Fun Summer Party Ideas
Votes: 3
Fun ideas for a summer party - detailed recipes.
Punch in a watermelon
It's time to ditch the watermelon basket: instead, transform a watermelon into a cocktail keg. Cut off the top and scoop out the flesh. Drill a small hole in the bottom, then widen it with a knife until it's slightly smaller than the keg spigot. Attach the spigot, then fill the "keg" with watermelon sour (based on a recipe from The Bubbly Bar). The drink is pulp-free, so the neck won't clog.
Recipe: Watermelon Sour
Colorful fruit bowls
Add interest to your fruit salad by serving diced fruit in color-coordinated bowls. Place honeydew, kiwi, green apples, and grapes in a peeled honeydew; pineapple, mango, papaya, and banana in a pineapple rind; and raspberries, strawberries, and watermelon flesh in a small watermelon.
Punch decoration
An ice ring is sure to delight guests—but only until it melts and dilutes the punch. Try a new trick for added flavor: we froze red juice in an ice cube tray and added it to clear punch. You can use any combination of juices, such as pomegranate, cherry, or cranberry. Simply drop the frozen balls into a punch made with light grape juice mixed with seltzer or club soda.
Eco-friendly appliances
Putting everything in a big black trash bag after a party is an old tradition we won't miss, especially now that there are so many wonderful eco-friendly alternatives available. This year, replace paper napkins with cotton kitchen towels, replace disposable plates with melamine ones, and replace disposable cups and utensils with reusable plastic ones. Invest in eco-friendly decor, and it will last for years to come.
Original napkins
Personalize your party with a napkin design. Use a home inkjet printer to print a message or design onto heat-transfer paper (available at office supply and craft stores), then iron it onto cloth napkins or tea towels.
Watermelon tray
If you're short on serving utensils at your party, turn a watermelon into a plate: cut off a small section from one end to use as a tray. Using a baller, scoop out the remaining watermelon (and other fruit), thread onto 10-inch skewers, and insert them into the watermelon base.
Imitation fruit slices
We think this is the most fun party trick since someone first made a watermelon basket: citrus rinds filled with jelly that look exactly like fruit slices.
Recipe: Orange and Lemon Slice Jelly
Dip sauce in a flower pot
Give your vegetable platter a new look with a visit to the hardware store: terracotta flower pots make great (and inexpensive) dipping containers. Line the inside of the pot with parchment paper, then fill it with hummus and top with vegetables.
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