As summer came to a close, I was looking for the perfect excuse to get the P&P team together for a girl’s night in. What better way to end the summer season than with an Italian spritz-themed dinner party? We set a date, then I hit the grocery store and got everything ready to host the perfect girls’ night in, this time, pasta-making edition.
How to Create a Table Scape
Since moving into my new house, I’ve slowly started collecting all the best hosting utensils and decor. You guys know I love estate sales, and I found the cutest lemon vases to add to the tablescape and my hosting collection. In addition to the decorative pieces I’ve collected, my favorite way to make my table feel like an intimate nice restaurant is the addition of fake candles. I found candles that create the allusion of a real candle flicker, without the fire.
Have Appetizers Ready for Snacking On!
No girls’ night in is ready without some snacks! I ended up selecting 3 appetizers that had a bit of a Mediterranean twist – caprese salad, bruschetta, and a hummus / charcuterie board.
Tip: pick appetizers you can make in advance and just set out a few minutes before the guests arrive!
Recipe for Aperol Spritz
No dinner party, especially Italian-themed, is complete without an Aperol Spritz. I realized I’d never made these at home, so I headed to the official Aperol Spritz website to ensure we used the most authentic recipe. Here are the ingredients to have on hand:
- 3 parts of Prosecco D.O.C. (9cl)
- 2 parts of Aperol (6cl)
- 1 splash of soda (3cl)
- 1 slice of orange
The preparation is very easy, even for a novice cocktail maker:
- Place ice cubes in a stemmed glass.
- Pour 3 parts of Prosecco D.O.C. (9 cl).
- Pour 2 parts of Aperol (6 cl)
- Top with 1 ounce of soda (3cl).
- Use a slice of orange to garnish.
Recipe for Homemade Pasta
I’ve wanted to make homemade pasta at home, and hosting a girls’ night in created the perfect opportunity. I followed this recipe from Love and Lemons, and it was pretty easy! There’s a bit of a learning curve, but I feel confident we’ll speed up our processes as we make the recipe more. Regardless of the time it took, we had a blast kneading the dough, making our dough balls, and cooking pasta we created from scratch. The best part: we made a ton, so the girls had extra dough to take home and make pasta for another meal, or two.
Ingredients for your grocery list (head to the article for full instructions):
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled
- 3 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Thanks for reading about how to host a girls’ night in!
