Whether you’re planning a pre-game tailgate with a crowd in a parking lot or with a few friends in your own backyard, barbecuing—or at least warming up hearty food that’s already cooked–is definitely part of the fun.

Here are a few make-ahead recipes to help make your tailgating party a snap.

Marinade for any type of kebabs

Makes about 4 cups

3/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup olive oil
1 6-oz. can frozen orange juice
1 large clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 cup prepared mustard
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 cup red wine
1 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning

1. Blend all ingredients in blender.
2. Marinate meat and vegetables of your choice for 24 hours. . (You may wish to reserve about one-fourth of the fresh marinade to baste the kebabs as they cook)
3. Thread meat and vegetables on metal skewers.
4. Grill over low to medium heat until desired doneness, basting occasionally, if desired.

Source: This recipe was adapted from the Coleman NASCAR Team Grilling Challenge Winner. It was submitted to Tailgating by Mary Whitesell, team cook for the #24 DuPont team (Jeff Gordon).

Custom BBQ Sauce Recipe

2 bottles of your favorite barbecue sauce
8 oz. of fruit jam or preserves
1/4 cup cherry juice or other fruit juice
1/4 tsp. smoked chipotle powder.

1. Combine all ingredients and simmer over low to medium heat for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add your favorite jams or jellies, spices, butter, apple cider vinegar, molasses, honey or maple syrup, to taste.

Source: Adapted from a recipe by Clint Cantwell, a champion barbecuer from New York (click here to read his blog). This recipe was shown on CNN.com.

Giants flank steak

½ cup. soy sauce
½ cup water
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1 Tbs. brown sugar
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1/4 tsp. liquid hot pepper sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1 to 2 lb. flank steak

1. Mix all ingredients except steak.
2. Pierce the steak all over with a sharp fork; then cut shallow cross slits on both sides.
3. Put steak in large zip freezer bag or in glass container and add marinade. Turn meat to be sure it is thoroughly coated. If meat is in glass container, cover tightly with plastic wrap.
4. Marinate meat overnight, or for 24 hours, turning bag occasionally.
   Remove meat from bag and discard marinade.
5. Grill, brushing with Teriyaki sauce, if desired, until meat is rare to medium.
6. Cut thin slices across the grain; serve on toasted rolls.

Source: Adapted from a recipe by Andrea from South Jersey, on the Tailgating Web site.

Rick’s Awesome Chili

1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 lbs. beef chuck or round, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbs. paprika
5-6 Tbs. chili powder
1 Tbs. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
1 tsp. salt
1 cup water
2 jalepeños seeded, chopped (4 if you’re from Texas)
Optional: Add 3 cups of soaked or canned, rinsed and drained pinto beans, if desired.

Heat oil on medium to high heat.
Cook beef until brown.
Add onion and garlic; sauté for 5 minutes.
Add paprika, chili powder, cumin, and oregano; stir for 3 minutes.
Add tomato sauce, salt, water, and jalepeños (add beans, if desired).
Bring mixture to a boil.
Lower heat and simmer for at least 2 hours, adding water if needed.
Serve with cheese on top.
*Serving suggestions: pair with French bread and cold beer.

Source: Adapted from a recipe submitted by Bryon, to Tailgating.

BBQ Pulled Beef

1. In a large stock pot, add all ingredients except the BBQ sauce, and just cover with water.
2. Bring to a boil, then cover, and turn down heat to a simmer. Let beef simmer for about 2 1/2 hours, or until meat begins to fall apart easily.
3. Remove meat from pot reserving the cooking liquid. Let cool briefly, then begin to “pull” the beef with 2 forks, resulting in a shredded beef.
4. Add the pulled beef to a large bowl. Add BBQ sauce, and enough of the cooking liquid to moisten the beef (Chef’s suggestion: add about 1 cup of the cooking liquid along with the BBQ sauce).
5. Place the beef in a foil pan so it can be heated up on the grill, and serve beef on toasted hamburger buns.

