There is no denying that when the summer arrives we all have the intention of inviting friends and family over for some good-time entertaining in the garden. Barbecues play a chief role in summertime entertaining and nearly anything can be thrown on the grill - much to the delight of your guests. The food is of course one of the key elements to a barbecue and you will want to experiment with the freshest of ingredients and seasonal produce.
The other pleasure of a barbecue is the laid-back atmosphere - both the host and the quests can take turns in tending to the BBQ so that everyone has a chance to mingle and make conversation. We all know how men are eager to show off their grilling techniques and who doesn't appreciate the compliments of being a 'grill master'?!
Cheese Tray Ideas
First Things First
So lets say that you will be taking on the guise of host or hostess for this summer BBQ. How do you go about planning such an event? Well, it is by no means difficult but you might need a few tips to getting you started.
When inviting guests you won't need to set any dress code - shorts and T-shirts are casual, comfortable and more than fitting for a BBQ.
You might not have enough garden furniture for all of your guests but so long you have a main table that is adequate for fitting all of the food on then you don't need to worry too much about the rest. You will see that a lot of guests are quite happy to stand up whilst they snack on a burger or kebab - the whole thing can be very informal. If you have young children or older guests you might want to borrow a few extra chairs and provide trays for those not comfortable to having the plate in the hand or on the legs.
For table decoration you should consider a mixture of both simple and colorful - the coming of summer should be celebrated with bright and cheerful colors. The dinnerware set doesn't have to be your best as it will be handled in an outdoor setting - you could even opt for paper plates to eliminate the washing up after!
You could really dress your table up by potting small pots of flowers that have been freshly picked from your very own garden or bought from a garden center.
Activities and Games
If it will be a lengthy affair you might want to keep guests entertained with a few outdoor games and activities. Make sure you have everything at hand if that is the case. Need some ideas? Try some of the following to inject the fun into your party:
Dancing Contest (especially good if children are present) Outdoor bowling or croquet. Frisbee Karaoke Card or Board gamesThe more children you have you might want to arrange more games but for adult guests it is usually okay to just sit around eating drinking and talking!
Food, Glorious Food
The food is one of the most important parts of which you have to plan. It would be helpful to know how many guests will be showing up and also if there are any persons who have special dietary requirements.
You will want to take advantage of all the foods that you missed out on during the winter months - lots of salads, fresh fruits and seafood. Try the following ideas or search the web for more BBQ menus.
For a starter you will want something light such as tortilla chips served with a selection of salsas - tomato, guacamole and cream cheese. Alternatively, experiment with fruit kebabs such as pineapple which works wonderful on the grill. Grilled garlic prawns are also a nice take on the more traditional prawn cocktail starter.
The main dish or dishes can be as spontaneous or as simple as you please. Hot-dogs and burgers are popular but you might want to jazz up your party with ribs, teriyaki chicken, grilled lobsters or portabella mushrooms with cheese for the vegetarian guests. Fresh bread or a potato salad are good sides and you definitely want to make an exciting bowel of salad and have a variety of sauces on standby.
Most of your guests would have stuffed themselves silly by now so don't go overboard on the dessert. Sometimes a selection of ice cream and a fresh fruit salad is enough to satisfy them.
Hot summer days will require lots of drinks to quench peoples thirst - beer, lemonade, fruit cocktails or freshly squeezed juice and a few bottles of wine should do the trick!