Bee's Knees Cocktail

Bee's Knees

With our outdoor space taking shape, I've been spending a lot of my time outside. If you live in the south, you know that must mean I really like my new table because being outside in the summer feels like sitting in an oven. 

We went to dinner with my husband's godparents the other night to catch up with them. I love his godmother. She is stylish, smart, fun-loving and sassy. You better believe if you serve her a cocktail she doesn't like, she's sending it back...as many times as it takes to get it right (one of the attributes that makes me love her). She's as southern as they come. You won't catch her outside of the house without her face fixed. She once told a waiter to wash off some of his cologne because it was so strong she couldn't enjoy her meal. Ha! She is a woman who knows exactly what she wants and gets it. 

I admire that. 

We introduced them to a new restaurant down the road from our home. They had just returned from a trip to NYC to visit their daughter. The waiter came to take our order. "I'll have the bee's knees" she said. I had never heard of it. "I tried it at a restaurant in New York. It was their specialty. I just like something refreshing with my meal."

I tasted a sip of it and loved it, which was surprising because I'm not much for gin. 

Being out in the heat, I got a craving for that refreshing sipper I had with my godmother-in-law. 

I drove to our local package store and picked up what they called a 'sweeter gin' to make my drink. The first one didn't come out too well and I'll tell you why. This recipe calls for honey. The problem with honey in a cold drink is that it doesn't melt. For the second batch I poured my honey into a small pot on the stove with a little water and made it into a simple syrup. Voila! This little trick made all the difference. 

I added a few chamomile flowers for garnish because honey and chamomile go together so naturally. It also looks like a little cup of sunshine. :)

Bee's Knees

Preparation: 5 min

                  Cook Time: 0 min  Total Time: 10 min                       

Ingredients

        

          2 oz gin

          3/4 oz lemon juice

          1 oz honey simple syrup (2 tbsp honey + 2 tbsp water)

Instructions

        

          Boil honey with water until honey disintegrates (about 1-2 min). This recipe makes one drink so portion 

          accordingly. Allow the simple syrup to cool. I stick mine in the fridge. In a shaker combine all ingredients 

          with ice until well blended. This drink is usually served in a martini glass, but I serve mine in a low ball 

          glass with a large ice cube. Garnish with a lemon twist or a few chamomile flowers.

Outdoor Space Refresh

One of the most attractive features of where we live is our backyard. There are trees scattered throughout that provide great shade and pretty songs from what I believe to be dozens of different types of birds. I love spending time out in our yard and our friends love it too. Up until a week ago, our outdoor space consisted of iron chairs that I spray painted black, given to us by old neighbors. Now that we have such a beautiful spot to host friends and family, we decided an upgrade was in order. 

If you follow my Instagram, you know that I have been dying to share our new outdoor dining space.     

I found this outdoor table from Ballard Designs and instantly fell in love. It is so unique and classically built. The teak is perfect for an outdoor table built to last. We considered buying an iron set, but it didn't have the warmth I desired. When I pictured myself entertaining outside, I saw myself with a weathered wood table and tartan blankets draping over the arms of the end chairs. Can you tell I'm ready for fall?

To break in our new table, I decided to host a wine and cheese party. I recently discovered a local cheese shop that makes all of their own cheeses in house. They specialize in goat cheese and blue cheese so I picked up a few of each along with some other favorites like brie and havarti.

{  Tip  }

I love serving fig cake with my cheese boards for added sweetness without a big mess. Another yummy addition are cold grapes for a perfect palate refresher in between bites.

I came up with this salad recipe as a pairing for wine and cheese. Using the crumbled blue cheese I purchased and some fresh boiled eggs, this salad has it all - salty, sweet, crunchy, tangy.

I love a good flatbread pizza. To save time, I picked this one up from a restaurant nearby. By alternating the slices on a long platter, we saved space on the table and created a sophisticated look for an old classic.

Honey may be messy to pass around the table but boy is it worth it. I love drizzling a small amount of elderflower honey on blue cheese and brie. I recently purchased this olive wood honey drizzler and it does a great job of controlling the amount of honey you'd like to use. 

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Honey drizzler / Decanter / Cutting board / Wine bottle coaster / Placemats / Pots / Glassware / Cheese knives / Fig cake / Long platter / Salad servers

Cool Ranch Dip

Cool Ranch Dip

Is there anything better than a cold snack in the summer? We recently got a new grill for our backyard, and I have been spending most of my time outside. Burgers are one of our quick go-to meals when we can't think of anything else we want. 

 His father brought us a bag of plain potato chips the other day to go with our burgers, and that's how I came up with this simple and satisfying recipe. 

This dip is what all tailgate parties need. It's easy to make, extremely tasty, and goes with tons of food other than chips! It would be great on hot dogs, burgers, wings...the possibilities are endless with this crazy addictive snack.

Cool Ranch Dip

Preparation: 5 min

                  Cook Time: 0 min  Total Time: 10 min                       

Ingredients

        

          2 tsp onion powder

          2 tsp garlic powder

          1/8 tsp salt (or a pinch)

          1 1/2 tsp fresh chopped dill

          1 tsp chopped scallions

          1 cup sour cream

Instructions

        

          Combine all ingredients into a bowl and mix until well blended. Serve chilled with ruffle potato chips, 

          fresh cut veggies, or chicken wings.