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: