Easy Fourth of July Entertaining Ideas

I was on WAVE-3 today, talking about few refreshing ideas for the holiday weekend! I shared some fun, simple cocktails and mocktails and a simple watermelon salsa recipe! Thanks to 5WPR and The Pioneer Woman Cookware for gifting me the serveware and spice blends used in these recipes!

The Pioneer Woman’s Watermelon Salsa

This recipe is so easy! Y’all know I’m all about keeping the hostess out of the kitchen so she can enjoy her guests. This recipe can be put together quickly and prepped ahead of time. You’ll need cubed watermelon, diced red onion, diced bell peppers, jalapeños, cilantro and fresh limes. Then you’ll throw all the fresh ingredients into a large bowl and toss it together and add lime juice to top. You can also add The Pioneer Woman’s “Anything Goes Everyday Seasoning” which will just add a nice boost of flavor. This spice has a blend of sea salt, celery, pepper, onion, garlic and a touch of lemon zest which will really just spruce this up even more. You can serve with tortilla chips or as a side dish with grilled chicken.

• 1/2 whole small seedless watermelon, diced

• 1/2 whole red onion, diced

• 1 whole red bell pepper, seeded and diced

• 1 whole green bell pepper, seeded and finely diced

• 1 whole yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely diced

• 2 whole jalapeños, seeded and finely diced

• 1 whole bunch cilantro, chopped

• Juice Of 1 To 2 limes

• 1/2 tsp. The Pioneer Woman Anything Goes Everyday Seasoning Blend

Directions:

Serve with chips, on top of grilled chicken or fish, or as a side salad!

Kentucky Mule

I like to use Maker’s Mark in a mule; I find that the sweetness of a high-wheat bourbon like Maker’s works well with the spiciness of a Ginger Beer. I also used Reed’s Ginger Beer. This brand creates all-natural REAL ginger ales and ginger beers and they now have several zero sugar options so you don’t have to sacrifice great taste with heathier alternatives. Reed’s Ginger Beer is crafted with REAL fresh ginger root, natural fruit juices, honey and spices for the perfect kick which is great on its own and mixed into cocktails.

• 2 oz Maker’s Mark

• 6 oz Reed's Zero Sugar Ginger Beer or Reed’s Ginger Beer

• Lime wedge

Fill your desired glass with ice. Squeeze the lime wedge over the ice and drop into the glass. Pour in bourbon and add the Reed’s Ginger Beer. Stir lightly and garnish with another lime wedge, if desired.

Mocktails

Another great summer beverage option is Virgil’s Zero Sugar Sodas. Virgil’s has unlocked the secret to great taste with zero sugar using a proprietary blend of sweeteners. They have a variety of bold, complex flavors including their newest flavor, Grapefruit, which is crisp and tangy! I like to play with the texture flavored sodas as sushies or over crushed Ice to create fun drinks at summer get-togethers. Don’t forget garnishes like mint and lime to add extra zing to the drink!

Cheers, y’all!

Draper James Shopping Event Benefiting The Well Lexington

Draper James Dress

Hey y’all! I’d love to see you tomorrow night, Thursday May 13th, from 5-7 p.m. at the Draper James Lexington store for a shopping event benefiting The Well of Lexington, which provides a holistic program of safe housing for women as well as recovery support, education and healing for women and families exploited by sex trafficking in order to empower them to reach economic independence and live productive lives. The Well does amazing work, and, as always, I am so grateful to Draper James for partnering with community agencies like The Well.

I’m also so excited to shop with y’all tomorrow — the new Draper James x Lands’ End swim pieces are absolutely amazing! I wore DJ x Lands’ End swimsuits all last summer and loved them! They’re so flattering and hold up wonderfully!

The gingham tote bag is a favorite, and I love it in raspberry as well!

Draper James Tote

I also love the Ditsy Floral print; this dress has been a spring favorite and I’m glad to see the swim collection in the same print!

