Spring is in the air and people are ready to get outside and socialize. Hosting a garden party is a fun way to bring in the spring season and open the door to a fresh social life. Here are some fun tips and ideas for hosting such an event.
Decorations are a good place to start. Something that catches the eye but doesn’t over shadow everything else at the garden party. The décor should be fun, festive, and refreshing.
Starting with the buffet table. Cover it with a synthetic grass table cloth or Easter basket grass. Then scatter ladybugs, dragonflies, butterflies, beetles, and flowers throughout the grassy table. These can be made out of beads, confetti, silk, paper, or toys.
For the dining table(s) use a light and airy table cloth in either a white or pastel color. Napkins should stand out. Consider using a deep green or a rich brown. The color of the napkins could also be used as trim for the table cloth. As a center piece use a vase filled with pastel colored or clear marbles with a candle for ambiance. Either a dish of potpourri or a bouquet of flowers would also work. Adding the ladybugs and other spring garden critters can be an extra nice touch to the table as well. Also be sure to make a special place for each guest. One way to do this is to set up a special gift bag for each guest with their name on it at their seat. A great gift idea would be to find things that help bring out the silly side of the guests. Bubbles and butterfly nets for instance. Or, if that doesn’t suit, a nice refreshing scented candle and lotion could be a nice gift. If gifts are too much find another unique way to label each persons seat. Glue a picture of each guests’ face into the center of a silk or paper flower, for instance.
As far as the dishes and tableware goes anything is fine as long as it matches the theme somehow. Paper and plastic dishes have a more casual feel than using ceramic or glass dishes, which isn’t always a bad thing. Especially when it comes time to clean up!
Now that the decorations are all figured out, it’s time to consider what foods to serve at the garden party. Sticking to foods that are light and healthier is a good plan.
To start the menu, it’d be good to have a veggie tray set out for guests to snack from. Fill it with radishes, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, peppers of every color, or whatever vegetables look best at the grocery store that day. Adding a dip is a good idea as well.
To go along with the vegetables should be fresh fruits. They can be made into a bouquet, mixed up to make a salad, or put in their own tray like the vegetables with their own dip.
Also set a bowl of nuts on each table, for guest to snack on.
With the appetizers set it’s time to add the main menu. Sandwiches are a great hit. Make a variety and try to think outside the box. Some ideas for garden party sandwiches would be cucumber and tomato sandwiches, tuna fish sandwiches, and strawberry and banana sandwiches. Try cutting the sandwiches into quarters either diagonally or into squares. Also consider using homemade bread. Honey whole wheat is a good choice. To add a little something extra, add nuts and/or craisins or regular raisins to the bread dough. Here is a good recipe from Betty Crocker: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/recipe.aspx?recipeID=35518&Source;=SearchResultPage
Another good garden party dish would be salad. Having a good garden salad with a variety of vegetables is a light and healthy way to fill guests’ bellies. A pasta salad can make a nice side to the sandwiches. Here are a couple of different recipes for pasta salad:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Italian-Pasta-Salad/Detail.aspx
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_17617,00.html
Other salads could work nicely as well.
If chips are a must at the garden party consider making them at home. There are a variety of chips to be made.
Potato or sweet potato chips. Turn the oven on to 500 degrees. Thinly slice the potatoes, as many as needed. Put a few tablespoons of olive oil in a bowl and coat the potato slices in the oil. Put the potato slices in an even layer on a baking sheet and pop in the oven for about 10 minutes. Pull them out and flip them over. Pop them back in the oven for another 10 minutes or until crispy. Season for flavor with seasoning of choice. Salt is the usual choice, but a cinnamon and sugar mix, seasoned salt, or other seasoning could also be used.
Tortilla chips: Similar to the potato chips. Except the oven needs to be turned to about 350 degree and the tortillas should be cut into slices like a pizza.
Apple chips: http://www.bigy.com/littley/recipes/apple_chips.htm
Bagel chips: http://www.culinarycafe.com/Appetizers/Herbed_Bagel_Chips.html
Of course any party, even a garden party, should have dessert. A chocolate fountain would be nice, but if that’s a bit out of the garden, a chocolate fondue would be just as delicious. After all, who doesn’t love chocolate covered fruit? Of course chocolate covered vegetables shouldn’t be out of the question either. Other great desserts could be cookies, cakes, pies, and ice cream. Strawberry angel food cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream tends to be a popular way to go.
Food is important for a garden party, but so are the drinks that go with them. A punch or smoothie would be a good non-alcoholic way to go. Otherwise a daiquiri or fruity cocktail. Here are some links to a few good drinks:
Punch: http://www.chefs.com/recipes/4841_1+-+Apple-Berry+Punch.aspx
http://southernfood.about.com/od/beveragesanddrin/r/bl00430e.htm
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Fruit-Punch-2
Cocktails: http://www.cocktail.com/recipes/c/CaliforniaLemonade1940.htm
http://www.semihomemade.com/cooking/rosesangria.htm
Food and decorations are great and help make parties fun, but what matters most is the social aspect. Garden parties don’t have to be all prim and proper. Instead of using modern photos of each guests, try and get baby pictures of each of them and have everyone try to guess who is who. If desired, there could be a prize for the winner. This could be a good ice breaker for those guests who might not know each other. Be sure to mingle with every guest and encourage them to mingle with each other. Pull out favorite games, take a group walk.
All in all a garden party should be refreshing and fun.
