This summer time drink mixes two Kentucky favorites that are delicious for any summertime gathering. Check out this recipe for Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale Mint Julep at Shindigz Party Recipes!
Your Party Guests will love this twist on two favorite adult beverages!
Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs are licensed indicia owned by Churchill Downs, Inc and used under license.
Have a Relaxing Labor Day Cookout
The classic Labor Day party is, of course, a cookout. It’s such an anticipated tradition that you almost can’t go a year without having a cookout within days of Labor Day. However, just because the cookout theme is a tradition doesn’t mean you can’t change it up and go all-out with decorations. It’s time to put your decorating skills to the test!
Patriotic Party Decorations
Even if you don’t fly a flag in your yard on a daily basis, a Labor Day cookout is the perfect excuse to show off your patriotism! What better way could there be to celebrate the hard-working American people? Whether you have the party outdoors or indoors, there’s a wide variety of ways to show your patriotism through 
decorations. You can hang bunting along your porch to give the front of your house a slightly dressed-up flair. You can also place bunches of balloons at the corners of your porch, as well as throughout your house and even backyard, to give your Labor Day cookout that fun party feel.
Red, White, and Blue Tableware
When it comes to dressing up your tables for your Labor Day cookout, you have a few 
tableware options. You could choose a patriotic star table cover or you could go with the traditional red gingham table cover. Next, have some fun with the plates and napkins. Try a cute picnic-themed dinner plate and matching picnic basket napkins. If you use the red gingham table cover, the blue gingham on the plates and napkins will give you a cute contrast. Don’t forget about cups and silverware to get your tables all set for the big cookout! You can also add a centerpiece to give your tables that final touch.
Labor Day is not only a day celebrating the hard-working American people, but it’s also a day for those hard workers to relax. A cookout is the perfect way to celebrate with your hard-working friends and family. Don’t stress about the planning of the cookout, just have some fun with the decorations and know that it’s more about relaxing than anything else. Your friends and family will be impressed with the cute, relaxed cookout you put together to help them celebrate.
Fight the August Lull!
August is the time of year where certain things seem to pick up, while others drop off. School starts up again and the weather is still warm, but the leaves haven’t changed enough to really warrant a fall party. So how do break up the weird monotony of the month between summer and fall? Throw a party!
Backyard Barbecue
While it’s typically a more summery party, many people plan cookouts and backyard barbecues up through Labor Day. That makes this the perfect party idea for the transition from summer to fall. Plan for the traditional foods that fit a backyard barbecue theme—ribs and pulled pork. You could go as far as to offer a non-barbecue option—simply put a dry rub on the ribs in addition to some with barbecue sauce. Do the same with the pulled pork—make some with barbecue sauce and some w
ithout. This will not only give your guests options, but it might result in a bigger turnout at your backyard barbecue!
This party theme will also give you an opportunity to go decorating crazy! Wear a fun chef’s apron and hat. You can also find the classic red and white checkered table covers for all your tables. One more fun decoration to add to your barbecue is a menu held up by a friendly chef!
Lake-Side Soirees and Picturesque Picnics
Usually, no one expects an elegant party during the summer or fall seasons—it’s simply too warm to warrant “dressing up.” Look around for a park in your area with a small pond or a lake and plan a fun lake-side get-together for you and your friends. You could even give it a theme, like a fun Victorian-era Sunday at the park! Request that your guests dress in a light, airy fabric. Then, plan a picnic lunch for you and your friends. Make sure to check for allergies before you prepare your picnic lunches. Plan to make ham and turkey sandwiches for the adults that attend, but also this of the children! Prepare some peanut butter sandwiches with jelly or honey. Prepare a few other classic picnic 
lunch foods, too, like pasta salad, potato salad, and (for dessert) chocolate chip cookies! As far as drinks go, you can serve lemonade in fun goblets at the beginning of the picnic. Before you guests arrive, fill a few pitchers or a large bowl with water, ice, and a few lemon slices. Then add some tea bags, cover your pitcher or bowl, and let it steep. Keep extra ice on hand in a nearby cooler. Towards the end of the party, maybe just after dinner, pour all your guests a glass of freshly-made sun tea!
While these are only two ideas of how to break up the August monotony, there are more ideas out there. Show your friends and neighbors how creative you can get with your August party ideas!
