Party Ideas
Summer Party: All American Family Fun
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Just because the economy is a bit "challenging" right now - doesn't mean you have to give up entertaining.
Matter-of-fact, entertaining is a great thing to do to boost everyone's spirits - and you don't have to break the bank doing it.
Gather your friends and family for a backyard All-American Celebration - grilling out, playing sports, and decorating in red, white and blue.
I've outlined some easy, fun, cost-effective and environmentally friendly ideas that will give your backyard bash a warm, welcoming feel. You may have a hard time getting your guests to go home!
Happy Summer! God Bless America!
These silver stars will play a leading role on your table and let's use them for your invitation as well. Print or write your who/what/when/where on a square of white that fits inside the center of the star. Attach with glue and drop off in person. (If you invite friends who live close-by, save some gas by hopping on your bike or grabbing your kids and taking a walk to your guests houses to drop off the invites in person.)
Here's my formula for Easy Summer Entertaining with an All-American Feel:
Start with red burlap. It's got great texture and an Americana-potato-sack feel. (Hey - that sounds fun. Buy some extra and have potato sack races!) Order enough to cover your food buffet and dining tables or buy enough for the red burlap to be cut as accent runners down the middle of all of the tables.
Sprinkle silver star confetti down the center of the red burlap.
Place red lanterns down the middle and grab a few extra for any accent tables you might have. They add a rustic feel and a great glow as the sun sets.
Continue the "Star" theme by placing a silver star on your dining table at each placesetting. (Not down the middle - but at the edge in front of each chair under where the guests plates will go.)
Add a touch of blue to your table with a simple and economical way to display flowers. Save your metal cans - and replace the labels with your favorite shade (or shades) of blue or patterned paper. The metal cans work well outside because you don't have to worry about glass vases breaking and they are
economical because you are recycling the cans for a new use. (See How-To)
Then simply grab some of your favorite blooms from your local Farmer's Market or - better yet - from your own garden. And don't skimp - use plenty!
Finally, try using eco-friendly and biodegradable plates, cups and cutlery. Stalkmarket makes these from sugar cane fiber that is a waste product of the sugar refining process. Gather all of the items and add them to your compost bin. What's more American at a time like this than being environmentally responsible!
Join the "Buy Local" movement that is hitting the country. And have fun doing it, too! Grab the family and head to a local Farmer's Market or local fresh produce stand to cover a lot of your grocery list for this party. Grab flowers for your centerpiece, and an array of fresh vegetables that you can throw on the grill or make into a fresh salad.
Everything Giada De Laurentiis makes looks fabulous - and here's her easy recipe for Grilled Vegetables.
For the main course, grilled "Super" Burgers take centerstage! Many a weekend grillmaster has their own secret recipe with ingredients such as Worcestershire Sauce, chili sauce, A1, salsa, Lipton's onion soup. . . the list goes on and on! But if you are lacking your own specialty or want to make a change you might checkout Rachel Rays' website and some of her burger recipes. Click here for a link to one of those recipe that was recently featured on her TV show: South Beach Burger. But remember to keep all guests in mind - so if you have a variety of ages attending - the kids may appreciate plain cheeseburgers w/American or hot dogs instead.
Another favorite for an All-American party like this is homemade Ice cream cookie sandwiches. This is something my kids and I enjoy making. And I start with a fantastic shortcut - premade and precut cookies! They work well because they all come out evenly sized and once you slather on the ice cream between two cookies, no one is worried if the cookies are from scratch!
Get moving in the backyard and have some family fun. What does your family enjoy? Soccer? Baseball? Or the good old standby yard games such as croquet, Bocce ball, ring toss, or badminton?
Head to the dollar store and buy a dozen or so funny prizes to give out to the best hitter, best pitcher, closest to the ball, best cheerer, fastest tosser, etc.
