By Sara Crooks
When the weather warms up, the great outdoors beckons. Enjoying meals al fresco is a simple pleasure that can help turn an ordinary summer day into a memorable one. Here are few tips that will help you make the most of your outdoor dining experience:
Seek to serve foods that are best at room temperature. In the stifling summer heat, it can be impossible to keep food cold. Foods that are meant to be served hot, can harbor bacteria if allowed to cool down and sit out. Grain and pasta salads with oil-based dressings are wonderful examples.
Tired of watery drinks? Freeze ice cube trays full of lemonade, tea, or your beverage of choice and use those for ice instead of actual ice. As the ice melts, you drink won’t become diluted.
Pesky Bugs – Look for tented mesh covers to use for your outdoor parties. You can often find these at minimal cost at local home stores. This ensures that those pesky bugs stay away from your food.
For an outdoor nighttime party, small votive candles set a wonderful atmosphere. Just make sure that they are unscented!
Invest in melamine plates. You can find them at most big box and homeware retailers. They are unbreakable and lightweight, but much more sturdy than paper plates.
Tablecloths aren’t just for inside dining. Look for oilcloth fabric that can be cut to make a pretty, but practical outdoor tablecloth. If it’s windy outside, don’t forget weights for the corners of the tablecloth.
Most of all….keep it simple!
Great tips! Thanks Sara!