Dreamy Garden Party with the Cheesegal

What’s the saying? Build it and they will come? When we built our garden, I never imagined it would draw in so many talented collaborators and creatives. It has truly been the best gift!

This time, I met Cortney of @cheesegal in the garden to do what we do best: eat, laugh, and drink champagne! I got to watch Cortney create one her Instagram famous boards (crudite this time) and it was truly like watching an artist at work.

Cortney handled the incredible crudite board and an insanely delicious blackberry lavender champagne cocktail that we dressed up with fresh herb bundles. I took on dips, desserts, and decor. To accompany all the fresh veggies, I made a trio of dips: Creamy Jalapeño Ranch, Baba Ganoush, and Spicy Sweet Potato Hummus. Y’all. we couldn’t decide which was our favorite. Even some of our team who usually avoid veggies were going back for seconds because of these dips!

For dessert, I brought back a favorite from my first book, lemon whoopee pies with lavender frosting. Using herbs in desserts can sometimes be overwhelming, but the acidity of the lemon combined with the richness of the frosting keeps this one in perfect balance. Plus-they’re so pretty!

For the design of this party, I wanted to create the feel of a dreamy secret garden, but still keep things comfortable and inviting.

I was recently introduced to the Heirloomed Collective and fell in love with their modern classic pieces that can easily ground any tablescape. I tied their floral linen table runner off at the ends with more herb and flower bundles-which was such an easy but unexpected touch!

To keep things relaxed, I brought in some of my favorite vintage pieces to help things not feel quite so perfect and a little more lived in. The wicker standing tray used as a bar, tin cooler, and huge rattan serving board brought the perfect amount of texture. I kept the florals loose and wild, highlighting some of the blooms from my garden. Wicker baskets were at the ready for veggie picking for guests to take home.

Thanks for coming to the garden, Cortney!

Links: Runner, Napkins, Melamine plates, Lanterns, Tray, Katie’s dress, Cortney’s Skirt, Cortney’s top, Cortney’s earrings

Lemon Whoopie Pies with Lavender Frosting

makes approximately 12-15 pies

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 egg

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup buttermilk

Lavender Frosting

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

6 – 8 drops lavender oil (to taste)

3 cups powdered sugar (plus extra for dusting)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on a medium speed until light and fluffy. Add lemon zest, egg, lemon juice and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Reduce to low speed and add flour mixture and buttermilk, alternating dry and wet ingredients, starting and ending with flour mixture until just combined.

Transfer mixture to a pastry bag, cut 1/2 inch off tip. Pipe 1-inch rounds about 2 inchs apart on parchment-lined sheets.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheets until completely cool.

Once cool, make the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium until smooth. Add vanilla and lemon juice. Add the lavender tasting after every couple of drops until there is a light lavender taste. Add powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Transfer frosting to a pastry bag and cut 1/2 inch off tip.

Turn half of one cooled cookie upside down, flat side facing up. Pipe frosting on top of flat side of cookie and another cookie, flat side down, on top of filling—sandwiched together. Repeat with all cookies. Dust each cookie with sifted powdered sugar.

Creamy Jalapeno Ranch

serves 6

1 cup Duke’s mayonnaise

1/3 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup light sour cream

1 can (4 oz) chopped chiles (mild or hot)

2 large jalapenos, seeds and ribs removed

1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

3 cloves garlic, coarsley chopped

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp. dried dill

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. dried chives

1/2 tsp. mustard powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Instructions

Add all ingredients to a food processor, and pulse until smooth.

Allow dip to rest for at least 30 minutes before serving. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Baba Ganoush

serves 6

2 pounds eggplants (about 2 to 3 small/medium eggplants)

2 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced

2 Tbls. lemon juice

¼ cup tahini

⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing the eggplant and garnish

2 Tbls. flat-leaf parsley, chopped, plus extra for garnish

¾ teaspoon salt, to taste

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

Pinch of smoked paprika, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F with a rack in the upper third of the oven. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent the eggplant from sticking to the pan. Halve the eggplants lengthwise and brush the cut sides lightly with olive oil. Place them in the prepared pan with the halved sides down.

Roast the eggplant until the interior is very tender throughout and the skin is collapsing, about 35 to 40 minutes. Set the eggplant aside to cool for a few minutes. Flip the eggplants over and scoop out the flesh with a large spoon, leaving the skin behind.

Place a mesh strainer over a mixing bowl, then transfer the flesh to the strainer and discard the skins. Pick out any stray bits of eggplant skin and discard. You want to remove as much moisture from the eggplant here as possible, so let the eggplant rest for a few minutes and shake/stir the eggplant to release some more moisture.

Discard all of the eggplant drippings, drain and wipe out the bowl, and dump the eggplant into the bowl. Add the garlic and lemon juice to the eggplant and stir vigorously with a fork until eggplant breaks down. Add the tahini to the bowl and stir until it’s incorporated. While stirring, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Continue stirring until the mixture is pale and creamy, and use your fork to break up any particularly long strings of eggplant.

Stir in the parsley, salt and cumin. Season to taste with more salt (I usually add another ¼ teaspoon) and more lemon juice, if you’d like a more tart flavor.

Transfer the baba ganoush to a serving bowl and lightly drizzle olive oil on top. Lastly, sprinkle parsley and smoked paprika on top. Serve with accompaniments of your choice.

Recipe adapted from Cookie and Kate.

https://cookieandkate.com

Spicy Sweet Potato Hummus

serves 6

2 medium sweet potatoes

3 Tbls. olive oil

one can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained (about 2 cups)

3 Tbls. tahini

3 cloves garlic, peeled

juice of 1 lemon

zest of ½ lemon

ground sea salt, to taste

1 ½ tsp. cayenne pepper (start with less, season to taste)

½ tsp. smoked paprika

¼ tsp. cumin

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake the sweet potatoes on the middle oven rack or in a baking dish for 45 minutes to an hour. They should yield to a gentle squeeze when they’re done baking.

While the sweet potatoes are cooling, toss all of the other ingredients into a food processor (if you’re sensitive to spice, you may want to save the spices for last and add them to taste). Once the sweet potatoes have cooled enough to handle, use a knife or your fingers to peel the skin off of them. Add the sweet potatoes to the food processor.

Blend well, and serve! I garnished mine with a light sprinkle of cayenne pepper and sesame seeds.

Recipe adapted from Cookie and Kate.

https://cookieandkate.com