A Taste of New Orleans!

During our Christmas break my family traveled to New Orleans for the first time!  You may remember me sharing some of the fun from that wonderful vacation in a city that was so much more than we ever expected!  We were so taken back by the wonderful citizens who dwell in that colorful town, the music was amazingly incredible, and equally wonderful…the food!  We were so fortunate to have some of our friends tell us all their favorite places to sample the flavors of Nola…so as a little “thank you” we decided to treat them to a meal, New Orleans style!  Our original intent was to replicate the  muffuletta sandwiches from Central Grocery…a most favored little store that made these delicious and ginormous sandwiches in the back of the shop!  But when we began to research how to make a sandwich that was as similar as possible…we discovered that we could actually have the real deal shipped directly to our doorstep!  Needless to say, we decided to throw out the idea of making them ourselves and treat our friends to an authentic taste of the city!  If you’ve not heard of Goldbely, you really should check them out!  They can bring to your door some of the most wonderful eats and sweets from all across the country!  From steaks to cupcakes, deli sandwiches to cookies & ice cream…if you have a favorite from somewhere you’ve visited check to see if they’ve got you covered!  And if not, I can guarantee you’ll see something that looks delicious!  So over the weekend we enjoyed good company and good food…made simple!  And even though I really didn’t prepare anything myself, I’d still like to share how I set up some simple munchies for our “thank you” meal!

nibble, munch, and celebrate NOLA!

since these delicious deli treats were the highlight of the night and our guests both brought goodies to the table, i didn’t really need to do much more for this celebration!  but you know i can’t pass up a chance to decorate so i set up an appetizer buffet with VERY simple munchies to tide us over before we dug into the famed muffulettas!

and since i really didn’t have any New Orleans inspired decor on hand, i just used what i did have and created a very natural setup with a slight tropical feel…close enough!  i used painters tape to attach a pyramid of paper plates to the wall to make a festive and inexpensive backdrop!

some of my summer candle holders became fun vessels to serve a variety of bread sticks…

and a really easy way to make a custom treat stand is to fill a clear vase with items that fit your theme and top it with a platter!  i used seashells (collected from beach vacations) and placed a wood plaque right on top.  bite-size cookies, that i almost always have in the freezer, made a sweet addition to the table and they look so cute stacked in paper baking cups!  if you have a favorite cookie, i really recommend keeping extras in the freezer…it makes setting up a treat table so effortless when you’ve always got some goodies on hand!

another votive holder makes a great container for the utensils and a variety of wood bowls hold more nibbles and napkins!

i love to use fairy lights to add some enchantment and much needed illumination to my dining room–the joys of an old home with very few outlets!  so when the light begins to dim, i make sure to turn on the twinkle…

and since the plates and utensils could be picked up on the appetizer buffet…the dining table was pretty simple with a lazy susan to hold the sandwiches and olive salad (another treat we brought back with us!) and just placemats & napkins!

let’s eat!

bananas foster bread pudding (made by my talented friend) was a DELICIOUS & nola inspired dessert!  needless to say we were pretty stuffed by the end of the night…but it was worth it!

a simple set up complimented a wonderful meal…but the best part of the night was the people who shared it with us!

i hope you can always find a little inspiration to make your special moments memorable!  don’t forget to check out the links above to see what goodies you might decide to have delivered for your next special occasion!

good food, good friends…it doesn’t get better!