One of my most favorite things to do in the summertime is to eat outside on a beautiful warm, not hot, sunny, not humid, pleasant, not buggy, evening. These nights are rare, when all of my prerequisites can be met, but oh! so thoroughly enjoyable! Part of what makes them magic is that you can’t really predict when these evenings will happen. You can listen to the weather report but….we all know how accurate that can be! And even when it is right…they can’t predict the bug level in any given yard on any given night! Nor can a good weather report guarantee you won’t have to work late or that you won’t be spared some other of life’s delays.

One of the most important things you can do to be prepared for these usually impromptu evenings…is to plan ahead! When you know it’s not going to rain all week…be prepared with a meal or two that can easily and quickly be prepared, that’s our favorite on the table above, our Signature Steak Salad (if you watch WHP-TV CBS this Saturday morning between 8 and 9, I’ll be sharing some “Cool & Breezy, Easy Summer Salads and Desserts). Then have a table setting waiting in a drawer…tablecloth, cloth napkins, candles and anything else you want to add to the ambience! (My setting wasn’t quite finished when I took these…and then, I was so excited about our evening on the deck, I forgot to take another picture!)

Being prepared makes it soooo easy to produce a wonderful Al Fresco dining experience at the very last minute in a very short amount of time…and what could be better than that after a busy day?! Well…one thing for me…dining with the love of my life, Prince Charming!