Outdoor Dining ~Setting the Mood~
Summer is such a special time of the year with perfect temperatures to start dining outdoors in the balmy evening air….”pranzo all’aperto”
Our daughter, Nancy, is our official table setter…She wants you to have that total dining experience and has a knack for pairing simple elements to set the mood and create a beautiful ambiance.
For our Father’s day dinner, she set this stunning “coastal inspired” dining table that had calming organic feel. Best of all, she used items that I had around the house and in the garden to create this lovely outdoor space.
She started by folding a neutral colored tablecloth lengthwise to resemble a table runner. She placed a piece of driftwood in the center of the table as a focal point and gathered fresh rosemary sprigs from my garden and laid them randomly along the length of the table runner …like ribbons… and the fragrance was amazing.
She added a few seashells and lit white votive candles to created a soft glowing hue. So simple, elegant and welcoming…. and we were all amazed how quickly she put it all together.
We sat around the table for hours …eating and laughing and enjoying our time together… Grazie mille Nunziata! Look for more of her table settings to come!
Oh …and I can’t pass up the opportunity to show you this delicious appetizer we passed around just before dinner.. It consists of a small piece of anjou pear layered with a slice of gorgonzola cheese and sprig of arugula and then wrapped in a slice of prosciutto and secured with a tooth pick. Drizzle this yummy bundle with honey or balsamic vinegar or pop in your mouth just as it is…delicioso!!
