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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’?!

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 games

The 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!

Danielle Brooks is a freelance writer who loves to entertain. When entertaining she likes to use Fiesta Dinnerware and especially Fiesta Square Dinnerware

If you are planning on hosting a get together with friends or family, it doesn’t have to cost a fortune. With just a little creativity, everyone can have a wonderful time enjoying delicious food and great company. One of the best ways to do this is by giving your dinner party a creative theme. By choosing a certain theme, you can allow your guests to get in on the fun of designing a very unique and unforgettable gathering. By letting your guests bring a dish of food or some other item that goes along with the theme, they will feel like they helped plan the party and it will have a more personal feel. As the host of the party, you will need to provide the main dish, the drinks, the desserts, and some of the decorations, but you can incorporate the items and foods your guests bring with them to go along with the theme of the party.

For example, let’s say you want to plan a dinner function that has a theme based on a certain era of time, like the 1950s. You could easily plan the main dish as a type of food that many people enjoyed during that time. This could be anything from fried chicken, to meatloaf, to even hamburgers. You might want to get a little creative with the way you prepare that dish or even prepare it in a few different ways. During this time, Cola and milkshakes were very popular. You could easily serve different flavors of cola as the drinks and make homemade milkshakes for dessert. The side dishes would be where things would be very creative and fun. Ask each of your guests to bring their favorite side dish that they remember enjoying during the 1950s. Just be sure to find out what your guests will be bringing so that there isn’t too much of one particular food.

When it comes to the decorations for a 1950s themed party, you can also do this easily. Think of the type of decorations that were found in a few of your favorite restaurants or diners during that time. Things like old fashioned salt and pepper shakers, ketchup and mustard bottles, and even checkered tablecloths would be very fitting for this theme. These items can usually be found at a reasonable price at thrift store or you can even ask your guests to bring any of these that they might have on hand. If you happen to have any personal items of your own from this time be sure to have those out too. Ask your guests to bring or wear their favorite item from the 1950s. This could be clothing such as poodle skirts, saddleback shoes, or leather jackets. They could even bring things like old high school yearbooks, hula hoops, or even roller skates. With every item from the past that is brought, the guest who brought it can tell the story of what it represents in their life during the time they used it. So, as you can see, a dinner party can be planned without breaking the bank while also allowing the guests to get in on the fun.

Danielle Brooks is a freelance writer who loves to entertain. When entertaining she likes to use Noritake Colorwave dinnerware from Noritake

We have parties for all sorts of occasions, but how often do you have a Valentine’s Day/Evening Dinner Party? This holiday is often neglected to be celebrated with a group of people. It is normally reserved for couples in love. Valentine’s Day is the holiday to celebrate love, not just lovers.

Since there are all kinds of love, husband and wife love, child and parent love, brother and sister love, grandparent and grandchild love and even pet and owner love, it deserves to be included in the Valentine’s Day festivities. A Valentine’s Day/Evening dinner party can be fun and a bit on the unique side since most people just spend it going out to dinner together.

Here are some fun ideas to make your Valentine’s Day/Evening dinner party a big hit:

Invitations: You can either make or purchase your Valentine’s Day/Evening dinner party invitations. You should invite the people in your lives that mean the most to you and that are close to your heart. These people would likely include your partner, your children, your parents, your grandparents, and/or any dear friends. Decorating your own invitations could be a lot of fun and maybe you can even get the kids to participate. It is, however, an extra job to do. If you plan your party far enough ahead of time, though it should not be a problem.

Decorations: There are decorative string lots for all kinds of occasions now. Decorative string lighting is not just limited to Christmas lights anymore. Decorate with strings of lighting around your dining area that are adorned with hearts. You may want to set up a small pine tree and decorate it with lights, heart ornaments, cupid ornaments and other decorations pertaining to Valentine’s Day. Red and white candles on the table would add a loving and warm touch.

Tableware: Red, white or heart themed dinnerware would help to set the mood of a Valentine’s Day celebration. Red, white, crystal or heart-themed glassware and cloth napkins that would match accordingly with the rest of your dinnerware would complete the setting. Use your best silverware for the occasion. Remember this is a special day and should be treated as such. You are having the people that mean the most to you at this party so nothing but the best is good enough for them.

Foods: This can be so much fun at a Valentine’s Day/Evening dinner party! Decide on a main course that you think most people will enjoy. You might want to include a couple of main dishes depending on how big you want to make this dinner. Your main dishes should be a meat and/or a pasta-type dish. You will want to have a few types of common vegetables that are appealing to most people. If you know someone in the party is fond of a particular item, you can include that on the menu as well. Drinks could consist of wine or sparkling grape juice, which is delicious and harmless to everyone. Use your finest glassware to serve your drinks in. Wet the top edge of the glasses and tipping them upside down into ground sugar sprinkles turn them around full circle so that the sugar sticks to the edge. This will not only look pretty, but it will give your drink a little extra flavor.

Cards and gifts: You can exchange Valentine’s Day cards and small gifts with each other after dinner if you choose to include these things in your party.

Games: You may or may not desire to play some party games. There are party games for all ages that are fun and entertaining to play after dinner. You may or may not want to also include prizes for the winner of the game.

Your Valentine’s Day/Evening dinner party will likely be such a big hit with everyone you will want to have it again next year. You could even take turns having it at each other’s houses and everyone can bring a dish to pass.

Enjoy this holiday and celebrate the loves in your life!

Danielle Brooks is a freelance writer who loves to entertain. When entertaining she likes to use Noritake Colorwave dinnerware from Noritake