Throw a Block Party - Easy Dinner Recipes and Dinner Ideas For Family Fun

Block parties are a phenomenal way to celebrate summer with family and friends. With the rising cost of gas and travel many people are staying home for vacations ("staycations") and throwing a block party is a great way to get together and celebrate without traveling way. We have some easy dinner recipes to help create your feast and some ideas to make it happen.
1) Get everyone involved early. Notify people in advance of the event by putting save the date invitations in their mailboxes, then follow up in person so they know they are welcome.
2) Divvy up the tasks to make life easier. Have every family bring their own meat to grill, and assign most people to bring a dish to share. Those not bringing a dish can bring buns, condiments, desserts, ice and beverages. Get a headcount early so people know how much to bring.
3) Ask everyone to bring their own plates so there isn't a huge amount of waste at the end of the party and you can be green.
4) Put out sunscreen and bug spray to keep burns and pesky bugs at bay.
5) Assign someone to bring tables and folding chairs, but suggest to guests that they bring lawn chairs too.
6) Stock up on disposable cups.
7) Bring squirt guns, frisbees, balls, hula hoops and other games for the kids to all share.
8) Bring a CD player and some music to set the mood.
9) Have a watermelon eating contest and give out amazing prizes.
10) After dark you can project a movie against the side of someones house and all gather around to watch. Make popcorn to share.
11) Think about making homemade ice cream. Nothing puts people in a better mood faster. The young ones may have never seen it made and the older ones can share great memories of homemade ice cream from their youth.
12) Assign, or hire some teens to help out with the young ones. Make sure no one gets trampled and everyone has a good time.
Some easy dinner recipes to add to your party:
New Oreleans Flank Steak
This recipe multiplies easily to fit a crowd!
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 Tb Red wine vinegar
2 Tsp Light brown sugar
2 Tsp Creole or Cajun Seasoning
2 Tsp Terriyaki Sauce - reduced sodium
1 Tsp Oregano - dried
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/4 Tsp Cracked black pepper
1 1/4 lb Flank steak
Instructions
In a large zip top plastic bag, combine all the ingredients except the steak. Seal the bag to shake to combine the ingredients well. Add the flank steak, seal and shake bag again to coat steak well with marinade.
Refrigerate up to 3 days.
Preheat broiler, or grill, and grill the steak for 5 to 7 minutes per side for medium or cook to your desired doneness. Let the steak stand 10 minutes before slicing crosswise into 1/2 inch thick slices.
Honey Mustard Chicken
Simple but delicious. Kids will enjoy it a lot. Use broiler if grill is not available.
Serves 6
Ingredients
5 Tb Honey
5 Tb Dijon mustard
4 1/2 lb Chicken thighs and drumsticks
Instructions
Mix honey and mustard together in a small bowl. Put chicken in resealable plastic bag or plastic dish with lid, and pour or brush marinade over chicken. Make sure chicken is covered with marinade. Marinate in refrigerator for at least one hour, but not more than 24 hours. It's best to marinate overnight.
Grill the chicken on a preheated grill for about 8 to 9 minutes per side, baste chicken with marinade until chicken is cooked through and lightly browned. Serve chicken warm or cold.
Chipotle Mashed Potatoes
Chipotle chilies, lime, and cilantro transform everyday mashed potatoes into a mouth watering experience. Prep time is 2 minutes, and cook time is 8 minutes.
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 C Milk
2 3/4 C Mashed potatoes - frozen
1 Can Chipotles en adobo, minced
1/4 C Cilantro, chopped
1 Tb Lime juice - fresh
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/4 Tsp Black pepper, freshly ground
Instructions
In a medium saucepan, heat milk over medium heat. Add frozen potatoes; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat; add chilies and the rest of the ingredients. Stir until well combined.
Easy Three Bean Salad
Great accompaniment to any meal. Will stay in the refrigerator for up to one week in a tight lidded container.
Serves 8
Ingredients
1 Can Kidney beans - 15 oz, rinsed and drained
1 Can Black beans - 15 oz, drained and rinsed
1 Can Chickpeas - 15 oz, drained and rinsed
1/2 C Parsley - fresh, chopped
1/4 C Olive oil
1/4 C Balsamic vinegar
Instructions
Combine all ingredients and toss. Cover and chill.
Julie Languille
Easy Dinner Recipes, Menus and Meal Planning for Busy Families
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Backyard Camp Out - Easy Dinner Recipes and Dinner Ideas For Family Fun

