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September is just around the corner, which means it's time to kiss summer a sweet and sentimental goodbye. Since Labor Day serves as a last hurrah for the season, who wants to waste it toiling over a hot grill or a stove for hours? Why not relax, kick off your flip-flops, and follow these tips for an effortless Labor Day fête instead?
- Type "E" for Easy ... E-mail invitations to your guests and save yourself the time and tedium of writing, licking, stamping, and mailing paper invitations. Online sites like Evite offer a wealth of ready-made options -- or just fashion your own enticing electronic message and send it with the push of a button.
- Beach, Blanket ... Bingo! Keep decorations super-simple. Fill oversized containers (metal tubs, ceramic planters, and glass vases) with sand from your local home-improvement store. Then scatter a few white seashells or white votive candles on top. Ask each guest to bring his or her own beach blanket and enjoy picnic-style fine dining. This way, you create a beachy, end-of-summer mood ... and save yourself the time and effort of finding seating and table-space for a crowd!
- Put It on Paper ... When choosing plates, utensils, and cups, go with paper or plastic. Don't spend your Labor Day laboring at the sink washing dish after dish after dish - especially when sites like PlumParty offer such delicious options for "disposable dining."
- Mangia! ... Whip up an impressive and irresistible antipasto spread that requires almost no prep time. Purchase ready-made items like olives, mini mozzarella balls, frozen sweet corn, artichoke hearts, salami, and chickpeas, and just put them out in bowls. Guests will have a great time mixing their own concoction ... molto delicioso!
- Say Bye-Bye to BBQ ... By the end of summer, everyone's overdosed on charred burgers and limp 'dogs anyway. So why not serve up a no-cook sandwich buffet filled with hearty breads, gourmet spreads, rich cheeses, and more? Start with flavorful fresh breads and rolls (olive, garlic, rosemary, onion, focaccia, etc.) and platters of sliced honey ham and smoked turkey. Put together a tray of cheeses, from bleu and brie to percorino and mozzarella. Then hit your local farmers' market to load up on extras like heirloom tomatoes, arugula, pears, and cucumber. Finally, put out an array of spicy and sweet mustards, olive tapenade, sun-dried tomatoes, and other tasty toppings.
- The Way to Make It Is to Fake It! ... Dress up store-bought salads in a snap, and no one will ever suspect they're not from scratch. Sprinkle fresh herbs, chopped nuts, grated cheese, or other garnishes on top to give potato, pasta, or veggie salads a deceptively homemade (and decidedly "un-deli") look.
- Bar None ... Skip the high-maintenance bar (anything that has to be blended, mixed, poured, or puréed). Just serve individual bottled beverages instead of wine bottles or pitchers. Fill three large containers with ice -- one for beer, one for juice, and one for soda. And be sure to put out plenty of bottled water as well -- but you can serve that at room temp.
- Make Dessert Easy as Pie ... Turn dessert into a potluck affair by inviting guests to compete in a pie contest. Ask everyone to bring their favorite, and appoint someone Taster and Judge. The winner gets a fun little prize, while you and your guests get to enjoy the tasty results. This makes your amount of prep time for dessert ... zero!
- Play the Shell Game ... Create a fun and easy game for kids by hiding seashells around for them to hunt (sort of a summer version of an Easter egg hunt). Give each child a bucket and let 'em run wild. Whoever finds the most shells gets a small prize. (Books are always a good bet!)
- Go Clean -- and Green ... Guests will clean up after themselves if you make it easy. That means putting out clearly marked (and BIG) garbage cans in several locations. Make sure to offer recycling bins as well, so all those snazzy paper plates and pretty plastic forks go to the right place.
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