Things you learn when you cook/bake/teach for a 30 person retreat in Palm Springs:
There’s a lot of palm trees in Palm Springs. I actually said that out loud to Joy. Duh.
Two grown women can be absolutely terrified of a tiny mouse YET feel the biggest sense of accomplishment when they pull a dead mouse out of a swimming pool. Did I mention that the handle on this pool strainer is only a foot long and the mouse was at the BOTTOM of the deep end? Yeah…
Big blocks of ice & lemon slices in punch bowls make punches way more legit.
It’s a good idea to take a shot of booze before your guests arrive. Cuz really, what could go wrong?
Scotch tape makes nail painting 1000 times more fun. Women LOVE nail polish. LOVE LOVE LOVE.
Brown butter is the loveliest addition to chocolate chip cookies. Milk is always necessary.
If you bring out a rainbow of embroidery thread and teach people how to make friendship bracelets, the whole room will suddenly be quiet (soo much focus!) but there will be trickles of giggles every few minutes.
Sometimes it takes coffee to MAKE coffee. Believe me on this.
Eggy breakfast pizzas & frittatas are great improvisational brunch foods.
Women who lay out around a pool in Palm Springs thoroughly enjoy & appreciate cucumber vodka spritzers.
Brie+ jam+ rosemary+ puff pastry makes an AMAZING appetizer. So amazing that it will be demolished by guests in 2.5 seconds. If you want to have a taste, you’d better be first in line. Guests go CRAZY for baked brie.
Grapefruit sugar tastes great on buttered toast & makes a good hand scrub (we made our own sugar infusions together!).
People love snacks. Especially when they’re drinking.
If your guests are taking both a wine tasting & gin workshop, it is absolutely necessary to feed them a ridiculous amount of carbs.
Also, never worry about having leftover garlic bread because it almost never happens.
If you have only 1 ice cream scooper in a rental house and you’re hosting an ice cream sundae party, pre-scoop your ice cream and let it sit in the freezer until you’re ready to go! It saves a LOT of time.
If your rental house doesn’t have a lot of serving dishes & bowls BUT there’s a lot of martini glasses (party much?), serve your ice cream sundae toppings in the martini glasses!
People go nuts of Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream. That’s a fact.
Some good brainstorming happens when you’re crouched down in front of a kitchen cabinet.
Fresh hot donuts are worth waiting for. Also, make a double batch. People LOVE their donuts.
Parchment paper is fun to write on. Spices are awesome. So are sharpies.
Friendship bracelets are great because they help remind you of the friend that made them for you. It is also OK to wear a friendship bracelet you made yourself. Being friends with yourself is important in life.
If you create a weekend around fabulous food & drink, people are bound to have a good time.
And when you work with someone you love & respect a lot of good can happen!
Last but not least, if you find a bachelorette mix CD left in a Palm Springs rental house you MUST play it.
We had guests travel from all across the country to be at our HomefriesU: BACK TO SCHOOL WEEKEND. It was a hit!
We’ll be hosting another one in the Spring so mark your calendars.
Also, we have a few very cool giveaways coming up. Stay tuned!
(Thank you Maryam for the extra pics!)
