Sometimes a few simple ingredients can be combined to make something wow-worthy — and I totally feel that way about this easy to make summer salad of grilled peaches and arugula. I made this salad for a summer rosé party held by The Urban Grape, and it was a hit — the sweetness of the grilled peaches is a perfect balance for the peppery arugula and tang of reduced balsamic. Check out the recipe below and be sure to click over to Boston.com to read the full article with smart tips from Hadley & TJ of The Urban Grape  to throw your own rosé party!

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Ingredients:

  • 6 Peaches
  • 1 cup of Mozzarella balls
  • 8 cups of Arugula
  • 1/8 cup Pine Nuts
  • 1/3 cup Balsamic Vinegar

Peel peaches and cut into wedges. Heat grill and lightly coat with cooking spray to keep peaches from sticking. Grill peaches until marked on all sides. Set aside to cool. In a small saucepan, heat the Balsamic Vinegar on a medium-high heat, and let it reduce in half, about 5-8 minutes. As the Vinegar is reducing, toast pine nuts lightly in a small pan (be careful not to burn). In a large bowl, assemble arugula, layer mozzarella and peaches on top, and then sprinkle with pine nuts and dress with the balsamic reduction. Toss to serve.

Photography: Brian Samuels Photography

 

One of the easiest dishes for entertaining is kabobs — they’re easy to prepare in advance, are pre-portioned, and look really beautiful when plated for the table. When working on a summer rosé party held by The Urban Grape, I made a simple rosemary sirloin version that’s perfect for summer entertaining. Check out the recipe below and be sure to click over to Boston.com to read the full article with smart tips from Hadley & TJ of The Urban Grape to throw your own rosé party!

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Ingredients:

  • 1 lb of sirloin tips
  • 1 large red onion
  • 1 zucchini
  • 1 red pepper
  • Fresh rosemary
  • 2 lemons
  • Salt and pepper

Marinate steak overnight in a sealed plastic back with the juice of two lemons, salt and pepper, and 3-4 sprigs of rosemary. Soak wooden skewers in water overnight to prevent burning. When ready to assemble the kabobs, begin by preparing the vegetables; slice a zucchini, peppers and red onion into large chunks. Alternate the vegetables and meats until the skewers are full. Use fresh rosemary sprigs and remove the needles from the bottom half of the stalk to create. Press the sprig into the first few pieces of meat and vegetables to thread the rosemary through the skewer. Grill kabobs to desired wellness and serve on a bed of arugula.

Photography: Brian Samuels Photography

 

 

 

 

I had the pleasure of working with some really creative folks a few weeks ago on a rosé wine tasting party held by The Urban Grape. Helping to style a shoot like this really doesn’t count as work because I got to hang out all day with amazing company, eat a tasty lunch al fresco on a gorgeous wrap around porch, and learn all about (and taste!) delicious rosé wines on a warm summer day. I shared a few of my favorite outtakes from the day here, but click over to Boston.com to read the full article with smart tips from Hadley & TJ of The Urban Grape  to throw your own rosé party.

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Wine: The Urban Grape

Photography: Brian Samuels Photography

Flowers: Boston Pollen

Glassware: Farm & Fable

 

Some of my favorite bloggers are sharing their summer entertaining essentials for being a savvy hostess this season, up next in the series is my Boston buddy, Erika of Radiant Republic:

While my fiancé and I love visiting with friends in the city, most summer weekends are spent on Cape Cod. Our daytime wardrobes consist of bathing suits and boat shoes I sit down to dinner in a breezy dress and Jack Rogers. Summer entertaining is equally easy – and our favorite venue is on the sand of our favorite beach. Most hot days, our friends boat out to a hard-to-reach beach, anchor for the day, and spend hours playing bocce, seal watching, and floating in the cool Atlantic waters.

One: We love surprising our friends with fudge from the Chatham Candy Manor. They also have the most decadent chocolate covered Oreos!Two: Sparkling Rosé is a beach favorite… and this delicious Veuve Clicquot  version comes decked out in a pretty champagne koozie.

Three: Chanel bocce ball.  Disclaimer: This is not the set that we own (obviously.)

Four: Lilly Pulitzer tumblers are perfect for beach gatherings.

Five: Every Cape Cod-er needs a virtually indestructible LL Bean Boat Tote  for lugging summer accoutrements.

Six: We love these beach chairs by the Cape Cod Beach Chair Company!

What are your summer entertaining must-haves?  Thank you so much for having me today, Kate!  I am a big fan of your new series and can’t wait to see what the other guest bloggers come up with!  xx

 
 
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