Take Me Out

birthday boy outnumbered 3-to-1

on Saturday we celebrated Deputy Handsome's birthday with a baseball-themed backyard party. For dinner we served only food that you would find at a MLB stadium (well, and watermelon, because what good is a Labor Day-weekend BBQ without watermelon?) and I was able to make most of it ahead of time. I got my menu inspiration here!

• Day Before:
• grill hot dogs and store in an oven-proof container
• make an enormous pot of chili (I made the recipe linked above but used dried beans instead of canned. Tomorrow I'll share more about that.)
• Day of:
• pop popcorn and make cinnamony-delicious caramel corn
• slice watermelon
• make lemonade
• turn on the crock-pot to reheat the chili
• put soda and beer on ice
• 5 minutes to go:
• open a jar of nacho cheese and a bag of chips
• set out bowls of candy and peanuts
• During the Party:
• reheat hot dogs in the oven
• cook frozen fries according to package directions and make a yummy garlic/parsley oil to toss
• after dinner, set out ice cream and toppings for sundaes!

Even the during-party tasks were pretty easy, just had to pop inside between conversations to keep an eye on the fries and dogs in the oven. Thanks to Mrs Harmony for giving me a hand in the kitchen while the rest of our guests enjoyed ping-pong, wiffle ball and beach-ball soccer. Everything was so yummy and I think the birthday boy felt sufficiently celebrated and welcomed to this new decade of life! Thanks to all the friends and family who came out to play with us! xo.