In Texas, we have a short window to enjoy meals outside on the patio before the weather is hot and muggy and the mosquitoes are the size of potatoes. Typically, it’s April – June, then October through December. As soon as it’s warm enough, we love to host dinner parties al fresco by the pool.
Here are four of my favorite go-to ideas for hosting an easy outdoor dinner party:
Light Candles—There’s just something about the glow of candlelight around a table; it’s romantic, makes everyone look fantastic, and adds a cozy ambiance. People love to linger around a candlelit table.
I use a combination of real tea lights, battery LED candles, and rechargeable outdoor cordless lights. For each guest’s place setting, I like to use my vintage cobalt blue Saki cups to hold tea lights. I also like Target’s set of clear tealight holders.
Use White Dinner Plates – I have two sets of these dishes from Walmart on hand for parties, and I keep them in my party pantry until I need them. White dishes allow your flowers, napkins, and food to be the star of the dinner party. Speaking of napkins, I love these cotton cloth napkins from Amazon. They have several color and style options to choose from.
Click to shop the napkins from Amazon.
Serve a buffet – I love buffet-style dinner parties. You set out all the food and your guests, and they can graze all evening. For this recent dinner, we served a taco buffet with various meats, toppings, salsas, corn and flour tortillas, and chips. Here is a yummy recipe for chicken tacos that’s easy to make, and guests love it.
Source: The Cookie Rookie
Delicious Sips – Every outdoor dinner needs a refreshing cocktail. This recipe for Pomegranate Ranch Water was a hit. We always have a bottle of pomegranate juice in the refrigerator because we love to mix it with gin and Topo Chico. The juice is filled with magnesium and makes a perfect shot before bedtime. This cocktail is easy to mix up.
Click the pic for the recipe.
Outdoor entertaining is upon us! Let’s see what fun we can have.
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Hospitality is in my DNA. I founded Home with a Twist, a daughter’s twist on her mother’s traditions, in memory of my mother to celebrate her life and the gifts she shared with me. Mother loved to celebrate life’s occasions – big and small.