What do we want for 4th of July nibbling? We want appetizers that are seasonal in ingredients and/or method of preparation, achievable without stove top or oven, and lookin’ fab on patriotic party tableware. It’s a tall order, but we’ve succeeded in identifying four killer concoctions we’re unabashedly calling Chill, Fill, Grill and Dill!
Chill: Prosciutto Wrapped Melon with Shrimp and Basil
Dan Eaton of NY1 Living crosses the classic prosciutto-wrapped melon with shrimp-and-melon cocktail. The progeny are bite-sized delights.
Ingredients:
1 cantaloupe
3 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto
1 lb. cooked cocktail shrimp
12 basil leaves
olive oil
lemon juice
salt and pepper
Slice the cantaloupe into a couple dozen bite-sized chunks of ½” thickness. Look at the shrimp and if necessary cut them to be similarly bite-sized. Toss the shrimp in olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Place them in the fridge until you are ready to assemble the appetizers.
Slice the prosciutto into strips as wide as the cantaloupe chunks (you can do this in advance, but don’t assemble anything until serving time, and keep all ingredients chilled until then). Wrap each strip around a cantaloupe chunk. Tear basil leaves in half and put a leaf half – folded if necessary – onto each wrapped cantaloupe chunk. Place a shrimp (piece) on top and secure the bite firmly with party picks.
Fill: Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives
You can pay up to $36 for an imported jar of pre-stuffed olives, so doing it yourself makes a lot of sense!
Choose whatever color/type olives you like, as long as they’re fairly large and reasonably firm. Also, use a pastry bag to fill them because other methods tend to nurture the impulse to throw the whole shebang against the wall, especially if you’re doubling or tripling the recipe!
Use about 3-4 ounces of cheese to about two dozen pitted olives. Cream the blue cheese before putting it in the pastry bag. If the cheese is too stiff, let it sit at room temperature a little longer before creaming.
Place a plain, fine tip on the pastry bag. After filling, chill olives thoroughly before serving.
Grill: Ginger Beef Bites
This savory, spicy grilled appetizer is adapted from a recipe found in 365 Great Barbecue & Grilling Recipes by Lonnie Gandara.
Ingredients:
6 garlic cloves, crushed
¼ c. each chopped fresh ginger, soy sauce, dry sherry, rice wine vinegar and peanut oil
3 lbs. top round stead, trimmed of fat and cut into 1” cubes
Thoroughly combine all ingredients except the meat, then add the meat and toss to coat. Refrigerate eight hours or overnight.
Soak bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes. Thread 2 or 3 chunks of meat onto each skewer. Grill the skewers over a hot fire for 4-5 minutes, turning once during that time and using reserved marinade to baste them. They should be browned on the outside while pink on the inside.
Dill: Cucumber-Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes
Here’s a wonderfully cool, seasonal and very pretty appetizer from Taste of Home.com.
Ingredients:
24 cherry tomatoes
1 package cream cheese, softened
2 T. mayonnaise
1/4 c. peeled, minced cucumber
1 T. finely chopped green onion
2 T. minced fresh dill plus more for garnish
salt and pepper
Cut a thin slice off the top of each tomato. Scoop out and discard pulp; invert tomatoes onto paper towels to drain for 30 minutes.
Combine cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth; stir in the cucumber, onion, dill and seasonings to taste. Fill tomatoes with the mixture and chill them thoroughly. Garnish with reserved dill just before serving these beauties on a clear tray from catering supplies.
Find more serving (and decorating!) ideas for the 4th of July in Patriotic Party Supplies.
Summer-Friendly Healthy Party Snacks
With warm summer weather rapidly approaching, parties are surely right around the corner. Summer mean barbecues, pool parties, and graduation parties! However, it also means shorts, bathing suits, sundresses, and warmer summer temperatures. To keep you and any party guests healthy, in shape, and energized, serve healthy and light summer snacks at your parties! Summer parties give you the perfect reason to try new recipes that will surely impress your guests. Here are a few snack ideas for you to try at your parties this summer:
With these ideas as a jumping-off point, you should have no trouble planning fun and healthy snacks for your next summer party. If you do a little research and attempt the recipes yourself, you’ll win the admiration of your friends and party guests. A great way to test these new snacks is on kids—if kids will eat the snacks you’re preparing for your summer party, you’ve got delicious food planned!