When the kids are little or time or money is short, try a backyard camp out for an easy recipe for great family fun. All you need are some willing campers, a tent, some bedding and a spirit of adventure.
Step 1) Acquire a tent. Hopefully there's one in the garage and you can find it. If not, you can ask your friends if you can borrow one, or you can go to the local thrift store and see if you can score a bargain. Alternately you can hit the discount stores, tents should be in the sporting goods section and shouldn't cost a lot of money.
Step 2) Gather supplies. We need sleeping bags or bedding and pillows for each camper. We need at least one flashlight and hopefully a battery operated lantern to light our tent. Some cards and games might be fun too.
Step 3) Find a flat and dry area of your yard and pitch your tent. This can be the funniest part of this whole procedure. Generally, modern tents come with folded stakes that unfold and stamp into each other. These poles are threaded into channels sown on the outside of the tent, then the ends are held in place in the ground with stakes. There is usually a rain shield that covers the whole assembly in case of, you guessed it, rain. If your tent is older, you're on your own for assembly.
Step 4) Food and drink are critical to the success of this mission. Plan to cook your meal outside. See the easy recipe ideas below.
Step 5) Light the grill or BBQ fire and play some games with the kids. Lawn darts, the non-lethal kind are good, as is frisbee.
Step 6) Cook dinner and eat. Plan some dessert too. Roast marshmallows over the fire or grill some peaches and drizzle with maple syrup then top with ice cream.
Step 7) Play games with the kids after dinner. Tell stories. When it gets dark, tell scary stories passing around the flashlight. Fortunately, if it get's too scary, the house is nearby.
Step 8) This is the hard part, get comfortable, go to sleep and stay our in the tent until morning. Take the flashlight if you need to make an indoor privy visit. And the good news about backyard camping is that if it gets too uncomfortable, you can always go inside and go to bed. The best part is the time together, not the snoring in the tent part.
Smoked Cheddar Stuffed Hamburgers
A different kind of burger that everyone will enjoy.
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 lb Ground beef
1/2 Tb Garlic and herb seasoning - salt free
4 ea Smoked Cheddar Cheese , cut into 4 1 inch chunks
1 Tb Olive oil
4 ea Hamburger buns
Instructions
In a large bowl combine the beef and garlic seasoning until mixed. Shape into four patties about 1 inch thick. Press a chunk of cheese into the center of each of the patties, make sure it is well covered with meat. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, or prepare outside grill. Cook the burgers on the skillet or grill about 4 to 6 minutes per side for medium to medium well done. Serve on buns.
Grilled Sweet Potatoes and Scallions
Great on the grill beside your favorite grilled dish!
Serves 4
Ingredients
3 C Sweet potatoes, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick slices
3 Tb Olive oil
1 Tsp Thyme, dried
1/4 Tsp Cayenne
2 Tb Butter
2 Scallions, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Heat grill to medium. Toss sweet potatoes with oil, thyme, and cayenne pepper in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
Grill potatoes until tender, 20 to 30 minutes, turning frequently. Re-add potatoes to the bowl. Add butter, and break potatoes into large pieces with a fork. Toss with scallions. Serve.
Grilled Corn
Let your kids shuck the corn. Mine love to!
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 ea Cob of corn, shucked
Butter, melted (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Start the grill, then shuck the corn. Grill corn, turning occasionally. When some kernels are a bit charred, 5 to 15 minutes, corn is done. Brush on melted butter. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.
Julie Languille
Mom, step-mom, foster mom and adoptive mom and owner of Dinners In A Flash
Easy Dinner Recipes, Menus and Meal Planning for Busy Families
For more information Click Here!

