Hosting a Fabulous Summer BBQ

If you have never entertained in your home before, you may be wondering how you can wow your friends with a party they will never forget. When the weather is nice the answer to that question is a classy backyard barbeque. You may have cooked out with your family before and be asking yourself how you can turn a barbeque into a world class dinner party. The right food and a few fabulous touches will turn your soiree into the talk of the town. Barbeques are becoming so much more than a cheap evening in the backyard. You can find high end recipes for the grill on the internet. Many famous chefs are sharing their favorite recipes and tricks.

The first thing to take into consideration is bug control. Even if you are serving the best food in town, your guests will be very unhappy if they are constantly being bitten by mosquitoes. You will need mosquito repellent candles and possible mosquito repellent torches. Make sure you calculate the amount of space that your guests will occupy and buy enough protection. Instructions will be on the packaging of the products you buy. IF you are hosting a big event or you want to step up the atmosphere, consider renting tents. If you can, serve food inside and then allow your guests to go outside and eat. A mud room or sun porch can easily be turned into a make shift serving station. This will ensure that no ants crash your party.

What drinks to serve should be next on your list. It is your decision whether or not to serve any alcohol at your barbeque. If you do try having a limited selection of beer, wine and you can whip up a quick mixed drink or two. Try finding a recipe for a mango margarita or a strawberry daiquiri; both are guaranteed to be popular with your guests. Pinot Gringo and Merlot are two good wines to choose and you should offer two domestics and one imported beer for your guests to choose from. Ice tea and lemonade are good non-alcoholic choices. Guests will really appreciate a cooler stocked with regular and diet sodas.

Food should be kept simple and tasty. On the grill you can have hamburgers, hot dogs and grilled chicken. If you really want to impress, you can try your hand at some surf and turf by offering steak and grilled lobster tail. You can also serve shrimp on skewers or kabobs. Make kabobs by alternating chicken or beef with vegetables on a skewer. You can also add a little Greek flair to your barbeque by using lamb meat on the kabobs. Serve snacks throughout your barbeque in cute plastic bowls. These snacks can include potato chips, pretzels, and vegetable trays. You do not need to buy expensive pre-made trays at the store. Go to your local party store and pick up a couple of inexpensive plastic trays and make your own. You just put a small bowl of dip in the center and then arrange the cut vegetables around the dip; this is easy to do with fruit, meats and cheeses too. Try broccoli, carrots, pea pods, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes and green pepper strips. Cole slaw and baked beans are easy to prepare and are usually crowd pleasers. Most people will also enjoy pasta, potato and macaroni salad. The ingredients you can include in these are diverse and you can really come up with some creative and inspired dishes. Do not worry about the mayonnaise spoiling; it is a little know fact that the mayonnaise actually makes these salads last longer.

It is the little things that will really impress your guests. Make sure that you have enough plastic silverware, paper plates, napkins and drink cups. Nothing ruins a party faster than not being able to find a cup or napkin. If your party has a theme you can find everything you need at the local party store. Place trash cans in convenient places and keep them emptied throughout your event. You may have to bus the tables a little bit but it is better than everything getting messy. Do not save all of the clean up for the end of the night. Simple flower arrangements will add the perfect finishing touch. Place them on serving and guest tables for a touch of color.

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How to Set a Dining Table

Being a good host for guests at your home is no simple chore, and it often requires a good deal of research to avoid making a complete fool of one's self. From merely trying to show your friends a good time to attempting to put on a major event for a horde of people (many of whom you may not even know, thus increasing the formality factor), playing the part of the good host requires lots of detailed and carefully coordinated knowledge. One area of prime importance in being a good host, especially in the common circumstance of a dinner party, is being able to set the dining table properly-and beautifully!

Before you even make your first move in this regard, take a minute to stop and think about how you want your dinner event to be: are you aiming for something highly formal, or are you trying to shoot for a more casual affair? These considerations will weight in on the final appearance of the dining table in significant ways, so make sure you've got this clear before starting to set the table.

The first consideration is what sort of a tablecloth to use, a decision that will be influenced by the formality of the occasion. Next, a charming dining table requires a brilliant centerpiece: this object, whatever it is, will be the center of attention at the dinner, and furthermore will give you a starting point around which all subsequent decisions revolve. Traditional centerpieces can be flower bouquets in classy vases, aesthetic fruit arrangements, or depending on what you're dinner will involve it might be a dish itself.

Next comes the placement of plates and silverware: place a dinner plate directly in front of each seat that is to be occupied for the occasion. Keep it neat, and make sure that plates are evenly spaced to avoid people feeling cramped on one side and too distant on the other. The arrangement of cutlery is key, and needs to adhere to the following scheme: to the right of the plate, first there should be the knife (with blade facing inwards) and then, if applicable, a soup spoon; to the left of the plate should be the dinner fork followed successively by tinier forks for salads and appetizers (in this way, the outermost fork will be used first, and the innermost fork used last...makes sense, doesn't it?). Make sure that the items of silverware line up nicely, with their bases straddling an imaginary line about four inches in from the edge of the table. Glasses should be placed above the knife/spoon on the top-right corner of the plate, and a salad/bread plate placed at the top-left corner. The dessert spoon and/or fork will come last, and they need to be placed between the two previous elements, which is to say at the top of the plate in the center.

Lastly, you will want to arrange the napkins in some sort of way as to catch the eye and create a pleasant effect: there are many options here, with some people preferring to place the napkin directly on the plate in some sort of flowery folded arrangement, while others opt for a neat tuck underneath the silverware to the left of the plate. It's your house, so you get to choose!

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Shortcuts For the Party Hostess

Even if you are not a natural hostess, you can still host an event that will surprise your guests and have them thinking you are a party pro. Follow these shortcuts to throw a no-fuss party that will have all your friends singing your praises.

1. Rethink your lighting. When you go to a nice restaurant or an upscale club, you never have bright bulbs beaming down on you. The truth is a setting with more dim lighting sets a nice mood for your party and also makes everyone look great (which is a plus). To duplicate that glowing feel, turn off your over head beams and opt to turn on lamps in your party space. If you do not have any lamps, purchase a few soft lift light bulbs and replace your existing lights for the evening.

2. Serve your food like it is fancy. Even if you are serving pizza- if you serve it up like it is caviar it will appear like you put a lot more effort into it than you actually did. Break out any nice serving trays you have and place your food on them. Even if you are not preparing fancy appetizers and snacks for your guests, taking the time to plate the food will make all the difference. For snacks like trail mix and chips, use colorful bowls and place them in areas of your party space where people will be sitting rather than having them all on one table.

3. Ditch the red cups. Red cups have become a symbol of the typical thrown together house party; avoid using them. If you are going to use disposable cups, purchase the clear kind which feels more upscale than the colored ones. Also, serve your drinks like you would get them at a bar. Add a slice of lemon, a cherry, or even an umbrella. If you take the time to spruce up the glass, guests won't even realize that you served them something inexpensive and simple. If you are serving up mixed drinks you can always make up a batch ahead of time and place it in a nice glass pitcher. This will make your bartending duties much easier and also allow you to hide the containers if in fact you are serving something rather cheap. Party guests will never even know.

4. Decorate your space. If fancy floral centerpieces are not your style, you can still decorate your tables and counter space. Try gathering a few glass vases and filling them with items like cherries, apples, lemons or limes. This will only take a few minutes plus it is a super cheap way to spruce up your party space. You can also use framed photos of party guests as a centerpiece. Group a few of your favorite framed shots and place them atop a cake stand to give them height. Decorations can be simple if you just look to what you already have on hand for inspiration.

By following these four simple steps, you can transform your old entertaining style into that of a party pro. Hosting a party does not have to be expensive or stressful; just use the ideas above to get you started.

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How to Host a Home Casino Party

I have hosted many parties over the years and have found myself needlessly stressed out at many of these events. I have found three easy steps to reduce the stress, have the party run smoothly and, most importantly, make sure everyone has a great time (including myself). You can do this too. So, the next time you host a casino party, just follow these three simple steps, then you and your guests will have a wonderful time.

First, keep it simple. Limit the guest list to the number of people that will fit comfortably in your house. Two weeks in advance, invite your guests and schedule delivery of the casino tables. On the day of your party, turn your house into an authentic casino with casino party decorations and casino party supplies. Nothing complicated or hard is required. A few well place centerpieces and a few wall decorations will do the trick. For the casino tables, call an established casino supply company. The good ones will make sure that the tables they supply will be adequate for your party. Most of these companies also supply gaming dealers for your party.

Next, don't go crazy with food. Start the party after dinner time so that the guests will not be expecting much food. Do ahead and choose snacks; make at home light hors d'oeuvres and beverages are perfect. A few days ahead, shop for the non-perishables and clean house. The day ahead of your party, shop for the perishables and do a last minute clean of the bathroom and living room.

Lastly, casino parties are a great way to socialize. You are part of the company and your guests expect to talk with you. Keeping it simple means you get to spend time with your guests instead of in the kitchen. Let the dealers worry about the gaming. If you can afford it, getting an MC to go along with the dealers will really let you focus on your guests. To keep things interesting, buy a few prizes for the winners at the gaming tables. The MC can let you know the winners and you can announce them after gaming is wrapped up.

Following these steps will ensure that you have a great party and yours guests will be talking about it for weeks to come. Invite, clean, decorate, prepare simple food, ... and lastly, have fun.

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