yummy summer garden party by Heidi Ristau

 

my friend Heidi Ristau is a woman of many talents.  she’s a high-powered and hard-charging product manager during the day, and caters for high end events on the weekends.

her food is an inspiration as i aspire to create such tasty and wonderful dishes for my get togethers!

Heidi’s use of fresh, local and organic ingredients make for tasty dishes.   

Heidi has traveled extensively and lived in Austria for a summer between her MBA years. you can tell from her delicious creations that her So Cal upbringing is infused with touches of European flavors and ingredients.

i tried to get these shots before the salads were completely devoured by the guests.  these healthy salad options were a great complement to the cheese steak main course that was being served up.

7 layer dip?  fine, twist my arm. fresh organic Corona del Mar farmer’s market onions, tomatoes and cilantro can’t be beat!

Heidi’s Burrata caprese with crostini is decadent.  i’m pretty sure when you eat the entire platter, there’s something unhealthy about it.  but life is about indulgence, no?

 

 

and i could barely keep our friends away long enough to get a shot of this yumminess! 

but Heidi doesn’t just stop at the food.  she also is a master at the decorating details.  look at this perfectly coiffed bowl of lemons.  they may look fake, but i assure you they’re real.  i touched them, smelled them.  i couldn’t believe how good they looked!  

and the hostess picked up these amazing industrial hurricane vases at One King’s Lane, so don’t expect to ever find them again!

the mix of artichoke, hydrangea, calla lillies in green hues contrast perfectly with the blue and white vases.  

and this outdoor fireplace.  the smell of burning wood on a cool, foggy early summer evening can’t be beat.  

the flowers, the hurricane vases, the candles.  so romantic. 

sorry, i just couldn’t help myself.  i took a billion pix of this table scape.

as the fog rolled in, the grand Pacific ocean was hidden away…so i stuffed my face with more Burrata caprese…b/c why wouldn’t i?

😉