Host a Spring Dinner Party

I love hosting my friends and family over any chance I can get, so when it was my turn to host book club this month, I decided to go all out and turn it into a springtime dinner party.

If you’ve ever wanted to host a dinner party, I’m here to tell you that it’s simple to do - and so worthwhile. First things first, you’ll want to decide on a menu. With the first signs of spring blossoming around Colorado, I was craving fresh ingredients and a light, colorful meal. Ironically, it snowed on the night of my book club dinner party, but hey, at least we were manifesting spring weather.

Menu:

• Rosemary Chicken & Burrata Plum Salad with a warm Bacon Vinaigrette (recipe from the cookbook Half Baked Harvest Every Day)

• Fresh baked French bread with softened butter

• Charcuterie & Crudités

• Lavender Blackberry Mojitos (swap the alcohol for sparkling water for those not drinking)

• Homemade Banana Pudding

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Prepping the day before will be your best friend. I made the lavender simple syrup, bacon vinaigrette, and base of the banana pudding the day before, which seriously sped up my day-of preparation.

I kept my table decorations simple with a few bud vases filled with white tulips and carnations. We recently finished our kitchen and dining room renovation, so I wanted to let that take center stage. Also, you don’t have to get fancy when hosting a dinner party. Putting in small touches like flowers and pretty napkins will go a long way, not break the bank, and most importantly, make your guests feel special.

How to Make a Lavender Blackberry Mojito:

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 oz. of white rum (or in my case, gin, because I was out of rum)

• Sparking water

• 1/2 oz lavender simple syrup (made with 1:1 ratio of water and sugar steeped with 2 tbsp. of culinary lavender. Simmer for 10 minutes, steep for 10 minutes, then strain the lavender)

• 4 fresh mint leaves (plus more for garnish)

• 2 slices of lime

• 4 blackberries (plus one extra for garnish)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Add blackberries, lime, simple syrup, and mint to a glass. Muddle with a muddler until the blackberries are fairly squished.

2. Add a handful of ice and rum/gin and fill the remainder of the glass with sparkling water. Stir with a cocktail stirring spoon.

3. Top with fresh mint and a blackberry and enjoy!

Dessert is a must, and in keeping with the fresh, spring theme, I wanted to keep dessert light and fruit-forward. Enter: my favorite dessert of all time (probably) - homemade magnolia-bakery-inspired banana pudding.

Y’all. If you are ever in New York or LA, find the nearest Magnolia Bakery and indulge in a pint of their famous banana pudding. It’s quite possibly the best dessert I’ve ever tasted - there’s a reason it has a cult-following!

Living in Colorado with no Magnolia Bakery in sight, however, makes it hard to enjoy. So I looked up a recipe and it turned out absolutely deliciously and very easy to make!

How to Make Banana Pudding:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

• 1 1/2 cups ice cold water

• 1 (3.4 oz) box instant vanilla pudding mix

• 1 can of sugar-free whipped cream

• 3-4 barely ripe bananas, sliced

• 1 (12 oz. box) Nilla Wafers

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and water until well combined for about 1 minute. Add the pudding mix and beat well, about 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight.

2. Add the full can of whipped cream to the pudding bowl and gently fold into the mixture until no streaks of pudding remain.

3. To assemble the dessert (either in individual portions or a large serving bowl), arrange 1/3 of the Nilla waters covering the bottom. Next, layer 1/3 of the bananas, and 1/3 of the pudding mixture. Repeat twice more, garnishing with additional waters or water crumbs on top. Cover and allow to chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours - or up to 8 hours. Enjoy!

Dinner party conversation is nearly as important as the menu itself - and there’s a trick I use to help curate an enjoyable evening sans phones. Surprise conversation starter questions! Simply write down a handful of questions, fold in half, and place in a pretty bowl for your guests to draw at random. I mixed in a few book club-related questions, which resulted in a really fun evening of conversation.

Here are some of my favorite conversation-starters:

• What did your prom dress look like?

• Do you have a secret talent? Can you do it right now?

• If you were a fruit, what kind would you be?

• What’s the weirdest gift you’ve ever received?

• What makes up your favorite sandwich?

• What’s the best live performance you’ve ever seen?

• If you could live anywhere for a year, where would you live and why?

• List your top three movies.

Something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately is creating a village. And the only way to do that is to show up as a villager. Moving to a new city and making friends as an adult is something you have to work at. It’s not always easy (in fact, I’d actually say it’s really difficult!) but it’s worth it to put yourself out there and meet new people. Having close girlfriends is an essential in my book. And hosting a dinner party or a book club is one of the ways I’ve been able to surround myself with fantastic women who I’m grateful to call friends.

Have you been inspired to host a spring dinner party? Let me know in the comments below what your menu looks like, or if you tried any of the ones I listed above!