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Celina:
I don’t know what it is about tomato season, but it makes me want to invite everyone over.
Maybe it’s because tomatoes actually taste like tomatoes this time of year, or maybe I’ve officially become that girl who gets excited about table settings.
A few months ago, Cenzo and I made a deal that we’d host one dinner party every month. Between work, raising two little girls, and everything else life brings, it’s so easy to let weeks go by without really slowing down. We wanted to create something we’d always look forward to a night to cook, gather our favorite people, and spend a few hours around one table. It’s honestly become one of my favorite things we do.
I’ve also realized how much I genuinely love hosting.
Every time we throw a party, I somehow end up with one more thing that makes the next one even better. A basket here, candlesticks there, pretty glasses, random serving platters… it’s starting to become a little collection, and somehow it all comes in handy the next time we have everyone over.
Since tomatoes are basically the star of summer right now, a Tomato Girl Summer dinner just felt right.
I leaned all the way into the theme. Tomatoes on the table, tomatoes in the cocktails, tomatoes in the food… if there was a way to incorporate tomatoes, we probably did it.
This dinner wasn’t quite as planned out as our others because life has been extra busy lately. Between work, the girls, launching our Substack, and everything else we’ve had going on, we had a little less time than usual to prepare. Even so, Cenzo still found the time to put so much thought into every dish. He always has a way of creating a menu that feels intentional and fits the theme perfectly, and somehow he always pulls it off.
Before every dinner party I send my girlfriends a little mood board because if I’m committing to a theme… we’re all committing.
For this one I wanted it to feel vintage, summery, a little Italian countryside, and honestly just fun.
Cherry tomatoes everywhere, red gingham, olive greens, candles, baskets, and lots of little details that felt collected rather than perfectly styled.
A few things that made the night feel special:
tomatoes scattered down the center of the table instead of flowers
tomato garnishes on the cocktails
serving everything family-style
music playing before the first guest arrived
The older I get, the more I realize I don’t care about hosting perfectly. I just want our home to be a place where people gather often, stay a little longer than planned, and leave already talking about the next dinner.
The cutest little touch might’ve been the place cards.
We actually made them just a few hours before everyone arrived, and the whole thing only took about 30 minutes.
The best part? Everything came from Walmart and cost under $10. It was such an easy DIY, but it made the table feel so much more personal.
I leaned into the theme with a soft green knit tank and a flowy green skirt. It felt like the perfect outfit for a slow summer evening spent around the table, and I finished it off with my favorite straw hat. It might’ve been my favorite part of the whole look.
If there’s one thing about me, it’s that every party needs a cake.
I don’t know when that became my thing, but somewhere along the way it did, and now it doesn’t feel like a dinner party without one.
This one might honestly be one of my all-time favorites. Between the tomatoes, strawberries, little flowers, and fresh basil, it looked like it belonged right in the middle of the table. I almost didn’t want to cut into it…
Almost.
This was one of those nights I wish I could bottle up.
One of my best friends was in town, all of our kids were together, and there was something really special about sitting around the table catching up while they played. Lately, my daughter has started calling them all her cousins, and honestly, we’ve stopped correcting her. There’s something so sweet about watching them grow up together that it kind of feels true.
The kids spent the night dancing around the table and asking every few minutes, “Can we have the cake now?” We kept catching them sticking little fingers into the frosting when they thought no one was looking.
Those are the nights I’ll remember years from now. Good food, good company, our favorite people all in one place, and getting to watch our kids grow up making memories together.
Nights like this always leave me feeling so grateful. Grateful for good food, the people around our table, and getting to watch our kids grow up together. The best part? I already have next month’s dinner party planned, and I can’t wait to do it all over again.
Cenzo:
Now, while I’ll admit a tomato-themed party sounds like a great idea, it was actually pretty challenging from a menu standpoint.
The hardest part wasn’t figuring out how to use tomatoes, it was figuring out how to use them without every dish tasting the same. I wanted each course to feel completely different. Different flavors, different textures, different techniques. That meant getting a little creative.
Sun-Dried Tomato Dip
Served with toasted rustic Italian bread
.
Tomatokeftedes (Greek Tomato Fritters)
Served with tzatziki
Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches
Tomato cake
And I’m not going to lie to you guys, this was one of the hardest hosting dinners I’ve ever done.
Not because any of these dishes are especially difficult to make on their own, but because we were so insanely busy leading up to the party that I didn’t even get to the grocery store until 10:00 AM the day of. That meant shopping for the entire dinner, coming home, and making everything from scratch with essentially zero prep.
I would HIGHLY not recommend doing that. 😂
There were definitely a few moments where I felt like I was completely losing it, but somehow everything came together, and honestly, I couldn’t have been happier with how it turned out.
It was also my first time making several of these recipes—the Sun-Dried Tomato Dip, Tomatokeftedes, and Creamy Cherry Tomato Rigatoni. I’m really happy with how they turned out, but if I make them again (which I definitely will), I’m sure I’ll tweak each recipe a little bit. That’s honestly one of my favorite parts about cooking. Every time you make something, you learn something.
As for dessert... I didn’t even pretend to reinvent the wheel. Although Celina did get an amazing tomato-themed cake, one of her friends who was in town told me I make “the best chocolate chip cookies,” so I knew I had to do something with them.
I’m much more of a cook than a baker, so for the cookies I used JoyFoodSunshine’s “The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe.” It’s honestly become my go-to recipe, and I don’t think I could improve on it if I tried. Instead of reposting it here, I’d rather send you straight to the source so she gets the credit she deserves. If you want to make the ice cream sandwiches, use “The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe” by JoyFoodSunshine, then sandwich your favorite vanilla ice cream between two cookies and freeze until firm. The rest of the recipes will be below!
Overall, I wanted this dinner to prove that one ingredient can be used in a dozen completely different ways if you’re willing to get a little creative— and I think we pulled it off.
From here, you’ll get the full directions for 8 unique recipes, complete with helpful tricks and techniques to make sure you’re eating just as good as Celina and running a complete tomato-themed dinner party. Subscribe and let’s get cooking.
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