Happy 4th of July!

A beautiful weekend with great friends and a few American classics...


Plus my favorite cocktail this summer: The Dark N' Stormy...
(1/2 can ginger beer, 1.5 oz. Dark Jamaican Rum, mix with ice & lime)

Happy Birthday America!

Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. - John F. Kennedy

I hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July weekend! It was the perfect weather to enjoy with friends and fireworks! My boyfriend and I decided to go against the traditional F.O.J. BBQ and host a deliciously lazy brunch instead! We had some friends down to our beach apartment and it made more sense to kick the day off with some grub rather than trying to lure everyone off the beach later! It worked out great and everyone slept it off in the sun and sand!


Even though we were hosting an indoor brunch, I still wanted the feel of an outdoor picnic. I chose easy breezy things like paper lanterns, a handmade banner, and wrapped red/white/blue ribbons around some candles. Since the meal was the focus, patriotic touches worked their way into the buffet table too... I used the same ribbon to tie up napkins around plasticware and piled them into a white summery basket. I found other fun things like stars and stripes muffin liners and little flag toothpicks!

To make the morning as simple (and lazy) as possible, the brunch was served buffet style and the menu was limited to two main dishes - one savory: Breakfast Burritos and one sweet: French Toast Bake! I prepared the French Toast Bake the night before and kept it in the fridge. In the morning, I threw the French Toast in the oven while my girlfriends and I cooked up scrambled eggs and burrito toppings, placing them all in seperate bowls for self-serve ease. Burrito toppings included crumbled sausage, diced ham steak, tomatos, potatoes o'brien, shredded cheese, and salsa.

My absoulte favorite morning cocktail is the infamous Bloody Mary! While the girls were busy in the kitchen, the boys set to task with whipping up the perfect batch. They were armed with V8, horseradish, celery seed, tobasco sauce, lemons, limes, salt, pepper, celery stalks, olives, and of course, vodka. After much "taste testing", they shared with the rest of us!