Mid-Summer Parties

Today in our continuing "Summer Entertaining" blog series we want to offer some ideas on hosting mid-summer parties or gatherings.

The 4th of July is now past and so we are semi-officially at mid-summer.  This is actually a great time to have a gathering as many people don't want to see the easy good times of summer end.

For mid-summer gatherings we like theme events, and they needn't be complicated.  There is just something fun in the air when you host a themed event and that "something fun" goes well with mid-summer, when whomever is not away on vacation will be at your gathering, and people are not already beginning to get anxious about fall, school starting, ramping up at work after vacations, etc.  So take advantage of this wonderful feeling!

Make it easy on yourself and choose a small-ish menu (or have the food done for you) and use your or someone else's imagination to decorate in a fun but not overdone way to go with the theme of the event.

Here are some ideas for theme events for mid-summer parties that are cool and pretty easy to pull off. 

• Mexican food interactive station (tacos, etc., decorated with papel picado maybe and perhaps some old fashioned poured margaritas)
• Tiki tropical party (meat grilled with fruit glaze, mojitos and rum drinks, tiki bar)
• Texas BBQ (We love the paper serveware with a Texas flag or boot, and you don't even need more than that but if you want, add bandanas and red and blue decorations)
• Trip to Italy (Steak Fiorentino, grilled antipasto, tiramisú and cheesecake or cannoli, majolica serveware-Love the one by Vietri!, limoncello and an Italian red wine) or to Greece (feta, tomato, and watermelon salad, kebabs, shrimp baked with anisette, little glasses of ouzo--careful there!) or to any other destination you've loved on your travels and that you can do max three easy menu items from
• Outdoor dessert party (even if you buy--but best quality only, of course) the desserts, set them up on a buffet outdoors with a nice tablecloth and some nice little plates and forks, whether real or nice paperware, and then put a decorative beverage dispenser with lemonade or tea or whatever and some nice dessert wines in a beverage tub on ice out on the dessert buffet.  You can do this with full-size desserts only or mini desserts only or a mix of full size and mini.  Cut at least two slices and put the slices on plates next to the dessert from each of the full-size desserts; otherwise your guests will just leave the full-size desserts there without eating them.

Enjoy!

Kristina

Fandango Catering and Events
(713) 522-0077
www.fandango-catering.com