May 16, 2018

5 EASY SUMMER ENTERTAINING TIPS & RECIPES

Thank you Cameron Hughes for sponsoring this post. Wine and dine your way into summer and raise a toast to everyone’s favorite season!

If you live in Chicago, then hopefully you too have been enjoying the amazing warm weather we have been having. It makes me extra happy and excited for summer. With warmer temperatures, comes more get togethers with friends and when it comes to entertaining, the easier the better in my opinion.




Today I’m teaming up with Cameron Hughes Wine to share 5 summer entertaining tips as well as a few flatbread pizza recipes that are not only delicious, but super easy and perfect for parties. Cameron Hughes makes it easy to wine and dine your way into summer and raise a toast to everyone’s favorite season.

Entertaining doesn’t have to be stressful. There are simple ways to make it both fun and easy…

1. PREP EVERYTHING AHEAD OF TIME

Whenever I am hosting, I like to make recipes that you can put together ahead of time. That way I can focus more on my guests and less on the kitchen. For this event I went with flatbread pizzas that could be assembled ahead of time and took only 10 minutes to cook.

2. SERVE ONE TYPE OF COCKTAIL

If you are having a small gathering, it is best to serve one type of cocktail that you all can share. Wine is always a great choice and you can’t go wrong with Cameron Hughes. They’re all about what’s inside the bottle, and not interested in fancy labels. They have a simple website and high quality wine at affordable prices.




Cameron samples thousands of wine samples a year and only selects the best wines. He tastes the bad stuff so you don’t have to. They also offer free shipping when you purchase 3 bottles of wine with the code: INEEDWINE18.

3. CREATE FOOD TO SHARE

When creating the menu, I am all about recipes that are easy to make and sharable. For this party I was thinking mostly finger foods and decided upon flatbread pizzas. I made a few variations with different toppings so people could pick and choose which ones they wanted to try.




4. MAKE THE GUEST LIST SMALL

I always like to keep my parties intimate. I think the smaller the guest list, the easier to manage. Also it’s a lot better when it comes to the clean up because less dishes are always a plus!

5. LET GO OF THE PERFECTION

If everything doesn’t go according to plan, no worries. These are your friends and I’m sure they don’t care.  Just relax and have fun!




Now take a peek at our party and find all the recipes below…

Tomato Mozzarella Flatbread Pizza

Print
  • 1 naan bread
  • cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced
  • 1 large ball of fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 inch slices
  • 5-6 basil leaves, I usually roll them up and slice them
  • fresh garlic
  • olive oil
  • salt + pepper
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
  2. Mix the olive oil and fresh garlic in a small bowl and brush the naan flatbread with the mixture.
  3. Put the naan in the oven on a pan and bake for 5-8 minutes so it gets crispy.
  4. Remove from the oven and begin to place the sliced mozzarella cheese and tomatoes.
  5. Add some salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Place back in the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes until it is cooked to your liking.
  7. Remove and let cool.
  8. Sprinkle with the chopped basil, slice, and serve.

Margherita Arugula Flatbread Pizza

Print
  • 1 naan bread
  • 1 jar of fresh tomato sauce
  • shredded mozzarella cheese {or sliced fresh mozzarella}
  • 1 bag of arugula
  • fresh garlic
  • olive oil
  • salt + pepper
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
  2. Mix the olive oil and fresh garlic in a small bowl and brush the naan flatbread with the mixture.
  3. Put the naan in the oven on a pan and bake for 5-8 minutes so it gets crispy.
  4. Remove from the oven and place the tomato sauce and mozzarella.
  5. Add some salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Place back in the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes until it is cooked to your liking.
  7. Mix the arugula in a bowl with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
  8. Remove the pizza and let cool.
  9. Add the arugula on top, slice, and serve.

Prosciutto Arugula Flatbread Pizza

Print
  • 1 naan bread
  • 1 large ball of fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 inch slices
  • 1 package of prosciutto
  • arugula
  • balsamic glaze
  • fresh garlic
  • olive oil
  • salt + pepper
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
  2. Mix the olive oil and fresh garlic in a small bowl and brush the naan flatbread with the mixture.
  3. Put the naan in the oven on a pan and bake for 5-8 minutes so it gets crispy.
  4. Remove from the oven and place the sliced mozzarella cheese and prosciutto on top.
  5. Add some salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Place back in the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes until it is cooked to your liking.
  7. Mix the arugula with olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
  8. Remove the pizza from the oven and let cool.
  9. Sprinkle the arugula mixture on top of the pizza and drizzle with the balsamic glaze.
  10. Slice and serve.

Caramelized Onion & Mushroom Flatbread Pizza

Print
  • 1 naan bread
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 5 button mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 oz of goat cheese
  • balsamic glaze
  • fresh garlic
  • olive oil
  • salt + pepper
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
  2. Mix the olive oil and fresh garlic in a small bowl and brush the naan flatbread with the mixture.
  3. Put the naan in the oven on a pan and bake for 5-8 minutes so it gets crispy.
  4. While the naan is in the oven, sauté the onions and mushrooms in a small pan with olive oil and/or butter, salt, and pepper.
  5. Remove the naan bread from the oven and scatter around the onions, mushrooms, and goat cheese.
  6. Add some salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Place back in the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes until it is cooked to your liking.
  8. Remove and let cool.
  9. Drizzle with the balsamic glaze, slice, and serve.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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