Source:  Adapted from a recipe submitted by Kyle, to Tailgating.

November has just begun and we’re already thinking about Thanksgiving and other fall celebrations with friends and family. Many of the elements and colors of October, such as pumpkins, wheat, corn stalks, and flowers in beautiful shades of orange, gold, and red, can be used to create beautiful centerpieces and floral decorations throughout the season.

We’ve already shared beautiful colors and elements of the season. This time we’re excited about two fabulous arrangements, from the Flower Promotion Organization, both of which are far easier to create than they look.  Either one or both will help you create a beautiful festive atmosphere for your at-home entertaining:

1) Combine pretty fall elements into a single arrangement  

Materials and flowers:

One 8-inch ceramic bowl
3 miniature pumpkins, gourds, oranges, or persimmons
8 stems white freesia (or any white flower)
5 stems orange miniature spray roses (or other orange flower)
5 stems open orange hybrid ti- roses (or other orange flower)
4 stems yellow stock (or other yellow flower)
5 stems hypericum berries
1 large stem green hydrangea
3 wood pics (available from the florist or craft store, or use wood shish kabob skewers)
2 to 3 bricks of floral foam
Floral preservative
Knife
Floral clippers

Directions:

1. Soak the floral foam in water that has been treated with floral preservative for at least 30 minutes.
2. Cut the foam to fit the interior of the container. Then with the knife, shape the foam so that it is domed, the center higher than the sides.
3. Insert one wood pic (or cut shish kabob skewers into 3-inch lengths) and insert them into each miniature pumpkin/orange or persimmon. Then insert them sporadically into the floral foam.
4. Think of the arrangement in sections:  each section is built around a pumpkin, orange, or persimmon. Begin inserting flowers, cut to 4- or 5-inch lengths,  deeply around each pumpkin, orange, or persimmon. Very quickly the centerpiece will be filled with beautiful cut flowers.

2) Beautiful bread basket floral decoration 

Materials and flowers:
3 stems orange spray roses (or other orange flower)
1 stem orange hypericum (or other orange flower)
2 stems rosemary
10 stems beargrass
1 bread basket with handle
8-inches twist-tie
1 yard decorative fall ribbon
Floral clippers & scissors

Directions

1. Cut the flowers and foliage to about 4-inches in length. Remove the greens half-way down the ends of their stems.
2. Holding each flower just under its bloom, create a rounded bouquet.
3. Add the rosemary sprig, and make loops of beargrass behind the flowers.
4. Use a rubberband to hold all of the the stems in place, trimming the ends so they are close to the the same length.
5. Use a twist-tie to attach the bouquet to the handle of the basket,
6. Cover the twist-tie with decorative ribbon and make a bow.

It’s not too late to decorate for Halloween. If you just haven’t had the time to create intricate and labor intensive festive décor, we have a few simple ideas. Here are six very easy to assemble decorations you can put together in no time at all:

Festive votive (from Better Homes and Gardens) Place a large votive candle in glass square or round vase or votive. Fill the container with with dried corn or candy corn (about halfway to keep away from flame)

Ghost wooden spoons (from Quick and Simple)Cover 2-4 wooden, plastic, or metal spoons with white material or tissue paper. Secure the material to the spoon with an orange ribbon or string. Use a marker to dot on the eyes and mouth. Fill a jar or tall vase with colorful candy or marbles and place the spoon handles inside.

Mummy candy containers (from Better Homes and Gardens) Wrap any glass or plastic containers, vases, or jars with gauze and glue googly eyes on. Fill the containers with candy for your guests.

Witch hat flower arrangement (from the Flower Promotion Organization): Place orange and purple flowers in a glass bubble bowl (flowers used in photo: 2 orange gerbera daisies, 2 lavender freesia and 2 orange lilies). Place a witch’s hat on top, and decorate with an additional flower.

