Good Gracious!

Summer salads are always a treat. When they are made by Good Gracious Catering they are an extra special treat. They combine the freshest ingredients and wonderful seasoning to produce absolutely delicious food. Their motto is "We embrace the seasons and all of their offerings. We choose to provide menus filled with the freshest local produce, local sustainable seafood and organic meats and poultry. Our cuisine is all prepared in house from scratch using the finest ingredients".


Pauline Parry, the President and brain of the business was gracious enough (sorry, I couldn't resist) to provide us with two wonderful summer recipes. You will need to experiment a bit with quantities. Enjoy!

The salty and sweet combination of this Summer fruit Suprise is a winner!
The recipe is below


Watermelon and Strawberries with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Seedless watermelon, cut into chunks
Large and small strawberries, cut or whole - depending on size
Feta Cheese cut in small chunks
Fresh blueberries
Balsamic Vinaigrette - recipe follows

Mix fruit and feta together gently. Add a handful of blueberries and drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette.

Balsamic Vainagrette - 1 Tbl Dijon Mustard, 1 cup balsamic vinegar, half a cup lemon juice, 3 Tbl. garlic, 3 cups olive oil, salt & pepper to taste. Blend everything in a Cuisinart except the oil. Slowly add oil to emulsify.

Haricot Vert, Artichoke, Orange Pepper & Sweet Pea Sala

Fresh peas (or frozen if you must)
Hericot vert
Baby artichoke
Orange peppers
Champagne Dressing

1.Blanch Haricot Vert beans in boiling water for two minutes. They should cook but keep their color.

2. Drain hot water from beans and place in cold water with ice to stop the cooking.

3. Take fresh peas from their pods - cook in boiling water for one minute or defrost frozen peas

4. Roast baby artichokes that have been soaked in marinade (recipe follows). Roast until tender, about a half hour at 400 degrees. Cool and cut into quarters. You can cheat and buy marinated artichokes in a jar.

5. Cut tops off of the peppers, take out seeds and julienne.

6. Toss all vegetables with Champagne Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Vegetable Marinade

6 cups Chardonnay white wine
1 and a half cups red wine vinegar
one half cup cup Dijon Mustard
one half cup minced garlic
one eighth cup paprika
one half cup each of rosemary and thyme
12 cups olive oil & salt & pepper to taste

Measure all of the ingredients except oil into a large "sour cream" bucket. Whisk by hand. Slowly add oil, stirring to emulsify.

This recipe will yield one and a half gallons! Use it on chicken, fish and meat. Be creative.

Champagne Dressing

1 Tbl. minced garlic
4 Tbl Dijon Mustard
three quarters cup champagne vinegar
3 cups olive oil & salt & pepper to taste

Blend everything in Cuisinart except oil. Slowly add oil to ingredients to emulsify.

We at Pryor Events thank Good Gracious!

Great New Shop

On my way to meet clients at La Scala, I discovered a wonderful new boutique.
Pom Pom Interiors.

From wonderful silver frames to unique jewelry, everything is enticing

Pom Pom Interiors at 432 N Canon Drive in Beverly Hills is a warm and welcoming shop that features great items for the home

Pom Pom has a European feel but the beige and white palette makes you feel as if you are at a Malibu Beach-House. From chandeliers to pillows to wonderful furniture... Some of it has an antique feel and some pieces feel more modern. In my opinion, combining the two is so much fun! Pryor Events likes Pom Pom Interiors.

Dessert Heaven

Who can resist piping hot donuts? If those donuts were bite sized and contained only 26 calories - even better. If they came in flavors such as Vermont Maple Syrup, Cinnamon & Sugar, Lemon and Vanilla that would be almost too good to be true.
Pryor Events loves The Fry Girl.



These donuts are almost healthy - your guests will be able to eat donuts without the guilt.

The Fry Girls in action...

The Fry Girl's mini delicacies sizzling away.

The Fry Girl (aka Shelley Beals) has perfected the art of frying. They have portable fryers that they bring to events. From mini donuts sprinkled with wonderful flavors to mini funnel cakes your guests will think they are in Dessert Heaven. The Fry Girl also makes french fries with wonderful dipping sauces. Their mini candy bars are a hit with children of all ages. Picture deep fried Snickers, Milky Way and Oreao... Since guests eat these treats seconds after they come out of the fryer they are fresh, piping hot and unbelievably delicious! View their site at www.thefrygirlinc.com

Let Them Eat Pie

The entrance to Simplethings Sandwich & Pie Shop.

