. Place everything on the buffet at varying heights, and you have one stunning and simple open house.

While this party is a crowd pleaser, we do recommend hosting this particular event after normal meal hours or at least supplementing with a cheese platter or other protein-laden snacks so that your guests don't leave in a sugar coma!

Cozy New Year's Eve Dinner for Two

Every few years we take a break and sit one out for New Year's Eve. This year we are forgoing the big New Year's Eve festivities in favor of a cozy, low key dinner for two. But dinner for two doesn't have to mean a boring night in, sitting in front of the TV watching the ball drop.

Instead, we'll set the table for two and open the dining room windows so that we can see the lights of the city and catch some of the fireworks display.

To make dinner feel really special, we've also paired each course with some of our favorite wines and picked some great music so that we feel like we've been transported to one of the hippest hotel bars in the world.

On the menu:

BITE

Appetizer/Salad
Bacon Wrapped Dates
Mache with Simple French Vinaigrette

Main
Pan Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Rosemary & Garlic
Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Dessert
Thomas Keller's Chocolate Bouchons

SIP

Appetizer/Salad
Miner Vineyards Chardonnay 2006
We'll pair our first course with a buttery chardonnay from Oregon.

Main
Mollydooker Shiraz McClaren Vale Carnival of Love 2007
We'll enjoy our beef tenderloin with this bold and berry Shiraz. Ranked #9 in Wine Spectator's list of the top 10 wines in the world, this wine is a decadent choice for a special occasion.

Dessert
Banfi Rosa Regale Brachetto 2005
Changing up the champagne tradition slightly, we'll pair our chocolately dessert with this sweet, red sparkling wine.

LISTEN
Hotel Costes vol. 11
New Year's Eve is time for something bar-inspired and Hotel Costes Vol 11 is the 2008 installment in this trend-setting compilation series by French DJ Stephane Pompougnac of the famed Hotel Costes.

Festive Holiday Party Drinks

The holidays are a great time to try out new and festive drinks and one of our favorites is the Kir Royale. Easily prepared with champagne and a touch of creme de cassis, this black-currant flavored drink is always a hit with our guests.

Ingredients:
5 fl. oz. chilled Champagne or sparkling wine
2 tsp. crème de cassis
1 lemon twist for garnish

Directions:
Pour the Champagne and crème de cassis into a Champagne flute and stir briefly. Garnish with the lemon twist. Serves 1.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma, The Bar Guide.

Eco-Chic Placemats

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and if your calendar is anything like ours, it is quickly filling with holiday parties and get-togethers with friends and family. Never one to show up to a fete empty handed, we've found some great hostess gifts to get you through the holidays.

Our latest fave? These amazing Eako placemats and coasters made from decommissioned London Fire Brigade fire hose. Not only are they environmentally friendly, non-slip and heat resistant, but they look great as well! We can't wait to see the reaction when we wrap these up for the holidays.

A Party Fit for Marie Antoinette

The latest issue of Vogue has a review of a new "magical" restaurant in NYC called Sweetie Pie and the pictures have inspired us to host an over-the-top tea and sweets party for our best girlfriends.

On the menu:

The Drinks
Assorted teas from with delicate silk tea bags from Tea Forte. We'll serve the tea using my grandmother's silver tea service with a mix and match collection of English bone china. The tea packaging is so beautiful it can be incorporated right into our decor.

For those who feel like an afternoon cocktail we'll serve Kir Royales - an easy to make drink with one part creme de cassis and five parts champagne - just gently pour the champagne on top of the creme de cassis.

The Eats
Macarons from Paulette, their small round cakes are the next best thing to the original macaroons from La Duree in Paris.

A variety of tiny cakes, mini pastries, petit fours, and chocolate dipped strawberries from Gateaux Bakery in Denver, all served on a tea cart like Sweetie Pie.

And finally, we'll get some to-go orders of the to-die-for cinnamon and powdered sugar donuts from Beatrice & Woodsley on South Broadway and serve them with Marie Belle hot chocolate.

Yum! We can hardly wait for the weekend.