Made to Order: Follow these tips for a successful party
For several weeks, my lovely bride and I have been doing plenty of home improvement. Like many, we are working on gardens, flowerbeds, lawns and porches.
I have a very large, 36-foot long covered porch and a beautiful back deck. And these summer days are perfect for throwing a porch potluck. So, if you’re in the mind to throw your own party, here are some hints to make your celebration a success.
Any artist needs a good palate to start a creation, and in this preliminary step focus on the atmosphere. Maybe your porch needs power-washed, or a new coat of stain, decorative chairs, or some touching up and paint around the door frames.
Lighting also is important. Our porch potluck started at six, so we chose large bubble lights ($5 per 8-foot strand) to go along with 10 Tiki torches. We also acquired a large “W” for our last name initial, filled it with old Christmas lights and hung it on the porch.
Don’t only invite friends via Facebook; send written invitations to neighbors to interact with the community. With our home being in the country, I delivered invitations by motorcycle to about 15 houses. I also made signs at both of our drives and one for our Mennonite friends for buggy parking. It’s a good idea if you live in town to find good parking areas around the house to accommodate guests. With a mixed forecast, about 65 percent of our invited guests attended.
If adult beverages will be served, it’s a good idea to let people know in the invitation so they can make the decision whether to bring kids or make arrangements for a designated driver.
Our porch potluck was kid-friendly, and we had a hidden envelope game with prizes for the little ones. I also had glow sticks, lightning rings and bubbles in a large basket to make children feel welcomed. Cornhole competition, horseshoes and playground activities are great to keep guests occupied while giving them time to mingle and strike up conversations.
I didn’t provide any music, as it tends to overshadow conversations. If you do have music, keep the volume low, unless the music is a part of the theme.
We made apple Waldorf salad with celery, dried cherries and walnuts; two types of fresh wings cooked directly on the grill and loads of melon. Chef Andrea made an oriental dip with crackers and I put together grilled French bread bruchetta with olives, tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and fresh basil, parsley and oregano. Along with an assortment of cheese, we made salami horns with whipped cream cheese and olive caps.
Andrea baked oatmeal Reese’s cookies and her perfect fresh blueberry pies.
As guests arrived, one of us greeted and the other kept watch over the buffet table. We kept the food in our large dining room to allow guests to enjoy conversation on the porch and in the yard.
Our friends brought arugula salad, spinach garlic dip with pita, quinoa salad, cheesy rigatoni, Chorizo-stuffed mushrooms, lemon-garlic shrimp scampi, broccoli raisin salad, hummus, seven-layer coleslaw, brownies, raspberry crumble and buckeye brownies.
The surprise item was fantastic Korean pork tacos, for which we awarded the top honor of best potluck item. It had both a ginger cabbage slaw and cucumber cilantro relish to accent the barbecued pulled pork.
Although space will not allow the barbecued pork recipe, you can email me at: chefweibel@gmail.com for that recipe.
I’ve included recipes for Kelly and Stephen Knowlton’s slaw and relish, which could accompany many different types of tacos.
For more summer porch party tips, see http://goo.gl/z7IzU7 to assist with your next event, or email me at chefweibel@gmail.com.
Ginger cabbage slaw
Ingredients
4 cups of Napa cabbage, shredded
2 cups of red cabbage shredded
2 medium carrots, grated
1/4 cup of red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup of scallions, chopped
Dressing
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
pepper to taste
Whisk ingredients of dressing all together. Place the cabbage, carrots, onions and scallions in a bowl. 15 minutes before serving, pour dressing over salad and toss.
Cucumber cilantro relish
Ingredients
1 large seedless cucumber, chopped (approximately 2 cups)
1 cup cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon chili pepper flakes
1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
In a small bowl, whisk the ingredients for the dressing together. In another bowl place cucumber and cilantro. Pour dressing over and toss gently to coat.