Outdoor Lifestyle - Cooking and Entertaining
Introduction
Many people believe that living an 'outdoor lifestyle' is purely for fun, pursuing one's passion, or just because one enjoys it enough to do nothing but roam around. However, it is much more than that. Being outdoors and close to nature has several mental, emotional, and physical benefits. It is one of the reasons why psychologists and doctors worldwide recommend going outside and enjoying the beauty of mother nature.
Whatever may be your reason for being outdoors, the truth is that you can live longer by living an outdoor lifestyle. Let us look at some reasons why leading an outdoor lifestyle can be beneficial:
Spending time in natural surroundings can help to improve short-term memory.
- Being Outdoors helps to reduce stress levels.
- Spending time outdoors can help reduce the risk of autoimmune disorders, depression, and inflammatory diseases
- Spending time outdoors with friends and family can help to reduce fatigue.
- Touring outside may promote and improve creativity.
This post aims to provide our readers with various aspects related to outdoor cooking and entertaining people.
The Outdoor Lifestyle - Cooking and Entertaining
Nothing can be more satisfying than cooking outdoors and entertaining your guests, friends, family, and neighbors when the weather is pleasant, especially after a long cold winter. Outdoor cooking is the perfect way to relax with near and dear ones. People love being outdoors and love eating cooked in the outdoors. When you combine both these elements, it ensures that family and guests are entertained.
Cooking outdoors can go a long way to entertain and impress your guests. Outdoor cooking permits you to spend quality time with your family and guests while making it easy for you to prepare food. A fully equipped outdoor kitchen allows you to prepare meals without back-and-forth trips to the indoor kitchen.
The following tips can help you organize your outdoor cooking sessions for entertaining your family members and guests.
- Choose a Theme
Choosing a theme makes it easier for you to achieve a consistent design style for your table. Use lively, tropical colors for a bright, vibrant look or set a more sophisticated mood with mellow or darker shades. Many people prefer using plants to highlight the sense of being outdoors.
After deciding on a theme, consider what dinnerware and table linens to use. If you're on a budget, use utensils you already own and use candles, flowers, or other affordable means to make a statement. Or, if your budget allows, you can spend on new dinnerware to make an impression.
2. Carefully Choose Your Menu
Don't complicate the choice of dishes. A limited amount of food prepared well is better than a variety of dishes prepared poorly. Deciding on the menu also helps you determine how many items like plates, spoons, glasses, bowls, or serving platters would be required.
3. Make Your Guests Comfortable
While it is not directly related to cooking or table setting, ensure your guests are comfortable with their surroundings. You may want to use fresh flowers, rugs, garden stools, outdoor sofas, and other furniture to make sure your guests relax and stay comfortable throughout the outdoor dining session. If it is early Spring, the nights can turn a bit cool, so having light blankets or a fire pit to provide warmth can help keep your guests or family members comfortable.
4. Ensure There are Plenty of Entertainment Options
Your guests might be people who enjoy a favorite type of music or people who may love to dance. Ensure there is a sound music system with ample speakers to keep everybody happy. If your guests enjoy sports, consider installing a television, wherever possible, to keep your guests entertained.
5. Keep the Outdoor Dining Area Free Of Bugs and Insects
Ensure that the drinking and dining areas are free of bugs or insects as they can cause a lot of irritation to you and your guests. Besides, they can also lead to possible health hazards. The use of citronella candles or other types of insect repellants can be useful.
6. Organize Food and Beverages
Place snacks and starters such as veggies, chips and salsa, and salads separately from main course food items. Placing pitchers of pre-mixed drinks and beverages in tubs of ice nearby makes it easier for you to devote time to your guests rather than going back and forth for drinks. Plan the need for ice well in advance. Make sure you have ample amounts a few days before the outdoor adventure.
7. Offer Easy-to-Hold Cutlery
Provide your guests with cutlery that they can easily hold using one hand as guests tend to fill their plates till food items start spilling. Try to make cutlery items look appealing by tying ribbons to their end.
8. Choose Strong and Lightweight Plates
Melamine plates and dinner sets are perfect for poolside parties and backyard gatherings as they are colorful, lightweight, and unbreakable.
9. Decorate Your Tables
Try and add some greenery and flowers to enhance the visual appeal of your dinner tables. Make use of scented candles and ensure there is enough lighting to keep the mood warm and appropriate.
10. Make Leafy Greens Look Appealing
If you can, serve salads in single-serve bowls rather than having your guests pile up leafy greens onto their plates from a single bowl. It is a quick way to upgrade the appearance of your salads and appetizers.
11. Serve Frozen Desserts
Use small bowls to place scoops of ice-cream in individual bowls, place them on a cookie sheet, and store them in a freezer until it is time to serve.
Conclusion
Outdoor cooking is one of the most convenient ways to entertain and spend quality time with your friends, family, guests, or neighbors. It offers you the opportunity to enjoy yourself with your friends and family rather than being trapped inside the confines of your kitchen, busy preparing food for everyone while your guests and family members are enjoying the outdoors.
ENJOY YOUR OUTDOORS!