Summer birthdays are always difficult to plan since you know there is a lot of hassle involved in gathering nearly 50 people (or even less) at one place and serving them food. You can reduce some hassle by planning a summer birthday outdoors. Cozy winters are also a great season to have a nice bone fire in the middle of your garage or garden, accompanied by good food and a cheerful crowd to sing the birthday song.
Outdoor summer birthdays bring an added struggle to ward off the heat and find the balance between wanting daylight and avoiding direct sunlight. Outdoor places can be tricky to decorate since every landscape is different.
Food is always a challenge regardless of the season. Managing an outdoor event is already a hassled job and you have to look after a lot of factors to make sure the event is a success. For the party menu, hosting people from different tastes and lifestyles always makes it difficult to come up with a good menu.
Here are some great effortless food ideas; these are specially chosen for outdoor birthday events since these are quick and convenient. All you need to do is to get your hands on quality ingredients, prepare marinations where needed and you are ready to serve the guests.
Grilled Salmon
Nothing fancy here as well, just make sure you have salmon in good quantity because this is also quicker in getting ready and your guests will keep asking for it. Always plan for more than the invited guest list number.
Ingredients:
Salmon (any kind that you prefer)
Salmon fillets, skinless
Olive oil, for the dish and for grilling
Lime zest and fresh lime juice
3 crushed cloves of garlic
Salt and black pepper, according to taste
Directions:
Add olive oil to the baking dish along with the lime zest, lime juice, and garlic.
Whisk, then add salt and pepper, to taste.
Add salmon fillets to this, and put in the refrigerator for about 30 to 45 minutes, change sides once.
While the salmon is in marination, preheat the grill over medium heat.
Oil the grill and put salmon fillets. Each side would take approximately 3 minutes, be careful while flipping because salmon would be fragile at this stage.
Health benefits:
Salmon is rich in Omega 3, high in Vitamin B and a great source of protein.
From this dish, you will also get potassium and selenium.
As a plus point, you will be saved from heart troubles and weight issues.
Grilled Sausages
The name is sufficient to tell what it takes. It is the simplest item on the menu and will be ready in less than 30 minutes. Here goes the recipe for this life-saver:
Ingredients:
Sweet or spicy Italian sausages
Split rolls
Directions:
Heat grill to medium and then grill the sausages using a quality grill brush, keep turning for good 10 to 15 minutes.
You can serve the sausages in rolls with ready-made toppings.
Health Benefits:
It is a hot-favorite item because everyone loves it at a birthday dinner.
It offers the goodness of meat and is also high in proteins.
This dish provides vitamins that aid the nervous system and aids in building immunity.
Hot Dogs With Quick Cast-Iron Beans
This is another healthy yet easy-to-make food item. Hot dogs are everyone’s favorite so combine them with another healthy ingredient and you are done!
Ingredients:
Canola oil, for grill grate
Olive oil, just a bit
Diced onion
Small white beans (1 can be rinsed)
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
2 chopped garlic cloves
2 tbsp. molasses
Salt and black pepper
Red wine vinegar (2 tsp.)
Worcestershire sauce (2 tsp.)
Hot dogs and buns
Any sauce or ketchup, for serving
Directions:
First of all, set up the grill at medium heat for direct and indirect cooking.
Heat your oil in a cast-iron skillet on direct heat.
Add onion, cook slightly.
Now add beans, tomatoes, garlic, and molasses.
Season with salt and pepper and transfer the skillet to indirect heat.
Keep stirring and cook until tomatoes break down (will take about 15 - 20 minutes).
Finally, remove from heat and add vinegar and Worcestershire sauce.
Grill hot dogs over direct heat, turning occasionally until warmed through (about 5 to 6 minutes).
Grill buns, if desired.
Serve them in buns with beans and preferred sauce or ketchup.
Health benefits:
White beans are very rich in fiber.
White beans are loaded with cancer-fighting dietary fiber better than the red beans.
Meat is the main ingredient, which makes it a healthy choice, but you have to watch-out which hot dogs you are purchasing to gain maximum health benefits from it.