Concert in the Park - Easy Dinner Recipes and Dinner Ideas For Family Fun

Concerts in the park are a great source of cheap family entertainment in the summer. Choices range from the local high school band concerts to full scale professional artists performing on local outdoor venues. In our area a local winery hosts great outdoor concerts that are enjoyable for all ages. Check your community newspaper and event pages for local events, times and schedules. Plan some easy dinner recipes and pack up a delicious family feast. It's a great way to reconnect with neighbors and friends you don't see that often and the music and entertainment are great too. They are great concerts to take the kids to, because they can play on the grass if they get bored. Try to station yourself near the playground equipment so you can keep an eye on the kids and an ear on the concert at the same time.

In this picnic, I've planned a pan bagnat, a French tuna sandwich that is delicious and perfect for picnics and outings. This easy dinner recipe comes together in minutes, but will hold for hours in a cooler and only gets better as the flavors meld. Bring some crostini and olive tapenade or hummus for spreading as a great easy appetizer. Cold crunchy pickles or green olives or kalamatas would be delicious too.

What to bring:

1) Folding chairs

2) Jackets

3) Beverages! A chardonnay would be lovely the pan bagnat, or if you prefer a red, try a merlot or a pinot noir. Bring juices for the kids and plenty of water, especially if it is a sunny day.

4) Sunscreen - a must for summertime whether it is sunny or not. Sometimes those cooler days can surprise you with a sun burn.

5) Bug spray - after the sun begins to set, the mosquitoes may come looking for you.

6) A plastic tarp in case it rains or the ground is wet.

Easy Recipes:

Pain Bagnat

This is a French style tuna sandwich. I love it for a quick summer dinner. It is also great to make ahead - it only gets better. It is wonderful to take to a picnic, because there is no mayonnaise.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 lb French bread loaf about 14 inches long
2 Can Tuna - 6 oz - preferably in oil
1/4 C Olive oil
1/2 C Basil - fresh
2 ea Tomatoes, chopped
1/2 C Kalamata olives, chopped
1/4 C Capers, rinsed

Instructions

Slice the bread in half horizontally. Brush the bread with olive oil and layer with basil leaves. Open the tuna, but do not drain it. (If using tuna in water instead of oil, drain and add 2 TB olive oil). Combine remaining ingredients and layer into the sandwich. Wrap very well in plastic wrap and press down hard with a skillet. This gets the juicy goodness into the bread. Some have suggested sitting on the sandwich, but we will not go there. Now if you are taking this sandwich somewhere it is ready to go, remember to pack a knife to cut it. Otherwise, you can unwrap and slice to serve immediately. This sandwich is great made in the morning for a quick grab on your way out to the ballpark. Enjoy!

Easy Three Bean Salad

Great accompaniment to any meal. Will stay in the refrigerator for up to one week in a tight lidded container.

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 Can Kidney beans - 15 oz, rinsed and drained
1 Can Black beans - 15 oz, drained and rinsed
1 Can Chickpeas - 15 oz, drained and rinsed
1/2 C Parsley - fresh, chopped
1/4 C Olive oil
1/4 C Balsamic vinegar

Instructions

Combine all ingredients and toss. Cover and chill.

Julie Languille

Mom, step-mom, foster mom and adoptive mom and owner of Dinners In A Flash

Easy Dinner Recipes, Menus and Meal Planning for Busy Families

For more information Click Here!

