Okay, time to practice. Everybody ready? Repeat after me: ooooh, aaaah, ohhhh. You are now officially ready to marvel over the fireworks you'll see this weekend.
And yes, this is the best fireworks show you've ever seen. It is every year. Enjoy it! And let us know how you plan to spend the holiday. Show your independence — vote for as many as you like.
Posted by Eva in Q of the Week
If you ask me, it's one of life's great cruelties that summer is both the season of tasty barbecue and teeny bikinis. But Lisa Lillien, creator of Hungry-Girl.com and author of the new book Hungry Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World, is here to tell us how to eat smarter this summer without going... well... hungry.
(As an aside, I've been a fan of Lisa's site for quite a while. And no, it's not because Lisa's last name is nearly identical to my new married name. That's just a cool bonus.)
Now that we're into the summer months, everyone's throwing barbecues. If you're watching your weight, what foods should you absolutely avoid?
You should definitely avoid anything swimming in mayo, fatty burgers with cheese, ribs, full-fat chips, and too much bread!
What dish would you bring to a barbecue that's both diet-conscious and delicious?
I would bring a sassy slaw made with shredded veggies and a low-calorie salad dressing. Or a ginormous fruit salad. Yum!
What can parents serve at their kids' parties that will be a hit with the little ones but aren't packed with sugar?
Freeze-dried fruit, fruit bars and Popchips (sooo good!!!) Also our De-Pudged Pigs in a Blanket are great for parties!
What advice can you give people who tend to blow their diets when they go out to dinner with friends?
Don't overdo it. Read the menu carefully before making decisions on what to order. And plan! I like to start my meals with a light broth-based soup or shrimp cocktail appetizer. Stick with grilled meats or fish, and avoid sauces. Veggies are your best bet on the side as opposed to carby and starchy options. Dessert is great, but share it with the table!
What are some of your favorite recipes for summer entertaining from your new book?
The ATE-Layer Dip is awesome! Also, the frozen drink and cocktail recipes are fantastic.
Any final tips?
Don't go to parties and events starving. Eat a little beforehand so you won't pounce on the food when you get there. And drink lots of water.
Posted by Lindsay in Food and Drink , Kids , Parties
You could put cocktails in your martini glasses and flowers in your vases, but we’ve all seen that before.
The latest trend on the special event front is using your entertaining ware for something it wasn’t at all intended for. Here are some creative ways to repurpose what you may already have.
Have other creative takes? By all means, add to the list.
Posted by Christine in Tips
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Party inspiration comes in many forms, but sometimes all it takes is the perfect invitation to inspire me. This was exactly the case when I first saw our Dinner & Wii invite.
My friends and I love Wii. We also happen to have a Friday night dinner ritual where we all meet out at a restaurant to catch up on the week that was. So instead of meeting out, how perfect would it be to have everyone over for dinner and a little friendly competition?
If you want to be clever about it, you could match the food you serve to the games you'll be playing. Mario Kart is all the rage among my group, so I'm thinking concession-style food like nachos and hot dogs, or perhaps an homage to Mario and Luigi with some Italian dishes. (We have even more ideas in the food section of our Wii party guide.)
Or if it doesn't make sense, forget theming the food. After all, what cuisine goes with Rock Band? Just note on the invite that dinner will be followed by a show. And I love a twist on dinner and dancing with a little dinner and Dance Dance Revolution. Wiiiiiii!
Posted by Lindsay in Parties , Shameless Plugs
Summertime...and the partying should be easy. A laid-back BBQ, a group outing to a refreshing body of water, hanging out in the backyard with ice-cold beverages, just eeeeeasy. Nothing that requires an oven or stressing or moving around too much. But what do you do if the heat, or your lack of outdoor space, drives you indoors?
Staying indoors in the nice air conditioning doesn't mean missing out on the good stuff. Draw the shades for a movie night, go the ice cream social route, or try something a bit more inventive.
One of my favorite low-stress party ideas is the impromptu costume party — with just wigs or moustaches. For the uninitiated, you just round up the troops and ask them to show up bewigged or be-stached. You can meet at home, or, if you're feeling really bold, take the whole hairy gang bowling, dancing, wherever you like.
Be sure to bring some extra wigs and mustaches for anyone who's too shy and/or forgot. If you're having trouble finding them, my beloved Archie McPhee can take care of all of your mustache needs. A dark eyeliner pencil is also good for twirly, villainous mustaches.
For bonus points, give the guys some time to grow their own, and award prizes for the bushiest, fanciest and omg-I-can't-believe-you-walked-around-with-that-thing-on-your-face mustaches.
Posted by Eva in Parties
Youth and summer are wasted on the young. Think back to how many summers you complained about how you had nothing to do or how you had to go visit your grandparents or read a whole book before school started again.
Imagine having two or three months off now — to go do crafts and sports at a sleepaway camp, stay out late with the neighborhood kids, get a tan while you're hard at work on the lifeguard stand or watch The Price Is Right and eat popsicles every single day.
Posted by Eva in Q of the Week
Summer is rapidly approaching, and you know what that means? Well, yes, sand in your swimsuit at the beach, but think something more fun. Something everyone loves. No, not Richard Simmons. C'mon, you're not concentrating!! It's the pool, people, and your family and friends are sure to have a splish-splashy summer full of fun in it.
Read on for a fun pool activity that will have your entire family in stitches.
I’m not going to lie: I have high hot fudge sauce standards. I won’t eat hot fudge from a jar, and I rarely like the hot fudge at a soda fountain. I blame my mother.
Growing up, ice cream sundaes were the go-to family dessert when we wanted something sweet. My mother makes the hot fudge from scratch (yes, she’s a good mom) — the recipe is essentially a super-simple fudge recipe undercooked to form a sauce.
Because the dessert is simple and it’s summer, I decided to invite friends over for an ice cream social. (Or, as one friend calls it, an ICS. Another determined the acronym sounded far more like an important document than a social gathering, as in: Make sure those ICS’s are on my desk by tomorrow morning! Anyhow, I digress.)
I offered four different kinds of ice cream: vanilla, low-fat vanilla (I swear, you can barely tell the difference with Dreyer’s Slow-Churned), coffee and chocolate crackle, plus nuts, whipped cream and cherries. My mother asked me if I was going to have other sauce options besides the hot fudge, but I determined I’d just be offended if somebody opted for some squeeze-able strawberry stuff instead of my homemade hot fudge. And these cute petal bowls are the perfect (and inexpensive) ice cream vessel.
Posted by Christine in Food and Drink , Kids , Parties
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Here at Evite, we love hearing about all the events you're planning. And we're really glad to be a part of your milestone celebrations, from special birthdays and baby showers to anniversaries and weddings.
Our goal is to provide you with the perfect invitations for all of your events, big and small. Recently, in response to your requests, we've added wedding invitations for same-sex ceremonies. You'll find them in the "Wedding Themes" design gallery.
Keep your celebrations coming, and we'll keep creating invitations to help you start the party in style.
Posted by Eva in Shameless Plugs , Weddings
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Wow, judging by the early results in our summer get-together poll, you love barbecues! So do we.
For my summer BBQ, I'm going with an Americana theme. This being an election year, a little home-country pride seems like the way to go. I'm thinking red-checked tablecloths, drinks in jelly jars, Ron's color-appropriate cocktails (I know they were created for the Super Bowl, but is there ever a wrong time for bright-blue Gatorade bevvies with sparkly stirrers? Answer: There is not), apple pie topped with vanilla ice cream, American rockers on the playlist. And, of course, lots of locally grown food and domestic microbrews. Nice.
And speaking of barbecues, I often get questions from party hosts about how to keep costs down. Potlucks are the easy answer. But Iron Chef America BBQ Showdown is the more awesome answer. Ask your guests to bring the fixings for their favorite BBQ dish, assign the "secret ingredient," and let the competition begin. For a big party, break up the battle into categories, like marinated meat, veggie dish, BBQ sauce, salad, dessert or beverage.
Have guests vote for king/queen of the 'cue, and award a prize that can become part of an annual tradition, like an apron signed by the winner or a customizable trophy. The prize can then be competed for and passed around at future BBQs you and your friends have. Hot fun in the summertime....
For more ideas, check out our BBQ party guide.
Posted by Eva in Parties
