Throw Your Outdoor Party

We are entering the perfect season to spend the most of our time outdoors! Going for walks, relaxing in parks, enjoying time with friends and family while picnicking or simply barbecuing in your backyard- so many tremendous outdoor activities to keep us busy this coming summer! Let’s focus on today’s theme- How to throw your outdoor party? What are the much needed things to consider when throwing out an outdoor party?  

Place, decorations, and food are definitely the main elements to have in mind.

First, spot the perfect place. Then, get the furniture right!

Feel like making your bash in a park? Bring out your throw or blanket with you. Any colors will do, but we suggest you match it with your color theme if you have one!

Feel like staying close to home? Throw a party in your backyard without worrying about moving and shifting your furniture too far. If you don’t have any outdoor furniture: bring your dinette out!  This is a great alternative from 3 pieces to 7 pieces; our Ashley Furniture dinettes can accommodate most of your guests when eating on a table.Benches are also a good option for gathering lots of people around your table.

Smart decorating with simplicity

If you are a foodie, we have no doubt that your table will be full of unthinkable dishes, so forget about using any decorations on your table. Plenty is no plague! What about lighting?  You can set up a lively atmosphere with candles!  Lemongrass candles are so efficient - it will repulse mosquitos and give a great lemony fresh scent! The Kadeem candle holder is one of our “coup de Coeur”. This stylish holder can help set the mood with your party theme as you can incorporate stones, sand, pebbles or topiary touches thanks to its removable tray.

        

Food, food always!

The best part of outdoor parties is that you don’t need to make a complicated menu to please your guests. A BBQ is more than enough to satisfy meat or vegan lovers! Give yourself some time for preparation the night before or a few hours prior to ensure that you marinate your elements, so that you can relax and spend time with your guests. BBQ has always been a great woman’s cooking “runaway” as man loves being in control of the grill!

Let’s make the month of June the most outdoorsy partying time ever!

Content provided by: @tailbase

www.tailbase.com

A Quick Summer Recipe

During the summer, folks have a tendency to lean toward lighter meals in the evening. In fact, they like to toss something relatively simple together. Summertime offers a myriad of local fresh produce and the opportunity to fire up the grill. A quick and easy meal will help you save the fuss of lengthy preparation and leave plenty of time to have fun in the sun. Here are a few quick and savory possibilities for summer dishes:

Grilled Shrimp Souvlaki

Ingredients:

1lb of large shrimp, peeled & deveined

6 tbsp fresh lemon juice (divided)

2 tsp olive (divided)

3 tbsp fresh dill (divided)

1 tbsp fresh oregano

¾ cup Greek yogurt (divided)

2 minced garlic cloves (divided)

2 cucumbers

Black pepper

1 pint of cherry tomatoes

1 red onion

4 whole-wheat flatbreads

8 romaine lettuce leaves

Directions:

1)     Preheat grill pan

2)    Rinse the shrimp well and make sure they are well cleaned. Then stir together 2 tbsp of lemon juice, 1 tsp of olive oil, and 1tbsp of dill and oregano into a bowl. Add the shrimp and toss them in the mixture. Let them marinate for about 10 minutes.

3)    Mix ¼ cup of Greek yogurt with one minced clove of garlic, 2 tbsp of lemon juice and 1 tbsp of dill in another bowl. Then, with a vegetable peeler, cut the cucumbers into lengthwise ribbons and discard the largely seeded area. Add the ribbons into the yogurt mixture and pepper to taste.

4)    Mix the remaining ½ cup of yogurt with 2 tbsp of lemon juice, 1 tbsp of dill and the other half of the minced garlic into another bowl for raita sauce. Add pepper to taste.

5)   Combine cherry tomatoes and 1/3 inch rings of onions in remaining olive oil into a bowl. Grill the shrimp with tomatoes and onion in a lightly oiled cast iron skillet or grill pan. Cook for about 5 minutes or until shrimps are bright red, tomatoes are soft and onions are golden and tender.

