Dinner With Friends: Complete Guide

Whether you want to celebrate a fun day on the course or are looking for an easy summer dinner idea to invite over a few friends, this simple golf-themed dinner with it’s tasty no-cook recipes is perfect for gathering around! With a little planning, it’s no sweat in just under two hours.

*Included are links to all the table decor, recipes and a timeline to make sure you’re not in the kitchen when your guests arrive.

My mom used to tell me, “To have a friend, you have to be a friend.” And one of the very best ways to be a friend these days is to invite people over for dinner. Everyone is craving a little time spent together.

Dinner doesn’t have to be fancy. And it certainly doesn’t have to be hard. Getting together is about being together.

To pull it off effortlessly, you only need a few essentials to set the table, some quick, no-sweat recipes and a simple timeline for getting it done. (Included throughout the post & at the end to make it easy!)

For this dinner, I set up a simple white folding table on my patio. I called a local events rental company and had a tablecloth and chairs delivered.

Again, it’s so easy. I don’t have to own those things, store those things or clean them. It’s very cost effective and makes inviting people over for dinner something I look forward to.

If doing the dishes keeps you from having people over, these are for you!

This place setting makes getting together easy too! Those plates? Disposable! Made from eco-friendly, biodegradable bamboo, they are thick and sturdy and so much more special than a paper or plastic plate.

Mix Disposables With Basics You Can Use Over & Over

For instance, the table runner is a green striped, heavy weight paper from Hester & Cook. It adds color and pattern with the plus of being able to toss it, making clean up a snap. It comes in a 25 foot roll which means it can be used for about 3 tables.

Hen House Linens, on the other hand, has the best cloth dinner napkins and placemats. The green and white printed napkins and grass green ruffled placemats placed on the vertical are 100% “putting green” vibes needed for this table, but also a versatile color I love + machine washable, making them easy to use in my everyday dinner rotation.

My stemless wine glasses with a rattan sleeve have become summer favorites, along with the irresistible hand painted golf cart and golf bag cocktail napkins by Lemondaisy Design.

The same goes for the seagrass chargers and the bamboo handle silverware. They are in constant use at my house.

Recipes To Make

There’s no need to make lots of food. This isn’t a party. It’s an intimate meal with friends.

Keeping that in mind, I chose 3 popular no-cook summer recipes that look and feel special without requiring much. I wanted this to be the type of dinner we could host any night of the week or weekend, even if we had worked all day.

We started with the #1 dip recipe on the site Whipped Feta with Honey. It only takes about 5 minutes to prep using a food processor or hand mixer and can be served with soft pita bread, crackers or fruit!

Dinner was Summer Melon Salad with Sliced Rotisserie Chicken & a simple homemade Garlic Lemon Dressing. It’s loaded with cubed watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe, walnuts and feta, served over salad greens.

With sliced rotisserie chicken breasts, it’s filling, tasty and requires zero cooking. That’s what makes it the perfect recipe choice when the main thing on the menu is just getting together.

Thank Your Guests

Last but not least, I like to send my guests a special thank you for coming over and having dinner with me. As a friend, it’s important to let those you invite into your home know that they and their time are treasured.

This could be as simple as a thoughtful text. But if you happen to capture some fun candids of your dinner with your phone, consider sending them to the 1 hour photo lab near you to create a printed thank you card. Mail it, and they’ll have a surprise keepsake of your friendship and the time you spent together.

I promise it will make their day! Happy Hosting!

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