A small sampling of their tiny "cutie pies" and small "simple pies". You may order full size pies as well but if you choose the miniature sized pies you can sample many wonderful flavors.

Their sandwiches and homemade soup are delicious also

On my way to set up an event, I happened to see a charming little pie and sandwich shop on Third Street, just east of La Cienega. I was pleasantly surprised when I returned to check it out a few days later. It is one of the more appetizing cafes in L.A.

I love soup - even on hot days. The summer pea soup , which was that day's special was fragrant and light with just the right amount of spice. Their sandwiches are fresh and interesting with a twist. I want to return to try the avocado melt with roasted peppers, buttermilk bleu and apricot chutney and the made to order egg salad with sundried tomatoes on a pretzel roll. I enjoyed the Cobb salad with fresh roasted turkey, bacon and ripe avocado.

The best was yet to come... I had fun choosing which pies to taste for dessert. Since they can be eaten in two or three bites you don't need to choose just one. They are ALL delicious. Simplethings features many different flavors each day. A few of the more popular flavors are - salted caramel, banana cream, blueberry and strawberry rhubarb. They even have a pie sundae with Fosselman's ice cream.

The top ten reasons why you must try Simplethings Sandwich & Pie Shop - in no particular order.

1.The pies are incredible.

2. You can order tiny pies.

3.The pies are not too sweet.

4. They make interesting flavors.

5. Pot Pies are on the menu as well.

6. The soup is made fresh daily and it's delicious.

7. There are many healthy items on the menu

8. The food is fresh and very good

9. The owner Andy is super nice

10. The pies are incredible!

Great Find in Manhattan Beach

I recently discovered a real Jewel in the South Bay. Lido di Manhattan Restaurant in Manhattan Beach is a charming, wonderful restaurant. It's the kind of place you could eat at several times a week and never get bored with the menu. The food is described as Italian-California Fusion. Lisa, the owner is pleasant and accommodating. She adores running her restaurant and this is evident in the care she takes in every aspect of her prized endeavor. Lisa hosts parties, fundraisers, meetings and cooking classes. Lido's Thursday night wine tastings are quite popular. A different winery is brought in each week. Lido does outside catering as well. All of the pasta, salad dressings and bread are made in house from scratch. Once you try Lido you will return often.





The interior of the restaurant is intmate and comfortable

One of the eclectic pieces of art on the patio

The charming patio at Lido

Two Classics By the Sea

Shutters on the Beach is one of my very favorite hotels. It is quintessential New England in the heart of Santa Monica. Shutters is the perfect size hotel. The lobby feels as if you are visiting an old friend's beach home on the east coast. In fact an article in Travel & Leisure stated "Shutters has a laid back beach-house feel with all of the perks of a luxury hotel".


The restaurant on their beach level is Coast. Coast is that perfect restaurant that is right any time of day. It is a casual, fun cafe with a nice breezy, covered patio. One Pico offers fine dining with an exceptional view.

Casa del Mar is a landmark in Santa Monica. Casa (as it is affectionately called) was opened in 1926. Casa was built by renowned architect Charles F. Plummer in the height of the roaring 20's on "The Gold Coast" area of Santa Monica. After serving as a beach club and a longevity center, Casa was restored to her former grandeur and reopened as a luxury hotel in 1999.


The lobby at Casa is one of the most popular spots in Santa Monica. The decor is classic and the view is amazing. The hotel evokes a feeling of days gone by but of course with every single modern convenience. Their gourmet restaurant Catch is just off the lobby.

These two hotels are owned by the same family. They are run extremely well. No detail is overlooked. Shutters and Casa del Mar are two of my very favorite locations for planning social and corporate events and weddings.

Style Me Pretty

http://www.stylemepretty.com/2011/06/02/ojai-wedding-from-the-hidden-garden-pryor-events

We are delighted to share today's Style Me Pretty blog which features a Wedding we planned. Becky and Shane's Wedding at Ojai Valley Inn was so much fun to plan. The weekend began with a Tuscan inspired dinner held on the wisteria covered terrace in the hotel's Herb Garden. The ceremony took place on a sweeping lawn under an oak tree on the lovely grounds of the hotel. The reception was outdoors at the onsite barn. Guests dined on long wooden tables amidst gorgeous flowers and dramatic lighting. Dancing was held inside the barn. Becky was incredible to work with. I loved mixing several styles which added charm and character to this wedding.