pink salsa verde
+ tips for summer hosting
Hi friends! Happy Friday and official start to Memorial Day Weekend. I’m heading back home in Dallas to spend time with family and celebrate my baby brother graduating from high school.
I’ve been busy with familiar clients, onboarding new opportunities, and had the chance to host some friends for a dinner party filming (posted some BTS on my TikTok). I won’t lie, things have been weird this week. Social media is honestly a tough place right now and I’ve been in a funk the last few days just in my feels.
But! I’m so thankful to be pursuing my passions. Today I’m sharing a yummy recipe for your Memorial Day tables, hosting tips I’m taking away from last week’s festivities, and a special shoutout to my man for feeding me in between it all.
Lately, I’ve been really inspired by what’s in season and how to make it exciting. There’s something magical about walking into the grocery store at the start of a new month and seeing a fresh batch of produce.
It’s cherry season, and I grew up eating sweet cherries from Central Market, so I wanted to try using them in a more savory, unexpected way. The end result turned out more pink than green — so naturally, she’s getting a name with two colors. Serve this with salty chips, over steak, or on a cheese board this Memorial Day weekend!
Pink Salsa Verde
At The Store
1 cup cherries
1 cup roasted, salted pistachios
½ cup parsley
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of salt
In The Kitchen
Finely chop the cherries, pistachios, and parsley or pulse in a food processor. (If using a food processor, keep it chunky — you want juicy bites of cherry and a little pistachio crunch.)
Stir in the mustard, vinegar, olive oil, and salt. Taste and adjust with more salt or vinegar if needed.
Swap It Out
This would also be good with blueberries or strawberries instead of cherries or almonds instead of pistachios.
For The Designated Hosting Friend
As a Virgo/Enneagram 3/people-pleaser/perfectionist, I’m working on not getting overwhelmed for no reason. When I host, I’m always wondering if people are actually having fun, if the timing feels right, and of course—how the food turns out. But honestly, I’d argue the most important parts of a great dinner party have little to do with the food. Here are a few of my best tips for hosting this summer:
Glam Before Guests – Get ready before you finish prepping. I do my hair, makeup, and get dressed way ahead of time when hosting—it sets the vibe and saves me from frantically changing right before guests arrive.
ABS (Always Be Snacking) – Keep guests nibbling while you finish up. Romanticize watermelon by checkering it with feta and olive oil, clear out your fridge cheese into a casual board with jam and crackers (voilà, charcuterie!), and batch a cocktail so people can serve themselves. I love a big-batch old fashioned or gin martini.
Have Designated Friends – I’m terrible at asking for help, but I’m learning. Let your friends’ strengths shine: ask your sourdough-obsessed pal to bring a loaf, or Venmo someone to swing by Trader Joe’s and handle the flowers. It lightens your load and makes the night more fun when your friends are apart of it with you.
I’m a Private Chef… with a Private Chef
Since cooking became my full-time job, I honestly haven’t been cooking at home all that much. Luckily, I have a very talented private chef of my own: my husband, Shep.
He’s taken over our weeknight dinners - I’m talking burgers, quesadillas, salmon bowls, pizza, steak. Seriously it’s been so helpful as I figure out this new gig, so I thought I’d share some photos of the master pieces he’s made for me recently :)
As always, if you’ve read this far, I really appreciate you. Let me know what you want to see more of here on Substack and TikTok/IG - we’re figuring it out as we go together!!