Last Minute Wine and Cheese

 

I went out to the deck, after a long stressful week, with a new magazine to wait for Lee to come home from work.  All of the sudden I realize it's the first evening that it's warm enough to actually sit out and relax!  I jumped up and checked the fridge to see what we had for an appetizer. Just a little bit of cheese, some dried cherries and crackers.  Yes!  The bottle of wine we chilled a few months ago is still waiting for us. 

No planning, no elaborate prep, but 15 minutes later I decided to cut a few hosta leaves and add a centerpiece to the table because it looked so nice.  As I was cutting the leaves Lee pulled up. Perfect timing!

We even got our daily exercise in on our walk to Giuseppi's to pick up a dinner to share.  Lit a fire, invited the neighbors over and stayed outside till 11pm eating chocolates, drinking wine, and catching up with friends.

"The little things?  The little moments?  They aren't little." -  John Zabat-Zinn 

Ravinia Picnic under the Stars

It was the afternoon of our trip to Ravinia to see the Moody Blues. Even though we were looking forward to the picnic and concert, our lives had been so crazy busy that we didn't actually plan ahead.  I knew we had Jason and Sarah's small picnic table, four lawn chairs and a cooler. We thought about buying food and wine but not much more. Well, I think Sarah and I both got inspired at the same time and when I called we collaborated on a really quick and delicious picnic. We loved the finished tablescape!

We started with a Roll Up picnic table.  So cute!  It's 30" X 30" and 15.25" high. We brought our aluminum lawn chairs (a little vintage but really light weight, easy to carry and comfy).  We also had a good quality set of acrylic glasses and plates with matching flatware.  The Bamboo plates, which we used as chargers, were a perfect way to tie everything together. 

Sarah found this cute cloth napkin, matching paper napkins and the votive cups in the clearance bin for .99 cents each.  I gathered my small cylinder vases, cut a bunch of Hosta leaves from my garden and grabbed the "moss" balls from my stash. (artificial but they look so real) I used bottled water from the cooler for the vases which gave them an unexpected but nice frosty look.  I didn't see the colors of the napkin until we met and packed the car but the colors look great together don't they?

I brought cheese and crackers for appetizers.  The basket is lined with a king sized cupcake liner, the cheese ball with almonds is on a vintage milk glass plant tray and the herb and garlic cheese spread came straight from the grocery store. A glass of wine (beer for the guys) and we were good to go!

View from the top. The early evening light, right before sunset, really highlighted the texture of the leaves. 

I picked up Destroyer Subs from the Sandwich Shop at D'Masti Catering. This is a long time favorite of the guys, well actually lots of people in Blue Island, since they've been selling it for as long as I can remember. 

Sarah made the Waldorf Chicken Salad recipe from Southern Living Magazine. We would use less dressing next time but it's really good!  You should try it. (oops, guess I should have brought a smaller serving spoon.)

Fresh, crisp grapes and La Bella Romana Butter Cookies from Angelo Caputo's Fresh Market  in an antique wooden bowl lined with a king sized cupcake paper. The light was quickly disappearing so you'll have to imagine the shine on the grapes and the wonderful color of the cookies :)  

Lovely candlelight on the table and Citronella candles on the ground that outlined our picnic area helped to set the mood and protected us from those pesky mosquitoes.  Time spent together with Jason and Sarah, a lovely picnic, absolutely perfect weather and familiar songs at a live performance of The Moody Blues.  What a wonderful anniversary gift!  The only thing that would have made it better was if Jon and Tawn could have been there too!   Here's to another 35 years together Lee.  LYM!

 

Tablescape Thursday

Ravinia Festival: Music and Munchies

We recently had the chance to attend our first concert at Ravinia.  Our kids bought us tickets to the Moody Blues concert for our 35th wedding anniversary.  The weather was perfect and we really enjoyed the time spent with Jason and Sarah.  Of course we enjoyed listening to the concert!

 

Moody Blues at Ravinia

We've been fans of the Moody Blues since the early 70's and have attended over 20 of their concerts so you can imagine how nice this was for us!

          

We had Lawn Seats which is part of the "experience" for Ravinia.  People pack picnic lunches and bring all the portable comforts of home for an evening under the stars.  Although it's crowded, you feel like you are in your own little world.  After setting up our space  Lee and I took a walk around the park. Jason and Sarah have attended several concerts/picnics and encouraged us to "check things out."

It's a beautiful venue with gardens, places to eat, shop and a wonderful Pavilion with traditional concert seating.

 

Many of the picnic spaces had the same small table that we have and simple centerpieces and tablecloths helped to make the evening special.  This little plastic jug with flowers and a red tablecloth added a bright pop of color to this picnic.  Inexpensive, easy to transport and the snacks look yummy!  Candles of all types (including Citronella) are encouraged and added a cozy touch to the evening.

                         

Sarah told me that during some of the concerts (orchestras, etc) the picnics take on a more "upscale" look and silver candelabras like this are the norm.  I loved the combination of paper plates, bags of chips and the fancy silver together.  This group was really having a good time.

We were so busy that we actually pulled our own menu and tablescape together the afternoon before we left for the concert.  Sarah and I did our usual phone "planning" session and prepared a delightful picnic that made for a very special evening.  

Here's a list of the "Top Ten things to bring to Ravinia" that I found on their website.