Dinner boredom? Dinner party ideas for the family!

I am on a constant search for the best in dinner party ideas. You don't need to rely on friends to have a formal dinner party - why not consider doing something special with your family?

This is an article from the Dallas Morning News. Alicia Ross with Beverly Mills offer some great tips about avoiding boredom at our family dinners. Don't you just hate this..

"Maybe it's the rolling eyes when you announce the dinner menu. Or maybe it's all the food left on the plate. Here's our favorite: After we've slaved in the kitchen, they say, "I'll just fix myself a PB&J."

Here are some of their tips:

Write your menu on the family calendar. Not only can you prepare for what you cook, but you can remember what you cooked last week.

Enlist everyone's help. Let each person take charge of planning the family menu one night a week. (This is a great way to involve everyone in the preparation and cleanup, too.)

Be intentional about leftovers. Plan for lunches or dinners later in the week to make use of the extra food. Try adding something special to the leftovers to change them up a bit

Pledge to try one or two new recipes every couple of weeks. This way you can work new favorites into the mix.

In fact, when you try out your new recipe each fortnight, why not consider my idea of throwing that dinner party just for the family? A night when you can spend some time preparing the meal together - or each of (individually or in pairs, threes, etc) prepare a different course. You could even dress up or base it around a theme.. What a great family experience you can share together.. make it fun.. have a theme..

Check out the whole article at: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/taste/easyrecipes/stories/DN-NSO_desperation_0814liv.ART.State.Edition1.2bcf024.html

I'll soon bring you some more dinner party ideas!

Randa

Oh yes, and a recipe book likes this really helps to keep things simple:

Dinner party ideas - not dinner party disasters!

That's right - my advice to you with your dinner party ideas is to be flexible..

This story by Larry Bly from the Roanoke Times was enjoyable to read - a bit of a roller coast read actually.

At first I found myself dreaming about having a beach house and inviting nine guests around to sit-down to a formal dinner and then the power went down on a day of 105-degree record-breaking heat and then things started going wrong..

what.. and it wasn't a bad choice after all. Here's a quote from the story:

"Thus ended one of the memorable hot days of my life. Good food, good fun, good times. No sweat. Well, maybe just a bit, but you hardly noticed under that lovely subdued candlelight that made us all look so good."

Read the whole article at:

http://www.roanoke.com/entertainment/food/wb/wb/xp-128017

Stay tuned, I really do intend to bring you some great dinner party ideas!

Until next post.

Randa

Oh yes, and a recipe book likes this really helps to keep things simple:

Dinner Party + Flair = Memorable!

On the theme of dinner party ideas with an al fresco flavor, I thought I'd share this recollection of a dinner party at the home of Monet. It is a grab from an article on the Visayan Daily Star.

I talked about leaving an impression in my last post and look, this story is being recounted years later.

"It was the perfect evening for an al fresco dinner party. As we drove up to the elegant home of Monet and Yoly Kilayko, the picturesque fountain in the courtyard made us feel like we were transported to a villa in Italy. Our genial hosts welcomed us with such warmth that we felt right at home as we made our way to the poolside where the tables were set for the guests. Our media group enjoyed the excellent red wine and nibbled on the pica-pica, while Monet told us about a big event that was coming to Bacolod next month."

Here's the article if you'd like to read the whole thing:

http://www.visayandailystar.com/2007/August/09/starlife.htm

Would love to hear any comments and please share your dinner party ideas.

Randa

By the way, I highly suggest a recipe book like this if you want to keep things real simple for some of your dinner parties. Sometimes it is so off-putting when you see how many ingredients are needed to prepare just one meal:

What a great dinner party idea! As seen on Youtube!

This is yet another great dinner party idea - check out this clip from youtube..

Want a dinner party with a difference? Well, why mess up your house or worry about how tidy the place is.. take your dinner party with you.. this really was a creative idea!

This dinner party took place on the London Underground.. and the video only runs for around four minutes so it's worth a look..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywLhNwSBizE

I intend to keep you posted with excellent dinner party ideas..

In the meantime, I highly suggest a recipe book like this if you want to keep things real simple:

Dinner party ideas - dinner in the sky..

OK, this is not the best dinner party idea to have at home - unless you can afford to hire a crane that holds the entire structure aloft, 150 feet above the ground. Apparently ranked among the world's Top 10 most unusual restaurants by Forbes magazine, "Dinner in the Sky" is coming soon to a town near you, or so its owners hope." Nevertheless, I do want to bring you the best of ideas - including the most bizarre and unusual..

For instance, my partner and I had one of our best culinary experiences in a restaurant called The Dark Side - there was not a skerrick of light in the dining room. Initially, we were ushered into a bar/foyer where we picked our menu options then the waiter came with night vision glasses on to escort us to our table.. it was pitch black.. initially I could feel my anxiety levels rise but then I relaxed into the experience. I smelt the food as it was being delivered.. the aromas filled our senses. I smelt spices and could identify certain smells that I would never have before even noticed..