Chartreuse spider mums in a festive vase (from Jennifer Adams design and lifestyle blog)  Insert a smaller, waterproof container or glass vase inside a larger glass vase. Fill the smaller container with floral foam and flowers. Fill the space between the two vases with candy corn (you could also add other festive holiday candies, like gummy worms, orange and black gumballs)

Halloween Snowflakes (from mer mag. Click for instructions ) Cut paper with festive colors or patterns into jack-o-lanterns for instant decorations to hang on doors or anywhere else.

Halloween is such a fun holiday for kids–and increasingly, for grown-ups!

Celebrate with Style loves featuring the precious angels, devils, princesses, pirates, mini-divas and rock stars who dress up and head out in search of candy treats–often with Mom or Dad in tow.

So capture the magic of your child decked out for Halloween. Enter your favorite photo in our Halloween photo contest–for a chance to win a $250 prize. We’ll post pictures of the finalists, and readers will select the winner. It’s free, and it’s fun!

The deadline for entering photos is November 3rd.  Click here for contest details.

And while you’re at it, if you’re planning a Halloween party for kids or grown-ups, and you prefer your Halloween decorations cute and classy rather than scary and creepy, check our our cute and classy Halloween table décor and decorations.

We are always inspired by beautiful creations, and these wedding cakes, created by some amazing bakers, are certainly among the prettiest!

What these fabulous wedding cakes have in common is that through the use of icing color, flower sprays, or the shapes and color of decoration details, they all suggest Fall.

Why not use these gorgeous cakes as inspirations for any cake or cupcakes that you bake or buy for a Fall family celebration.

Some possibilities: Place chrysanthemums or other Fall flowers on a birthday cake, or use orange icing to write “Happy Anniversary” or “Congratulations,” along with other similarly colored decorations.

Tie coordinated ribbons in rich gold, orange, or rust around simple glass vases of similar flowers and you can create an instantly elegant Fall theme for a dessert display.

Photo credits: 1) 3-tier cake with brown ribbons topped with an orange arrangement by Forest Cakes;  2) 4-tier cake with brown and orange leaf accents by Snaffle Sweets; 3) 3-tier white cake with one brown ribbon and floral accents by Ruby’s Cake Company;  4) 4-tier cake with green embroidery by Divine Delicacies; 5) 2-tier brown cake with orange floral accents by Tiara Cakes; 6) 3-tier cake with cascading sash accented with small floral arrangements by Cindy’s Let them Eat Cake;  7) 3-tier white cake with orange floral accents by Jaqkis Cake Creations;  8)  3-tier cake with white embroidery by The Yum Yum Shop; 9) 4-tier cake with initial J cake topper by B&B Confections; 10) Orange 4-tier cake with white embroidery by La’Meeka Custom Cakes Designs.

To celebrate Franny’s birthday, which is this month, and mine, which is toward the end of November, our son, Jeffrey gave us a fabulous gift. He bought tickets for us to go to the “Grand Tasting,” one of the premier events at the NYC Wine and Food Festival, taking place between Oct. 8th and 11th. (How fabulous is this logo?) Jeffrey and his girlfriend, Stephanie, will be with us, so the day should be spectacular.

Here’s part of the online description of this 3-hour event–a description that certainly explains why we’re so excited:

 “…The Grand Tasting features flavors to stimulate your palate and set your taste buds soaring. Experience all this when some of the city’s greatest restaurants alongside world-renowned makers of wines and spirits of the Southern Wine & Spirits of New York portfolio turn out to treat you to their very best. Enjoy signature recipes, specially created dishes and tempting treats in portions that will allow you to stroll, eat and drink for hours…”

I counted more than 30 restaurants and close to 80 vineyards, distilleries, and wine importers scheduled to participate. The biggest challenge for me will be to do what everyone is supposed to do–just taste.

I really can’t wait! In the meantime, I think I’ll print out that list right now, to highlight a few of the “musts” to go to–as soon as we get there.

Here’s a beautiful inspiration board to suggest great ideas for party decor for any dinner party or other upcoming celebration.  All of these talented designers use the rich beautiful colors of fall, plus natural elements that add depth to their designs.

When creating or selecting fall centerpieces and arrangements, choose a variety of colors and elements. Rust, burgundy, fuschia, and deep purples are beautifully offset by aqua blue, and granny smith apple green.

For natural elements, select pumpkins and gourds, of course. Apples, pears, twigs, pine cones, acorns, and soon, flame-colored leaves can fill out your gorgeous centerpieces.

Photo credits: 1) Centerpiece in rust container by Christine Freeman.  2)Floral arrangement with re-purposed  wine corks;  featured in Flower Magazine; photo by Emily Payne and Jerry Yoon.  3)Fish bowl with walnuts featured in Flower Magazine; photo by Paul Johnson Photography.  4) White Italian ceramic pitcher filled with fall-colored flowers featured in Flower Magazine; photo by Paul Johnson Photography. 5) Deep-hued roses in tight arrangement by Monika Andenmatten, in Italian Lakes Wedding Blog. 6) Votive candle atop  mini pumpkins in hurricane glass, surrounded by fall leaves by Charlotte Geary Photography.

I had invited Maryan to share a “Quick Tip” with our readers. She asked if she could send a favorite recipe, and I answered, “Sure!” So Maryan sent a link to an earlier blog post. On the page was the pretty image (above) and a great-looking recipe for guacamole–one of my favorite treats!

“I snagged this recipe from Spa Magazine back in 2005 and it has been one of my favorites to serve as appetizers,” she wrote in her post.

I love collecting and trying guacamole recipes. This picture is so pretty, and the recipe looks so delicious, that this one is definitely joining the collection.

To accommodate more guests, I doubled the recipe. Can’t wait to try it.

Thanks, Maryan!

Lake Austin Spa Guacamole

Serves 8

4 medium size ripe avocados
2 Tbs. lime juice or fresh orange squeezed
1/2  teaspoon salt
4 small Roma tomatoes, diced
4 Tbs. minced onion
2 Tbs. minced cilantro
1 small Serrano chili, seeded and minced (optional)

1. Cut the avocados in half, lengthwise. Remove the pits and scoop fruit out with a spoon into a large bowl.
2. Add the garlic, lime juice, and salt and mash together coarsely with a fork or potato masher.
3. Fold in the tomato, onion, and cilantro (and Serrano chili if using).
   Serve at room temperature with corn chips.

But the next time we have dinner guests, we’ll be sure that the red wine we serve is properly chilled–thanks to an interesting post by Merci New York.

In addressing brides-to-be who are thinking about items to list on their registries, Merci writes:

“According to the October issue of Bon Appetit magazine, most reds should be carefully chilled as well, making that wine fridge quite an important purchase on your registry, for now and the future. Consider that most reds are best enjoyed at temperatures ranging from 55-65 degrees, but average room temperature is about 70 degrees. Serving wines too warm will emphasize the alcohol rather than the flavor and aroma nuances.

“However, if the wine fridge absolutely cannot squeeze into your space, here’s a little “red wine rule of thumb” from us at Merci:

• Lighter reds (Pinor Noir, Beaujolais)- chill one hour
• Medium bodied reds (Rioja, Chanti)- chill 45 minutes
• Powerhouse reds (Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon)- chill 30 minutes.”

Thanks, Merci! I’ll make a little wine-chilling cheat sheet and tape it inside a cabinet for ready reference.

During the week of September 20 -26, 2009, the second annual Great American Dine Out program will take place. Thousands of participating restaurants, nationwide, will donate a portion of their proceeds to Share Our Strength. This group helps the 12.6 million children in America who are hungry or at risk for hunger.

As Share Our Strength says on its Web site, “All you have to do is dine out September 20 - 26 and you can help raise money to end childhood hunger in America. Grab your friends, family and colleagues and dine out!”

Here are the basics: