It is my opinion that the best part of traveling is bringing back the customs and flavors, of each place, to share with your family and friends. As you know, I spent some time in Spain this summer. I absolutely fell in love the with traditions, tablescapes, architecture, and food. In an effort to recreate my vacation I decided to make Paella, an authentic Spanish dish.

To start the meal off, I created an antipasto board. I had a similar antipasto platter nearly every meal while I was in Spain. As you can see from the picture, my antipasto included a variety of  things to taste.

I also made some grilled veggies to go along with the main dish. These veggies were sprinkled with olive oil and lightly seasoned.

In order to help me prepare an authentic Spanish dish, I found a Chicken and Chorizo Paella recipe in Curtis Stone’s newest cookbook titled, What’s for Dinner.

To bring everything together, I used white linens with an overlay of lace, which is typical of Spain. Classic white dishes and flowers can create a very simple, but elegant dinner setting.

While I wanted to recreate my time in Spain, you can easily bring back the flavors and traditions of any place that you visit. In fact, I highly recommend that you do bring some of the culture home for your family and friends to experience!