Why I love To Entertain + Blackberry Mojito Recipe

Happy weekend friendlies!! Anyone close to me could tell you that I'm almost always the first one to invite people over or find an excuse to entertain..I absolutely love it!! I know it's certainly not this way for everyone but I usually try to keep it pretty stress free and I also LOVE creating and showcasing new recipes when we have friends or family over. Entertaining also gives me an excuse to really pull out the stops and try some new ideas that I might not other wise use during everyday life. I once threw a Christmas party for my closest friends for which I made an entire table of food from scratch and froze a bottle of vodka in water and cranberries to make it festive...call me an overachiever but it was GORGEOUS!! Beyond all the details, the food, and the fun, I love the camaraderie and the memories made when you can get a group of friends together!! For me personally, I love that I've become the go to cook of my friend group and get the opportunity to teach them my favorite and/or easiest recipes.

I grew up in the kitchen learning everything I know from my mom who is an INCREDIBLE cook. I also grew up watching her always throw the best parties and get togethers. Her famous summer salad is everyones favorite and she's still the only one who can make her dressing because she doesn't measure a thing {yes, it is incredibly frustrating when she's makes stuff simply by taste and eyeballing her measurements}....for me though, getting to spend an afternoon in the kitchen creating and preparing treats is so peaceful and relatively stress free and then later getting to share my creations with my favorite people is definitely one of the ways I show my friends and family how much i care about them. There's something so special about getting to share just a little bit of yourself through the things you create for your guests and even better getting to hear their reactions and what their favorite are!! Of course B has become my first line of defense for all my new recipes and creations and I don't think he minds! B is very much the entertainer as well in his own right and it is a blast sharing that trait with your favorite person! It makes having people over that much more fun when you know your better half is enjoying it just as much as you!!

Recently I realized that for as many great food recipes as I have to share with people and prepare for get togethers, I didn't really have a single drink that I could whip up and pair with some of favorite dishes! Not to mention, summer entertaining to me goes hand in hand with a tasty and refreshing cocktail! With that in mind I started searching for the perfect summer drink and stumbled upon a blackberry mojito recipe that sounded amazing! With a few of my own tweaks and using our fresh grown mint, B and I have both loved sipping on these blackberry mojitos while we prep dinner on these warm summer weekend nights! I wanted to share the recipe with you guys in case you find yourselves on the hunt for a great summer drink to make for yourself or for family and friends when you entertain or to prepare for your host/hostess!! I also think it would be the cutest cocktail to serve for Fourth of July with a red and white striped straw and a sugar rim!! Happy sipping y'all! I hope you enjoy!!