The heat of summer has quickly crept up on us and the 4th of July Weekend will be here before we know it. We’re looking forward to spending this weekend at home, relaxing and grilling in our backyard with family.
Honestly though, I’m mostly excited to set a beautiful table and break out our new Lenox dinnerware and a few finishing touches from La Dentelliere. Our table will be set for adults and children so I thought I’d share how we’ll be dining and a few of the tot-friendly recipes that we’ll be serving.
I kept our Fourth of July decor and styling classic with a red, white and blue color palette, grounding the table with a polka dot linen. I partnered with Lenox, the American leader in tableware, selecting their classic yet modern Profile dinner plates, fun vintage cherry dot accent plates, all purpose Valencia glasses and Roxbury Red place setting to add a fashionable flair. Tying everything together, I used durable wooden placemats and navy plaid napkins from La Dentelliere, a shop in Westchester, NY that has the most beautifully curated selection of home decor and giftable items.
Putting our Father’s Day gift to use, we grilled up burgers, chicken kebobs and plenty of veggies. I threw together an Avocado Tomato Salad with fresh vegetables from our local Farmer’s Market, a kid-friendly Watermelon Ginger Mock-jito and Rice Krispy Treats, an easy to make July 4th dessert the whole family enjoyed.
I even made sure Wesleigh was dressed for the occasion in her new Monogram Mary customized sweater. We love a good personalized piece!
Avocado Tomato Salad
Ingredients
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Lemon Juice (1 whole lemon)
3 avocados (cubed)
1 pt cherry tomatoes (halved)
1/3 cup corn (optional)
1 Jalapeño (optional)
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
Instructions
In a small bowl whisk together the oil and lemon juice.
Season with salt and pepper (to taste).
In a large serving bowl combine remaining ingredients.
Toss gently with dressing.
Serve and enjoy.
Watermelon Ginger Mock-jito
(as recommended by my wonderful friend, neighbor and recipe developer, Kathleen)
Ingredients
⅓ cup seedless watermelon, diced
4 fresh mint leaves, plus a couple of sprigs for garnish
1 cup ginger ale
2 lime wedges, cut into halves (4 pieces total)
Crushed ice
Sparkling water
Instructions
In each glass, distribute the watermelon, mint leaves, and lime wedges evenly and muddle the ingredients with the end of a wooden spoon or cocktail muddler.
Use a little elbow grease to puree the watermelon a bit and get the oils and flavor out of the mint and lime.
Add a handful of crushed ice and evenly distribute the ginger ale.
Top with sparkling water and stir lightly.
Garnish with some fresh mint and enjoy.
Rice Krispy Treats
Ingredients
3 tbsp butter
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 bag JET-PUFFED mini marshmallows
6 cups Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies® cereal
Instructions
In a large saucepan melt butter over low heat.
Add marshmallows and stir until melted completely.
Add cereal and stir until well coated.
Transfer into 13×9 pan lined with parchment paper and coated with non stick spray.
Softly spread and stretch the mixture into the pan with greased fingers or a greased.
Cover top with sprinkles.
Let cool.
Cut into 2” squares, serve and enjoy.
