Outdoor Space Refresh

One of the most attractive features of where we live is our backyard. There are trees scattered throughout that provide great shade and pretty songs from what I believe to be dozens of different types of birds. I love spending time out in our yard and our friends love it too. Up until a week ago, our outdoor space consisted of iron chairs that I spray painted black, given to us by old neighbors. Now that we have such a beautiful spot to host friends and family, we decided an upgrade was in order.

If you follow my Instagram, you know that I have been dying to share our new outdoor dining space.

I found this outdoor table from Ballard Designs and instantly fell in love. It is so unique and classically built. The teak is perfect for an outdoor table built to last. We considered buying an iron set, but it didn't have the warmth I desired. When I pictured myself entertaining outside, I saw myself with a weathered wood table and tartan blankets draping over the arms of the end chairs. Can you tell I'm ready for fall?

To break in our new table, I decided to host a wine and cheese party. I recently discovered a local cheese shop that makes all of their own cheeses in house. They specialize in goat cheese and blue cheese so I picked up a few of each along with some other favorites like brie and havarti.

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I love serving fig cake with my cheese boards for added sweetness without a big mess. Another yummy addition are cold grapes for a perfect palate refresher in between bites.

I came up with this salad recipe as a pairing for wine and cheese. Using the crumbled blue cheese I purchased and some fresh boiled eggs, this salad has it all - salty, sweet, crunchy, tangy.

I love a good flatbread pizza. To save time, I picked this one up from a restaurant nearby. By alternating the slices on a long platter, we saved space on the table and created a sophisticated look for an old classic.

Honey may be messy to pass around the table but boy is it worth it. I love drizzling a small amount of elderflower honey on blue cheese and brie. I recently purchased this olive wood honey drizzler and it does a great job of controlling the amount of honey you'd like to use.

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Honey drizzler / Decanter / Cutting board / Wine bottle coaster / Placemats / Pots / Glassware / Cheese knives / Fig cake / Long platter / Salad servers