Then you had to try to get the food onto your fork. This alone proved more fun than frustrating. The food was sensational - I enjoyed it immensely - the textures and the flavors were amazing. The experience brought home the fact that I had usually taken this experience for granted - even though I may have enjoyed a flavour it wasn't to this extreme.

So my point here is why not consider doing something different for your next dinner party. Here's an excerpt from the linked article about Dinner In The Sky..

"This "floating restaurant" is some way away from, well, anywhere -- 150 feet off the ground to be exact.

And there are no doors or windows, or even a floor -- just a 6.6-ton table piled high with food and champagne, with 22 chairs to seat patrons, while a crane holds the entire structure aloft, 150 feet above the ground."

Read more about the amazing Dinner in the Sky idea - the brainchild of David Ghysels and Stefan Kerkhofs. The journalist recounts their experience in Belgium.

Read the whole ABC News article at :

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Travel/story?id=3486787&page=1

And stay tuned for more ideas. You may also like to share your most unusual experiences also for the enjoyment of our readers?

Randa

Oh yes, I highly suggest a recipe book like this if you want to keep things real simple for some of your dinner parties. Sometimes it is so off-putting when you see how many ingredients are needed to prepare just one meal:

The Al Fresco Dinner party

I'm always on the look out for dinner party ideas.

Joey Stewart loves to throw dinner parties in the garden of her Calgary home. Joey's garden features a rock garden, a cascading waterfall and lots of rose petals line the walk.

Her garden is filled with the scent of the flowers that are in full bloom.

So of course, why not take advantage of the good weather and have your dinner party outdoors? It's a lovely story about what you can do when you have a great yard. But even if you've got the regular variety of garden, you can still create and amazing and memorable dinner party for your guests - a dinner party that people reminisce about in years to come..

I really liked some of the tips at the end of this article when Horticulturist, Kathy Smyth, reminds us that we should create an environment you, yourself would love to be in.

I really like some of Kathy's theme ideas - such as Sangria Sunday, a seafood soiree or a beach barbecue with you setting the scene with decor to give that vibe. Kathy also includes tips about "keeping it natural", using your flowers as the table centrepiece and even suggests it's OK to ask your friends to bring a plate.

One of my favorite quotes is "One perk of throwing a garden party is you don't have to dust or vacuum before guests arrive. This will give you more time to prep the meal and yard." Sounds too good.

The theme, dinner party ideas really excites me and I really do hope to bring you lots of great ideas. Here is a link to the article:

http://www.canada.com/findit/realestate/story.html?id=95aed5af-9686-4ff0-b771-a37634bb82df

Speak soon

Randa

By the way, I highly suggest a recipe book like this if you want to keep things real simple for some of your dinner parties. Sometimes it is so off-putting when you see how many ingredients are needed to prepare just one meal:

Summer dinner party ideas - shoes optional!

I'm constantly on the look out for great dinner party ideas. I came across this article in the Buffalo News a couple of days ago and I like the way the author, Cathy Thomas, has addressed the issue of making your guests feel comfortable.

She starts out with the following introduction:

"Come hungry and wear flip-flops. Sounds like a great summer dinner party theme, doesn’t it? The sandals shout casual comfort, a signal to guests to lighten up and enjoy a gathering that’s as much fun as the dress code."

After all, we do want our guests to be comfortable and have a great and memorable night. That is, if you're having a casual rather than formal or themed dinner party..

The great thing is that the article goes on to give you some suggestions for a great casual dinner party.

Here's a link to the article if you'd like to read it in full anyway. I'm sure it will help generate dinner party ideas.

http://www.buffalonews.com/185/story/141439.html

I'd love to hear what you think.

Randa

By the way, I highly suggest a recipe book like this if you want to keep things real simple for some of your dinner parties. Sometimes it is so off-putting when you see how many ingredients are needed to prepare just one meal:

I want great dinner party ideas!

So I'll search for them myself and share them with you..

If you're going to throw a dinner party then why have a dull old dinner party when you can make it fun and memorable'? - and memorable is the key word here. With the dinner part ideas you get from me, your social life will change. Not only will your guests enjoy the experience but it will leave you with a sense of accomplishment!

My aim here is to find news on ways to make your dinner party a smash and you can expect to get loads of dinner party ideas. Why? Because I LOVE to share and this whole world web world means that we can share so easily.. no matter where we are..

By the way, I highly suggest a recipe book like this if you want to keep things real simple for some of your dinner parties. Sometimes it is so off-putting when you see how many ingredients are needed to prepare just one meal: