Feb 8, 2017
For this semester’s Barque Team get-together, I thought it might be fun to have “Brunch for Dinner”. The benefits would be twofold – a great way for my girls to sample a few of our food products (like buttermilk biscuit mix and local jams)… and second, I thought it would be easy to cook on a weeknight!
In this post, you’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at the invitation, party details, decorations, menu and party favors – plus an idea you can borrow to spark great conversation at your own Valentine’s Day gathering!
Since I love Valentine’s Day, I thought that would be an easy theme to work with. I utilized my collection of vintage Valentines to add a little interest to my mantle.
For the table, I used lots of layering – starting with a simple white tablecloth, then adding a length of sheer pink fabric (on clearance at Joann’s), followed by heart-shaped cut outs and doilies. To finish it off, more vintage valentines strewn about (some on tiny easels) and a sprinkling of conversation heart candies. For added ambiance, I combined a few tall white candles with strings of battery-operated, mini copper lights (a new arrival at the store).
For each place setting, alternating pink and red napkins (folded in the shape of a heart) were adorned with a hand-lettered doily as a place card. The talented @kelseylaineholt (check her out on Instagram!) made them for us – as well as the food/drink labels – and they really made the tablescape swoon-worthy, don’t you think?
Before guests got settled in, everyone was asked fill out 2 “Conversation Hearts”. This idea was inspired by Darcy Miller’s new book, Celebrate Everything – and it ended up being one of the favorite parts of the evening for all of us. HERE is a link to a free printable with the instructions, which can easily be displayed in a basic 4×6 frame.
You can download the conversation heart templates HERE and HERE – just print them out on pastel colored cardstock and cut out by hand.
We collected the completed hearts in a fish bowl, and they later became our dinner conversation starters! It was really fun to try to guess who each heart belonged to – and it sparked great conversation! We learned a lot about one another (and laughed a lot too).
The menu consisted of traditional breakfast food – eggs (heart-shaped of course), bacon, sausage, turkey bacon, buttermilk biscuits (see our tips for those here), local jams from Kelle B, fruit, yogurt (with heart sprinkles), and a modified version of Bobby Flay’s Rosemary and Pancetta Home Fries (from the cookbook Brunch at Bobby’s). To be honest, I’ve made this recipe before and it was delicious, but I must have done something wrong this time – oops! It didn’t work out as I had planned, so it became mashed the potatoes with rosemary and pancetta mixed in – sometimes you have to improvise!
We tested out a recipe from the Forest Feast Gatherings Cookbook for the bar – Ruby Mimosa Punch – and it was quite tasty!
I think a party always needs a favor, and for this one, each of the girls received a ball cap (monogrammed with the Barque logo), a box of conversation hearts, a mini jar of Kelle B Jam, and a Butter London nail polish. I love how the personalized tags turned out too!
Corny or not, the tags are true – I really do love these girls! They’re a great bunch, and I’m so blessed to have each one of them working with me. The best part is I think they genuinely enjoy one other too – It’s not often you can work and play together and enjoy so much laughter.
Aren’t they they cutest?
I hope our Team “Dinner” inspires a few ideas for your own Valentine’s (or Galentine’s) Brunch, and if it does, we’d love to know about it! Tag us on Instagram (@barquegifts) or email us photos – we love to see how our friends and customers throw a party!
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Sep 5, 2016
For our Aloha Team Dinner, I decided to keep the prep easy for BBQ Pulled Pork tacos by using a slow cooker, and this recipe turned out to be a keeper!
Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork
Ingredients:
- 1 (3-4 lb.) boneless Boston butt pork roast
- 1 jar Kelle B Santa Fe Apple BBQ Sauce (we also sell this at Barque)
- 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 white onion, coursely chopped
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
- 2 bell peppers, seeded and chopped into 1/2 inch slices
- 1 32 oz. container of low sodium chicken broth
- 2-3 cups of water
- chili powder
- cumin
- salt and pepper
Directions:
Remove the netting from the pork roast and generously rub it down with chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper on all sides. Place it in the slow cooker and add chopped onion, jalapeno, bell peppers and garlic.
Pour BBQ sauce over the top, add chicken broth and water (enough to barely cover the top of the pork).
Cook on the high temperature setting for 2 hours, then reduce to low for 4-5 hours. If you’re not able to change the temperature, just cook it on low for 8-9 hours.
Warning: This pork will make your house smell AMAZING! 🙂
Once you’re ready to serve, remove the meat from the slow cooker and place it on a cutting board. Cut away the obvious fat, and shred the meat. If you want even more flavorful meat, retrieve some of the veggies from the pot, chop them up and add mix them into the meat before serving.
This pork is great for tacos, sandwiches, burritos… it’s very versatile. And for how easy it is, that’s a beautiful thing.
May 2, 2016
Over the past three years, we’ve had the pleasure of working this pretty special girl right here —> Shannon. She’s always got a smile on her face and our customers love her as much as we do!
She’s a great student, a hard worker, a thoughtful friend, and now – a beautiful Bride-to-Be. Our team has watched Shannon’s relationship with Austin blossom from the beginning, and even though we’re sad to see her move on (we don’t want her to leave!!!!)… we ARE excited for this next chapter in her life! So naturally, the Barque team wanted to send her off in style with a Bridal Shower. I mean, parties are what we DO – of course we wanted to throw one for one for her!
The fantastic hand-lettering details were created by another talented Barque team member – Kelsey. {find her on Instagram @kelseylainee}. Don’t you love this chalk sign? She also did all the mini signs for our snacks.
The gorgeous strawberries were handmade by our resident Party Queen, Suzanne. She’s pretty much a pro when it comes to party mechanics and details. She was also kind enough to host the shower in her home – and it served as the perfect backdrop!
We purchased the bride’s favorite thumbprint cookies from Simply Decadent Bakery, and the Keesha made the Artichoke Lemon Pesto Dip (we carry it in the store and it’s a crowd favorite at parties).
For the floral arrangements, we decided on a combination of simple white flowers and vegetable garden accents. I had seen one similar to this from Southern Living awhile back, so I was anxious to try it for myself. I made a few modifications to their tutorial here, but I love how it turned out!
The larger arrangement also had hints from the garden with various pops of color from carrots, brussels sprouts, orange beets, artichokes, kale, collard greens and radishes.
Shannon’s guests showered her with so many great things!
Do you recognize any of these pretty ladies from the shop? 🙂
None of us wanted to play cliche “Bridal Shower Games”, so instead we opted for something PAPER related (shocking) – Milestone Mail for the happy couple! Guests were asked to choose a milestone event, write it on the front of the envelope, then write them a blessing or word of encouragement to read when that milestone occurs. It should be a fun way for her to remember these guests and how much they care for her – even years down the road!
The hostesses of the shower gifted Shannon a big basket of kitchen goodies – and we made each item special with words of well wishes.
We ended the shower with a sweet photo of our “Barque twins” – aren’t they the cutest? {By the way, Emory and Kelsey did some serious wrestling to get those balloons to cooperate – it was a windy day!}
Shannon, we are proud that you’ve spent the last three years working for us and we wish you nothing but happiness in this new chapter of your life!
Love, the Barque Team
[ If you’re planning a Shower soon, you might want to download our Shower Planning Sheet – this idea came from a customer who has throwing showers down pat! Thank you for the great idea Tomi!]
Nov 18, 2015
I love planning a holiday meal. As new food magazine issues emerge on the shelves, I start collecting them – and scouring them – using page flags and sticky notes to mark interesting recipes.
I’m lucky that my family is laid back when it comes to holiday meals. They usually leave the menu up to me, and I love the responsibility – it lets me get a little creative!
A decision on the protein comes first – turkey, ham, duck, Cornish game hen, seafood? From there I plan the sides carefully… and yes, I write it all down on one big list. (Normally I make a list of possible sides and then mark them off based on relevance to the protein.) Once I’ve narrowed down my sides and desserts (the two hardest categories to whittle down), I make a shopping list. I go through the ingredients in each recipe and check it with items I have on hand. If I need something, it goes on the shopping list – with amounts needed jotted out to the side. So, if for example, I need butter for the green beans, butter for the mashed potatoes and butter for the dessert – I might have a side note of 1/2 cup + 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons… Before heading to the store, I do the math so I buy the right amount of each ingredient.
