Michael recently asked if we should make dinner reservations for our visiting houseguests. In theory, it sounded like an excellent idea, but I really wanted our friends to hang out at our house with our local friends so we could all socialize as a group. I'm all for dressing up and gathering around a dinner table—as you likely know if you've met me, read this blog, or have seen my Instagram account. But for whatever reason, I was set on entertaining at home. While this can be daunting for most, for me it's a real treat. I mean, I love it. Some people track sports teams and others find needlepoint thrilling; I love setting the tone, the table, and the music to just the right levels to see what unfolds.

Fortunately, the night at home turned out to be a knockout party. Guests mingled well into the early morning hours, spinning records under the disco ball, eating, drinking, and being transported to another dimension in our secret garden. It was the perfect Friday night. The funniest thing is our houseguests had to suddenly leave a day early, so we essentially threw ourselves and our friends a festive night in. When I asked Michael later why it worked so well, his response was, "We go out for dinner Saturdays, not Fridays." He’s right!

Here's my recipe for the perfect Friday night of hosting:

1. Curate a guest list of varied personalities. I think of all my friends as having unique résumés, each bringing a certain joie de vivre to social gatherings. Leave the drama queens out for this one. Pro tips: When you invite guests, put an end time on your party… you don’t have to stick to it (we literally never do), but it helps to have guests arrive during a certain window for maximum fun.
2. I like to set up the bar in the kitchen. We live in a 300-year-old colonial; the kitchen is basically a bar with a massive fireplace, so it works well. Sometimes we hire a bartender or server, but for this one I wanted it to feel more casual and have friends step in as mixologist. This can be a disaster, but I knew this was right group to let them make their own drinks.
3. In the dining room, the entire table was made into a full display of snacks and finger foods. Kristen, how did you get this catered on a dime's notice?! Aha! My entertaining secret is to deli-order and dinner party-display. A few quick stops at Aquidneck Meat Market, Food Love and Bottega Bocconi, I had everything.

On the Menu

Greek Skewers

• (1) Quart of chopped Aquidneck Meat Market Greek salad
• (1) package of feta cheese

Dice the feta. Combine ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Take 10 minutes to make 3" stacks of alternating vegetables, including one piece of feta, on 4" skewers. Place them a few inches apart on a cake stand or other serving piece.

Crudité

• (1) Bottle of ranch dressing
• A variety of vegetables you can cut into 4-5" slices like carrots, snap peas, cucumbers, and a handful of cherry tomatoes, plus sliced radishes

Pour a generous amount of dressing into a dish and place it in the center of a plate. Fan the vegetables around it, alternating handfuls of colors and interspersing with tomatoes and radishes

Prosciutto e melone

• 1/2 Cantaloupe cut into hilarious corners
• 1/2lb of Prosciutto from Bottega Bocconi sliced

Artfully arrange the corners around a serving piece, place the meat on top. The presentation of this is really more of a gesture and less about your culinary talents.

Pizza

Pro tip: Pick up a couple of pizzas from Bottega Bocconi—they have an amazing selection that you can serve hot or cold (perfect for nights like this when it's 99 degrees outside).

Cut the pizzas into bite-sized squares and arrange them artfully on a serving piece. Keep an extra plate handy to offer guests as they leave, along with a cocktail napkin and bottle of water. This thoughtful touch ensures everyone has a delicious Uber ride home.

Other Snacks

You can order a whole cheese board from Grapes and Gourmet or Aquidneck Meat Market, but this evening I put together a small arrangement of figs, olives, cheeses, and crackers. Separately, I stacked silver coupes into a tower and draped it with grapes, figs, raspberries, miniature nectarines, and cherries. I also put out half a wheel of Le Petit Basque, with the other half cut into sliced corners, and a generous vine of grapes. Then, for a little tablescape drama (the only kind allowed at our house!), I placed some of the serving plates on silver trays and added silver and crystal candlestick holders, lighting a whole bunch of candles.

Dessert

Though I'm mindful of sugar, what's a party without a sweet finale? When entertaining casually, I often opt for a simple tower of cookies. This time, I picked up an assortment from Food Love—the Castle Hill cookies are absolutely divine. For a playful touch, I added some sugary doughnut holes. It's an effortless yet delightful way to cap off the evening.

Décor

For the centerpiece of our dining table, I filled a large footed bowl with flowers from Wild Season, complementing them with cuttings from our own garden. Our yard is bursting with hydrangeas, so I created additional arrangements—one for the bar, another for outside, and a smaller bunch for the guest powder room. Simple yet elegant!

On the Bar

The vibe I was going for was "sorority house party, but with mom's nice things." Only they're our things because we decided to be adults and invest in some nicer pieces for entertaining. Silver buckets for chilling wine not only look pretty, they make self-serving incredibly easy. I tend to use a few nicer bar napkins to create stations: one for cocktails, one for wine, and another for champagne and Aperol spritzes—a crowd favorite on a hot summer night. At each section, there's a bucket, ice, and the appropriate alcohol, mixer, glassware and fruit for the intended drink. I also put out bowls of olives, chips, and nuts because I've been brainwashed by my Italian friends that it's not cocktail hour without these accoutrements.

Setting the tone

Throughout our house I made sure there was plenty of seating. Once I was certain the rain had passed, I arranged all our outdoor cushions. The lighting in our home is... moody. I enhanced the ambiance with candles and illuminated the garden lights. We're fortunate to have Sonos, which made cueing up a few playlists a breeze. I'm partial to this one, this one, and this one. 

If you found this inspiring, drop me a note and if you are having a party let me know how it goes. Or better yet, send an invite! XO Kristen