It’s outdoor party season! Our ace of entertaining gets you in the mood to let the good times roll.
Regular readers of this column know it is the place to come for entertaining advice, but not for gardening tips. I am an admirer of beautiful gardens—I own every book ever written about Bunny Mellon—but I am not a gardener.
In fact, as I write this, I have the most heinous-looking backyard you have ever seen. It had been overtaken by bamboo, which I’d had removed last summer, along with a jumbo-sized broken hot tub. I had the bamboo treated to not come back but a few charmless sprouts have returned, and there they are in the naked ground, along with the leading-to-nowhere hot tub steps, which the junk hauler didn’t have room for in his truck.
One Pretty Thing
I’ve hired a local nursery to remove all of it and put in new landscaping. “I’m not looking for a garden-tour garden,” I told the gentleman from the nursery. “I just want it to be low maintenance and not embarrassing.”
Which is not to say you shouldn’t have people over if your backyard is embarrassing by your standards. It’s probably not as bad as you think. Certainly not as bad as mine, and I plan on inviting friends for drinks on my deck—it overlooks the ugly backyard—in the interim before the new landscaping gets installed. The interim might be awhile, as it will take several treatments to really get rid of the bamboo before other things can be planted.
My friend Cindy Barnhill, who has the most enchanting garden—actually it’s a series of garden “rooms”—says if you don’t have a garden for entertaining, have the gathering near one thing that’s pretty, even if just a flowerbed. Planters and pots of pink impatiens on my deck will be my one pretty thing.
Patio Furniture Goals!
Cushy outdoor furniture is good-looking and comfortable. The good pieces aren’t cheap, but it’s always worth the expense to have durable outdoor furniture you can really relax in. That being said, you can have fun sitting at a card table and folding chairs. Save up ’til you can buy quality. Always buy what you love and what is suitable for the space; do not simply follow a current trend.
On my deck, I have a Woodard patio table and chairs that my darling late husband splurged on when he was just out of law school in 1978. We’ve gone through about ten cheap patio umbrellas, but that table and chairs are still going strong. You can buy classic, high-quality brands like Woodard and Brown Jordan at local antique and vintage shops. Check out places like Populuxe, Green Door Antiques, Christopher Filley Antiques, and Pop! Vintage. Estate sales are also fruitful if you have the time and energy. Ballard Designs makes beautiful, reasonably priced custom cushions.
Mosquitos Can Ruin a Party
I always have a good supply of—I try to be environmentally gentle in every other way, promise!—outdoor foggers, the only insect repellent that seems to actually work. I spray a Cutter Backyard Bug Control Outdoor Fogger on everything, including the patio furniture legs, 45 minutes before people arrive. And then I keep some Off! handy for that one guest irresistible to mosquitos.
Consider the Lighting
Well-thought-out lighting can make an outdoor party seem magical. Invest in some sturdy hurricane lanterns, in varying sizes. They look pretty here and there or clustered together. I love the look of little glimmering lanterns suspended from a pergola, patio umbrella, or overhanging tree. I also like flickering tiki torches and tiny, sparkling fairy lights. It’s important for your bar area to be well lit. Sometimes I take a smart-looking lamp from inside my house and plug it in to light the bar on our deck.
You can find very small, cordless, battery-charged lamps on Amazon. They provide nice lighting but aren’t quite as charming as real candlelight. Fake candles are an OK substitute.
Music, Yes!
Good-quality outdoor speakers are a sensible buy. The Sonos Move wireless portable speaker gives you voice access to audio streaming services and your digital music collection, and it has Bluetooth so you can take it beyond the reach of your WiFi network. What to play? Reggae music sets a festive but chill tone for outdoor partying. I tell Alexa to play the Bob Marley station and she never disappoints. I also love the Etta James station. But musical tastes vary, Darling. You do you.
Smart Purchases Make for Easy Parties
A few other sensible buys include: Melamine dinnerware that looks like ceramic or china but resists breaking, chipping or cracking; acrylic drinkware that looks like the real thing but doesn’t pose the risk of broken glass; a handsome insulated beverage tub that chills bottled and canned drinks without producing condensation, which means you can place it anywhere and it won’t damage the surface or create a puddle; and an all-weather table or cart that will be the ideal self-serve station, providing all the essentials in one spot.
Guidance for Great Grilling
Cooking outside while your friends hang out and watch is fun for everyone, especially if you are well prepared.
Use the finest ingredients you can afford and have them at room temp for faster cooking. Assemble all the tools you might need—spatula, tongs, fork, basting brushes, wire grill brush, thermometer, etc.—so you won’t have to leave the fire to dash to the kitchen.
No matter what kind of grill you have, you want to keep its surface clean. Oil it well while it is cold and preheat it thoroughly.
Cookouts are relaxed affairs. Give yourself plenty of time and don’t worry if the fire dictates that you have to eat sooner or later than you planned. Email me for my Grilled Mojito Chicken recipe, and three side dishes that go perfectly with it: watermelon-feta salad, fresh corn pudding, and ratatouille. (But please know there is no shame in serving store-bought sides.)
And Finally, Have a Plan B
Rule number one for outdoor entertaining in KC is to have a Plan B for inclement weather. Think about how you’ll arrange the bar, the food, and the seating if you have to move things indoors. If the whole point of the party is to be outside, say for a cookout, provide a rain date right from the start. Guests can pencil in the second date as well. Just make sure to keep people informed if forecasts are dicey as the day approaches.
My Very Favorite Way to Spend a KC Summer Evening
The Heart of America Shakespeare Festival is producing Julius Caesar June 11 through 30 in Southmoreland Park. The fabulous John Rensenhouse will be playing Caesar. Put it on your calendar now to call a few friends and go. The show starts at 8, but you can arrive as early as 6, spread out your blanket, and enjoy a light supper before it begins. The acting in the shows is first rate. I usually go at least three times during the run. (Is that so wrong? It’s close to my house!).
The late, great Marilyn Strauss, who founded HASF, was friends with Joe Papp, the OG who started The New York Shakespeare Festival in Central Park. When Marilyn told him she planned to begin a Shakespeare company in KC, he said “keep it free, keep it professional, keep it outdoors.” The HASF has managed to do that for 31 years. The show is free, but on the HASF website you can reserve your own seat at the front for $25, $35 on weekends. You can also join the Good Will Society, which gives you reserved seats, parking passes, and access to the comfy GWS tent, where you can have a glass of wine or two before the show and at intermission. Memberships start at $250 and helps HASF keep it free, professional, and outside, and teach Shakespeare to school kids, too. I am a proud member, and you can be, too.