Summer is supposed to be the time when we all take the spirit of the season to relax, unwind, and break from our usual routines. But when you're entertaining, there's still usually a bit of pressure to make sure your guests are happy and enjoy themselves. Well, if you let the season work for you, here are the best ways to enjoy your summer entertaining as much as your happy guests will.
Entertain in the great outdoors as often as you can. This makes entertaining easier in several ways. First, you can minimize your indoor cleaning because guests won't be spending much time in your house. Second, you won't need to decorate as much since nature provides a lovely setting for your party. And, finally, outside entertaining keeps most of the post-party clean-up to a minimum since the food is served and enjoyed, along with the crumbs, outside.
Use your grill as often as possible. This keeps your kitchen cleaner, your house from overheating, and provides a relaxed place for your guests to hang out and chat while you cook.
Plan your menu around seasonal ingredients. Think corn, tomatoes, squash, watermelon, etc. Seasonal ingredients are easy to find, inexpensive to purchase, and after a long winter of tasteless, cold-storage produce, make a welcome appearance on any table.
Plan a pot luck. You toss the main course on the grill, and ask guests to bring along salads which are easy-to-travel food, and don't require much effort to prepare.
Serve ice cream and sorbets for dessert. Dessert doesn't get much easier than scooping out everyone's favorite cold treats when the weather is on the steamy side. Add a few do-it-yourself toppings including fresh summer fruit and guests can customize to suit their tastes.
Set the mood with fun, fruity drinks. With or without alcohol, tall, cold, fruity drinks are a must at any summer party.
Forget about the "kids" table, or at least the kids' chairs. When the kids are outside, you don't expect them to stay in one place for very long, do you? Give them a place to park their plates of food, and maybe a picnic blanket to sit on for the thirty seconds or so they sit down to eat. If you're using paper plates, write their name on the border of the plate so they can easily identify their own hot dog from the others.
And while we're on the subject of the kids, provide them with a few large size balls for amusement. Unfortunately, this is not something you'd want to offer at an indoor party. So take advantage of the summer season to encourage the kids to do what they love best. It will amaze you to see how well kids of all ages can amuse one another when there are balls to kick around.