Easy Sides Save Dinner

Day after day you are responsible for feeding lots of mouths, your own included! I have no doubt you get pretty tired of trying to keep things healthy, interesting, and easy. There are some things you can do to lighten your load. We've all heard, "work smarter, not harder". That is what these tactics are all about!
First, consider roasted veggies. This is such an easy solution for everyday dinners and maybe even some special occasions. It is very simple to wash, cut, and assemble this dish. Simply choose three to four veggies you and your family like. A couple examples include: sweet potatoes, green beans, carrots, or potato, carrot, zucchini. You of course can come up with your own!
Take these veggies and cut them so that they are a similar size. Then simply drizzle some olive oil on them, sprinkle a couple tablespoons of your favorite dry dressing mix, and stir until equally covered. Place in a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees until all the veggies are tender. Done. A tasty, filling, and healthy side dish that can go with just about anything!
Another easy side dish idea is very common sense and will leave you saying "why didn't I think of that!?" The solution is so simple, make double or triple! Not everyone will like tuna casserole leftovers. However, most people don't complain about leftover mashed potatoes!
Let's say Monday night your sides are mashed potatoes and a side salad. You are already taking the time to prepare these items so why not double it and have sides ready for Wednesday night's baked chicken? In other words, make sure you can get two or three nights sides from one prep time, one dirty dish, and one push of energy. You can always spice things up with the leftovers by adding a few things here or there. Maybe you add some avocado to the salad, or some cheese to the mashed potatoes.
Either way, the point is still the same: conserve energy, time, and thought by making multiple night's servings.
A final step is to skip the idea of sides and do "one-bowl" meals. You can use either of these "side" dishes listed above and complete this idea. For example, add some shrimp with the vegetables when tossing in the oil and seasoning. Bake all together for a delicious dinner. Or consider a lovely seared steak on top of your salad.
Keep it simple. Keep is smart. And above all, keep it healthy. Your family will thank you, and you will have more time and energy to enjoy life with them. Happy eating!
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Picnic at the Beach - Easy Dinner Recipes and Dinner Ideas For Family Fun

