Here are five stress-free outdoor dinner tips! We love taking advantage of the the longer daylight hours and dine alfresco often. In our family, we have a simple system that makes it a breeze.
And I’m joining friends for their outdoor entertaining tips, too. Their links are at the end of the post. I’m excited for their inspiration.
Dining alfresco adds a touch of relaxation and some fresh air to any meal. Like the small dinner party we had recently on our back patio with our friends, Mercedes, Mark, Joy, Tony and our son, Tommy and daughter-in-law, Mona.
Here are some tips to make your outdoor dining experience stress-free and enjoyable
1. Sharing The Labor
Divide and conquer! Assigning tasks helps streamline the preparation process, ensuring everyone enjoys the gathering without feeling overwhelmed. Here’s a simple breakdown:
- Preparation: Decide on the menu in advance. Prep vegetables, salads, and sides indoors to minimize outdoor setup time. I also like to serve buffet-style indoors and eat outside.
- Grilling: Designate someone as the grill master to handle the BBQ.
- Setting: Another person can focus on setting the outdoor table with essentials like cutlery, glasses, and an easy centerpiece.
The coffee table is also a fire pit in winter. You may also like Our Spring Patio Tour with furniture sources.
2. Table Setting
Create an inviting ambiance with minimal decorations. It can get TOO hot in Florida so I was prepared to move this all inside just in case. But we had a nice afternoon rain followed by cooler breezes.
- Tablecloth I bought this gingham checked table at the Serena & Lily outlet. They have lots of other colors on sale online and it washes really well. Table linens always feel special when used alfresco.
- Centerpiece: A simple arrangement of fresh citrus in a wicker bowl from Amazon. I actually just brought this fruit bowl out here from the kitchen counter. A little tip is to add fresh greenery by clipping leaves (like from our lemon tree).
- Use candles in lanterns (on clearance) since it can get breezy (and we have ceiling fans on the covered patio). These are great dripless unscented pillar candles on Amazon.
- Upgrade to cloth napkins and wicker napkin rings–the texture adds interest. Since there would be some eating with fingers (barbecue naturally), so I used white napkins that could be bleached.
Shop the Table
3. Self-serve Bar Set Up
Mona made a delicious batch of spicy margaritas in a pitcher. She used Island Dave’s pre-made margarita mix and added the juice from two fresh limes and jalapeño slices.
We filled one of the mini sinks with ice and wine and sparkling water or you could use a cooler. Let guests serve themselves!
4. Simple Summer Menu With Store-bought Dessert
- Guacamole And Chips (Howard) with Spicy Margaritas (Mona).
- Grilled Peaches With Mint, Pitted Cherries, Heirloom Tomatoes, Prosciutto, Burrata Cheese And Basil (Mary Ann). This was pre-done and easily assembled. Then, the cheese was drizzled with olive oil and salt and pepper when guests arrived.
- Summer Corn With Tomatoes And Cucumber Salad (Howard), recipe below.
- Pre-seasoned Pork Baby Back Ribs from Costco. Ribs were sauced after cooking with Blues Hog BBQ Sauce…or use your favorite sauce (Howard and Tommy).
- Grilled Chicken Marinated in Bachan’s Miso Japanese BBQ sauce (Tommy).
- Purchased Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches From Our Local Frozen Custard Shop (Whit’s). You could also buy bakery cookies or brownies and vanilla ice cream and make them yourself but here everyone loves Whit’s.
Summer Corn, Tomato And Cucumber Chopped Salad
Ingredients
- 4 large ears of corn, shucked
- 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
- 1 cup diced English cucumber
- 1/3 cup diced red onion
- 2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 3 tbs finely chopped fresh parsley
- 4 tbs finely chopped fresh basil
dressing
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 1/2 tbs red wine vinegar
- 1 tbs lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tbs honey
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp salt and pepper
Instructions
- Once water in pot boils add corn and cook just 3 minutes (even 2 minutes if you want it a little more raw and crisp).
- Transfer to ice water to cool for a few minutes. Drain well.
- Cut kernels from corn and transfer to large bowl.
- Add tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, feta, parsley and basil.
- Whisk dressing again and pour over salad. Toss well to coat and season with more salt if desired.
5. Music — Don’t Forget Your Favorite “Dinner Party” Playlist To Set The Mood
We use Apple Music and I add to playlists whenever a good song hits me. We like our portable Bose speaker that connects to Bluetooth.
This was after the dishes were carried to the sink and we were in the outdoor sitting area eating the ice cream sandwiches (cut in halves and quarters), enjoying the music, water fountains in the pool and string lights.
One More Thing: Mosquito Prevention
Knock on wood, but no one has gotten any mosquito bites in the backyard and we live in northern Florida! An hour before dinner, I spray the chair and table legs with mosquito spray (and sometimes people’s ankles if they want). But this bug trap machine really helps.
And those are my stress-free outdoor dinner tips!
Some wonderful suggestions for al fresco dining, and the mosquito tip is great!
MAry Ann, this looks like a wonderful dinner party. I second Juliet, stress-free is the best kind of party.
Everything looks beautiful and delicious.
Have a wonderful weekend.
p.s. Love the mosquito tip
Hi Mary Ann,
Your party looked like it was a great success! So pretty and inviting, I like that yellow gingham table cloth, the menu sounds delicious. Glad you can enjoy dining outdoors before it gets too hot!
Xo Heidi
Mary Ann, Your table is so appealing and pretty! Love these colors and the gingham tablecloth.
I think that board is so delicious looking too. Sounds like you have your entertaining down and you have the perfect yard for it too! Saving all your ideas! xo
What a beautiful table setting and assortment of foods. You make the graceful art of hostessing look so easy. Thanks for all your tips and photos
MA! You had me at stress-free. I love your backyard and being able to dine poolside is such a relaxing vibe. Your gingham tablecloth is lovely, clicking that link immediately. Looks like you had a fun diner party with family and friends and I’m sure there will be many more to come over the summer. I appreciate the yummy recipes, your burrata board looks out of this world. xo
Mary Ann! You always set a beautiful table with color in the best possible ways! I love your collection of glassware that always adds something special to the table. The woven footed bowl with citrus and leaves is gorgeous with the yellow checked cloth. And I never would think to spray the table legs and chairs an hour before sitting down. That is so smart!
xo
annie
Love that you entertain. Seems like no one loves to do it anymore. We love it and love that you share recipes.
Thank, Kim. It helps that everyone we know loves eating!
Mary Ann, right off the bat you got me with this gorgeous gingham tablecloth. The color perfectly accentuates the citrus and the pretty blue glassware. You are the hostess with the mostest! That menu looks so fabulous!
xoxo
Claudia
Your garden is amazing…the perfect place to eat outside.