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BBQ & A
Q: What’s the best
way to entertain friends, relatives and neighbors all summer
long without stress, high heels or turning on the oven?
A:
The BBQ, of course! The perfect
barbeque has something for everyone and practically throws
itself. Choose your venue: backyard, rooftop, poolside or
beach, and spark up the barbie (has there ever been a smell
more intoxicating than smoking charcoal?!). With a little
easy prep, a trusted pal on the grill, games
for the kids and plenty of beer for everyone else, you’re
free to linger over your margarita until the last rib bone
has been sucked clean.
Q: How do I get guests
fired up?
A: It’s
all in the invitation. Opt for flip-flops
invitations to float a casual come-as-you-are vibe, ideal
for pool parties and seaside fetes. Our BBQ
coaster invitations make guests thirsty for good friends,
good eats and a frosty brew or two. For serious carnivores,
you can’t lick our barbeque
box invitations. Each features a barbeque illustration
on the outside and opens to reveal a 3D animal figurine on
a checkered tablecloth…saucy!
However you choose to rally hungry troops, indicate on the
invitation whether they should bring anything in particular.
Since barbeques often begin in the afternoon and last well
into the evening, you want to make sure your guests are comfortable
and prepared for the day’s activities. For example,
“Bring a bathing suit, sweatshirt and lots of wet-naps!”
Q: How do I set the
mood for grilling and chilling?
A: From
seashells to palm trees and from hula girls to Uncle Sam,
anything goes at a summer barbeque. Map out your space
in your mind and determine where you envision guests eating,
sitting and playing. String up Mexican
celebration banners or lantern
light strings around the perimeter of your deck or patio.
Use striped
beach mats to create different seating areas on the lawn.
Treat each area as a little vignette, decorating it with conch
shells and sand-filled
pails with beach umbrella candles.
Set up picnic tables with our chalkboard
tablecloths or roadside
signs placemats. For country fair flair, choose our green
plaid or old-fashioned
tablecloth and wood
watermelon napkin rings. Intersperse our “Day
at the Beach” kits with flip-flop
candles floating in clear glass basins for centerpieces
hotter than Mesquite, Texas on the 4th of July.
Q: How do I up the ante
on the standard burgers & dogs menu?
A: Remember,
there’s a reason that menu is so standard — everyone
loves it! Instead of overhauling family faves, we recommend
refining them with gourmet touches that make the menu exciting
but not totally unrecognizable. We’re talking lamb burgers
with mint pesto, salmon burgers, spiced black bean burgers
or sirloin burgers made with Peter Luger’s sauce. Try
tofu dogs and chicken sausages on sprouted wheat buns. Serve
in unfussy plastic
sandwich baskets or with our summer
stripes
paper goods. Boil ribs in vinegar and spices, marinate,
grill and heap onto colorful graphic
platters.
On the side, serve corn on the cob, veggie kabobs, coleslaw,
relish and sauerkraut. Don’t forget ketchup and mustard
in our retro-kitsch squeeze
bottles. For dessert: a self-serve buffet of waffle cones,
several gallons of ice cream, caramel sauce, hot fudge and
sprinkles. Or, host an old school pie contest, blue ribbons
and all. Have guests bake or buy (and try to pass off as homemade)
their best-loved varieties and reward the baker whose pie
is gobbled up first.
Stay hydrated! Keep yellow plastic pitchers full of lemonade,
margaritas and sangria. Snag colorful tubs for beer and neoprene
cooling bags for wine. Perfect your summer sipping style
with our party
palm cocktail napkins and etch-it
cups.
Q: Are there any special
touches that will take my BBQ from ground chuck to finger-lickin’
flame-broiled fun?
A: Help
pals get in the summer groove as soon as they arrive—pass
out pairs of zany shades, from cat’s
eye to heart-shaped
to Risky
Business styles. Stock up on beach balls and water
guns for impromptu tossing and squirting. Have plenty of beach
towels on hand for swimmers, sun worshippers and squirt victims.
Our Tepper
Jackson styles double as decor with their splashy, vibrant
patterns. If you have access to a backgammon
board, ping-pong table, croquet set and volleyball net,
include them in your BBQ tableau and let guests choose their
own adventures. |
