Summer Patriotic Table Setting

Summer is the absolute best time to entertain! Celebrating the outdoors, at a time of year when life moves a little bit slower, the perfect season to linger in our gardens with our family, dearest friends and/or new 'friends to be'. Here at FrenchGardenHouse, it stretches our house to twice as big, and I jump at every chance to enjoy our outdoor space - because the garden is at its best.

When you entertain, the ambiance is just as important as the food, entertaining outside is brilliant because Mother Nature does most of the work! If you take the time to create something beautiful with your table setting, it makes your guests {and YOU!} feel good about the evening. But just because you've designed a lovely table setting doesn't mean it has to be difficult or a big deal.

This table top has subtle touches of red, white and blue. It's an easy table setting, because everyone has some kind of red, white and blue combination of plates, glasses and linens. If not, a red, white and blue ribbon works wonders too! I used this cream and red antique French tablecloth, i love the graphic border with its French Country charm.

By adding a few flags, this setting is appropriate for the summer holidays, but really any time of the summer is a great time to use this color scheme in the garden, isn't it? You can take away the flags, change out the napkins, the plates or anything you want to switch around and it's still a fabulous casual table setting for summer entertaining. The setting works for large or small tables. This little table will be a perfect spot to enjoy an early breakfast for the 4th of July.

Using a tablecloth for alfresco table settings really makes things feel special when dining outdoors…don’t you think? I always want our guests to feel like they are coming for an experience, for fun, not just burgers off the grill on a paper plate. {and I LOVE serving burgers!} so a real tablecloth often is my cheat way to give the easiest, most casual meal a little elegance boost.

White Linen napkins are my favorite, easy way to add a patriotic touch. These white and red {or the white and blue} linen napkins from my shop are everyday favorites here at FrenchGardenHouse. They get softer with every wash, sometimes I {or Mr. FGH, who loves to iron, believe it or not!} iron them, often we do not. The blue lapis lazuli gemstone bug napkin rings from Joanna Buchanan are pure delight for any summer table! Don't be shy about using linen napkins because of the added work involved to wash them, linen napkins are a wonderful touch to every table, indoors or out, and worth the effort.

My plates are new red & white enamel plates topped with these gorgeous antique flow blue scalloped plates with a floral border. The flatware is my everyday bee flatware that I love.

For the centerpiece on this table, I made a quick and easy arrangement of white hydrangeas, made patriotic with flags. Inexpensive flowers from the market work, centerpiece flowers don't always have to be expensive or "many" or even super artfully arranged. I like to keep it simple, because flowers are stars all on their own, they don't really need much fussing. The antique French apothecary candy jar makes a great vase for this bouquet, it has a rounded square shape, and the graphic label adds an extra layer of charm.

To protect the tablecloth as much as possible, the flowers were placed on a double stack of antique platters, a larger 1820's Georgian blue & white Featherware Leeds platter on the bottom, topped with an antique Copeland Spode Cobalt Blue Platter.

The beauty of this table is that it's patriotic but in a very subtle way. You can take away the flags and this is perfect for all your summer garden parties, porch gatherings and BBQ's. If you want to design a similar look at home, I’ve sourced everything I used below. What to serve for a summer dinner?

Years ago, in one of my more brilliant moments, I gifted Mr. FGH a gorgeous big BBQ for his birthday {it was a surprise, we usually don't actually give each other gifts} Being a devious wife, my whole thinking was he would be in charge of the main course at most summer dinner parties. It worked! I make easy appetizers, a salad, sometimes one other side dish but often not, and dessert. He can grill up burgers, steaks, chicken, salmon, shrimp {not all at once!} and dinner=done.

For outdoor summer entertaining, I love this salad that my friend Lisa of Delicious Table gave me the recipe for! This original Cobb Salad became famous in Los Angeles at the Brown Derby restaurant, it's served with French Dressing and loaded with chopped tomato, cubed chicken, crumbled bacon, diced avocado, chopped eggs, and topped with Roquefort cheese. I lay it all out on a large flat white porcelain dish, so good with almost any kind of summer meal.

Famous Brown Derby Restaurant Cobb Salad

Dressing :

The Brown Derby dressing for this salad is a vinaigrette recipe, similar to an old-fashioned French dressing. Mix all together in a bowl and wisk, or add to a large canning jar with a lid and shake. {It's what I do, I store it in the fridge like that.}

• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ¾ teaspoon dry English mustard
• ½ clove garlic, minced
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¾ cup vegetable oil

Cobb Salad Ingredients:

• ½ head iceberg lettuce
• ½ bunch watercress(optional)
• 1 small bunch curly endive
• ½ head Romaine lettuce
• 2 tablespoons fresh chives minced
• 2 medium ripe tomatoes diced
• 1 chicken breast boneless, cooked, diced, skinless {or buy pre-cooked chicken!}
• 6 strips of bacon cooked and diced
• 1 avocado, diced
• 3 hard-boiled large eggs, diced
• ½ cup Roquefort cheese, crumbled

Assemble The Cobb Salad

• Mix together the chopped iceberg, romaine, endive, and watercress, and place into the bottom of a large square or rectangle dish. Sprinkle some finely diced chives on top of the salad mix.
• Arrange Toppings- side-by-side in separate lines across the green salad in wide strips of diced tomatoes, cubed chicken, small pieces of crumbled bacon, diced avocado, and chopped eggs.
• Sprinkle all over with crumbled Roquefort cheese and more chives as a garnish.
• Pour dressing at serving time. {shake just before pouring as it will settle on the bottom in the jar or bottle.}

Thanks so much for joining me today! I hope you enjoyed this inspiration for a summer patriotic table setting. If you’d like more beautiful inspiration, please visit my friends’ posts. They are each so talented and always share the most beautiful ideas.

PAM at Everyday Living

MARY at HomeIsWhereIsWhereTheBoatIs

Shannon of Belle Bleu Interiors

and me, Lidy of FrenchGardenHouse

Wishing you all a wonderful, beautiful Independence Day!

ADD YOUR TWO CENTS

I'm sure you have great tips for fabulous summer settings and/or meals. We'd love to hear from you! Leave us your fun tips in the comments below, we'd love to learn new tricks from you!

A BIENTOT

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