Outdoor entertaining this fall

Tips For Enjoying Your Patio This Autumn

Patios are great places to entertain guests or to spend quality time with your family, away from indoor distractions like TV, homework, Internet, video games. Just because the weather gets cooler in autumn doesn’t mean that homeowners can’t still enjoy their patios.

When the temperatures start to dip, a great way to stay warm on your patio (without having to use a smoky, messy fire pit) is to use a patio heater.

Two specific heaters I highly recommend are the Gaslight Patio Heater and the Bistro Table Patio Heater from Outdoor Leisure. These heaters provide body-level warmth that turns a chilly autumn patio into a comfortably warm haven for relaxing or entertaining. They both have adjustable controls allowing you to raise or lower the level of heat according to preference, and they run on a 20-lb. propane tank discreetly hidden in the base of the units. For more information, visit www.aboutoutdoorleisure.com )

Keeping Biting Insects at Bay

To keep away mosquitoes that might still be a nuisance, tie sprigs of fresh mint together and lay bundles on top of table or tuck a sprig into your pocket. The volitile oils from the mint interfere with the mosquitoes' sense of smell so they can't "sniff" you out for a bite!

Bees and wasps are in search of food this time of the year. As their nectar sources dye back, they will seek food on tables. Keep them at bay by tucking scented dryer sheets in and around the dining area.

Dressing the Table

Use a heavy, seasonally-colored tablecloth on your outdoor table and clips to keep it from blowing away. Also, use cloth napkins with heavy napkin rings and heavy placemats to prevent those autumn wind gusts from sending them into your neighbors yard.
 
Pepper Luminaries are a festive way to light up the night. Make them by cutting out designs in the sides of colored bell peppers. Insert a tealight candle and watch shards of light dance through the peppers.

Centerpieces in a snap can be achieve by removing the top of a bell pepper, fill it with water and insert gerber daisies or sunflowers. Or, try filling mason jars with water and putting floating candles in them to add a nice touch of ambience.

One of the best features about a patio - is that it brings a family together away from everything that distracts them indoors. In my family, we have what we call a “Non-Negotiable Family Night” where we all prepare a meal together and then spend time playing games, or talking, or reading aloud - or some other activity where we are all interacting. 

If you are going to play a board games out on the patio, some especially good ones are scrabble, checkers, dominos, Chinese checkers... and game where the pieces won’t blow away.

The key to patio meals: the simpler the better. But that doesn’t mean that the meals have to be boring. I like to serve piping hot soup out of a cutout pumpkin shell, which not only is a fun, seasonal decoration, it also adds a delicious pumpkin flavor to the soup.  Try using cutout butternut squashes as soup bowls as well.

Another great way to serve a meal, is to cook it right out on the patio. You can do this either on a "smokeless tabletop grill" or with a fondue set, items you can purchase just about anywhere. 

For dessert, S’mores are always a favorite. Again, they are another one of those foods that are just as fun to prepare, as they are to eat. To add an interesting, nutritious twist, add ingredients such as bananas, strawberries, peanut butter as options for "Super-S'mores."
 
Ultimately, no matter what meal or snacks you make, the key to a great autumn is to just be outside, warm and cozy, enjoying the beauty of your backyard with the ones you love the most.