{"id":95281,"date":"2019-07-25T09:00:26","date_gmt":"2019-07-25T13:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stage.bhgrelife.com\/bhgrelife\/?p=95281"},"modified":"2019-07-23T10:54:47","modified_gmt":"2019-07-23T14:54:47","slug":"casual-dinner-party-menu-ideas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stage.bhgrelife.com\/bhgrelife\/casual-dinner-party-menu-ideas\/","title":{"rendered":"Seven Casual Dinner Party Menu Ideas for Warm Summer Nights"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The classic\nsummer dinner party<\/a> is usually a barbecue, and there\u2019s\nabsolutely nothing wrong with that. However, there are lots of other casual\ndinner party menu ideas for warm summer nights when you want to get together with\nfriends but just can\u2019t stand the idea of a formal meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Main Course Salads<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A grilled\nchicken, melon, and feta salad with red onions and poppy seed dressing is a\nfantastic main course that ticks all the summer eating boxes: fresh produce,\nbright colors, and easy to prepare. You can grill the chicken breasts the night\nbefore and cut your cooking time down to next to nothing. Choose honeydew,\ncantaloupe, or even seedless watermelon. Arrange a bed of mixed greens on a\nlarge platter, add the grilled chicken in bite-sized pieces, then add melon,\nthinly sliced rings of red onions, and feta, and drizzle with the poppy seed\ndressing. For dessert, try a lemon pear crisp made the night before and served\nwith or without ice cream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For\nvegetarians, a black bean and couscous salad with red, yellow, or orange\npeppers, corn, grape or cherry tomatoes, red onions, and feta served with a\nrice wine vinaigrette makes a substantial meal. You can make this salad up to\ntwo days ahead and refrigerate so that all you need to do is pull it out of the\nfridge and let it get to room temperature. Sprinkle freshly chopped coriander\non top. Invest in a farmer\u2019s market rhubarb pie if it\u2019s too hot to bake and\nserve with custard, sherbet, or ice cream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A warm\nquinoa salad with an orange balsamic vinaigrette is another casual crowd\npleaser. Cook the quinoa the same way you do rice: bring to a boil, then reduce\nheat to simmer, cover the pot and cook for 15 minutes. While it\u2019s cooking, chop\nup some baby carrots, zucchini, cucumber, peppers, green onion, and tomatoes.\nMix the quinoa and the veggies together, toss with the vinaigrette, and serve.\nThis would go well with corn on the cob barbecued on the grill. Round off the\nmeal with a fresh fruit salad and brownies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pasta salads\nare also a good choice for vegetarians, and they too can be made ahead of time.\nCook the pasta the night before and all you\u2019ll have to do the night of your\ndinner party is chop the veggies, dress the salad, and bake some garlic bread.\nPasta salad variations are as infinite as pasta sauces. They can be served hot\nor cold and take their flavor direction from any part of the world. Think Greek\npasta salad, ratatouille-inspired pasta salad, even cold sesame noodles with\nbroccoli and kale. Follow it up with a gorgeous red velvet or Black Forest cake\nfor dessert. Lemon squares also make a wonderful finishing touch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fondue<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Chances are\ngood most American homes own at least one fondue set. While you\u2019ll have to\nprepare the fondue itself on the stove, you can get it ready for half an hour\nbefore your guests arrive, keep it warm with a candle, and have time for a\nquick shower to cool off. While main course fondues are primarily cheese-based,\nyou could try a beer and Italian sausage fondue served with crostini and fresh\nvegetables instead. Serve with a large green salad and follow it up with a\nhomemade watermelon or lemon sherbet and some gingersnaps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another\noption for a casual dinner party is a dessert fondue. If you\u2019ve just served the\ntraditional steak, hamburger, chicken, or fish main course, a chocolate fondue\nwith fresh fruits and berries is the perfect end to a fantastic meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Barbecue<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re a\ntraditionalist, carry on with burgers, hot dogs, sausages, corn grilled in its\nhusks and, of course, potato salad. If you want to change things up a bit, try\nmaking some grilled fish tacos, grilled veggies, or even pork chops. The\ngrilled veggies can be turned into lovely open-faced sandwich served on thick\nwedges of crusty bread and topped with a little grated cheese that will melt\nwithout going back on to the barbecue. A fudge chocolate pudding cake made the\nnight before and served cold is the perfect way to finish off any barbecue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember\nwhen you\u2019re planning your casual dinner party<\/a> menu that our appetites tend to\ndecline about 10 percent when the weather is hot, as our metabolism slows when\nthe thermometer more closely matches our normal body temperature. Focus on\nserving foods that have a high water content, like lettuce, celery, cucumber,\nand melons to ensure everyone stays hydrated. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"