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Everything You Need to Know About Picnics and BBQ Parties

Outdoor Dining 101

Everyone loves a good barbeque party. In fact, it's pretty much a necessary life skill to know how to host an excellent cookout in your lawn or in campgrounds.

Another age-old classic is a good old-fashioned picnic on a sunny afternoon. You can have your kids running around while you put out the food and plates on the blanket.

We're sure you have your own one-of-a-kind family traditions to make every party special. Whatever they are, there are several things you need to remember when you plan picnics and barbeque cookouts!

For this article, we guide you through outdoor dining 101.

First, we tick off all the must-haves when throwing a barbeque party and picnic in your yard. Then we take you through scheduling your event and preparing your menu. Last but not the least, we bring you a handful of tips on cooking your meat and vegetable skewers and setting them out.

Thinking about having your family and buddies over?

Want to hold a chill gathering with your neighbors around the block?

Holding a reunion for your relatives or friends from all over the country? Not a problem!

BBQ cookouts and picnics are a fantastic way to bring your loved ones together for an awesome time in the sun. Here's your one-stop tutorial to everything you need to know about picnics and BBQ parties!

• Everything You Need To Host a BBQ Party.

Like any event, especially a social gathering, there's a handful of things you need to know about organizing a BBQ party.

Here is a short run-through of everything you need to organize a BBQ party.

Schedule the date and time.

Before everything else, you'll need to determine a specific date for your outdoor cookout. Then, decide on what time you're having it.

You could have it during the day (12 noon to 4 in the afternoon) or in the late afternoon up to the evening (5-9 PM).

Why at least 4 hours, you ask? Well, it's an effective way to make sure you have plenty of time for you to talk with your visitors. And, they'll get to walk around and catch up to each other as well.

• Invite people.

After determining the date and time, determine what circle you'll be inviting and how many you can host.

And we can not stress this enough - do not overstate your backyard space. Be wise about it.

Do you want to have:.

a large-scale reunion for high school and/or college batch mates?

distant relatives from around the States?

a small informal meet-up of your family and close friends?

a get-to-know party with the neighbors on your block?

After establishing your invitee list, send out your invites.

If you're hosting a big party, send them by email. Make handwritten invitations for each visitor if you're having a small intimate gathering.

Be sure to follow up on their attendance to get a good estimate of how much food and utensil sets you need to prep.

• Deciding on the Menu & Arranging your Food.

The basic rule is to have a balance of red meat, chicken and vegetables skewered on sticks. This is especially necessary if you aren't sure what your invitees' diets are.

The best choice for meat is to stick to the classics. This means hotdogs, burger patties, ribs, barbeque cuts, etc

The same goes for veggies. Get corn cobs, greens, tomatoes, mushrooms, among others.

If you do find out their preferences, then be sure to change your menu accordingly.

Take note of who and how many of your attendees are vegetarians, vegans, and red meat lovers. They'll help you when getting the fresh produce and rationing your dishes.

Keep drinks cold in a cooler or two in your yard. Also make sure to maintain a steady supply of refreshments and, of course, ice, in your fridge indoors.

It's ideal to have a variety of drinks too. Prepare juice packs, soda cans and bottles of beer and wine unless you know what your guests like.

For dessert, fruit platters are a good simple dish. Plates of cookies, biscuits and cake tarts are also terrific to pass around your attendees.

• Prepare your Cooking Tools & Supplies.

Professionals encourage getting a heavy duty grill with a retracting cover. They'll do well to keep your food warm and fresh.

Buy a durable set of essential tools for outdoor dining. This includes a spatula, tongs, grill forks and knives, and many more.

You're going to need an area to put your freshly smoked food to make space for new sets of fresh meat and vegetables.

Use containers with lids for both raw and cooked meat and veggies. Get aluminum foil as well to keep food fresh. This will also protect them from flies, insects and the elements.

• Set Out Meal Utensils.

Like any dish, you're going to need a set of utensils to prepare for your guests. Here is a list of must-have utensils for your BBQ party.

Plates (reusable).

Fork and knife (spoon optional).

Glasses or plastic cups.

Napkins.

What You Need to Set Up a Picture Perfect Picnic.

You will also need a checklist of things to arrange a picture perfect picnic for you and your family.

The difference is - you won't be able to go back to your house if you overlooked packing something. You're going to need to make sure you have absolutely everything you need before heading out to your picnic spot.

• Schedule the Date, Time and Place.

Like any family outing, you're going to need to pick a spot for your picnic.

Then, decide on whether you'll be going out in mid-morning or in the late afternoon to evening. Of course, if you want to do it in the evening, you'll need to bring a portable lamp with you.

• Pick Your Menu.

Like any old-fashioned picnic, you'll need to prepare the food ahead of time and wrap them to go in your basket.

It's best to opt for sandwiches and pre-cooked meats for your main course.

You could opt for burgers, sandwiches, chicken, grilled or fried meats (bacon and hotdogs). Hard-boiled eggs are also a great option for health buffs and kids.

For your side courses, you could go with a tub of coleslaw, mashed potato or potato salad, or bags of chips.

For the dessert, you can never go wrong with a fruit platter (e.g. banana, apple, orange, strawberry), and cookies.

You might also choose to bring condiments (e.g. ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, etc.). If you do bring some, make sure to store them in small airtight canisters.

Lastly, for your drinks, you should bring a cooler to keep your refreshments nicely chilled. They'll be the perfect refreshment for a day out in the sun.

You can never go wrong with an assortment of soda cans, juice packs, and water bottles. If you would like to get fancy, you could pack a nice bottle of wine along with you.

• Prepare Your Picnic Supplies.

To make sure you don't forget anything, make a checklist of things to pack on your picnic outing with your family.

Blanket (typically red & white checkered cloth).

Picnic basket.

Reusable plates, bowls, & utensils.

Reusable cups.

Table napkins & wet wipes for easy cleaning.

Food and condiments.

How to Efficiently Pack Your Basket.

A few short tips to packing your picnic basket, from the experts:.

Keep food wrapped in airtight containers and resealable plastic bags.

Load your basket in the order of things you'll be putting them out in. For example - blanket, utensils and plates, food platters, condiments if any, etc. Have a cooler for perishables and drinks.

Pack the perishable food (freshly cooked meat, vegetables, etc.) in airtight containers. When loading them in the cooler, place them in the bottom and sides. This will keep them from falling or spilling out.

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