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Dine Alfresco At Home

© Giao Duong Williams

As the evenings grow warmer with a summerly spring, there’s a definite beckoning for many to head outside and hang out until the dewy night chill sets in. Under the stars or a sun that hasn’t quite set just yet, eating under the open skies is an enchanted experience anyone can master.

The concept of dining alfresco is basic: eat, outside. Doing this at home is even easier, since you don’t need to schlep food and dinnerware any further than your backyard or balcony. Really, all you’re doing is moving the dining room outdoors. How easy is that?

Seating and Eating
Outside, anything goes for a seating surface. In fact, the more varied the seating, the more eclectic your little dinner party will appear, tossing an effortlessly whimsical air about your hostessing abilities. Here are several ideas to keep the experience low-key and stress-free:

Table-less dining – plastic cafeteria tray plates or heavy-duty paper plates should suffice for holding food.

• Blanket – pick out an old blanket from your laundry room or pick one up on the cheap from garage sales or department store clearance sales.
• Tree stumps and logs – these are perfect little resting spots for friendly bottoms. If you’ve got some straggling about in the yard, waiting for their purpose in life, make use of them as charming sitting spots for the evening.

Have table, will use it – many of us already have a patio or picnic table we can use. Sometimes all you need to do is add a few more seats.

• Garden bench – these babies can hold an extra 3 – 4 dinner guests.
• Lawn chairs – many of us have these lying around anyway. They’re cheap and usually take little space in storage with their foldability.
• Makeshift bench – stack a plank of shelving wood on a pair of cinder blocks or logs. Make sure to keep the length short enough to support the weight of one or two guests (the longer it is between supports, the more likely it will sag).
• Old chairs with lots of character (e.g., “shabby chic”) – these old beauties can be picked up for a song at garage sales, flea markets, and end-of-season sales in shops.

Ambience and Insects
Ambience is easy outdoors. The backdrop of nature—the sky, the stars, the chirping of crickets—is usually quite lovely enough. Just a smidge of lighting helps establish an aura of distinction. Candles, luminarias , and strings of white Christmas lights are often subtle and effective ways to add easy flair to the dinner. Shops like Target, Kmart, and Wal-Mart are cheap bets for good lighting finds, while Crate and Barrel, Pier 1, and Cost Plus might be a bit spendier but may offer more selection.