Fun Summer Party Ideas

Hi, Neighbors!

I've been blogging for a long time, mostly about things that I love (travel, food, books, art, technology...), and that includes a healthy dose of local news and events (like open markets, pop-up stores, parades, and burial grounds).

So I was thrilled when Charlestown Patch asked me to contribute here, because I love living in Charlestown and think Patch is a great platform for our community to get to know each other better. I look forward to reading the daily top stories, plus input from local voices, like , , and .

My first contribution? A few fun - and easy - ideas for your upcoming Summer parties. Whether you're celebrating , the July 4th holiday, or just a weekend get-together with friends, these simple ideas will bring some pizzazz to the party.

1) One of my favorite Summer cocktails is white Port with tonic water, lemon and mint. It is so refreshing! And since white Port isn't as common as red, it is usually a unique treat for guests. You can purchase Andresen 10 Yr White Port at (Taylor Fladgate 10 Yr and Dow Fine White Porto are also great choices, but tougher to come by). Simply pour equal parts white Port and tonic water over ice in a glass, and mix with freshly torn mint leaves and lemon slices.

2) How festive are these strawberries? I picked up this idea over on Pinterest and just love it. Foodmaster has beautiful strawberries in stock this week, so I picked those up along with some white baking chocolate and red-white-and-blue jimmies (I would have preferred blue sugar, but they didn't have it). Simply melt the chocolate per package directions, and then dip washed & dried strawberries into it so that it covers 2/3 of the berry. Place berries on a baking sheet lined with wax paper to cool a bit and then (before it's completely cooled), dip the lower third of the berry in the colored sugar. Return tray to refrigerator until chocolate hardens.

3) If you need fun serving pieces to present your food & drinks (or just a nice hostess gift to bring along), head over to Olivia Browning. They always have beautiful, seasonal (and Charlestown-themed!) goods available to put the finishing touches on your shindig.

I hope you all have a fun - and safe - Summer. Happy 4th of July!