Everything You Need to Know About Picnics and BBQ Parties
Outdoor Dining 101
Everyone loves a good barbeque party. In fact, it's almost a necessary life skill to know how to host an excellent cookout in your lawn or in campgrounds.
Another popular classic is a good old-fashioned picnic on a sunny afternoon. You can have your little children playing around while you put out the food and plates on the blanket.
We're sure you have your own special family traditions to make every party extraordinary. Whatever they are, there are a number of things you need to bear in mind when you plan picnics and barbeque cookouts!
In this blog post, we guide you through outdoor dining 101.
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First, we show you all the must-haves when hosting a barbeque party and picnic in your backyard. Then we take you through arranging your event and planning your menu. Last but not the least, we give you a couple of tips on grilling your meat and vegetable skewers and setting them out.
Planning on having your family and buddies over?
Want to organize a chill get together with your neighbors down the block?
Hosting a reunion for your relatives or friends from all across the country? Not a problem!
BBQ cookouts and picnics are a wonderful way to bring your loved ones together for a fabulous afternoon in the sun. Here's your one-stop tutorial to everything you need to know about picnics and BBQ parties!
Everything You Need To Organize a BBQ Party
Like any event, especially a social gathering, there's a few things you need to know about throwing a BBQ party.
Here is a simple rundown of everything you need to host a BBQ party.
Schedule the date and time.
Before anything else, you'll need to set a specific day for your outdoor cookout. Then, figure out what time you're having it.
You could have it during the day (12 noon to 4 in the afternoon) or in the late afternoon up to the evening (5-9 PM).
Why at least 4 hours, you ask? Well, it's a good way to make sure you have plenty of time for you to mingle with your guests. And, they'll get to walk around and talk to each other as well.
Invite people.
After setting the date and time, determine what circle you'll be inviting and how many you can have over.
And we can not emphasize this enough - do not misjudge your backyard space. Be practical about it.
Do you want to have:.
a big reunion for high school and/or college batch mates?
distant relatives from across the States?
a small intimate gathering of your family and friends?
a get-to-know meet up with the neighbors on your block?
After deciding on your visitor list, send out your invites.
Give them by email if you're throwing a huge party. If you're having a small informal gathering, make handwritten invitations for each guest.
Be sure to follow up on their attendance to get an accurate estimate of how much food and utensil sets you need to put out.
Deciding on the Menu & Fixing your Food.
The general rule is to have a balance of red meat, chicken and vegetables skewered on sticks. This is especially vital if you aren't sure what your visitors' diets are.
The safest option for meat is to stick with the classics. This means hotdogs, burger patties, ribs, barbeque cuts, etc
The same goes for veggies. Go with corn cobs, greens, tomatoes, mushrooms, among others.
If you do find out their preferences, then make sure to modify your menu accordingly.
Take note of who and how many of your guests are vegetarians, vegans, and red meat lovers. They'll help you when ordering the fresh produce and measuring out your dishes.
Keep drinks cold in a cooler or two in your yard. Make sure to maintain a steady supply of beverages and, of course, ice, in your fridge indoors.
It's ideal to have an assortment of drinks too. Prepare juice packs, soda cans and bottles of beer and wine unless you know what your attendees like.
For dessert, fruit platters are an excellent simple dish. Trays of cookies, biscuits and cake tarts are also terrific to pass around your invitees.
Prepare your Cooking Tools & Supplies.
Experts recommend buying a heavy duty grill with a retractable cover. They'll do well to keep your food fresh and warm.
Get a well-made set of essential tools for outdoor dining. This involves a spatula, tongs, grill forks and knives, among others.
You're going to need an area to put your freshly smoked food to make room for new batches of fresh meat and vegetables.
Get containers with lids for both raw and cooked meat and veggies. Get aluminum foil as well to keep food fresh. This will also cover them from flies, insects and the elements.
Set Out Meal Utensils
Like any dish, you're going to need a set of utensils to prep for your guests. Here is a short list of must-have utensils for your BBQ party.
Plates (reusable).
Fork and knife (spoon optional).
Glasses or plastic cups.
Napkins.
What You Need to Set Up a Picture Perfect Picnic.
You will also need a list of things to set up a picture perfect picnic for you and your whole family.
The difference is - you won't be able to return to your house if you missed packing something. You're going to need to make sure you have absolutely everything you need before heading out to your picnic spot.
Schedule the Date, Time and Place.
Like any family day trip, you're going to need to pick a spot for your picnic.
Then, decide on whether you'll be going out in mid-morning or in the late afternoon to evening. Of course, if you choose to do it at night, you'll need to bring a portable lamp with you.
Choose Your Menu
Like any old-fashioned picnic, you'll need to prep the food in advance and wrap them to go in your basket.
It's best to opt for sandwiches and pre-cooked meats for your main dish.
You could go for burgers, sandwiches, chicken, fried or grilled meats (bacon and hotdogs). Hard-boiled eggs are also a great choice for health buffs and kids.
For your side dishes, you could go with a tub of coleslaw, mashed potato or potato salad, or bags of chips.
For the dessert, you can never go wrong with a fruit platter (e.g. banana, apple, orange, strawberry), and cookies.
You might also want to bring condiments (e.g. ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, etc.). If you do bring some, be sure to store them in small airtight containers.
For your drinks, you should pack a cooler to keep your drinks nicely chilled. They'll be the perfect refreshment for a day out in the sun.
You can never go wrong with an assortment of soda cans, juice packs, and water bottles. But if you want to get fancy, you could take a nice bottle of wine along with you.
Prepare Your Picnic Supplies
To make sure you don't forget anything, make a list of things to bring on your picnic outing with your family.
Blanket (typically red & white checkered cloth).
Picnic basket.
Reusable plates, bowls, & utensils.
Reusable cups.
Table napkins & wet wipes for easy cleaning.
Food and condiments.
How to Efficiently Pack Your Basket
A couple of tips to packing your picnic basket, from the experts:.
Keep food covered up in airtight containers and resealable plastic bags.
Stuff your basket in the order of things you'll be taking them out in. For example - blanket, utensils and plates, food platters, condiments if any, etc. Get a cooler for drinks and perishables.
Put the perishable food (freshly cooked meat, vegetables, etc.) in airtight containers. When stacking them in the cooler, put them in the bottom and sides. This will stop them from falling or spilling out.
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