What could be better than a picnic at the beach for a family dinner outing? Sand in your toes, the roar of the ocean a walk on the beach, and a roaring fire to gather around. If you aren't lucky enough to live near the ocean, a lake, pond, creek or fountain will do. Or simply put blankets down in the back yard. A few easy dinner recipes for a picnic at the beach then later when it gets dark you can do some star gazing.
What you need:
1) A place to go. Choose a local beach, preferably with fire pits or BBQs. One with a bit of shelter from the wind is ideal. It will keep the sand out of your food later.
2) Fire - a fire ring, BBQ, or create your own. You can bring a small portable BBQ or dig a pit and line it with stones. If you are making your own fire pit it is great to involve the whole faily in the digging, the hunt for stones and the search for firewood. It is a good idea to bring a grill to set on top of stones on your firepit. And i always bring some backup firewood in case the search for wood turns up less than an adequate supply.
3) Seating - a picnic bench, folding chairs or a huge old quilt or blanket are wonderful to sit on fireside. Bring several so as the day gets cooler you can all be near the fire and you can switch side s as the wind direction changes to avoid getting smoke on your eyes.
4) Games - It is a great idea to bring some games or toys to occupy the troops until dinner time. A bucket and shovel are classic beach toys and the basis of any good sand castle. It's really amazing how the sand itself is entertaining for kids to play with. It's like at Christmas when all the little kids love to play in the boxes and wrapping; take them to the beach and they love the sand. Of course later they'll have it in every crevice, but that's a price well worth paying for a good afternoon at the beach. Beach balls are another good choice as are Frisbees. Bring another bucket if you've got a shell collector. They'll spend hours combing the beach for treasures. You can make a game of collecting sea shells and sea glass and have a craft day later where you turn your treasures into a craft such as decorated picture frames.
5) Camera - Since we may be making some decorated picture frames later with our collected shells, we may as well bring the camera and capture some sun and sand logged goofiness on film. I love a shot from the end of the day when everyone ir pink and sandy, tired and happy.
6) Safety - Be sure to have the safety discussion with kids early on. Depending on how many you have with you and what their ages are, there rules may vary, but each child should clearly know whether they are allowed in the water, and if so how deep. (To the knees? To the Belly button?) And if we are wandering the beach looking for shells, lets choose marker to show how far it is safe to go and whether you need to have someone come with you.
7) Drying off - Bring loads of towels, preferably big beach towels. Bring more than you think you'll need because someone always gets cold and wet when it is later in the day and beginning to get chilly.
8) Warm clothes - be sure to bring jackets for every one. Once the day turns cooler it is easy to get chilled. Bring something soft in case we're gotten any sunburn.
9) Sunscreen - I hate to have to cut a great outing short because we didn't plan well enough for sun exposure. Be sure it is water proof, plentiful and it is reapplied as needed.
10) Drinks! Be sure to have plenty of bottles of water on hand and well as fruit drinks for the kids and whatever the adults would like. Why not go with a beach theme and have some mai tais on the beach. They needn't even be alcoholic to taste good, although a little rum add good flaover. Buy mai tai mix, orange juice, mango juice, pineapple juice and rum if desired and go to town. It's extra point if you bring cute glasses (non breakable of course) and super extra credit for those little umbrellas.
11) Food! I bet you thought we never get there, but you know the food is the highlight of the day. Today we're doing shrimp boil in foil; succulent tender shrimp, sweet summer corn and spicy sausage all grilled together in a foil packet. The are make ahead and kept in the cooler to pop on the fire when we're ready. Also bring a loaf or garlic bread, all buttered and sliced and wrapped in foil to warm on the grill. For appetizers I like to do little smokey sausage links. Give everyone a weiner roasting stick or fashion them yourselves from coat hangers, spear a little smoky sausage and heat over the fire until sizzling. Careful though, they're hot! Bring more than you think you'll need because appetites get big with all that sun and activity. I'm convinced it makes the food taste better too! For dessert, it's got to be s'mores. Bring marshmallows, roasting sticks, chocolate bars and graham crackers. Again bring more than you think you need to account marshmallows dropped in the sand, burnt like torches and hearty appetites!
Grilled Shrimp "Boil" in Foil
A shrimp boil is a traditional southern dish where shrimp, shellfish, sausage and corn are boiled together with Old Bay seasoning. This has all the good flavor, but is faster and easier to prepare in foil packets.
Serves 4
1 1/2 lb Shrimp - medium - peeled and deveined
1 lb Mussels
1 lb Clams
1/2 lb Kielbasa, sliced
2 Cobs of of corn, shucked
2 Tb Butter
1/4 C Water
1/4 C White wine
1 Tsp Old Bay seasoning
Instructions
Preheat grill to medium high heat. Cut the corn into 1 inch rounds. Tear off 4 large sheets of foil and fold in half to double. Divide seafood, corn and sausage evenly among the packets, dot with butter, sprinkle on Old Bay, and 1 TB of both wine and water. Fold up with double folds to secure well. Grill packets about 10 minutes turning once until puffed. Empty each packet carefully into a bowl to serve.
Julie Languille
Mom, step-mom, foster mom and adoptive mom and owner of Dinners In A Flash
Easy Dinner Recipes, Menus and Meal Planning for Busy Families
For more information Click Here!

