Thank you to Sunkist for sponsoring this post

I’ve always been a big Grapefruit person. I love the sweet tart flavor of it. I was part of the generation of kids who watched their parents dive into grapefruit for breakfast with a spoon. My dad loves them and since I wanted to be just like my dad growing up I grew to love them too.

Anytime I see grapefruit on a menu I have to get it. It’s such a unique citrus with so many character traits and can be used in a variety of ways. When I came up with this recipe I wanted to feature all the complexities of grapefruit. It’s sweet but tart, bold, juicy and has beautiful color. The Sunkist California Star Ruby Grapefruit is my favorite. I used rosemary as a way to bring some unexpected earthiness to this compote and then a little cayenne gives it a mild spice! I love to pour this compote over vanilla bean ice cream, pancakes or waffles. Grapefruit is an extraordinary healthy fruit. Packed with Vitamin C, antioxidants and a good source of Vitamin A and fiber, it’s one of those citrus I always have on hand. Head to Sunkist.com/recipes for the full recipe and watch my IGTV episode here.

Thank you Tillamook for sponsoring this post

Photography Credit @Ographr

If there’s anyone who thrives from themed parties, it’s me! Add in some party puns, sweet treats and great company and I’m in my happy place. I loved partnering with Tillamook to host the most amazing ice cream social for my friends, family and neighbors as part of their Summer Scoop Series! I’ve been a fan of Tillamook for years and if you follow me on Instagram, I’m always talking about how much I love their white cheddar cheese (it’s been one of my top pregnancy cravings) and let’s just say I always have a carton or two of their ice cream on hand. So to be able to work with them and eat ice cream while doing it is an absolute dairy dream! For me, Tillamook is consistently the best tasting, committed to making the highest quality dairy products in the most natural way possible. Their ice cream is smooth, rich and creamy. It is good beyond words-it can’t be explained. It just has to be experienced!

THE MENU

I was thrilled to have all my favorite Tillamook ice cream flavors with a few fan favorites I was dying to try! Go here to find out where to buy Tillamook near you.  I knew Birthday Cake was going to be popular and who doesn’t love Chocolaty Chip Cookie Dough but I couldn’t believe how often people kept coming back for Oregon Strawberry and Chocolate Peanut Butter! It was so fun to see what flavor each person preferred.

We had some real ice cream realizations happen on Sunday (is ice cream realizations a thing? I don’t know but people who said they were vanilla people were converting to Monster Cookie and others were swearing they didn’t like fruit ice cream but wanted another scoop of Marionberry Pie.) It was spiritual!! Can I get a waist clap? So my takeaway here is to have a variety of different flavors and encourage sampling! I found the cutest mini dipper cones for folks to do just that and they also were the perfect size for our younger guests.  We brought our small, extra freezer we usually keep in the garage out on our patio to keep the ice cream cold but a few galvanized tubs with ice would have worked too!

DIY SUNDAE BAR

For the toppings, I set up a DIY Sundae Bar so guests could have fun choosing their own. I broke it up into four categories and had each topping in jars with labels: Sweet (natural sprinkles, dark chocolate, cherries and vegan marshmallows), Salty (fleur de sel, natural potato chips, pretzels and peanuts), Fresh (blueberries, dragon fruit, and mango), Superfoods (cacao nibs, goji berries, mulberries and pistachios), and Sauces (almond butter, butterscotch, chocolate fudge and salted caramel). I also had different artisanal waffle cones and bowls.

Here’s what’s funny though-the toppings bar may have been too much since Tillamook is so good on it’s own! I’m being serious. I thought people were going to go bananas on the bar with all of the toppings but instead folks were crowded around the ice cream sampling all of the flavors, getting double scoops for their sundaes and then ultimately coming back for seconds and thirds! If you wanna see adults in their happy place, give them ice cream! It made me so happy but also made me realize you don’t need that many toppings when the ice cream flavors are so interesting and delicious! The most popular topping was natural sprinkles.

PERSONAL TOUCHES

I really ran with the Sundae Funday theme and ordered a custom laser cut sign to hang above the bar.

I also got the cutest wood ice cream picks with phrases like “You’re Cool” and “Melt Happens.” Such a cute instagrammable moment, right?

I also created a simple balloon arch using balloons and balloon tape. This is so easy to do and super affordable! And having a few letter boards goes a long way for displaying the menu and sharing the hashtag for the event.

I think the most important thing when it comes to hosting any party is to do as much prep before your guests arrive. That way you can focus on being the hostess with the mostest that you are! I hope this inspires you to host your own Sundae Funday! When you do, post your pics on Instagram and tag me. I’d love to see what you come up with! Xoxo, Brandi