Draper James Dress (c/o)

The Lexington Draper James store is taking every precaution to ensure that the event will be safe. The distanced, masked shopping event will include one hour (6-7 p.m.) after the close of store hours so that shoppers can feel safer! If you’d prefer to order via phone and have your purchased shipped for free, call the Lexington store at 859-618-6785 during the event hours and a percentage of your purchase will be donated to The Well. I hope to see y’all there!

Family-Friendly Kentucky Derby Party

Dress: On sale now | Shoes| Hat (old J. Crew Factory)

The other day, I had a FaceTime call with my 6 year-old niece. “Saturday is May 1st,” she said, “that means it’s also Derby Day!” She then invited me to her Kentucky Derby party, which she’s holding with her sister and my parents. I’m still strongly considering her invitation, even if it is three hours away.

This isn’t a Derby when I’m up for going to the track. I’m so glad the race is on for people who want to attend, but my Covid experience has left me both still wary of crowds and not fully able to wear a mask for long periods of time. I’m skipping the track this year, but a fun, family-friendly Kentucky Derby party sounds fabulous. I’ve put together some ideas for a fun outdoorsy party — I love that there’s nothing fancy or overwhelming about it, it’s full of Kentucky traditions, and it’s as much fun for a 6 year-old as it is for the rest of us!

I kept the decorations simple, using things that could withstand a spill or a drop. I love this inexpensive pin display banner for the bourbon/mint julep and Derby Festival pins I’ve acquired over the years. It tells a fun story of past events we’ve loved and adds a cute little vintage touch to a tree!

I used an old quilt as a tablecloth and grabbed a few kids’ jockey hats in the Derby Party section at Kroger to use as party favors. I also found a vintage Louisville Stoneware Derby-themed flower pot that was perfect for the occasion!

I kept the menu simple as well — mini Derby Pies from Kern’s Kitchen, pimiento cheese and Benedictine sandwiches, crudités with Hall’s Beer Cheese, and Woodford Reserve Bourbon Balls. All of these dishes are traditional Kentucky favorites, and all I had to do was assemble the sandwiches and cut up the vegetables. I used my Stoneware & Co Bachelor Button dishes to continue the theme of a traditional Kentucky event!

Of course, I had to have mint julep ingredients on hand — including bottles of Woodford Reserve and Old Forester for those who choose to imbibe and Ale-8-one for those who don’t. I love freezing some Ale-8 until it’s a slushy consistency then serving over crushed ice with a mint sprig for a julep mocktail that everyone can enjoy!

If you’re looking for recipes, or if you want to take a sure-to-be-appreciated hostess gift, Chef Ouita Michel’s new cookbook, Just a Few Miles South, is the absolute best! Ouita is one of my very favorite people, and her first-ever cookbook is filled with the Kentucky Comfort Food we all love at her restaurants! It would also be a great prize if your party does a Derby Horse Pool or other games!

Cheers to Derby, however you choose to celebrate this year!

Lilly Pulitzer Kentucky Derby Prints

My grandmother made me this quilt in Lilly Pulitzer Low Rider fabric!

Over the nearly 10 years, HerKentucky readers have shown me that they love the Kentucky Derby and Lilly Pulitzer more than just about anything else. A 2013 post about how young socialite Lillian McKim (a few years before her marriage to publishing scion Peter Pulitzer) volunteered as a horseback courier in Eastern Kentucky is one of this site’s all-time most popular articles, as is the story of Lilly’s family connections to the Kentucky Derby.

Lilly herself said in a 2004 interview "I don't race, but everyone in the family has had horses in the Derby. And no one has ever won." That streak was broken in 2013 by Orb, owned by Lilly’s half-brother Denny Phipps. Unfortunately, she wasn't here to see the victory; she passed away the prior month. Over the years, the Lilly Pulitzer brand has paid homage to their founder’s love of horses and her family’s ties to horse racing by releasing several equestrian and Derby-themed prints. Recently, one of my instagram followers shot me a message asking if I had a list of all of the Lilly equestrian print names. I knew several of the prints, just from having worn and collected Lilly Pulitzer for over twenty years. But, I wasn’t sure I knew them all. I reached out to Lilly Pulitzer Customer Service to see if they could help, but was met with a courteous note that let me know that they don’t employ a brand historian. (I’d be happy to send them a resume if they ever open that gig!)

