enjoy the garden before the summer heat

My family and friends spend a lot of time in my garden and on my patio, so I like those spaces to feel like an extension of my living and dining rooms.  The way I achieve this is through arranging furniture in ways that encourage relaxation and/or conversation. I love a big dining table with a mix of chairs, if it’s under an  grapevine covered arbor even better!I also have several cool Adirondack chairs surrounding a fire pit so people can kick back and linger any time of year. I especially like taking it out side to make s’mores after a very formal dinner to shake things up a bit.{Fire and Ice S’mores}Vanilla Marshmallows from Cocoa~ http://cacaoatlanta.com/Love Bar, deep rich dark chocolate from Cocoa ~ http://cacaoatlanta.com/Healthy Graham Crackers, available at specialty markets, like Whole Foods.Vanilla Ice creamSea SaltHigh quality Olive Oil{Vanilla Bean Ice Cream}2 cups heavy cream1 cup whole milk3/4 cup sugar1/8 teaspoon salt3 vanilla beans, split lengthwise2 large eggsCombine cream, milk, sugar, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Scrape seeds from vanilla beans with tip of a knife into cream mixture, then drop in pods. Heat cream mixture just to a boil. Whisk eggs in a large bowl, then add hot cream mixture in a slow stream, whisking. Pour mixture into saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened and registers 170°F on thermometer (do not let boil). Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean metal bowl, then cool, stirring occasionally. Chill, covered, until cold, at least 3 hours. Freeze custard in an ice cream maker. Transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer. Cooks' notes: ·To cool custard quickly after straining, set bowl in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and stir until chilled. ·Custard can be chilled up to 24 hours.{To prepare servings}Have guests assemble their S’mores outside by the fire.*Equipment ~telescoping skewers from Restoration Hardware~ http://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod1209102&categoryId=cat180062You in the meantime prepare individual bowls or glasses with a scoop of vanilla ice cream drizzled with a teaspoon on Olive Oil and sprinkled with sea salt, have guests grab a bowl and dip their S’more into the ice cream…YUMMY Mc Yumster!for more entertaining and summer decor tips go to my hayneedle blog! + stay tuned for a super cute video of us making this recipe, coming soon...