THROW AN END OF SUMMER FISH BOIL

I’m not 100% sure where my love of all things nautical came from. If you ever come over for dinner you’ll definitely notice a sea side theme going on in my home. It’s really more of a pottery barn meets farmhouse by the sea. Although I’ve never shopped at pottery barn (hello, expensive), I only lived on a farm when I was 1 year old for less than a year, and I’m not a fan of swimming (probably due to the hour it took to straighten my aggressively curly hair). And I currently live in a downtown high-rise condo surrounded by concrete. That makes sense tho, right?

Enough said…have you ever heard of a fish boil?! If you're from Wisconsin, or live near the great lakes, you've probably heard of it. If you're from the south, it may be referred to as a "crawfish boil."

So, what is a fish boil?

Honestly, it's exactly what it sounds like. Fish and other foods seasoned and boiled and poured out on your table over newspapers ready for everyone to dig in!

We set up our fish boil on labor day in my parents backyard. They have the perfect picnic table set up for it. Our friends came over around 4pm for drinks and appetizers. We served shrimp & grits, stuffed mushrooms, watermelon, a summer salad, and sea foam sangria. I started the main course around 430 since it takes 30 minutes to cook. This was seriously the easiest meal ever, but looks super fancy. You can view the recipe for it at AllRecipes.com

For dessert, our friend Bob made a Peach Schnapps cake and I made mini key lime pies courtesy of Pinterest of course.

So if you are wondering how to close out the summer, you've got to host your own fish boil! It's super simple, and everyone will love it!

Total cost for this dinner party that fed 9 people: $129

Candles from Bath & Body Works: $26

All the food: $86 (includes appetizers, main course, and desserts)

Decorations: $17 - I already had a lot of the items.