Meals for Marriage

My soon-to-be sister, Mikalah, arranged a night where the ladies in the family would get together at the home of a Kansas City culinarian for a private dinner. At this dinner, she would cook for and entertain us while providing cooking advice and good conversation. Sounds amazing, right? I was beyond excited for this evening.

We arrived and were welcomed into the home of culinary influencer Lauren Lane for an unforgettable evening full of pasta, wine, and great company. We were also greeted by her pup, Bo Dean. Could it get any better?Side note: A few months ago I was getting my hair done and saw this copy of HERLIFE magazine with Lauren on it. It made me even more excited about meeting her! Another exciting bit to mention is that Mikalah has been featured on the cover of this magazine as well!

Lauren’s husband, Brett, offered us a cocktail upon arrival (and throughout the night). By the way, he was a lot like my Brett, which lead us to the conclusion that everyone needs a Brett in their life.Also, I kind of wish I could have these balloons to display in my house at all times.

The presentation of her kitchen and dining area (and really everything about her home) was heaven to my eyes. Of course I had to take a ridiculous amount of pictures of it all!

Mikalah had aprons personalized for each of us to wear throughout the night – we were going to be joining in on the cooking, too, after all!

Lauren started off showing us how to put together a yummy – and pretty – charcuterie board. The best part was, we got to eat it!

I love pasta, so Lauren had pasta recipes planned for the night that were beyond delicious. Since I am lactose intolerant, she showed us how to make the dishes so that I could eat them. I wish I had written down all her cooking tips and tricks because she had so much to share. The advice that stands out in my mind the most is to use Kosher salt – it is in my pantry now!

She makes it all look so easy! I hope someday I can get to that point, too.

I was definitely overly determined to get a picture of, and with, Bo Dean.

I have had a lot of cute cookies in my life lately! These were made by another teacher that I work with. I love the detail on the June calendar cookie. Check out Jane’s Sweet Treats on Facebook.

I can’t wait to do this again and hopefully with the same ladies that made this night so special and fun (plus my future sister, Brittany who couldn’t make it this night). It was one to remember!You have to check out lauren-lane.com whether it is to book a private dinner like we did or to read her recipes & tips and tricks! Thanks for reading!
Paige