A Much-Delayed Housewarming

For pretty much always, I've been preparing to host my own parties in my own house. From when my Nana would make me pass hors d'oeuvres at her parties to when I was throwing my first parties in high school, I was thinking about hosting my first house party and it finally happened this weekend!

We've been so busy that when we finally looked at a calendar, we realized this past weekend was truly one of the only weekends all summer that we would be free! As a kid, I thought grown-ups had parties all the time (that's how it looked on TV!) but now I see why they don't; life is too damn busy! We were excited to have a great group of friends come over, and I got to pull out some of my favorite recipes and party supplies. Here's some pictures of the evening:

Summer means Pimm's, a popular liqueur in Britain that is typically served with cucumber and is super refreshing.

I made a Peach Pimm's Punch (recipe adapted from this one) with 2 bottles of Bombay Sapphire Gin, 2 bottles of Pimm's, a LOT of peach-flavored soda and sliced cucumbers and peaches. It was delicious and refreshing, like a spin on spiked iced tea.

We set up a fully stocked bar...although I think most folks stuck to punch, Melissa's sangria or beer.

I did make myself a rainier cherry caipiroska, though.

We dined on burgers and hot dogs, cocktail shrimp and lots of delicious fruit!

I also made a twist on caprese salad with peaches instead of tomatoes, and it was predictably tasty.

 But the best part was seeing our house full of revelers!

 Yay for friends and housewarming parties!

The piece de resistance was our dessert (definitely an idea from Pinterest...I can't take credit): S'mores Strawberries. My sister in law Katie and friends Laura and Jody helped make my dream a reality! They dipped the strawberries in melting chocolate, then in graham cracker crumbs and finally in marshmallow fluff. We used my little kitchen butane torch (a wedding gift to make creme brulee) to toast the marshmallow and it was definitely just dangerous/safe enough to be fun!

They were a pretty big hit.

At the end of the night, a few of us raided my collection of leftover wedding sparklers and danced on the deck, singing Ariana Grande songs. It was a wonderful night and a great first house party, of which I hope there will be many!