Make-Ahead Mommy: family

Monday, September 5, 2011

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.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Pirate Parrrrrty

this week Little Miss turned two! To celebrate we threw a pirate party and having fourteen hungry kids in my backyard was a true reason to make ahead! Tomorrow I'll share our menu and a recipe, but for today, just check out all the fun we had celebrating our sweet girl.