Summer Party Ideas

Summer is the time for entertainment .It's getting friends together and just celebrating the balmy nights or days by the pool.There's even room  to throw in an old fashioned clambake or fish boil. Whichever you choose will always be fun.

Of course there's the barbecue. That American classic will be the backbone of many warm weather gatherings. Give it a more sophisticated turn by serving grilled filet mignon on brioches.For a true lux  idea make a bagna cauda sauce  from anchovies cooked with olive oil, butter and garlic. If you want an even more decadent barbecue, then think burgers made from this expensive cut. Serve with sliced , grilled portobello mushrooms. Another party dish is champagne marinaded chicken. This is mixing the champagne with olive oil, garlic and seasonings and letting it marinate for anywhere from eight hours to overnight, It's grilled for fifty minutes to an hour over hot coals. Lobster can also be grilled too and it's a nice change of pace for a summer get together. Served with asparagus salad and a tomato basil mousse for a truly elegant warm weather party.Don't feel like cooking? Then have it catered. Many restaurants can roast up chickens and even turkeys along with a variety of sides if you;'e throwing a large (anywhere from fifteen to thirty people)They will also set up and supply you with servers too. As for dessert, try an ice cream Charlotte. It's a striking end to any dinner  and all it needs is lady fingers, fresh fruit and vanilla ice cream.The lady fingers are pressed against a spring form pan creating a shell, then  filled with the ice cream and fruit.

If you want something a bit more down to earth then think luau, clambake or fish boil. A luau is a great idea for a pool party. Start with the basics of this South Pacific feast, chicken, fish and pork.If you can try to get luau leaves however surprisingly collard greens can  be a substitute for them. Most luaus use the Hawaiian butterfish againrif you can;t find it in your fish store, then use pompano.A fun crowd pleaser is huli huli chicken, a marinated dish that artfully combines pineapple juice , white wine and soy sauce.Poi is a staple too but it is hard to come by , especially in the continental US , Sub in a mix of mashed banana, lemon juice and coconut cream. Make sure guests have fruity cocktails to sip as well.Clambakes can be fun too, even if you're miles away from any ocean. It's primarily a variety of seafood boiled together. Add what you want .Mussels, clams and lobsters are the most popular. Sometimes whole potatoes are added as is corn. Butter is melted, preferably in an old coffee can  and the seafood and the veggies can be dipped into it. Beer or cider is usually the beverage of choice. A fish boil is the Midwes';s version of a clambake.It's usually whitefish steaks boiled with potatoes and onions.served with a side of melted sweet butter. The meal ends with a cherry or blueberry pie a la mode ad strong, hot coffee.

It is the height of the summer party season. Throw one that suits your tastes. Go elegant or go down home. No matter what you choose, it will be a memorable one with good food and good drink.

Summer Theme Parties

It is summer and the time for all sorts of parties.To make them more memorable think theme . Nothing is more entertaining and fun than a party with a set theme You don't have to go all out as with Sean Combs and his all white Hamptons party but you can have something similar on a smaller scale.

Ever since the arrival of Downton Abbey, teas have become almost de rigueur  for theme parties. These are still fun and the food can be a nice change from sloppy barbecues. Think watercress and chicken salad  sandwiches along with jam and butter ones too.Scones dripping with clotted cream are a must.as well A variety of teas can be served from  the fruity Lady Grey to soothing chamomile or mint, Wimbledon will be starting soon and you can serve their signature dishes, strawberries and cream washed down with champagne. Another Masterpiece classic Poldark has been retooled and revamped for a new generation. Winston Graham's classic romance adventure takes place in Cornwall, where rum was smuggled  freely and drunk freely. Have a Sunday night watching party (it's on PBS  stations at nine on that day) with what else rum and  Cornish pasties. If you're in the New York City area you can buy this last  from the famed Myers of Keswick on Hudson Street. If not it's a simple recipe  of  pastry filled with any kind of chopped meat, usually beef mixed with  potatoes. . You can also make a stargazey pie, a seafood variation of shepherd's pie, toppedwith pilchards staring up at the sky, hence the name,. Have a dessert of blackberries and clotted cream. Both are as Cornish as the  region's broad accent and tin mines.

Of course you can look to America for  theme ideas. Have a Saturday night hoedown, complete with  barbecue, Coca Cola cake and a variety of mayo based salads. Guests can also bring their own favorite picnic dishes  for a down home pot luck get together. New England clambakes are another great way of celebrating.It's  not only clams but also lobster and clams along with mussels steamed on rockweed or seaweed.  True clambakes also have sausages and corn on the cob. Other sides are potatoes, carrots and onions. Remember to include a coffee pot full of melted butter for the seafood  and veggies. A similar shindig is the Wisconsin fish boil. This is a tad more laborious than a clambake but it's essentially any white fish cooked with onions and  potatoes in  heavily salted water. The fish oil floats to the top where it's set aflame similar to crepes Suzette. Melted butter is dribbled on the fish and veggies afterward. It is usually served with cole slaw followed by cherry or blueberry pie.If this is too much then think  drive in  movie. Invite friends over to see a classic or celebrate a birthday with a favorite flick.  Have dogs and burgers along with butter drenched popcorn and malteds (you can make this last a bit naughty by adding a shot of vodka, or bourbon). Have boxes of Juniors Mints Red Vines and Good N Plenty for dessert.

It's summer! Celebrate with parties, full of good fun and good food! Try an English tea or a New England clambake  - whatever you want  for a warm weather get together!

A Good Old Fashioned Clambake

Summer and seafood go together. There's nothing like gathering friends on a beach with a campfire and freshly caught clams and lobsters. It's a fun way of celebrating a good day of swimming and sunning. The best part is that it's fun. Everybody chips in and helps in making a tasty dinner.

A clambake should take place on the beach however if your local one has restrictions you can easily have It in your backyard. As with a fire pit,dig a large hole in the sand or dirt. Cover the whole bottom with large stones or rocks. These can be found in the woods near the beach.(pick up anything that has some heft)Add branches, brushand then charcoal to build a large fire along with seaweed (although no sweat if you don't; have it on hand). If you're cooking lobsters, have a pot ready to boil them and with these you can use sea water hauled in from the beach.

Of course any clambake should have clams, but you can also have lobsters, mussels and potatoes. A good recipe is a kind of stew that involves clams, (any kind),mussels onions, celery,potatoes and corn.Cook these together in a pot along with melted butter and some fresh water. Of course you can just cook clams and have a baked potato with melted butter on it along with simply roasted ear of corn. This also goes for lobster too. because th emeat is so flavorful, just add butter that was melted in an old can over the flames.

A clambake is the best summer memory ever. There's nothing like enjoying freshly cooked clams and lobsters under a warm starry night . It's just good and simple eating