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Burger Bash 101: How to Throw an Awesome Burger Night With Friends

Throwing a party can be a lot of fun, but it also requires you to think everything through. From figuring out what to serve to ensure there are enough drinks and snacks to choosing the best games to play, there’s a lot of planning and organizing involved in throwing a fantastic, memorable party night.

One way you can make a party better? Make it all about everyone’s favorite comfort food – burgers! Juicy and delicious, a burger is an ideal crowd-pleaser and a superb choice for a casual night with friends. Below, a few tips on how you can throw an awesome burger bash and make sure everyone remembers it.

Pick a theme to stick to

When looking to throw an awesome burger night with friends, you want to start by tackling the basics. Imagine how you want your party to look like. Are there any recurring elements, colors, and the like? This can be your party theme. Having a themed party is great for several reasons.

For starters, it makes it easier to decide on the decorations, entertainment, food, etc. It makes everything look cohesive and unified, and it helps your party stand out. What’s more, your guests will know what to expect once they know what the party theme will be. You can take things a step further and have your guests follow a dress code. It can make things a lot more fun and take your burger bash to the next level.

Get cooking!

Once you’ve tackled the party theme and decor, it’s time to move on to the real star of the show – food. Since your party night will be all about burgers, you need to decide how much you need, and then gather up all the ingredients.

If you’re not so great at the kitchen or are simply short on time, no worries! Sometimes, getting the food on the table can be as simple as finding that one place in town that offers the best burgers around and ordering your favorite ones. Depending on your preferences, you can have them delivered or pick them up yourself. Either way, having someone else tackle the cooking part will help you focus on other aspects of your burger bash, ensuring your guests have an amazing time.

Consider the side dishes

Burgers are great and all, but even they need a side dish or two to feel complete. Depending on the type of burgers you’ll be serving, you can offer everything from salads and veggies to pastas and fries. For deliciously perfect pairing, consider the taste profile of each burger. Then, select the side dish that will correspond to it and balance everything out.

Enrich your burger dishes with creamed spinach and baked beans, or serve up the health-conscious steamed asparagus and pickled veggies. Keep it crunchy with zucchini chips, cut calories with sweet potato fries, or make it juicy with roasted tomatoes. You can also freshen things up with a melon and cucumber salad, avocado salad, or pasta salad. Or, go all the way and serve up some sinfully delicious onion rings and some hearty mac and cheese. When it comes to burger side dishes, the world is your oyster!

Serve up drinks and sweets

Alcoholic or not, drinks are an essential part of social gatherings, especially after a hearty dish like burgers. Depending on the seating arrangement, available space, and party theme, you can serve your drinks in several ways.

For a more casual vibe, set up a DIY drink station equipped with patterned runners, colorful straws, and fun garnishes. You can also use your console table as a bar, or put everything in a beverage tub. Don’t forget to serve up some scrumptious treats as a little something to satisfy your guests’ sweet tooth. This can include anything from the perfectly summery s’mores cake to ultimate party desserts such as brownies, donuts, and cupcakes.

Let the games begin!

After a finger-licking good feast, it’s time to move on to activities. If your party is taking place outdoors, take advantage of the weather by playing games such as beer pong, outdoor twister, or giant Jenga.

For indoor parties, card games along with charades are always a good idea. To make your party games even more fun, add a little alcohol to the mix. With a couple of modifications, any game can become a drinking game and turn a party into a memorable feast.

Wrapping up

As a party host, you want to ensure everyone is having a good time. With a little planning and organizing, you can have the burger bash that will have everyone talking about it for days afterward.

About The Author

Taylor Parker is an American-based writer and blogger. She is very passionate about family, fashion, health, and lifestyle. Taylor writes mostly lifestyle articles, but also you’ll find her in home improvement and other niches. You can follow her on Facebook and Twitter

Tips for Minimizing Cleanup after a Cookout

Do you look forward to cooking out with your friends and family but dread the inevitable cleanup that comes afterward? Cooking out can feel like a big responsibility. It’s not just about cooking the meat just right and making sure everything stays fresh and sanitary, but there’s a lot of responsibility left to you after the cookout is finished.

Who’s going to tidy up the patio, clean up all the dishes, pick up the trash scattered around the yard, and take care of the dirt that was tracked into the house? If these are the questions that loom in your mind when you’re thinking about cooking out, we have a few tips to help keep things tidy.

