It’s Labor Day weekend, which means for many the end of the lazy days of summer, with fall and cooler weather soon to come. It also means grilling season will be coming to an end. It doesn’t mean you won’t be grilling any more, at least it doesn’t at our house. It just means you won’t be grilling as much, with the shorter days and colder days.

I thought I’d put together an end of summer easy grilling roundup to help you plan your last minute Labor day menu. So invite some friends over to enjoy some of these summer grilling …read more

One of my favorite late summer blooms is the sunflower. So I thought I’d put together some party, or wedding ideas with a sunflower theme. Sunflowers are big, bold, and inject a ray of sunshine wherever they go.
Combine them with greens, golds, bold yellows, or chocolate browns, like they did in this fall sunflower tablescape.
Don’t forget the invitations, here’s a beautiful  invitation featuring sunflowers courtesy of Invitation Consultants.

Or a sunflower wedding note card from Etsy.

I love these sunflower inspired cakes.

Via Flickr johnattebury cc
This sunflower wedding cake looks fabulous with the garden setting behind it.
Via Flickr Tracy Hunter
Mix and mingle fresh …read more

The other day I featured centerpieces and table decorations featuring fruit and flowers. Several mentioned that vegetables can make great party centerpieces and table decorations too. Since we’re coming into the fall harvest season, I thought I’d share a couple centerpieces with vegetables that I’ve collected through the years.
One of my favorite fall vegetables to decorate with is the pumpkin. Pumpkins make wonderful serving bowls if you hollow them out. You can have them do double duty, for function and decoration.
Or use a pumpkin as the base for a floral arrangement.
Load some fall vegetables into a cornucopia horn with some …read more

Jägermeister has a new coolers for those who like to party, the 6-Bottle Shot Cooler keeps your shots nice, cold and ready to go. The new Shot Cooler also has a tap, utilizing the latest technology. So it’s not just a cooler, it’s a cooler-tap combination.

The Jägermeister 6-Bottle Shot Cooler-tap combination makes it the perfect addition to outdoor events, and parties on the go, whether it’s a backyard BBQ, a beach party, pool party, camping trip, football, or tailgate party. You can keep your drinks cool and have easy access wherever you are.

The 6-Bottle shot cooler comes with six 750ml …read more

Fruit and floral combinations work wonderful for party, or wedding table centerpieces. They make a nice contrast in texture and color.
Citrus is my favorite to work with in floral arrangements. I love their bright vivid colors, and they will hold up for several days without spoiling.

You don’t have to incorporate the fruit in the arrangement, you can hollow out an orange, or an apple and use them for as a vase for your floral centerpiece.

Arrange flowers and fruit in a basket to give your backyard party a casual feel.

You don’t have to pair a floral arrangement with your fruit, you …read more

It’s the perfect time of year for an afternoon garden tea party, with a few friends. Cut a vaseful  of flowers from your garden for the table, and give it an elegant feel with light colored linens.

It’s almost the end of summer, but it’s not too late to catch a warm sunny day. Head to your garden, or local farmers market for fresh in season flowers, fruits, and vegetables.
Serve your favorite tea, maybe a glass of wine, and some yummy finger foods. Here are a few that would be fabulous for  a garden tea party.

Cucumber sandwiches would be refreshing and …read more

July is hot dog month, and July 23rd is National Hot Dog Day. That sounds like a great reason to fire up the grill, and invite a few friends over to celebrate. Make sure you have all the extras for the hot dogs.

Set up a fully loaded hot dog bar with buns, chili sauce, sauerkraut, mustard, ketchup, cheese, onion, relish, tomato, and anything else you can think of that people might want to add to their hot dog.
Pick out a variety of different types and flavors of hot dogs for your guests to sample. Cheese dogs, sausage dogs, beef dogs, …read more

I love chocolate covered anything, but chocolate covered strawberries make a fabulous party appetizer, or simple dessert, especially this time of year.

You can coat the strawberries with chocolate ahead of time, and drizzle on several different types of chocolate from white to dark for an elegant look, and exotic taste. Or you can make a chocolate fondue and let your guests make their own chocolate covered strawberries.
Here’s a video that shows you how to dip and decorate your own strawberries, and wow your guests at your next party.
These look yummy! They have my mouth watering!
You can use sprinkles, or crumbled …read more

My favorite cookout party food is kabobs. I think it’s because they are so versatile, and they’re a step above hot dogs and hamburgers. Something a little different for your party guests.
You can make kabobs with almost anything you want, from chicken, or beef to shrimp. Add your favorite veggies cut into chunks and your ready to go.

Make a simple marinade with A1 Marinade, garlic powder, and Italian dressing.
Chop and marinade all your meats and vegetables overnight in the refrigerator.
Kabob them early in the day and store them in the fridge, then pop them on the grill when your guests …read more

We had a little party at the beach over the holiday weekend. We made pitchers full of frozen fruity drinks (both alcoholic and non alcoholic). We used quite a few fresh fruits to make the frozen cocktails, and they turned out fabulous.
Here’s the basic recipe (it’s not exact so feel free to adjust it to your taste):
Fruity Frozen Beach Cocktails
Ingredients:

1/2 to 1 cup orange juice
1/2 of a mango peeled and chopped
1 cup frozen or fresh strawberries
1/2 kiwi peeled and chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh pineapple
1 banana peeled and chopped
about 1 cup of ice (top off the blender after adding the other …read more