Brunch

My take on Locanda Verde‘s (our neighborhood fave) ridiculous lemon ricotta pancakes via Bobby Flay. I made them mini and warmed up some lemon curd, letting guests pour as they pleased. Unlike the scones, these were outstanding.

For those looking to be a little healthier, I offered banana berry smoothies. Milk bottles repurposed from a previous party and red striped straws.

The bacon “bar” consisted of organic, thick cut bacon from the butcher marinated ahead of time with herbs and seasonings like cinnamon sugar, black pepper, rosemary, brown sugar and jalapeno. They were all amazing and it was fun to try each and compare but the ultimate winner was rosemary. I highly recommend trying it. I baked it in the oven as opposed to stovetop.

Instead of spending a lot of time and money on a new table cloth, I headed to my local fabric store and had a patterned piece cut specifically for me and my island at a fraction of the price.

I made the pancakes and scones ahead of time and froze them and made the smoothies earlier in the morning so as not to be too frazzled right before or during the party.

The mimosas also helped! My personal pick? Tangerine.

Happy 2015! May it be celebratory- and delicious!