So, I found myself with the research project of my dreams. I’m pretty sure my list is fairly exhaustive, but I’d love to hear of any prints I’ve missed!

Lilly Top and a stack of my Lilly Derby prints, from top: Giddy Up, Derby Days, Low Riders, Kentucky Eyelet, and Carson’s Grandstand Patch

The research I did led me to several patterns over the past 20 years or so. The first few prints I’ve identified are from the early 2000s; I have linked images to as many as possible. (Please note that I do not own the rights to any of the linked images; due to the age of the content, many are from now-defunct websites and exist solely in an archived state on Google and /or Pinterest.)

• Fillies for Lillies (c. early 2000s) This is a muted mint green, light yellow, and light pink Oaks-themed print featuring pink fillies and Stargazer Lilies. View here

• Derby Days (c. early 2000s) A muted mint green background with horses, horseshoes, the Belle of Louisville, and fireworks. View here

• Low Riders (c. early 2000s) A muted mint green background with periwinkle, yellow, and white horses and Churchill Downs Spires). View here

Spring 2006 featured an entire collection of Derby-themed pieces. You can view swatches of the entire collection here.

• Indigo Minty Denim with mint julep embroidery.

• Indigo Up Up & Away Denim with yellow and pink hot air balloon embroidery

• Indigo Horse of a Different Color Denim with multicolor racehorse embroidery

• Millionaires Row Pink with yellow and green giraffes

• Kentucky Eyelet Eyelet lace with an underlay, available in Phipps Pink or Trot Yellow

• Fronds Green Derby Argyle Green and pink argyle

• Kentucky Plaid Pink and green windowpane check on white background

• Derby Patch Patchwork of several prints in this line.

• Phipps Pink Festival Stripe Pink and green stripe on white background

• Fireworks Multicolor daisy print on yellow background

• First Call Pink tulips on green background

• Grandstand Blue Hidden Garden Periwinkle butterflies and green flowers on a blue background

Spring 2010 brought us some gorgeous pieces in the Lilly Originals line. Longtime horseman and fashion icon Carson Kressley helped design the Carson’s Grandstand Patch print. Fun fact: Mr. Kressley was in attendance at the Lexington Junior League Horse Show that summer. His signature print was a very popular fashion choice among those of us who volunteered at or attended the Horse Show!

• Giddy Up A multicolored array of spectators in the Derby Grandstand. View here

• Carson’s Grandstand Patch A patchwork of equestrian-themed prints including Giddy Up. View here.

I’m wearing my Carson’s Grandstand Patch shift in this 2013 photo with my cousin Laci!

In the “pink label” Lilly era (past ten years or so), we’ve seen some generally equestrian prints as well as an iconic mint julep print.

• Hot to Trot (Spring 2012) Green and white horses on a hot pink background view here

• Starfruit Yellow Horse Show Embroidery (c. 2012?) Yellow seersucker with pink horseshoe embroidery

• Just Add Mint (Spring 2013) Green and pink mint juleps on a white background. View here

Do you pull out your Lilly dresses for Derby week? Or do you have a print I missed? Let me know!

Silks Bash 2021

Hey y’all. It’s hard to believe that Derby is almost here!

With Kentucky Derby tickets severely limited, most of us are sticking pretty close to home over the next week. Fortunately, there are still fun ways to observe some of Louisville’s best parties. This year’s Sliks Bash has transitioned to a #partyinabubble format — you can stream the festivities, enjoy delicious drinks and snacks, and, most importantly, support Operation Open Arms!