Ski Trip Tips: After-Ski Meal Preparations Made Easy

It's one of the biggest dilemmas you'll encounter when embarking on a ski trip with your family: What to eat for dinner after a day of skiing. Dining out would be the best answer. But eating in restaurants can be quite expensive. And if it's peak season, you'll have to deal with long queues and last minute reservation woes.
This leaves you with one option: Cooking.
But who has energy to whip out a gourmet dinner after a day on the slopes?
If someone in your family has food allergies, then you probably don't have much choice but to make a bee line to the kitchen.
However, preparing meals after a day on the slopes don't have to be a Herculean feat. You, after all, are on a ski vacation to relax and enjoy the winter holidays.
So how do you cook up a delicious dinner for the family without rushing? Here are a few tips:
Keep it simple. You don't have to prepare an elaborate condo cuisine to feed your famished family. Burgers, sandwiches and quick-and-easy pastas may be enough to whet their appetites and keep them satisfied until tomorrow's breakfast.
TIP: Check out easy "condo cuisine" meals you can cook in less than an hour online.
Plan ahead. Before leaving home and flying to your ski vacation destination, plan out your dinners, and get all ingredients measured and bagged separately. This can cut cooking time in half. But;
Don't overplan. There's a big chance that you won't be eating in the condo for the most part of your vacation.
Shop on the first day of your ski getaway. Better yet, stock the fridge before hitting slopes. This ensures that you have everything ready before you hit the kitchen.
Prepare slow-cook meals. If you're driving and you still have enough room to spare, bring a crockpot. Check out slow-cook recipes online and get everything ready in the morning. Flip the switch and leave for your day on the slopes. After last run, you'll have dinner waiting for you.
Consider pre-cooking. Pre-cooking and freezing can be a good alternative to slow-cooking, if you can't bring your crockpot with you.
Make snacks or appetizers part of your menu. Give your family something to munch on while they wait for dinner. Whether it's biscuits, trail mix or cookies and hot cocoa, make sure your entrees are not too heavy to get them too full before dinner time, or they'll be skipping the meal you have prepared.
Through smart planning and preparations, cooking your own meals during a ski trip will be a breeze.
Tours de Sport is the best place for ski vacation and destinations. We offer a wide variety of ski vacation packages that you will surely enjoy at an affordable and cost-effective rates.
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Three Easy and Delicious Camping Meals

Camping is a favorite summertime activity for everyone who loves the outdoors. Sometimes preparing all of the equipment and packing all of the gear leaves little time to prepare the food. Often times this means a lot of hot dogs and sandwiches. Here are three easy and delicious meals that you can prepare ahead of time and will make this summer's camping trip a hit with the whole family.
1. Tin Foil Dinners: A favorite among boy scouts, the tin foil dinner is a classic camping dinner that is easy and delicious. Start with baby carrots, potatoes cut into 1" squares, onions, and green beans. Place a generous portion of vegetables on a large square of heavy duty aluminum foil. Add one hamburger patty, salt, pepper, seasoning and wrap the tin foil up securely. These meals will keep for a couple of days in a cooler and when you're ready to eat just throw them in the fire or on the grill. Cook until hamburger is brown throughout and enjoy. These simple dinners are amazingly flavorful and filling. You can even let the kids choose their favorite ingredients ahead of time and make sure everyone gets exactly what they want. The best part of tin foil dinners is that you can eat them right out of the foil and then throw it away when finished. Easy to make and easy to clean up.
2. Tin Foil Pizza Sandwiches: The even easier relative of the classic tin foil dinner. Who doesn't love pizza and what better place to enjoy your favorite pie than the camp ground. Just order your favorite pizza, let it cool, take two pieces and place the cheese sides together, crust side out. Take your pizza sandwich, wrap in tin foil, and you're done. Throw in the fire or on the grill and heat until the cheese melts. No utensils or plates necessary, what could be easier than that.
3. First Night Fish: My personal favorite, and perfect for anyone who loves salmon. Take one large salmon fillet and lay skin side down on a piece of heavy duty tin foil. Make sure the foil is large enough to wrap around the fillet completely. Spread butter over the top of the salmon, sprinkle with lemon pepper, dill, and lemon juice. Wrap the whole thing up and pack. You can then cook the salmon at medium heat on your grill until done. Goes great with a can of green beans and rolls. This meal is best served on the first night; the salmon fillet will take up some space in your cooler and won't keep well for more than a couple of days. The skin will stick to the tin foil when finished making this another easy to clean up meal.
Preparation is key to any successful camping trip. Make sure that you are prepared by planning all of your equipment and meals ahead of time. By making your meals at home you will save time and hassle at the camp site. These meals are not only delicious and easy to prepare, they are also very easy to clean up. The tin foil contains the mess and allows you to just throw out the trash when finished. So dazzle the whole family this summer with a new menu of delicious meals.
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