Set Out a Trash Can

If you constantly find trash in your yard or on the patio after a cookout, that probably frustrates you to no end. There’s a simple solution that will help handle most of that so you don’t have to spend a long time picking up wrappers and bottles afterwards. Place a trash can in the cookout area in a highly visible spot. It can be in the central area or just off to the side but close to where people will be congregating. This makes it easy for people to deposit their trash and helps them avoid temptation to just leave trash wherever they feel like it. If you don’t have a spare trash can to put out, you can always hang a garbage bag on your patio railing inside the grill, or even on a low tree branch (if you are having the cookout in the yard).

Consider Locking Up the Pets

You love your pets, but they may not love you having a lot of company over. All the people that are attending your cookout may scare your pets or cause them to behave poorly. This can lead to a lot of messes and spills that will need to be cleaned up. John with Queens House Keeping says “As much as your pets may not like being locked up, it could help with the cleanup later on”. Your pets may be much happier being out of the way and away from strangers. Some cats and dogs are very good around company and love all the attention, but for those that aren’t, getting them out of the way may be a good idea.

Close Off Your Home

Everyone has different rules about their cookouts, but if you don’t have any rules laid down, people may take advantage of your home. You may find people moving in and out of the house from the yard or patio if you keep the doors open or even unlocked. They may want to use your restroom, find drink refills, look for snacks, or find a more comfortable place to sit. If you want to save yourself a lot of cleanup and not feel like you need to hire a cleaning service after the cookout is over, then it’s a good idea to shut and lock the doors of your home once guests start arriving. You can always unlock the doors as needed to let people use the restroom, but you’ll likely be surprised how your guests can be perfectly happy without using your home once it’s off limits.

Set Up Dishes to Soak

Do you feel like it takes forever to clean off the cookout dishes when you’re done with your get together? All that stuck on food can be difficult to clean, but you can set up a sink of soapy water to soak the dirty dishes in right from the start. As soon as you make one of your dishes dirty and you’re done using it, it can go straight into the sink of soapy water. If you run out of space, you can always fill a large bowl or basin with soapy water and soak the dishes there. This will save you a lot of work later on, so you won’t have to spend so much time and effort scrubbing.

Clean as You Go

It’s a good idea to keep a wet cloth and other cleaning implements close by as you cook out. That way, you can wipe down surfaces as they become dirty. You should keep a broom, dustpan, and mop nearby to handle any spills as they happen. This keeps trashing to bring from spreading around and helps you get a handle on spills immediately before they become a larger problem. Keeping these items out on the patio or somewhere outside also helps you avoid walking through the house and tracking dirt through there. You’ll save a lot of time on clean up by planning ahead like this.

Give Guests Duties

If you’re realistic about the effort that goes into a cookout, you may realize that it’s difficult for you to clean up everything by yourself. Some of your guests may be very close friends of yours who would love to help out in order to make things easier on you. You can ask them ahead of time if they’d be willing to handle a few cleaning duties, like taking out the trash, putting away leftovers, washing dishes, or other small jobs that will have your cookout cleaned up quickly at the end. If you can get several people helping you, you won’t spend nearly as long as cleaning up, and you will be able to rest shortly afterwards.

Cook Some Things Up ahead of Time

The final tip I want to share with you is that you should try to do some of the cooking before the day of the cookout. Foods like potato salad, baked beans, casseroles, and your desserts could easily be made up a day or two in advance and still taste fresh on the day of the cooking. This will give you less cooking work to do on that day and fewer dishes to wash as well.

Cooking out doesn’t have to feel like a lot of stress can’t if you take the time to plan ahead and make things easier on yourself.

9 Grilling Hacks for Game Day

Looking for a good grilling hack? How about nine of them? What goes better with football than grilling? Whether you’re planning a tailgate party or kicking it at home for game day, you can create a memorable barbecue for family and friends. You just need to have your Grill FAQs in order to make it all work perfectly.

Before you fire up the barbecue, review these tips to create the perfect bash. You don’t want to run out of propane before the hotdogs are ready or accidentally hand your friend an uncooked burger. With a little creativity, you can eat great and enjoy time with your guests.

Consider the following 9 tips!

1. Check Your Propane Levels

Your chicken breasts are just starting to turn white… and then your tank runs dry while they’re still pink in the middle. Avoid this pesky problem with this grilling hack. Try to check the propane levels before game day.

Pour a bucket of hot water over your propane tank. It will feel cold to the touch where propane remains and warm where it’s empty. You have the power to test your levels in the palm of your hand.

2. Follow Food Safety Rules

If you’ve never worked in a restaurant, brush up on your food safety rules. This grilling hack is important. Keep vegetables and side dishes stored in a separate cooler from your meats if you’re tailgating. Marinate meat in the refrigerator, never on the countertop. When cooking ground beef, make it at least medium-well.