6)   Grill flatbread until slightly crisp. Then top flatbread evenly with cucumber salad, shrimp, onions, tomatoes and romaine. Add raita sauce if desired. 

 Now you can sit outdoors and soak in the beautiful warm sunset. Enjoy!

Content provided by: @tailbase

www.tailbase.com

Getting Ready for the Olympics

By Haney's Comfort Living

The largest international multi-sport event will take place in Rio de Janeiro this August. Since it is international, you can imagine the number of eyes watching worldwide. It’s a time that everyone unites together to cheer for their respective country. That being said, it’s also a great opportunity for you to host a gathering with family and friends, in order to cheer on the crème de la crème athletes around the world. Let’s take a look at how to organize your party:

Bring Rio to your home

Begin by decorating your home with colorful lanterns, tiny palm trees and miniature parrots to bring the tropical feel that Brazil has to offer. It will certainly get everyone in the right frame of mind. For a moment, they might just forget where they are!

Food, food, and more food

If you’re going to have guests over to watch the opening of the Olympics, or to view one of your favorite sports, then food is a must! Set up a table with different foods. Try to be creative by assembling cold dishes that resemble flags!

The right accommodations

Perhaps the most significant element is to have the right furniture to accommodate your guests. Obviously, the larger the group, the more seating that will be needed. Ideally, a large sectional would definitely do the trick! If you are planning on serving savory tropical drinks, then a coffee table or ottoman would definitely be handy! That way, you have somewhere to rest your tray. Finally, a tv stand would be optimal to keep the tv at perfect eye level.

Team spirit

In order to stir up some team spirit, you may want to create a scoreboard to record how many medals your favorite team is receiving. Also, encourage your guests to wear something that supports the team(s) you are cheering for!

Now that you have your party outlined, you’re all set to have a good time! Remember, “Every champion was once a contender that refused to give up” – Rocky Balboa. We can all learn a little from these hard working athletes!

A Quick Summer Recipe

By Haney's Comfort Living

During the summer, folks have a tendency to lean toward lighter meals in the evening. In fact, they like to toss something relatively simple together. Summertime offers a myriad of local fresh produce and the opportunity to fire up the grill. A quick and easy meal will help you save the fuss of lengthy preparation and leave plenty of time to have fun in the sun. Here are a few quick and savory possibilities for summer dishes:

Grilled Shrimp Souvlaki

Ingredients:

1lb of large shrimp, peeled & deveined

6 tbsp fresh lemon juice (divided)

2 tsp olive (divided)

3 tbsp fresh dill (divided)

1 tbsp fresh oregano

¾ cup Greek yogurt (divided)

2 minced garlic cloves (divided)

2 cucumbers

Black pepper

1 pint of cherry tomatoes

1 red onion

4 whole-wheat flatbreads

8 romaine lettuce leaves

Directions:

1)     Preheat grill pan

2)    Rinse the shrimp well and make sure they are well cleaned. Then stir together 2 tbsp of lemon juice, 1 tsp of olive oil, and 1tbsp of dill and oregano into a bowl. Add the shrimp and toss them in the mixture. Let them marinate for about 10 minutes.

3)    Mix ¼ cup of Greek yogurt with one minced clove of garlic, 2 tbsp of lemon juice and 1 tbsp of dill in another bowl. Then, with a vegetable peeler, cut the cucumbers into lengthwise ribbons and discard the largely seeded area. Add the ribbons into the yogurt mixture and pepper to taste.

4)    Mix the remaining ½ cup of yogurt with 2 tbsp of lemon juice, 1 tbsp of dill and the other half of the minced garlic into another bowl for raita sauce. Add pepper to taste.

5)   Combine cherry tomatoes and 1/3 inch rings of onions in remaining olive oil into a bowl. Grill the shrimp with tomatoes and onion in a lightly oiled cast iron skillet or grill pan. Cook for about 5 minutes or until shrimps are bright red, tomatoes are soft and onions are golden and tender.

6)   Grill flatbread until slightly crisp. Then top flatbread evenly with cucumber salad, shrimp, onions, tomatoes and romaine. Add raita sauce if desired. 

 Now you can sit outdoors and soak in the beautiful warm sunset. Enjoy!

Content provided by: @tailbase

www.tailbase.com

Throw Your Outdoor Party With Style!

By Haney's Comfort Living

We are entering the perfect season to spend the most of our time outdoors! Going for walks, relaxing in parks, enjoying time with friends and family while picnicking or simply barbecuing in your backyard- so many tremendous outdoor activities to keep us busy this coming summer! Let’s focus on today’s theme- How to throw your outdoor party? What are the much needed things to consider when throwing out an outdoor party?  

Place, decorations, and food are definitely the main elements to have in mind.

First, spot the perfect place. Then, get the furniture right!

Feel like making your bash in a park? Bring out your throw or blanket with you. Any colors will do, but we suggest you match it with your color theme if you have one!

Feel like staying close to home? Throw a party in your backyard without worrying about moving and shifting your furniture too far. If you don’t have any outdoor furniture: bring your dinette out!  This is a great alternative from 3 pieces to 7 pieces; our Ashley Furniture dinettes can accommodate most of your guests when eating on a table.Benches are also a good option for gathering lots of people around your table.

Smart decorating with simplicity

If you are a foodie, we have no doubt that your table will be full of unthinkable dishes, so forget about using any decorations on your table. Plenty is no plague! What about lighting?  You can set up a lively atmosphere with candles!  Lemongrass candles are so efficient - it will repulse mosquitos and give a great lemony fresh scent! The Kadeem candle holder is one of our “coup de Coeur”. This stylish holder can help set the mood with your party theme as you can incorporate stones, sand, pebbles or topiary touches thanks to its removable tray.

        

Food, food always!

The best part of outdoor parties is that you don’t need to make a complicated menu to please your guests. A BBQ is more than enough to satisfy meat or vegan lovers! Give yourself some time for preparation the night before or a few hours prior to ensure that you marinate your elements, so that you can relax and spend time with your guests. BBQ has always been a great woman’s cooking “runaway” as man loves being in control of the grill!

Let’s make the month of June the most outdoorsy partying time ever!

Content provided by: @tailbase

www.tailbase.com

Ideas for New Year’s Eve

By Haney's 

Don’t drop the ball just yet! New Year’s Eve has a way of sneaking up on people, and if you haven’t had the chance to plan anything other than your guest list to a tentative party, here are some great last-minute ideas that will delude your guests into thinking you planned ahead! Of course, there are countless ways to spend the night, but here are a few ideas that serve as an alternative to the over-hyped and expensive ways to spend New Year’s Eve.

1)      Dress your best

Whether you are celebrating the New Year with that special someone or you plan to fill your home with your friends and family, this is the perfect occasion not to hold back.  Host an elegant soiree by encouraging your guests to wear their party clothes. You may want to throw in some fun props such as boas, tiaras, hats, noisemakers and horns for good measure. The extra amusement will not only accessorize apparel, but it will set the party atmosphere.

2)      Party Food Ideas

Make it a BYOA (bring your own appetizer) event. Ask your guests to bring some easy finger foods that require little preparation such as raw vegetables, fruit, nuts and cheese with crackers. This will keep you and your guests till you have dinner. As for dinner, opt for a romantic candlelit dinner following midnight. After the countdown and noisy fun, have your guests gather around the table to share a meal and their hopes for the New Year.

3)      A night for toasting

In order to be a thoughtful and gracious host, make sure to provide your guests with both alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, so that your guests who do not drink will not feel pressured. There is no need to be a mixologist to pull off impressive drinks. You can find a myriad of festive drinks online to cater to groups. Along with your drinks, be prepared to share a toast or two throughout the evening, so you can kick off things for your guests and have them participate.

Have a great New Year’s party! Remember to drink responsibly and to take it upon yourself as a host not to allow any of your guests drive home intoxicated. Happy New Year!

Content provided by: @tailbase

www.tailbase.com