Last week I had one of my girlfriends over for dinner after work, and when strolling the aisles at the grocery store for some post-dinner dessert inspiration I decided, it’s summer, we need an ice cream sundae bar. In my opinion, a great sundae is really all about keeping it simple and letting the ice cream take center stage. We had delicious flavors (hello, sea salt caramel) with classic toppings: sprinkles and caramel sauce — and it was delicious. Note to self: have more ice cream parties.  Ice Cream 1Ice Cream 3Ice Cream 2

Note: Some of the products featured in this post were provided by Wayfair, all opinions are my own. 

While on our honeymoon last week (more on that to come, I have lots of pictures to share!) I was sunning myself by the pool at the Viceroy Palm Springs and perusing the lunch menu from  my lounge chair. I noticed a tasty sounding Mediterranean steak pita sandwich on the list, and though I wasn’t hungry at the time, I kept thinking about the combination long after we left. I attempted to recreate the dish for dinner this week: Grilled steak and red onions, seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper on top of butter lettuce and chopped kalamata olives in a pita with a light aioli seasoned with lots of oregano and lemon zest. It was the perfect summery weeknight meal!

IngredientsSteak Pitas

This weekend I had major order envy when one of my girlfriends had an amazing eggplant caprese sandwich while we were out to lunch on Newbury Street. I was still thinking about yesterday afternoon and decided to make a salad version for dinner with my own twist. Breaded eggplant with some tomatoes and mozzarella, topped with sun-dried tomato pesto — it was such a nice combination of fresh summer flavors!

 

My weekend recap is a little light today, because truthfully I spent most of it hiding in my air conditioning from the crazy heat wave we’ve been having in Boston. I ventured away from the window unit in our bedroom for just enough time to mix up some St Germain cocktails —  anything to stay cool and refreshed! How did you beat the heat this weekend?

I went back through a few snaps from the weekend on Instagram, and combined they just look like Summer. I stocked up on lemons to make a delicious, fresh cocktail with elderflower cordials, wild tea vodka, and sparkling lemon water (I got thirsty just typing that!). And another highlight of the weekend was the arrival of a crisp new pair of Jack Rogers sandals in the mail — I had some very happy feet. What were you up to this weekend?

Dining outdoors is definitely one of my favorite perks of Summer. These shots from this month’s House Beautiful are a gorgeous example of an al fresco dining set-up; how fun is the window bar?

It has been a zillion degrees in my apartment for the past few weeks with this heat wave in Boston, which means I have been quite lazy with making dinners at home. I saw a recipe that required no stove time in this month’s  House Beautiful and it finally inspired me to cook something up besides take out. This recipe was a perfect simple summer meal;  I added on some grilled corn for a little extra color and flavor, and it turned out delicious!

Some of my favorite bloggers are sharing their summer entertaining essentials for being a savvy hostess this season, up next in the series is the master of the bar cart, Roxy, from Society Social:

Hi lovers!! I’m so tickled to be here sharing my summer entertaining essentials because a good social is what I love for! I live in New York City in a shoebox of an apartment so I’ve got to get creative considering the space constraints and I think a sunset picnic in the park is just the thing for the city girl craving big social style! In this case the park will serve as my living, dining, and bar area! Cheers to you!

Bamboo 21 piece insulated picnic basketWatercolor Picnic BlanketFrancis Ford Coppola Rose 2010Outdoor lanternsMonogrammed linen cocktail napkinsCroquet SetBose Sound Link Wireless Mobile Speaker

I took a mini-break after the Fourth of July and made my way down to the Cape for the weekend. It was perfect Summer weather with warm days and cool nights, and plenty of beach time. I cautiously dipped my toes in the water (have you heard about the sharks?) and enjoyed spending some time with old friends over cocktails and BBQs. What sort of Summer fun did you have this weekend?

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I kicked off the July 4th celebrations a little early this weekend, taking in some local fireworks, bbq-ing with friends (how cute are my friend’s mason jar drink dispensers?) and spent some time by the waterfront looking at the tall ships. I’m ready to take on the week, mostly because it’s a short one — here’s to making it to the mid-week holiday!

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