Keep all food preparation surfaces clean by wiping them down regularly. If you’re heading to the stadium, take an empty laundry container filled with a solution of clear dish soap and water. Use this to disinfect where you prep — and to wash your hands.

3. Lightly Boil Sausage Before Cooking

Do your sausages char on the ends while they’re pink in the middle? Because pork is dense, you need to boil or poach these meats before grilling them lightly. This process helps reduce the fat content as well as makes them cook more evenly.

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Hosting a Fall Barbecue: 9 Points to Remember

Fall barbecues are a comfortable alternative to their summertime cousin. Cooler temperatures mean you won’t melt when you fire up the grill, most insects have called it quits for the year and you won’t find yourself glued to your seat with sweat. All in all, fall’s a great time to fire up the grill.

So how can you throw an autumn barbecue? Follow the steps below to make your outdoor soiree a smashing success.

1. Plan for Crazy Weather

Fall weather is unpredictable, especially across the Northeast and Midwest. One day it’s sunny and 80 degrees, and the next it’s windy with a high of 50.

For the most successful fall barbecue, plan for inclement weather. Weigh or otherwise tie down decorations so the wind doesn’t carry them off. If you don’t want guests traipsing through your home, clean out the garage or screened-in patio so invitees have a place to sit out of the sun or rain.

2. Send Out Formal Invites

Invites send the message, “I’m a classy adult.” Plus, an RSVP tells you how many people to plan for and how much food and other supplies to buy.

Include the basics of when and where and add information about what guests should wear. This reduces embarrassment — showing up in a dress when everyone else is in jeans can make guests feel awkward. You can also indicate whether you want people to bring along a potluck dish or whether you’ll handle the menu yourself.

3. Plan Your Menu

Did you know meat has seasons, just like produce does? If you’re barbecuing in the early fall, wild poultry like duck and pheasant come into season. It’s why we eat turkey at Thanksgiving. In late fall, beef dishes reign supreme. While factory farming means you can find the meat you crave any time of year, buying it in season improves the flavor.

Fall means pumpkin-spice everything, making planning the dessert course easy. Vegetables such as winter squash and carrots come into season, and they grill very well when skewered and brushed with olive oil.

4. Honor Dietary Restrictions

Many people follow specific diets for health or conscientious reasons. For example, those with celiac disease can get very sick if they consume gluten. Many people adopt a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle out of concern for animals and the environment.

Offer menu items tailored to meet more than one restriction. For example, whip up this cowboy caviar that’s both gluten-free and vegan. If you serve your meal buffet-style, let those with restrictions go to the front of the line to minimize the risk of cross-contamination.

5. Elevate Your Drink Game

Alcohol can drive up the cost of your fall barbecue. You can save money by allowing guests to bring their own brews. You can even make doing so fun by incorporating a wine or beer tasting and asking everyone to bring a favorite to share.

You can save money by whipping up both alcoholic and virgin punches perfect for the season. Punch bowls save you time from refilling drinks as guests can serve themselves. You can also keep the alcohol content lighter to save additional cash and prevent any unwanted issues.

6. Provide Fun Activities

Sure, you want to sit around and gab, but the best parties include fun activities for all. Have fun interactive games planned, such as charades. Break out the volleyball net and the cornhole game. Guests will appreciate the chance to burn off their meal while having a blast.

7. Build an Epic Playlist

Music creates a mood. If you want a cheery barbecue, create an epic playlist full of uplifting songs that get people dancing. Ask your guests for input, too. You can include a spot on your invitations for them to list some favorite jams to add. Then, dock your iPhone and rock on.

8. Make Cleanup Easier

Barbecues rule because they create less of a mess to clean up. You don’t have to worry about guests spilling merlot on your white carpet if you’re all outside.

Set out trash and recycling bins in advance. If you hate doing dishes, you can find eco-friendly disposable plates and cutlery that won’t end up choking marine wildlife. Silicon wine glasses won’t break and cut bare feet, and they look way better than red plastic cups.

9. Enjoy Time With Guests

Relax and have fun with your guests. If you’ve followed the above tips, your barbecue won’t require much work during the event itself. Yes, you want to win barbecue of the year, but doing so doesn’t require you to play full-time maid and butler. Mix and mingle with everyone and thank each guest for attending. They’ll look forward to your next event eagerly when they feel welcomed and relaxed.

Throwing the Perfect Fall Barbecue

Fall’s cooler temperatures make grilling more pleasurable. Why not welcome autumn by throwing a classic barbecue for your friends and family?

Author Bio:
Dylan Bartlett is a lifestyle blogger who writes about dating, relationships and similar topics on his site, Just a Regular Guide. Follow his Twitter @a_regular_guide for frequent updates!