picnic party ideas

plan a lovely june picnic with these creative ideas this month.

party planing control

Follow these tips for staying in control at post holiday parties:

- Eat a healthy snack one hour before you go. That way you won't be as hungry
- Stick with the healthier items at the buffet such as shrimp, veggies and hummus
- Bring a healthy dish to share

stress free party planning

5 days before: select a menu, choose foods you can make early or freeze, including a main dish, two sides and a dessert

4 days before: stock the bar

3 days before: pre-cook sauces and dressings and start decorating your home

2 days before: prepare side dishes and configure your playlist

1 day before: set the table and thaw your frozen dishes

party day: enjoy!

wine and cheese party

For a small party of about 8, buy 3 or four different cheeses and wines. Pair them from mild to strong, and label as such. Also, include small bowls of items representing the wine's flavors, such as crushed cherries, black pepper, and oak chips. Your guests can sniff them and then the wine for an extrasensory experience.

I love chocolate or How to host a chocolatier

A lot of people love chocolate, so why not share this love with a few or a lot of your friends.
Step one: The chocolate invitation. It doesn't have to be edible, try using a chocolate fragrance to make your invitations delicious.
Step two: Make sure to include on the invitation that this is a giving party. Have everyone make their favorite chocolate recipe to share.
Step three: When your guests arrive have a chocolate inspired activity for them. One simple idea is to have a chocolate pretzel bar, have different types of chocolate to dip them in and different toppings for coating.
Step four: Make sure everyone gets some chocolate to take home. If all of the chocolate is eaten you can order custom chocolate party favors, such as m&ms or hershey's kisses with a short saying about what a sweet time it was.

For the love of the game

Planning a super bowl party this year? Here are some snacking suggestions to keep your party going:

- It's still near the beginning of the year and some resolutioners may still be holding on. Have simple, healthy substitutions in your recipes if possible. You're guests will really appreciate it.
- Messy finger food can be part of the fun. But just in case some don't agree have wetnaps nearby.
- Keep the computer on so guests can access stats, vote in polls, and replay some of those multimillion dollar commercials.
- Take lots of photos and videos to send out post-party.
- Dress plastic containers up with team stickers and let guests take any extra food home.