**My Holiday Grocery Shopping Trick – Buying in bulk (especially when everyone else is) can be a waiting game. Instead, plan out your shopping list early and conquer it by making more frequent, quick stops during the week leading up to the holiday. Plan to buy 10 items or less so you can go through the Express Lane – it’s a breeze and you’ll have all you need in no time, without having to wait 30-45 minutes in a long register line! **
I’ve made TWO free printables to help you with your Thanksgiving Dinner planning and shopping – just click on these links to download a thanksgiving menu planning and a thanksgiving shopping list.
Another clever idea for your holiday (and everyday) entertaining is to keep a Cooking Journal. I got this one years ago at Anthropologie, but any journal or notebook will do. In my food journal, I keep track of menus for holidays and other special get-togethers. It’s kind of like in the movie High Fidelity when John Cusack’s character reorganized his record collection in chronological order. If I remember that we loved the potatoes from last Easter but our favorite turkey was from Christmas 3 years ago, I can mix and match to create a better menu for the next holiday. It’s a good way to keep beloved recipes close at hand (if they’re well received I jot down the recipe in the book) – and I love to look back on what went over well and what didn’t.
Here’s a peek inside my cooking journal. I make notes of the event, date of the meal, who was in attendance and where the dinner was for future reference. I also include a rating out to the side of experimental dishes – stars if we loved the dish and X’s if we hated it… keeps us from repeating culinary mistakes. In this journal, I also experiment on recipes I’ve had and want to duplicate or recipes I’ve thrown together and liked. It’s where I keep track of my culinary adventures (and misadventures too).
I would recommend a cooking journal to any aspiring foodie… in fact, if you know a foodie who doesn’t have one, it might be a great Christmas gift idea.
It’s back to Thanksgiving dinner plans for me. Happy Thursday!
Aug 18, 2015
While in Costa Rica for my brother’s wedding, my family took a half day fishing tour. When the young local fisherman presented us with a gorgeous pineapple snack – we were really impressed with his presentation skills! He used no fancy plates or utensils – just a pineapple, a cutting board and a knife.
Basic. Beautiful. Delicious. And I’ve never cut a pineapple this way.
Of course I asked him how he did it (so I could share with you). Wouldn’t this be fabulous at a Luau or backyard summer party? The best part is there’s virtually no clean up (aside from washing your hands and the knife)!
First, cut off the top of the pineapple. Then cut off the bottom.
Then cut the pineapple in half.
Next, cut out the core of the pineapple by slicing a “V” shape in the flesh. Then cut again to create four equal pieces.
Carefully use the knife to separate the inner flesh from the outer skin.
Slice the pineapple into ½” sections.
Position the slices so they alternate on the pineapple “plate” and serve.
This was my first time cutting a pineapple like this, so it isn’t as pretty as the fisherman’s, but it DID work. And I’ll definitely be giving this technique some practice in the warm months!
{Did you know pineapples are ON TREND right now? You can read more here.}
Jul 22, 2015
Ingredients:
One bunch of carrots
1/2 cup Savannah Bee Company’s Grill Honey
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary (or any other fresh herb you enjoy)
Instructions:
Wash and peel the carrots, removing the both ends. Put carrots in a large baggie and evenly coat with the grill honey/balsamic mixture. Refrigerate and let marinate for 30 minutes.
Fire up the grill to medium heat. Grill carrots for 15 minutes on one side, then flip the carrots, drizzle with more grill honey and grill until cooked through (approx. 10-15 more minutes). Remove from the grill and toss with the rosemary. Enjoy!
I think a party always needs a favor, and for this one, each of the girls received a ball cap (monogrammed with the Barque logo), a box of conversation hearts, a mini jar of Kelle B Jam, and a Butter London nail polish. I love how the personalized tags turned out too!
Corny or not, the tags are true – I really do love these girls! They’re a great bunch, and I’m so blessed to have each one of them working with me. The best part is I think they genuinely enjoy one other too – It’s not often you can work and play together and enjoy so much laughter.
Aren’t they they cutest?
I hope our Team “Dinner” inspires a few ideas for your own Valentine’s (or Galentine’s) Brunch, and if it does, we’d love to know about it! Tag us on Instagram (@barquegifts) or email us photos – we love to see how our friends and customers throw a party!