Operation Open Arms is an incredible local charity that provides clothing, housing, transportation, and food as well as a safe and loving environment to children whose mothers are incarcerated. Operation Open Arms serves as a state-licensed private child-placement agency and seeks to offset the difficulties that often arise from parental incarceration, including financial difficulties, instability in relationships, school behavior, performance difficulties, low self-esteem, and feelings of shame. The statistics are staggering, y’all. Seventy-five percent of incarcerated women are mothers. The average age of children with an incarcerated parent is 8 years old; 22% of the children are under the age of five. The likelihood of parental reunification for children of incarcerated mothers is 21%; the average for other children in foster care is 40%. This charity is doing amazing work to give children a stable and loving foundation, and some tickets to Silks Bash are as affordable as $50!

(My dogs have been fascinated by this horse balloon for days!)

The folks at Operation Open Arms were kind enough to share a Party in a Bubble kit with me, and it is so fun! There’s everything you need to throw your own little gala at home, from a 2021 Woodford Reserve Kentucky Derby Commemorative bottle to snacks from Wiltshire Pantry to julep cups!

The virtual Silks Bash includes a cocktail lesson from Woodford Reserve Assistant Master Distiller Elizabeth McCall (one of my very favorite people in the bourbon industry) and music by celebrity DJ James Kennedy (I’m told by people who are less out-of-touch than me that he’s on a Bravo show…). The event will be held Oaks Night, Friday April 30, from 8 - 10:30 pm. Tickets are available here. Today, April 23rd, is the last day to order the party kit for shipping; you have until the 27th to order for local pickup!

Thanks so much to Operation Open Arms and Lemonade PR for the Silks Bash kit and for inviting me to spread the word about this amazing event!

Richard Sullivan Art Exhibit at Stoneware & Co

I hope y’all can join me tomorrow night at Stoneware & Co. for the Opening Reception for their latest art exhibit, Breaking Through: The latest works of Richard Sullivan. Mr. Sullivan, a Louisville native, holds a degree from the Savannah College of Art and Design and played six seasons of professional baseball with the Atlanta Braves. Mr. Sullivan created the art for the 2020 and 2021 Woodford Reserve Kentucky Derby bottle!

The Sullivan exhibit is part of Spring Into Derby presented by Woodford Reserve, an outdoor, socially-distance, weekend-long event that will include a pop-up art fair, music, food and cocktails. You can learn more about the Spring Into Derby event here.

If you’re anything like me, you can’t go to Stoneware this time of year without picking up a few Derby-themed pieces for spring entertaining. I love my Embossed Running Horse barware so much!

My racing boot vase is perfect for Derby week bouquets!

Cheers to pre-Derby fun, y’all! I hope to see you in Paristown tomorrow!

 

If You Go:

Opening Reception - Breaking Through: The Latest Works of Richard Sullivan

• Friday, April 23 from 5:00 — 7:30 pm

• Stoneware & Co, 731 Brent Street, Louisville

• Admission is free

Buff City Soap

{This post contains products gifted to me through my role as a Buff City Soap Brand Ambassador. All opinions are, as always, my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that support HerKentucky!}

I recently had the opportunity to tour the Buff City Soaps makery here in St. Matthews. It is so cute, y’all, and it carries great-smelling products that are plant-based and free of harsh chemicals and animal fats!

I can’t wait to visit Buff City Soap with my little nieces. Of course, they’re obsessed with anything pretty and bubbly and fizzy for bath time or washing their hands, and I love that they won’t be exposed to parabens or harsh detergents. Buff City Soap uses ingredients you actually recognize — things like coconut oil and green tea extract — to create a safer alternative to harsh commercial products. The soaps are even made daily in-store!

A great nod to Louisville’s neighborhood coffee shops is the Fresh Heine soap, a collaboration with Heine Brothers coffee!

My favorite product in the Buff City Soap lineup is the laundry soap! The Fresh Cotton scent is so lovely; it provides a subtle, clean scent and it keeps harsh detergents away from your skin.

Thanks so much to Buff City Soap for showing me around! Visit them in NuLu at 815 E Market St and in St. Matthews at 4600 Shelbyville Rd Suite 651. The Middletown location opens next month at 13006 Shelbyville Rd!