| Dinner parties can be a lot of fun. Getting together | | | | everyone bring a dish with at least one ingredient |
| over a meal has traditionally been a great way to | | | | that came from the local Farmer's Market. This is a |
| enjoy the company of friends and family. Have you | | | | great way to explore what is being grown by your |
| ever thought about having a dinner party with a | | | | local farmers. Many farmers' markets sell everything |
| theme? A theme can turn a plain, boring old dinner | | | | from fresh fruit and vegetables to homegrown |
| party into something fun and exciting. | | | | meats and baked goods. |
| A theme can provide entertainment, such as a | | | | Iron Chef Night: Choose one ingredient and have |
| murder mystery dinner party, or it can merely | | | | everyone make a dish containing that ingredient. |
| provide interest to the evening, such as choosing a | | | | Perhaps you want to use lemon, apples, cherries, or |
| specific cuisine. For Cinco de Mayo, for instance, | | | | zucchini. It can be interesting to see what your |
| many people rightly choose a Mexican-themed dinner | | | | guests come up with for the special ingredient. |
| to help celebrate the Mexican culture, while on St. | | | | Cookbook Night: Choose a single cookbook and have |
| Patrick's Day, many people choose to make corned | | | | every dish come from that book. You can cook |
| beef and cabbage. Italian, Chinese or any other | | | | them all, or you can assign a dish to each of your |
| cuisine would work as well at any time of year. | | | | guests. This is fun. Choose Julia Child's cookbook and |
| You could plan a dinner party and a movie and give it | | | | show the film "Julie and Julia" after dinner. |
| a Hollywood theme. This would also work for a | | | | Cuisine Night: Choose a single cuisine and have all the |
| Golden Globes or Oscar party. Lots of people do this | | | | dishes represent it. Some ideas would be Italian night, |
| every year for the Superbowl with football themed | | | | Dim Sum night, Sushi night, and so on. Choose some |
| decorations. You are limited only by your imagination. | | | | of your favorites or try something new. |
| It adds a bit of excitement to the dinner party and | | | | Entertainment Night: Pick a movie or favorite TV |
| makes it more memorable, especially if you tend to | | | | show and find a way to incorporate it into the food. |
| have dinner parties frequently. | | | | For example, pair Gilligan's Island with seafood and |
| Using a theme can help you and your guests explore | | | | coconut cream pie or Wallace and Gromit's Curse of |
| new foods or spend the evening with decadent | | | | the Were-Rabbit with vegetarian dishes. It would be |
| desserts. It could also go even further with | | | | fun. |
| costumes, decorations and more. How far you take a | | | | Try it once or twice and see what you come up |
| theme is ultimately up to you. | | | | with. This can even be exciting for kids in the family; |
| Some Fun Themes to Consider | | | | perhaps they would be willing to try something new |
| Farmer's Market Night: Make it a potluck and have | | | | at a themed dinner. |