Using Time Wisely

Organized to save money, energy, and time

You are here: Home / Archives for Event Planning / Coordinating / Dinner Party

Summer Picnic & Barbecue Planning Guide – Part 2 of 5

by

Distributing the responsibilities

Photograph Credit: iStockphoto

Getting that high utility bill encourages me to plan more grilling, leaving the heat outside. Though really hot during the day, we get a little reprieve in the evening hours with some shade at dinner time. If you can handle the heat, then start the grill and invite some friends over for a summer picnic and barbecue.

After a break for our What Do You Think? Week, I return to our planning guide. In Part 1 of 5, we planned our menu and created a list of all items needed for our gathering. Today, we continue our planning guide by distributing the responsibilities.

Part 2: Distributing the Responsibilities

The idiom “many hands make light work” applies to events. After getting the details written down, I enlist the help of my guests. Usually our guests offer to bring a dish to contribute to the meal. With my menu planned, I can offer suggestions when asked, “What can I bring?”

Possible suggestions include:

      • Beverages
      • Breads (hamburger and hot dog buns)
      • Dessert
      • Side
      • Paper products
      • Condiments

By referring back to my master list, I can distribute responsibilities for items still needed on my list. In working together and distributing the responsibilities, we plan our summer picnic and barbeque together and share the work.

As you endure these hot summer days, entertaining friends is not only possible, but doable with a grill and a little planning. In using time wisely, we have chosen our menu and distributed the responsibilities for our summer picnic and barbecue.

Next week, we will create an inviting space to welcome our guests. Continue using time wisely while organizing your next gathering. Happy planning!

Question: How often do your guests ask, “What can I bring?”

Summer Picnic & Barbecue Planning Guide – Part 1 of 5

by

Summer picnic and barbecue - planning your menu

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

As I sit in a comfortable air-conditioned room writing this post, my outside garden is feeling the full weight of the summer heat.

It’s hot this week, and my kids are ready to meet friends for another visit to the water park to cool off.

In keeping our home comfortable and enjoying visits with friends, summer picnics and backyard barbeques win my choice for summer entertainment.

A summer picnic and barbecue with friends does not need all the bells and whistles. You do not need a Martha Stewart centerpiece nor spend hours preparing for some outdoor fun.

To share my simple strategy for a summer picnic and backyard barbecue, I will cover the following topics in this 5-part planning series:

Summer Picnic and Barbecue Planning Guide

Part 1: Planning the Menu

Part 2: Distributing the Responsibilities

Part 3: Creating an Inviting Space

Part 4: Keeping Refrigerated Dishes Cold

Part 5: Enlisting Cleanup Helpers

Part 1: Planning the Menu

When planning a summer picnic or barbecue, I start with these 3 broad food topics to choose the menu:

1. Meat (choose 1-3 types)

      • Hamburgers
      • Hot Dogs
      • Bratwurst
      • Chicken
      • Beef
      • Shrimp

2. Sides (add 2-5 options)

      • Salads: green, pasta, potato, etc.
      • Corn on the cob
      • Veggie cups or tray
      • Fruit tray
      • Deviled eggs
      • Mac and cheese
      • Chips

3. Dessert (top off with 1-2 choices)

      • Watermelon
      • Strawberry shortcake
      • Homemade ice cream
      • Apple pie
      • Brownies

With the menu decided, I then create a list with all the items needed at the picnic. This list would include condiments, sauces, dips, buns, paper products, and beverages.

Knowing the big picture helps me answer questions and distribute the responsibilities evenly, coming in Part 2 of this 5-part series.

As you endure the summer heat, consider hanging out with friends at a summer picnic or backyard barbecue hosted at your home or at a local park. To begin this adventure, start planning your menu and look for a free evening on your calendar to host your summer bash. I’ll walk you through the process. It’s painless, I promise. 😉  Happy planning!

Question: What foods do you enjoy serving for a summer picnic or backyard barbecue?

Organizing Dinner with Friends – Part 3

by

Today I will conclude my entertainment checklist with the last two steps. If you have missed either or both of the other posts in this series, you can view them here: Part 1 and Part 2.  Now, that I have all the ingredients on hand, I am ready to execute my plan on the day of the dinner.

STEP 5: Make preparations.

