An All-American Outdoor Cook

Let’s Kick off Summer with a celebration of Red, White and Blue, the quintessential colors of summer perfect for any alfresco soiree or patriotic celebration! And especially perfect for an All-American Classic Outdoor Cook!

Pull from your collections and create the unexpected by using an antique quilt or a bed coverlet large enough to cover your table to the ground. Fill a chinoiserie cache pot with red and white plasticware wrapped in beautiful linen napkins, or a heaping mound of delicious potato salad! Grab all the cobalt you can find and fill your vases with flowers, and display your red and blue glassware. Cobalt is magical when the sun is shining through it!

TIP: Collect colored glassware at end-of-the season-sales, flea markets or online flash sales! I’ve been doing this for years and have bargain glassware in almost every color!

Gather your lacquered, straw or lucite trays. They can be used to contain drinks or food, or designed for use as a bar. Trays also help to keep your buffet tidy! Use serving pieces that are different heights and shapes to add interest, making sure not to block your beautiful food display. A balance of color is the key in a tablescape. Take a step back and look at it as you go along. Don’t be afraid to move things around until your eye tells you it’s perfect!

TIP: Plan your tablescape in advance, setting empty serving pieces in place so everything is aesthetically arranged. Cooking, designing, greeting your guests and serving all at the same time never works. Remove serving pieces and replace with Post-it notes so your design is seamless and there is no unnecessary thinking when you’re bringing food out as your guests are arriving!

Add a Pop of Color for interest. My favorite pop💥 color for red, white & blue is YELLOW ! I encourage florals and food selections to coordinate with your tablescape. It’s FUN and easy to do and makes for a cohesively designed party! Think tall sunflowers or huge bouquets of daisies mixed in with blue delphinium or hydrangea and red roses or gerbers. Your pop of yellow can be highlighted in your menu choices as well by serving corn on the cob, mac and cheese, banana peppers, cheddar cheese and of course, mustard on your hot dogs. It’s just FUN! Straw is another version of yellow for me. It spells SUMMER and outdoor entertaining. Think straw ice buckets, napkin rings, serving trays, baskets of buns or bread….Or even baskets filled with blankets for cooler evenings.

Adorn with American flags in different sizes, larger ones for your tall floral arrangement and smaller ones on toothpicks to insert into your corn cobs and to tuck into anything else on your table (smores packets seen above). This adds a celebratory feel to your red, white & blue tablescape for Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day. And if you have flower boxes, tuck small flags into them, too! It welcomes your guests and starts the celebration at the front door!

Add a Touch of Whimsy and let’s get toasted with individual smores packets! This is always a big hit, especially since it’s smores season. The packets are tidy and personal and ready to go. Make a smores sandwich with a square of Hershey’s chocolate or Reese’s peanut butter cup and two large marshallows in between two squares of graham crackers. Insert into 4 X 6 clear bags and tie up with a string or ribbon. Adorn with a tiny flag and display on your buffet. Serve with long sticks set in a vase so guests can roast their marshmallows at their leisure. I use Smorstix which are disposable and biodegradable.

TIP: This is a no-muss, no fuss way to “get toasted”. It also makes your guests feel comfortable and welcomed, and the fills the children with excitement!

Another Touch……Get whimsical with FUN bags like the red and white striped paper bags you see here and fill with popcorn! You can serve with hot butter in a warmer burner set on your table!

Another Touch……Drape your surroundings, trees or privet hedge with festive garland in red, white and blue. Have your family monogram made in wood and paint it red! These affordable items are easily found online in many sizes and colors to choose from. They add an instant festive feel to your scene or vignette. And you can reuse them for every holiday year after year!

A Perfect All-American Menu

Keep your menu simple and classic. It’s what most guests look forward to and expect. After all, how many times a year do we get to have a delicious hot dog smothered in everything followed by smores and watermelon?

Hot Dogs on Split Buttered and Lightly Grilled Buns with lots of topping choices (Jalopeno, chopped red onion, shredded cheddar, banana peppers, chopped well-done bacon, mustard, sweet relish and sauerkraut)
Hamburgers & Cheeseburgers on soft buns (lettuce, heirloom tomato, ketchup, barbecue sauce, cheddar cheese, mayo, sliced onion, sweet pickles, candied bacon strips)
Corn-on-the-Cob (classic with butter and salt)
Popcorn Bags
Classic Potato Salad
Minted Watermelon
Smores Packets (big hit!)
A Very Berry Angel Food Cake (Recipe under Food & Cocktails)