As many of you know Cory and I visited Italy on our honeymoon last month. It was such a wonderful experience that we wanted to share some of favorite cocktails and meals that we enjoyed throughout Italy. An Italian dinner party sounded like so much fun to close out the summer weather. So I stalked the weather forecast and picked a beautiful night to set up a table in our backyard and invite some family and friends over. Here are the details on our Italian dinner party including the menu, cocktails and tips & tricks.
I’m so glad the weather held out and our backyard dried out from all the rain in Grand Rapids. We set up an 8 ft table in the backyard for seating, a kids area, a cocktail table and food table for the evening. This setup was perfect for mixing and mingling throughout the night.
The Table Setting
I kept the table setting on trend with what we would have seen in Italy. A simple tablecloth, white dinner plates, neutral napkins and of course some Italian decor items. I had these mini vases from our wedding that I used to put fresh rosemary in for the dinner party. We saw this trick multiple times in Italy and its a fun way to use something fresh. Lemons were everywhere in Capri so those were a must have for the table. We also always had a bread basket with our meals (bring on all the carbs) so we bought our favorite baguette bread from Nantucket Baking Co.
The Menu
Here are some of the essentials we served for our Italian dinner party. These items were easy to make and our guests really enjoyed them.
DIY Pizza Station
A DIY pizza station is an easy way to get your guests (and kids) involved at a dinner party. To make this simple pizza bar I used mini naan bread (you can find these at Aldi in a pack of 8) that work really well on the grill. You can choose your favorite pizza sauce (we love Dei Fratelli), veggies, cheese and meat for the toppings. Cory was in charge of grilling the pizzas which take around 5 minutes to cook on the grill. If you don’t have a grill the oven works just fine for these pizzas. I would suggest baking them at 375 degrees for 6-8 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Caprese Salad
It wouldn’t be an Italy party without a caprese salad right? These salads were my absolute favorite in Italy for lunch. To save yourself time in prepping this salad you can buy pre-sliced mozzarella cheese that works perfect for this salad. Cut your fresh tomatoes to the size of the mozzarella cheese slices and add fresh basil as garnish. Drizzle the salad with extra virgin olive oil, a little balsamic vinegar and a dash of salt and pepper and you’re good to go.
Arugula Salad
One of my favorite lunches we had in Italy was on Capri. A view of the water and a crisp arugula salad with tomatoes and parmesan…yes please. I re-created this salad for our dinner party with an easy lemon pepper and olive oil dressing that was paired perfectly with the bitter arugula.
Snacks
Bar snacks are a big thing in Italy when you order a drink. We always had olives, potato chips, peanuts or our favorite tarallini crackers. I found them at World Market here in Grand Rapids, and everyone commented how good they were.
Cheese Board
Of course this spread of food wouldn’t be complete without a cheese board. After taking a cheese tour in Tuscany we’ve become cheese connoisseurs. I actually went to Trader Joe’s to pick up some of my favorite cheese options including the Italian truffle cheese, grana padano parmesan, asiago cheese, and blue cheese. We also included some of Cory’s favorite meat options like prosciutto, capocollo, and chianti salami. Paired with dried figs, grapes, marcona almonds and fresh honey is was delicious.
Desserts
Not pictured from the evening were the desserts. We served gelato with biscotti, my sister made cheesecake, and my friend Jamee brought chocolate chip cookies. The kids loved decorating their gelato with chocolate sauce and dipping the biscotti in it.
The Cocktails
Of course we served our favorite Aperol Spritz made with Aperol, prosecco, a splash of soda water and a slice of orange for a garnish. We LOVED these in Italy during the afternoon for a refreshing drink. We also made Limoncello Spritz made with our favorite Limoncello from Capri. For those who wanted beer we served Peroni and for red wine we had Chianti Classico from Tuscany. Cheers!
Tips & Tricks
Here are a few helpful tips and tricks if you’re planning a dinner party:
- Don’t forget about the kids: Have some fun projects or toys available for the kids. I provided paper lunch bags and markers for the kids to decorate for Kids’ Food Basket along with this fun tent to play in. Add some toys and corn hole and they were all set.
- Keep it simple: I think the less you mess with the menu, the table setting, the cocktails etc. the better. Make it easy for people to grab food, make themselves a drink and have a good time.
- Make a playlist for the evening: I’m a big music person and really think it can set the tone for the evening. You can find my Italy Backyard Party playlist on Spotify.
- HAVE FUN
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