Favorite Things: Summer BBQs

The joy of living in Minneapolis during the summer is the amazingness of having a house with a backyard, grill, patio set and fire pit. You could pretty much camp in your backyard every night if you wanted.

I love hosting BBQs at my house all summer long. Having friends over, introducing new people to each other and getting to cook for all my friends makes me feel like life couldn't get any better.

The first BBQ of the season was on Friday and I can't wait for our 4th of July one!

 Mojitos are the perfect summer drink for a night of grilling!

My florist, aka my parents, dropped off my bouquets of fresh peonies that evening!
I follow Ina Garten's advice when it comes to dinner parties: make dishes ahead of time, have lots of booze and fresh cut flowers from your garden (ok my parents' garden).

Side dish: Grilled peppers and onion with olive oil and salt and pepper. Super easy and fresh!

Because it wouldn't be an event without something entertaining happening.
Friday night's main event: Katie spying into the downstairs neighbor's kitchen to see who had the better kitchen in the unit.

They have a bigger one, ours has way better lighting. I'll take ours in practice for my Food Network show.