31 Friday Aug 2018
Posted in bar belles, what's ringin' our belle
Check out our latest contribution to TALKGreenville Magazine for a bit of Labor Day entertaining inspiration!!
Enjoy your holiday weekend, belles!!
a&a
10 Friday Nov 2017
Posted in belle maison, belle of the ball
We were blown away at a recent dinner party given by an extremely sweet, creative, fun belle-friend! This party was so well-thought-out and executed, we just had to share some of the details!
As guests arrived, we were greeted with a tray of champagne cocktails with floating cranberries…setting the scene for the pre-holiday event.
Fun fact…in order to test the ripeness of a cranberry, it is bounced. If it bounces about 4 inches, it’s good to go!
But the libations didn’t stop there. Guests were free to pick their poison…
This is cocktailin’ heaven!
The focus of the event was Thanksgiving…our most favorite holiday! Prior to attending, we were given links to Thanksgiving trivia sites so that we could “study up”. Test your own knowledge here and here and here. At trivia time…it was game-on! Our hostess with the mostest had a belle-ringin “prize table”…
…with lottery tickets, candles, tequila (one of us came home with this!), sausages, a puzzle, and much, much more!!
While our hostess shifted gears from game referee to chef, guests had the chance to relax by the fire…
…which, by the way, was perfect as we FINALLY had an evening that felt like fall!! (80 degrees the day before made this all the more exciting!)
And now for the table and other belle-ringin’ decor…
Perfection!
And our hostess loves to downplay her talents…but this creation speaks for itself!
We are now duly inspired and ready for the weeks to come. Bring on the eggnog!!
a&a
07 Tuesday Nov 2017
Posted in what's ringin' our belle
Tags
decor, Desire to Inspire, entertaining, Harvard Health, Nails, pumpkin bread, simply recipes, sugar, Well and Good
An awesome pumpkin bread…
From Simply Recipes
What’s the deal with sugar….according to a dietitian
Photo via Harvard Health
Obsessed with this bachelor pad…
What your nails say about your health from Well and Good…
Pic via Pinterest
How to throw a dinner party like a Parisian…
Pic via Pinterest
04 Friday Nov 2016
Posted in belle of the ball, belle-icious
Tags
We found this sangria recipe, did some tweaking, and served to rave reviews for a recent shindig. Thought we would share (as all good belles do)…
The key elements to a good, traditional sangria…fruit (apples & oranges), a liquor (we went with Grand Marnier), orange juice, and a fruity, dry Spanish red wine (a Tempranillo or Rioja)
The process is quick and easy. Cut your fruit…
take a moment to muddle the oranges with your liqueur…
do the rest of your mixin’ and you’ll be sippin’ before you know it!!
Belle-ringin’ Sangria
1/2 apple, cored and chopped
1 orange, sliced into small pieces
2 T sugar
1/4 c Grand Marnier
3/4 c orange juice
1 bottle dry Spanish red wine (Tempranillo or Rioja)
Ice
1 orange, sliced, for garnish
Place apple and orange pieces in pitcher and add sugar. Muddle well. Add Grand Marnier and orange juice and muddle again. Add red wine and stir well. Add ice and stir to chill. Serve in wine glasses garnished with orange segments.
Aclamaciones!
a&a
08 Friday Jul 2016
Posted in belle-icious, friday friend 1-1
Tags
appetizers, basil. tomato., bruschetta, cherries, entertaining, feta, figs, goat cheese, half baked harvest, recipes
We mentioned this Half Baked Harvest belleiciousness…
a few days ago…but thought we would share our success in the “test kitchen” with our “test audience” (as in family and friends who are happy to be brutally honest) over the holiday weekend.
We chose three varieties (with slight tweaks, ’cause that’s how we roll) of the six incredibly creative crostini options…(and we chose to use larger, tasty bruschette to make things less tedious)…
Bruschetta no. 1:
Crusty sourdough topped with goat cheese, sliced cherries, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, and salt & pepper
Bruschetta no. 2:
Crusty sourdough topped with fig preserves, buffalo mozzarella, sliced figs, basil, and salt & pepper
Bruschetta no. 3:
A slightly more traditional bruschetta of crusty sourdough topped with smashed avocado, feta, grape tomatoes, basil, and salt & pepper
All together now…
Almost impossible to choose a favorite! Give ’em a try and let us know what you think!!
a&a
20 Friday May 2016
Posted in friday friend 1-1
Thought we would share the secret to summer (and just about any time) entertainin’…easy-peasy-style…
from smartyhadaparty.com
To drinkware…
from smartyhadaparty.com
from smartyhadaparty.com
Time to plan a shindig, belles!!
a&a
11 Thursday Sep 2014
Posted in belle of the ball
We belles recently had the opportunity to help throw a shindig honoring some dear friends who ran off over the summer for some super low-key “I do’s”. Since the newly-weds didn’t get the opportunity to experience the typical wedding reception (complete with roasts n toasts) we were more than happy to oblige…with a little low-key southern twist.
We helped throw a “Southern Summer Supper” for the sweethearts…and we thought it would be fun to share the deets with you all!
First…the menu: quintessentially southern.
To start…boiled peanuts and tomato sandwiches for the guests to snack on during the “meet n greet” cocktail hour (lots of beer, wine, all of the usual suspects in the liquor category…and pre-mixed sweet tea vodka and lemonade…duh!)
The supper…
fried chicken (it was to-die-for delicious!)
Mac n cheese…sweet potato biscuits…deviled eggs (with a little goat cheese twist)…cole slaw…and a BLT salad with the best green goddess we’ve ever tasted (more on that later…we plan to beg the caterer to share some secrets!!)
The dessert…
a beautiful peach cobbler…of course!!!
The decor: again…very low-key and super-southern…
home-grown summer flowers from the garden of a belle-mom…
cafe lights for a little glow…a touch of burlap…
and farmhouse benches so the sweethearts and friends could slide right up next to each other, family-style!
Once the crowd cozied up for supper, the fun started with good-humored and heart-felt toasts. The newly-weds got to enjoy having all of their friends and family gathered in one place…and the friends and family got to enjoy toasting the happy couple with love…and lots of laughter.
All in all…we felt like it was the perfect way to celebrate our newly-wed friends and their southern roots!
a&a
the RARE belle 