In Celebration of Semi-Homemade

We recently visited friends in New England and the hostess hit the perfect balance of homemade and prepared dishes. We were inspired and wanted to share our favorite semi-homemade ideas to make entertaining easy!

1. Order delivery pizza - but make a homemade Caprese salad. The combination of fresh tomatoes with delivery pizza is what our Italian food dreams are made of. Serve it on paper plates (on top of our rattan chargers).

2. Keep appetizers simple with a store-bought dip and crackers. No need to slave over a dip for hours if you can snag one from a local shop. And serve in our revere bowl and cracker boat.

3. Make breakfast a breeze by purchasing an assortment of baked goods from your favorite local spot and then toss a package of bacon in the oven and cut up some fruit. This seems obvious but is a good reminder that you don't need to make individual omelettes for your guests.

4. If you're planning to serve cocktails, fresh juice goes a long way. If you're feeling up to the task, squeezing your own is a treat. But you can also grab store-bought juice as well. We love this Santa Cruz juice (and swear by the combination of lime juice AND lime-ade for our Ranch Waters). Serve it in our rocks glasses!

 Happy hosting!