Grilled Summer Squash With Lemon-Scallion Dressing
One of the summers special with simple ingredients. Just grilled, tossed and ready to be served. Convert your simple outdoor birthday party into an exotic one by getting a salt water hot tub for your guests while they wait for the grill.
Ingredients:
Canola oil for grill grates
3 small zucchini (about 1 pound), halved lengthwise
3 small yellow squash (about 1 pound), halved lengthwise
Olive oil (2 tbsp.)
Salt and black pepper
1/2 tsp. lemon zest, plus 1/2 a whole lemon
1/2 small jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp. pure honey
2 sliced scallions
Fresh basil, chopped
Directions:
Get the grill ready by heating to medium-high.
Make sure the grates are hot, clean and oiled well.
Now brush zucchini and squash with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
You can use salt and pepper as seasoning.
Start grilling zucchini, squash, and lemon half, each side till it’s just tender, it might take 3 to 4 minutes.
When done, transfer the grilled items to a cutting board; cut zucchini and squash into 2-inch pieces.
Now take a bowl and squeeze the juice from the grilled lemon into it.
Add some lemon zest, jalapeño, honey, and remaining tablespoon olive oil and mix well.
Sprinkle a little bit of salt and pepper.
Now combine all the grilled ingredients and toss well.
Health benefits:
Squash is high in magnesium and multiple vitamins.
It is also a good source of riboflavin, fiber, potassium, folate, and phosphorus.
Zucchini helps by improving digestion and also it lowers down sugar level.
It also helps to lose weight.
Grilled Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Wraps
This creative dish is another great addition to your birthday party menu. The grilled chicken placed in wraps and topped with pineapple tart tastes best with tangy teriyaki sauce. It’s a perfect dish for outdoor birthday parties!
Ingredients
Chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
Garlic powder 1tsp
Chili powder 1tsp
Salt and pepper, according to taste
Sliced red onion
Pineapple rings, sliced
Teriyaki sauce (1/2 cup)
Pita wraps
Sesame seeds, optional
Note: If you do not have any of the above-mentioned ingredients, you can check for substitute ingredients that you can use in your dish.
Directions:
Preheat your grill to medium setting.
Season your chicken using garlic powder, salt and pepper, and chili powder.
Marinate for about 15 minutes.
Grill for about 5-8 minutes on each side, until chicken is cooked. That’s it!
For assembling:
Assemble the wraps with grilled chicken breast, also add (optional) onions and pineapples.
You may use toppings on each pita, like teriyaki sauce and add optional sesame seeds.
Preferably, serve wraps immediately.
Health benefits:
Pineapple is a rich fruit containing nutrients, antioxidants and other helpful compounds, such as enzymes.
These can help you to fight inflammation and disease.
These are some amazing, delicious and easy dishes for outdoor birthday parties. Now you have some great outdoor dishes ideas that you can rely on for your next outdoor birthday. While making sure the food is great, you should not forget some safety tips for outdoor parties.
Safety checklist for outdoor food events:
Here are some safety tips that you must follow while planning your next outdoor birthday party:
Safety first; you will have children accompanying many of the guests. Make sure the cooking or grilling is happening at a safe distance.
Have a lot of lights to make sure food is visible. Since you are in an open environment, the additional light will help to keep an eye on insects.
Use high-quality ingredients, do not compromise on your own and others’ health.
Keep the food covered.
Have a backup plan, in case it rains.
Mosquito repellents should be available; they are not invited but yet they will join for dinner.
A small kids’ corner and handy finger food for kids will not do any harm. This will keep them away from the risky cooking area.
Make sure the dish name is visible, just in case someone is allergic to any ingredients.
Conclusion
So folks, if any birthday is just around the corner, you are now equipped with both ideas and instructions to follow. Make sure you follow them, improvise if needed depending upon the age groups you are serving and share these tasty and healthy recipes with guests who are going to fall in love with your smart cooking.
Make sure you follow general and food safety tips as well. Happy eating everyone 🙂