Parties and Entertaining | Bohemian Cottage

Giving Thanks

Our humble Thanksgiving table

There are so many great blog posts, articles, even entire books dedicated to the biggest food event of the year, Thanksgiving. At our house we usually keep it very traditional, serving pretty much the same meal every year. With so many resources about entertaining and menu planning and recipes on Thanksgiving out there, I just wanted to share with you some of what I am truly Thankful for.

Thanksgiving Table Decor

When my grandmother hosted it at her house, she managed to make the entire meal herself and every year, it was impeccable and exactly the same. Some of it was a little…different. Like lime jello salad with shredded carrots and pineapple. Without fail, it was always on her Thanksgiving table. Along with the cornbread stuffing and turkey giblet gravy with chopped up hard boiled eggs in it and tamales. The tamales became part of the tradition over time due to living in Arizona. It was one of 2 meals of the year that were served in the formal dining room with the fancy china. Christmas was the other meal served in there. Of course my brothers and my cousins and I were all banished to the “kids” table. That is where all the fun happened I’m sure! I am thankful for those family traditions that helped to form who I am today. (read more)

Magical Samhain Night

We made these enchanted candles to give a magical touch to our festivities.

One of our favorite holidays to celebrate is Halloween or Samhain. Sometimes we get a little carried away with decorations and treats, but it sure is fun! More is more! We had fun making some crafts, spooky flying fairy skeletons, enchanted candles like in Harry Potter and ribbon garlands to hang over doorways in Halloween colors and patterns. Food. We also made lots of tasty food. Spooky food. Ok, maybe not so spooky, but creative and festive for the occasion. I got lots of ideas from magazines and pinterest. Check out my Halloween board to see some of the inspiration. I discovered ways to take the inspiration and make it my own, and in some cases improving on the ideas. (read more)

Kale and Zucchini Torte

Gluten Free Kale Zucchini Torte with a Potato Crust

Kale and Zucchini Torte with fresh garden herbs and a potato crust.

We recently had a lovely brunch in my dear friend Rosie’s garden to show our support for the elimination of the pesticides that have been linked to the decline in bees. This fabulous Torte included ingredients that were pollinated by bees and grown in our garden. We grew the kale, zucchini, dill, thyme, and chives. There is just something about making food from what is readily available in the garden that feels so satisfying. This dish is a looker with it’s potato crust around the rim too. I did take mine out of the springform pan and then decided to reheat it, putting it back in, which in turn made the sides not stay in place as well. Don’t be like me, just serve it room temp if you take it to a potluck, it is just as tasty. I made this the night before our brunch. The flavors of the herbs and cheese was so fresh, light, and yet just a tad rich too. Mix it up, add different herbs, or cheeses, or veggies, add meat for your carnivores if you like. In true bohemian style, make it your own and get creative with it. Here is how I made it… (read more)

Brunch for the Bees

Ted built this beautiful pond himself.

My friends Rosie and Cat and I hosted a Brunch for Bees in Rosie’s lovely garden last Sunday. The Brunch for Bees is a way to take action to help retailers stop selling the pesticides that kill bees. Friends of the Earth has a brunch hosting kit and guide to hosting one of your own, including recipes, signs and messages to post on your social media sites. Bees pollinate one in three bites of the food that we eat and are declining at alarming rates, with pesticides being one of the leading causes of their decline. The brunch is helping to urge TrueValue Hardware and Ace Hardware stores to stop selling these pesticides called neonicotinoids. And, it is an excuse to get together with friends and family and have brunch! Click on the links to learn more or visit www.foe.org (read more)

Persian Love Cake

Spice infused chiffon cake with a light saffron and rose frosting. Divine.

Exotic, romantic, beautiful. Persian Love Cake. My good friend Kristi requested I make this cake for our friend Autumn’s bridal/bachelorette party we hosted. I thought it was stunning and couldn’t wait to try the worldly flavors. Cardamom, saffron, pistachios, rose…So bohemian and a feast for the senses.

I don’t exactly consider myself a baker. I usually bake a cake or two a year, rarely do I bake cookies, maybe around Christmas. When I do bake, I tend to challenge myself, thinking how hard can it be right? This cake was not simple, and I think perhaps the altitude of Colorado might have been working against me on this one. My cake was not as fluffy as I was hoping, but the flavor. Wow. It was light and not too sweet, full of perfumed mystery. This cake screams Valentines Day if you’re so inclined. I thought Kristi was right on point with choosing this cake as a send off into marriage for our friend. The recipe made 2 small heart shaped pans. I think I will double it next time, cause there will be a next time… (read more)

Outdoor Chair Makeover

Chair makeover. Before picture of our metal chairs before painting.

These metal outdoor chairs were in sore need of some TLC.

These outdoor metal chairs were rusting and a greyish color as you can see from the picture above. When we were getting ready to host a bachelorette party for my friend Autumn, we needed lots of seating quick. We were short on time and budget, so we decided to paint the chairs we already had. We used a Rustoleum spray paint that said it worked on metal in a gloss finish for 3 of the 4 colors and a satin finish in one. We wanted them to look colorful and bohemian to go with the bright southwestern tie dyed table cloth I had. We chose a lime green, turquoise blue, and coral in the gloss and a purple in the satin finish. To do this project, we just had to clean the chairs, sand down any rust spots and spray paint a light coat or 2 of the Rustoleum paint. We laid drop cloths right outside and worked on a day that had minimal wind. Check out the results! (read more)

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