  • On the day of the dinner, I do a quick clean up of the downstairs. I pickup the toys, sweep the floors and vacuum, and clean our half bathroom in the morning.
  • After lunch, I clean up the kitchen and set the table(s).
  • Then I begin baking the ham according to the recommended time frame. If my dinner is at 6:00 p.m. and the ham takes 2-3 hours to bake, then I put the ham in the oven at 2:00 p.m. The ham will finish baking around 5:00 p.m. I will removed the ham from the oven and allow it to cool. Then about 5:45 p.m., my hubby will carve it and place it on a platter.
  • While the ham is baking, I prepare the other side dishes giving myself time for interruptions. Once the ham is out of the oven, I can then bake any side items needed, i.e. sweet potatoes or dessert.
  • Wait for our guests to arrive.

STEP 6: Enjoy the evening.

I then relax, spend time with our friends, and enjoy watching the children play. My wonderful husband clears off the table and stacks the dishes in the sink. I will help put the food away, and then we relax. Cleanup is dealt with on Saturday morning.

This list has been adjusted and changed into a system that works for me. By organizing a plan, I can spend my time executing that plan rather than spending time worrying if everything will get done.

What items would you add or subtract from this list to save you time when entertaining guests?

 

Organizing Dinner with Friends – Part 2

by

With a busy schedule and a desire to entertain, I have found a system that works for me. By following the same 6-step plan, I am able to quickly plan and execute a dinner with friends. Last Tuesday, I shared Steps 1 and 2 of my 6-step checklist. If you missed that post, you can view it here. Today, I will explain the next two steps in my process.

STEP 3: Invite my friends.

After choosing the friends our family has decided to invite, I will send an e-mail one to two weeks prior to the requested date. In that e-mail message, I will ask that they respond accepting or regretting by a specific date, which is about 4 days prior to the dinner. If they cannot make the dinner, then I will invite another family to join us. I usually can fill our table even on short notice.

STEP 4: Gather my ingredients.

Knowing the menu that is planned, I take inventory of items I have on hand to prepare the meal. In looking at our sample menu, I have the ham, potatoes and gravy/scalloped potatoes, corn, and bread on hand. I do not have the sweet potatoes or dessert. So, I add the ingredients for the sweet potatoes and dessert to my grocery list.

As our guests volunteer to bring a dish to help with the dinner, I will suggest one of the side items that contain ingredients on my grocery list. In this case, I would ask the volunteer to bring sweet potatoes or dessert. If the volunteer agrees, then I can remove those items off my grocery list which will save me from spending that extra money.

Once I have my grocery list nailed down, then I begin looking for sales on those items in the weekly stores’ sales advertisements. If there are no sales and the item is carried at Aldi (one of my favorite grocery stores), then I will just pick it up on my next visit.

By the end of step 4, I have a date, a menu, guests invited, and all of my ingredients on hand. Next week, we will finish this short series as I share the last two steps in my entertainment checklist.

Organizing Dinner with Friends – Part 1

by

If your family is like ours, then you enjoy entertaining friends for dinner. My children often beg to have their friends over to play. To accommodate their desire to play and our wish for an enjoyable evening, we invite friends with children over for dinner. To save me time, energy, and money, I follow a six-step checklist that helps me in planning our evenings of entertainment. Here are the first 2 steps in my 6-step checklist:

STEP 1:  Choose a date that works with my schedule.

Since our children stay up late and are so wound up after spending 2-3 hours with their friends, we usually entertain on Friday evening. They can then stay up past their bedtime to settle down, and they can sleep later on Saturday morning. Also, our house is often in disarray due to all the toys getting rearranged. We need Saturday morning to get our house back in order.

STEP 2:  Choose my menu.

I tend to choose the menu before inviting our friends. Almost always, our friends ask what they can bring to help with the meal. By already having the menu planned, I can suggest one of the side items. If I did not have my menu planned, then I would need to spend time and energy calling or e-mailing to get that information to them. To simplify the process, I choose to plan the menu before sending invitations. Here is a sample menu:

  • Baked ham
  • Mashed potatoes and gravy or scalloped potatoes
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Corn
  • Applesauce
  • Bread
  • Chocolate cupcakes with icing

Entertaining can be lots of fun. By having a list to execute, I have found excitement in planning while avoiding the anxiety of possibly forgetting something. Next Tuesday I will continue this explanation with steps 3 and 4 of my entertainment checklist.