Blame it on the weather, or on Bachelor season, or on not being in our early 20’s anymore (that’s the one,) but these days it’s pretty hard to beat a cozy night in. The comforts of central heating and Netflix make every night spent at home feel like a total luxury. The only thing missing? The company of our besties.
That’s why this cold weather season, we’ve gotten the whole gang on board with trading our GNO for a GNI. Comfy clothes and a heathy menu are just two reasons why we love this idea, and when you really think about it, there are countless ways to still make your get-togethers feel special. Case in point: this hotel inspired girls night in. Drawing on everything we love about room service — mainly, eating in a robe — we rounded up the work wives for cozy hangs at Jenn’s place, with an easy-to-make menu, and of course, wine from La Crema. Just in time for Oscars night, read on to find out how to host a hotel style staycation for your baes at your place.
Have you ever seen a simpler setup? When it comes to staying in, piles of dishes and a fussy buffet won’t do, so we kept things easier than ever with just one dish: a heaping cobb salad served family style. Camille put a fresh spin on the protein-packed room service staple by swapping Romaine lettuce for Bibb, and replacing cheese and a heavy vinaigrette with a lighter homemade pesto dressing. So delicious, and we always love a dish that can be served at room temp.
Click here to get the recipe for Camille’s Pesto Cobb Salad!
We all shed our comfy clothes for an even comfier hotel style robe, ’cause you really can’t do room service without one. After that, we each picked up a tray and helped ourselves.
It’s a rule: you can’t do GNI without wine. For this gathering we stocked up on La Crema’s Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, which is our go-to choice when we want to pour the good stuff. The richly textured floral aromas and citrus flavors of the wine impress even the pickiest of wine drinkers.
When recreating hotel vibes, think more Ritz-Carlton and less Motel 6 — meaning, why not go all out with a few fun details that’ll make your night feel special? A silver wine bucket, fresh flowers in a bud vase, and high quality trays and glassware is all you need to show your guests that five star treatment.
And for the red wine lovers in attendance, we recommend La Crema’s Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. The bold red fruits pair nicely with the bacon in the cobb salad, and are an especially good complement to the ultimate room service inspired dessert…
Insert drool emoji here. There’s nothing like an ice cream sundae to make you feel like a kid again. Camille topped creamy vanilla ice cream with coconut flakes, pecans, maraschino cherries, and a generous drizzle of her mom’s famous Kahlua Hot Fudge Topping. Click here to get that recipe!
If you ask us, staying in is always a good idea, but it’s so much better with friends! We’d love to hear in the comments section what you do to make your nights at home feel extra special.
