Our Table in July

Mom and I have officially come full circle with Our Table's Company. We're celebrating one year together, and when we thought about what we would do after our memorable Golden Hour in Greece dinner party, we ran through a lot of different ideas of what our anniversary table could look like. One year felt like a big deal, and we didn't want to pass the moment by without making it feel special.

When it comes to Our Table’s Company, it’s really not just Mom and me. It’s a whole family thing. But when it comes to the two people who have washed every dish for every dinner party over the last year, that would be my dad and my husband. They rolled their sleeves up from the very beginning and have been so supportive in every way they could be. There’s something really special about knowing this isn’t something we’ve done alone. They’ve been behind every one of our tables and projects, and that’s just been the coolest thing.

So Mom and I decided we would host a table for them. A dinner for our dishwashers.

Behind every table is my dad and Charles. And before Our Table's Company even began, Charles was the one insisting I find the courage to share our story on social media. He believed in this before I did.

When it came to the table, we decided to keep things simple. Between the rush of summer, traveling, Neil-Walker and Katie’s engagement, and a very big family lake weekend coming up that I’ll be sharing with you, we didn’t want this table to feel overbearing.

Especially because the reality of a lot of our summers is that simple is always best. Beautiful weather, linens, hydrangeas in season. There’s a romance in the simplicity. So we didn’t print menus or place cards and kept the table pretty bare, which isn’t our usual look, and yet it was quite perfect.

We did, however, decide to move the table (very us) next to the pool, right in front of the hydrangea trees that were fully blooming. There’s something about scenery that does so much of the work, and I have to give my parents credit, because their backyard really is the star of the show in the middle of July. Thank goodness for umbrellas that save us from some of the heat.

We were both really excited about how the table turned out. You can find everything we used in our Behind Every Table Collection.

I did a post this week for Sips of the Summer on champagne. We know our husbands, and we know they are not cocktail guys, so a glass of bubbly made sense.

We are big champagne people and believe you can always find a reason to toast, whether it’s a small win or a year of washing dishes. We started with bubbly and then turned dinner into a mini wine tasting: a nice glass of Blanc de Cab Franc, and then a Pinot with the filet. It added a fun element to the night and we’d definitely recommend it, as long as you also put the wine glasses in the dishwasher.

We wanted to surprise Dad and Charles, because how much more fun for them to think they were showing up to work, and then realize the whole dinner party was for them? Right?!

We told them we had a party of twelve women coming, all new to our table, and that it was going to be a ton of work and a lot of courses. That morning, Charles told me how busy his day was and how he candidly wasn’t looking forward to washing dishes over the sink. Halfway through the day, Mom and I thought it would be a great time to call them both and let them know how stressed we were. So to say we made this a big deal would be an understatement.

Dad got home and immediately got to work. We call him “Pre-Party Jeff,” because Dad can go into a whole different zone when it comes to guests arriving. He got there earlier than Charles, so I started panic-texting Charles that we needed him immediately. Meanwhile, Dad was so confused why we were so relaxed and not doing anything.

When Charles walked in, we made them both come into the kitchen and stop working. We told Dad to calm down. And then we surprised them: the dinner wasn’t for anyone but them.

It took them a second to adjust out of work mode and into relaxation, but we ended up having such a great night. There wasn’t a specific question around the table this time. We spent most of it talking about Neil-Walker’s engagement, since we let him take a seat. He only has a few weeks left here before heading to Texas.

And when the night was over, we didn’t let the guys wash a single dish.

For the menu on this one, we wanted to make sure it was all of their favorites.

We started with Dad’s favorite salad. It’s a caprese, so it’s simple, but recently Mom turned it into a sandwich and I have to highly recommend it. It looks so festive. If you rip up some basil and sprinkle it on top, it’s such a playful, fun summer salad, especially with heirloom tomato season upon us. No dressing for this one. Just balsamic and a high quality olive oil, salt, pepper, and wow, it’s a showstopper.

Charles’ favorite is filet. I’ve linked our previous recipe that we use for grilling filet, and we just so happened to have truffle butter in the fridge, which is totally worth the investment if you can get a high quality one. Also Charles’ preferred way to eat it.

We also roasted sweet potatoes and onions, and threw some sweet corn into brown butter, topping it with chives. Neither of these is an official recipe, just easy summer sides.

When it came to dessert, we decided why do one when we could do both? So we made a favorite for each guest of honor. For Charles, an almond cake recipe Mom has been making for a while now, most recently at our Sobremesa Lunch. And for Dad, a homemade coconut ice cream. Candidly, both of these guys will use any excuse to grab ice cream after dinner. We tried a new recipe for the coconut ice cream this time, and honestly, guys, it's just not ready yet. We used agave hoping it could stand in for the corn syrup, but it wasn't sweet enough and we ended up drizzling honey over the top. I'm sure there are a lot of good options out there, but when it comes to ours, you're going to have to be patient a little longer.

There’s something so special about trying a new recipe, or making someone’s favorite, when you know they’re coming to the table. It’s such an easy way to show you care about them and an intentional way to show your love.

Dad and Charles show up for every single dinner party we throw. It felt only right to make one night about them. You really don’t need an occasion to do this. Pick someone who always shows up for you, make the thing they love, and save them a seat!

Until the next table,
Georgia & Annette